"So, what's your favorite color?" he said with donut stuffed on his right cheek.
"Are you twelve?" I glared at him.
"Just answer it" he glared back.
"Black. Open your mouth," I shoved a whole donut in his mouth.
"Hey!" he mumbled.
"What's yours? Red?" I took a bite off mine.
He struggled to chew enough food to let himself speak, "Yeah! How did you know?"
"Just an educated guess?" I raised an eyebrow.
I eyed his red phone case, red earphone, Nancy's red collar, and his red wristwatch.
"Yeah, okay I like to accessorize with red. You really pay attention to details even when you were quiet, huh?" he smirked.
"What?" I furrowed my brow.
"You know, sometimes you would stay quiet in between conversations."
"Maybe I was just thinking. And sometimes things are not worth commenting."
"It's called small talks."
"Well, if I was an expert at that, I would have a boyfriend and not be having this conversation with you," I blurted.
"Wow, what an insight to your mind" his eyes widened at my words before going back to scrubbing the pots, "but I'm glad that you are inept to that skill."
"Why?" I asked in curiosity.
"Because I enjoy this exchange of words with you," he smiled slightly.
I could feel my cheeks blushing again and jumped down the counter to take a glass of milk from the fridge. Never in a million years did I think a man could make me this flustered and reacted so out of character.
I was usually calm and composed towards people's actions and words. But this feeling irritated me. There's no way he would be a compatible friend that could stand my oddities. Jake dealt with me from the sheer blood relation we had, and Rachel would do as I bid.
This guy would only hang around for a week maximum and we would both be out of each other's lives. So, I've decided to just go along and get it over and done with. No attachments.
"I bet you have a lot of friends and admirers in college," I closed the fridge door.
"I mean I enjoy making new friends. No matter the age, gender, profession. You get the gist," he turned the sink off and wiped his hands on a kitchen towel.
So, he was just friendly to everyone, I thought to myself. I was just another exciting new friend.
"I think I'm done for tonight. Gotta wake up early for school," I turned the kitchen light off.
"Okay, I'll be in Jake's bedroom with Nancy if you need anything."
I walked up the stairs and into my room. I could've sworn he winked at his last statement, but I couldn't be bothered by that kind of thought for now. I reviewed my notes again before packing my bags and went to sleep.
I woke up five minutes before my alarm rang to the sound of clawing on my wooden door. Nancy rushed inside and jumped on my bed as soon as I opened the door. I left the door ajar just in case she wanted to run out to the backyard for a morning "routine".
I took a brisk shower and put on my vintage Guns 'n Roses shirt and black jeans. The shirt had always been my lucky shirt, and today I needed extra luck for my business operation.
I grabbed my bag and ran downstairs to look for the playful dog. Even though Julian had told me that she was trained, I was still anxious regarding her whereabouts. She might be chewing on things she shouldn't have or break something.
"Nancy! Breakfast's ready!" I called out.
"She's in the garden," a voice answered from behind me.
"Jesus! Stop doing that!" I eyed the tall figure.
"Are you really reviewing this early?" he brushed through his wavy hair.
"Are you really up this early? I thought you said you're not a morning person," I said as I pour cereal in my bowl.
"I wasn't gonna wake up till I have to pick you up, but your brother dropped his pillow on Nancy, and she ran over my stomach at 5am. Couldn't go back to sleep," he picked up a slice of bread and put it in the toaster.
"So, why is Jake not up?" my eyes were glued to my notebook.
"He doesn't have any classes today; he's been up all night finishing an assignment. I'd let him rest. Besides, I'm already up," he tried to fix his morning hair.
The morning sun made his hair appeared lighter than usual. He looked decent for someone who hadn't showered and had less than eight hours of sleep. I peered from the corner of my eyes without lifting my face from my book.
He stood beside me to wait for his toast and I caught a whiff of him. His smell was distinctively different from Jake's strong cologne. He had changed out of Jake's sweater and into a black Off-white shirt and sweatpants.
Suddenly, the bread popped off the toaster and it caught me off guard.
"Do you have a problem with me driving you?" he munched on his golden toast.
"It was Jake's responsibility to drive me in the morning. He shouldn't have burdened you with a task outside the deal."
"It's ok. I don't mind. He's kind enough to let me sleep on his air mattress and take care of Nancy."
"Are you really gonna drive me to school like that?" I put my bowl in the sink.
"Hey!" he smelled his body, "I changed clothes, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. The world might not be ready for my charm if I had showered this early," he smiled and nudged my elbow.
The confidence in this guy was alarmingly high. If I had five percent of his ego, I would ace public speaking.
"Let's go then. I have a business deal before exam started," I walked towards the garage.