"I'm just kidding. Nice to meet you too. Looks like Leena has a good taste in men after all." Patricia looked him up and down a few times. She didn't even try to hide it. It was obvious that she was checking him out. Kevin knew too.
"You want me to turn around?" he joked. Kevin didn't shy away from her intense gaze. He looked back at Patricia, wondering how a sweet, innocent girl like Leena had a best friend so vivacious and bold. He couldn't help but wonder how the two met.
Haha. Don't you know it? By the way, I'm Patricia Bai, your wife's best friend." Patricia reached out her hand to shake Kevin's, formally introducing herself. To be honest, her first impression of Kevin was not bad. He seemed like a good guy, quick with a joke, and could even laugh at himself.
Since you are Leena's best friend, you probably know more about me than I do about you." Kevin politely shook her hand and then quickly withdrew his hand like a real gentleman. He decided to be careful not to crush her fingers. Turned out he needn't have bothered. She had a surprisingly firm grip.
Ha ha, I can't say that I know everything about you. But I've done my research. By the way, the soldiers you work with, are they all as handsome as you?" Patricia's eyes were full of excitement when she asked Kevin this question, as if she was already imagining a group of handsome and young soldiers showing off their muscles in front of her. This was a vision she could easily get lost in. She enjoyed herself without reservation. She wasn't the type to get embarrassed if a man undressed in front of her.
"Well, I'm no judge, but probably! Why? You interested in our soldier boys?" Kevin's eyes flickered with excitement too all of a sudden. There were still a few officers who were single in the army base. Maybe he could introduce them to Patricia? Fix them up? He liked the idea.
"Not really." Patricia pursed her lips. Sure, she could appreciate how handsome they were, but she didn't want to marry a soldier like Leena. She couldn't just sit at home and wait for her man. So it wasn't for a lively woman like her to become a soldier's wife.
Kevin was suddenly at a loss for words hearing Patricia's reply. He had thought that maybe she was interested in soldiers because she got so excited asking about them. So why did she turn him down? She seemed pretty interested just a moment before.
All right. We should probably move this to the dining room. Or the food will get cold." Leena interrupted them at the right time. She could tell that Kevin was a bit embarrassed and at a loss for words all of a sudden. So she tried to change the subject. Besides, she was sure he was hungry.
Okay. Let me go upstairs and wash my face real quick. I'll be there in a minute. You two go ahead!" Kevin said, walking upstairs quickly. He'd trained with his soldiers today. He wanted to get rid of the sweat and dust on his face before dinner. He didn't mind getting dirty, but he wasn't going to eat like that.
"Stop staring. He's already gone." Patricia bumped Leena's shoulder with hers, pulling her out of her trance. Leena's eyes were following Kevin's every move.
"Alright, let's eat." Leena turned around, then walked to the dining room. Patricia followed her, a meaningful smile on her face.
Kevin wasn't long at all, just like he promised. He was downstairs only after a few minutes, only wearing a shirt. He left his coat upstairs. He rolled up his sleeves, looking very casual and comfortable.
"Sorry for the wait." Kevin sat down, beside Leena, smiling bit apologetically at Patricia for making her wait. She was their guest after all.
That's all right. We got started without you." Patricia held up the piece of pork between her chopsticks. She knew Leena was a good cook. And it had been way too long since she last ate Leena's cooking, so she couldn't even wait for Kevin. She was hungry, and her stomach was growling already.
"Just eat. You talk too much." Leena picked up a piece of eggplant and put it in Patricia's rice bowl. She was a bit worried that if Patricia continued talking, she would tell Kevin some embarrassing stories about her. She really didn't feel like being red-faced tonight.
"Leena, you did that on purpose! I hate eggplant." Patricia glared at Leena without real malice in her eyes. She then looked at the piece of eggplant in front of her with a look of distaste on her face. She wrinkled up her nose, squinted, made a big show of it.
Eggplants are good for you. Since when did you become so picky?" But Leena let it go quickly. She just shrugged and continued eating.
"Then why don't you eat onions? They're good for you too," Patricia teased. She completely ignored Kevin and bantered back and forth with Leena.
"How do you know that I don't eat them?" Leena asked back, feeling a bit guilty. She really didn't like onions at all. She thought the flavor was too strong, and hated crying while chopping them. So she never cooked onions.
Kevin glanced at Leena in surprise. He didn't know that she disliked onions before. He silently filed away another fact about Leena. One of the things he liked about her was that she did keep surprising him.
"Humph! Meanie!" Patricia gritted her teeth and then put the piece of eggplant in her mouth. She still didn't like it. But she knew that Leena only wanted her to be healthy. As long as it was with her best interests in mind...
Leena stuck out her tongue and didn't say another word. Because she knew that if she kept teasing Patricia, then she'd tell Kevin all those embarrassing stories. That was just how Patricia was.
As usual, Kevin was the one doing the dishes. But this time, Leena was beside him. From the hesitant look on her face, Kevin could tell that she wanted to tell him something but didn't know how. But he wasn't known for his patience.
"Why that face? You have something to say to me?" Kevin turned his head so he could see her better while washing the dishes.
"Yeah. Well, Patricia ran away from home, and wanted to stay here awhile. That okay?" Leena anxiously played with her hands while saying this. Her tone showed her nervousness. She was hoping that Kevin might say yes, but fearing he might say no.