"How is he?" Trish asked as she sipped the cup of matcha tea that Whifler prepared for her.
"Not bad. He's doing fine," Whifler answered while peeling the apples.
Trish intensely stared at Whifler.
The bright sun rays through the window were vividly showing his greyish black-colored hair as it kissed his head. His lashes were perfectly curled up and his eyes were attractively hooded. The movement of his arms while peeling revealed the broadness of his shoulders.
She flinched as his pair of honey-brown eyes looked straight at her.
"Is there something wrong with my face?" Trish shook her head at Whifler's question.
"I just realized you have a nice body... and eyes," She replied.
Whifler averted his gaze and continued slicing the apples. "Don't flatter me like that, Trish," he shyly said and blushed a little which made Trish chuckle.
They both looked at the door as it creaked. Tanya showed only half of her body, while the rest were still covered by the door.
She sweetly smiled and raised her hand.
"Hi! Sorry for interrupting, but Tristan is already done. He's waiting for you outside, sir Whif." Tanya said to Whifler.
"Okay. I'm coming." Whifler arranged the food he prepared for Trish and then fixed himself after.
"Where are you going?" Trish asked while eating the peeled and sliced apple.
"I'll bring him to the Mall. I will teach him how to select clothes, fashion, and dress himself," he replied then lifted his bag.
"We'll be right back." He added then left Trish's room.
He made his way to where Tristan was waiting. He saw Tristan standing outside the car's door. He was wearing faded black ripped jeans paired with a black long-sleeved, v-neck-shaped top with a silver-printed design.
His long, black wavy hair was tied up with some of the bangs stylishly loosed down to his face. He was frowning while playing with his foot.
"Bored already?" Whifler spoke that got his attention. Tristan just frowned at him in response.
"What took you so long?" Tristan asked in a neutral tone, but with a slight hint of irritation.
"I talked to your sister." Whifler replied, then opened the car's door for Tristan.
"Oh." Tristan responded. Whifler noticed the hesitation in his face but, a moment after, he still managed to ask, "How is she?"
"Fine, I guess?" Whifler signaled him to get into the car which Tristan followed.
"Ah." Tristan wore his seatbelt then, he waited for Whifler to get into the other side.
"You know, you both asked the same question. Why don't you ask each other?" Whifler said as he entered the car, secured his seatbelt, and started the engine to heat it before driving off.
"What do you mean?"
Whifler looked at Tristan's clueless face, "You asked how she is, and she also asked how you are. You're twins, but it feels weird if you're checking on each other through someone else," he replied, which silenced Tristan and caused him to avoid his gaze.
Whifler couldn't figure out why he was silenced, but he could guess that their relationship wasn't that good. He didn't press further and simply respected Tristan's avoidance.
"We're off now," Whifler informed him, to which Tristan responded with a nod.
Whifler was calmly driving while occasionally glancing at Tristan who was too focused on the road. He didn't move an inch or even speak, which caused Whifler's guilt to slowly build up.
Whifler let out a faint sigh, "Does what I said make you uncomfortable? I apologize for that."
Tristan shook his head without looking in Whifler's direction, "I'm fine. It's not a big deal."
Tristan said it wasn't a big deal, but Whifler felt otherwise. Nevertheless, Whifler wouldn't dwell on it, since Tristan preferred to leave things unsaid.
"Okay," Whifler answered.
They were both silent until they arrived at the mall. Whifler parked his car in front, since he always disliked parking in the basement. Of course, he parked in the permitted area.
"Before we enter the mall, I just want to let you know that we'll be walking around for hours, and you'll be trying on thousands of clothes," Whifler said, unclasping his seatbelt and stepping out of the car first.
He furrowed his brows, wondering why Tristan was still sitting in the car. He leaned down slightly to see inside.
Tristan was nervously fidgeting with his thumbs, his head lowered. Whifler leaned in a little more to get a better look at him. "We're here, Tristan. You can come out now."
"A-ah. Yes... Can I... I... Uh," Tristan stuttered, fumbling with his seatbelt. His body was shaking, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
"Tristan, what's wrong?" Whifler asked, returning to the driver's seat to check on him.
He noticed how nervous Tristan looked, which made him anxious as well. Whifler quickly grabbed his water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Tristan. "Hey, hey, relax. Drink some water."
Tristan's trembling hands reached for the bottle, and he drank from it, trying to calm himself.
"Just stay here in the car for a while, okay? I'll be right back," Whifler said, stepping out to make a call to Trish. Trish picked up after four rings.
[Yes, Raj? What is it?] Trish answered as soon as she picked up the call.
"Did Tristan ever go to a mall?" Whifler asked.
[Why?]
"He's not coming out of the car. He's trembling."
Trish fell silent for a moment. [He still really has it, doesn't he?]
Whifler's forehead furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
[Actually, Tristan has... Enochlophobia.]
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(Enochlophobia: refers to the fear of crowds)