< Nina >
Yesterday was nice.
I didn’t expect my whole day would be eventful. Yu made me feel very welcome in Dawn City as he showed me not only the bustling streets but also the places he and Luca hang out when they want to get out from the noise. The school was...different from my old one, though. But I don’t really like thinking about school since I will start tomorrow.
I had a call with Gene right after and he insisted that I should get a Whatsapp to send pictures of the city. And that I did.
“He does look like a celebrity from Korea,” Gene commented last night after I showed him an awkward picture of Yu and me as he was the one taking the selfie. Yu smiled warmly as his arm was holding his old phone and I only gave a sheepish smile. It was embarrassing, really.
To me, it looks like a father-daughter picture.
“But it is nothing compared to our first picture.”
“Why are you so competitive all of the sudden, Gene?” Deep down, I kinda agree. Because since I’m used to being with Gene, I didn’t feel awkward smiling next to him. In our first picture together with his phone, we were leaning our heads for the camera, our fingers formed sort of a square facing the phone. When we took the shot, we looked like two goofy teenagers forming an awkward square shape that blocks some parts of the view as we grinned to our hearts content.
I guess we were happier during that time.
“Because I take better pictures than him.” And I could have sworn Gene was smirking from the other line.
So Saturday wasn’t that bad.
On Sunday, I feel so refreshed that I feel like I’m forgetting something really important.
“We need to talk.”
Ah, right. I forgot that I’m living with Luca de Milano.
I was just at the entryway, getting ready to leave before he suddenly popped out of nowhere from behind.
“Well?” He looks at me impatiently, his arms crossed, waiting for my response.
I couldn’t trust myself to speak so I only nod and turn to face him.
Luca walks back to the kitchen and sits on the morning table. I gulp and follow suit. I stop for a while, realizing that I don’t know if I am allowed to sit or to just stand there so we can start the “talk.”
“Don’t just stand there, sit.”
So I obey and sit two seats farther from him.
Then, there is silence. He doesn’t say anything for a while as I look down, staring at my fingers, fidgeting. Unsure if I should wait for him to say something or should I be the one to break the silence.
After a while, Luca sighs. “Why…” his voice falters a bit before he coughs. “Why are you always looking down when I talk to you?”
I look up. Fiery grey eyes looking at me as he speaks. He has always been looking at me when he speaks but whenever I look at him, I am scared if I either offend him by just looking or maybe because I might start staring at him for a long while again.
I will never tell him and will definitely take this secret to my grave.
But Luca looks like the type who needs answers. So I collect my thoughts and reply, “I don’t want to get in your way.”
“Oh?” He looks displeased with my response. “So instead of bothering me, you have to go bother Yu.”
I didn’t answer as nothing good comes out if I say anything to defend myself.
He sighs again as he clutches his long golden brown locks. “Your curfew is 9PM.”
“Huh?” I look at him, dumbfoundedly.
“You heard me,” he replies, irritably. “Breakfast is at 7AM, that’s before your school starts. Laundry day is on Saturdays but on Sundays, you can do whatever you want.”
“And when it’s breakfast and laundry day, you have to be with me.”
“What?!”
Luca raises his brow. “Well, is there something wrong with that?”
I sit there, speechless.
“Also, you have the right to talk back.”
I look down again, afraid to say anything.
Then, he groans as he scratches his head. “We are going to be stuck together for one year, Nina. One fucking year. If you’re thinking that it would benefit me when you’re hogging most of my right-hand man’s time, think again.”
“B-but I don’t plan to take his time! Honest!” I quickly exclaim before I slap my mouth, realizing that my tone was an octave higher.
“Good, you’re starting to fight back.”
I look up to see Luca whose expression doesn’t show anger or joy but just an indescribable expression that I couldn’t place.
He says that I can talk back, right?
“Do we need to like...bond or something?”
After I let go of that statement, Luca’s face pale, like all the blood on his face drains at that instant. “That’s a very debatable question. But we don’t need to like each other or anything of that sort.”
In other words, he will mind his business and I do mine, got it. I think it’s the perfect way to end this awkward tension we have even if it’s still the weekend.
And that means he just wants this one year to end quickly and we will be back to being strangers again.
“So, are we going to…” I hesitate for a moment. It’s hard to adjust this after I did something stupid. “Are we going to eat together now?”
“What? Are you planning to eat out again?” He arches an eyebrow as he asks, inquisitively.
“N-no. Can I cook instead?”
“You can cook?”
“It’s the least I can do…”
He nods as he stands up and heads to the living room. “Call me when you’re done cooking and...don’t make any mess.”
“Y-yes!”
I start looking around at the available food he has while my cheeks are still flushed red.
I don’t know why…I seem to feel my face warmer than normal these past two days.
----
< Nina’s POV >
I don’t know what happened but after I cooked a simple dish: omelet with tomatoes, garnished with broccoli and some spam. I got worried if a normal typical breakfast fit a wealthy man’s taste.
Yet, Luca continues to eat without any complaints as he drinks the coffee he brewed while I was cooking.
We just continue to eat our meals in silence. I don’t get why Luca insisted on having breakfast with me but there’s no progress in our relationship if we just eat awkwardly without a word.
He finished first and placed his meals at the sink. He looks at me and says, “Don’t wash your dishes, the maid will come and do it.”
“I don’t mind washing my own, Luc—” I pause for a while. Should I familiarly address him? Since he has been in the US for too long, he should have known that addressing first names isn't that a big deal.
But what if I might offend him again?
It seems he doesn’t notice my mistake as he replies, “You are in my house and I paid that maid for a reason.”
I could only nod. That means aside from eating and probably cooking, I have nothing to do then.
“Anything else?”
“C-can I let my friend from Freedomville to s-stay over? I-it’s okay if you don’t approve!” It was a sudden outburst that even Luca looked at me in a genuine surprise.
He then sighs, “This week?”
“N-no.” I tried to remember Gene’s plan. “In December.”
“Well, anything can happen. Sure, whatever.”
“Really?” I look at him. I didn’t expect Luca to say yes immediately.
“Yeah, remind me when it’s November.”
There’s a chance then. I try my best to hide my smile as I nod and excuse myself to my bedroom.
Luca just stays on the couch, looking at his laptop. I guess he will be busy for a while with his work.
As soon as I head my way to my bedroom, I immediately call Gene.
“Hey.”
“Hey, good morning!”
“You seem happier than your normal self.”
“Luca says yes!”
“You mean…I can stay there?”
“Well, he said I should remind him in November but I’m sure he will let you stay.”
“Sounds like you're adjusting there normally now.”
“What makes you say so?”
“Well, you guys are talking, that’s a good sign.”
“Yeah,” I say, solemnly. “But it’s not as awkward when I was alone with Mr. Roacher one time.”
“Oh? You didn’t tell me about that story yet.”
I continue to chat with Gene with the most random conversations as usual. Every now and then, I laugh at the words he says. At the back of my mind, I’ve realized I’d laughed too loud and was a bit worried if it angers Luca with the noise.
But for now, it doesn’t matter to me.
Gene is going this December, I’m sure of it.
And… Luca and I are talking, well sort of.
It's a good start and it will be fine if we can just mind our own business.
Then...who knows? One year will come by in a flash and we will be back to being strangers again.
..............
< Normal POV >
While his “future stepsister” marched back to her bedroom after their “awkward” conversation. Luca pretended to be busy with his laptop all this time. He doesn’t know how to deal with teenagers and let alone someone who is a reminder of his past mistake.
He sighs as he stands up. It would be best to go out and see Yu and his friends later.
As he passes by the girl’s room, he suddenly hears laughter.
He glances at her room, staring at the front door for a while before he shakes his head and proceeds to exit his way from his apartment.
The first thing that comes to his mind is wishing to hear that laughter again someday.