"Stop imagining things," Nix said. Alyana gave him a frown. It's been 30 minutes since they last talked to each other, and they were already in the living area watching movies. After she asked the question a while ago, Nix just left her standing there.
"You are creepy," she said to Nix.
"What?"
"You are suddenly saying something there, it's creepy." Alyana took the blanket to cover herself.
"Are you saying your boss is creepy?" Nix asked, making Alyana immediately look at him.
"No sir," she quickly said and focused herself on what they were watching. She then heard Nix sighed beside her so she took a glance at him.
'Is he sleepy? Or he just really had many problems in life?'' she thought.
"Do you like what you are seeing?" Nix asked her, she didn't realize that she's already staring at his face.
"No sir," she said, however, it made Nix glare at her. How dare she say that to her boss.
"Really?" Nix asked and slowly went near her. She closes her eyes, and shakes her head.
"No sir."
Nix saw how she shut her eyes. He was already near her but he couldn't still reach the girl in front of him.
'How could you be this beautiful?' Nix asked in his mind while looking at her, taking the advantage of her close eyes. He stared at every bit of her face. Her eyebrows, cute pointed nose, rosy cheeks and lips, and her white glass skin. He can already feel her breath, so he knows that she's already sleeping.
"Alyana, Frances," he whispered and smiled when she didn't respond. He remembers that name he onced called her, maybe she can't remember it now, as for many years have passed but for Nix it was special. That was the name he used when he started telling her how much he loves her. He doesn't want Alyana to ignore him when she finds out that his feelings didn't fade, especially that they were already in high school that time.
"I have a crush, her name is Frances," he repeated the first thing he said using that name. For him it sounded like a Princess, so he came up with that name since then. "Until now," he added.
Nix fixes the blanket covering her first before going to the bathroom. The morning has come and some hours more and he needs to go to the company again.
"Take a bath here first then go home, just come to the office after lunch," Nix told her.
"Ah, I will just go home first. I don't have any clothes here Sir, thank you for letting me sleep here especially on your bed. I already fixed it hehe."
"Good. Let's go," he said and started walking outside the unit.
"Goodbye Sir!" Alyana said, waving her hands. They were already outside the building so she was planning to take a cab.
"What are you saying? Wait for me here," Nix said. Alyana was confused but she just followed what he said and waited there, after a minute of waiting a car parked in front of her. It was Nix's car. He got out of it and opened the door for Alyana, it was odd for her. She didn't know that her boss was kind of a gentleman. "What are you waiting for? Hop in," he said.
She smiled and quickly went inside the car.
"Sir."
"Hm," Nix replied while driving.
"I thought I could just go home first and take a bath?" she asked.
"That's what you are doing right now Miss Frances, going home."
Alyana can't stop herself but to look at him, he was so focused on driving until they reached their house. Alyana saw her mother in their garden, looking at the car that stopped in front of their house while holding a hose she's using for watering the plants, but smiled when she saw Alyana walked out of the car.
"Alyana, baby!" her mother said and ran towards her.
"Mama," she greeted and hugged her mother.
"Good morning, Ma'am." Nix smiled at Alyana's mother.
"Oh Nix, it's already you?" she asked. Nix nodded at her.
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Don't call me that way, just call me Auntie Mira or just simply Auntie, okay?" she said. "Oh by the way, come inside our house first. I've cooked something delicious," she added.
"Mom, he needs to go to the office now," Alyana said. Her mother looked at Nix who was shaking his head.
"He didn't, let's go inside," she guided Nix inside while she was just standing there outside with her pouty lips.
"Why does she need to invite him?" she asked and then followed them.
As soon as she went inside the house, she saw them sitting on the couch. Her mother was telling stories to him so she just went directly to the bathroom and washed herself.
"Look at his photo, I've saved it."
She heard what her mother said once she got out of the bathroom. She went near them and looked at the things her mother was holding, and saw their old photo together. Her parents trusted Nix when they were young, to take care of Alyana which he gladly did.
"I thought you lost it, Ma?" Alyana asked while joining them.
"I thought I did, but I took the chance yesterday while you were away to clean the house. I saw this in one of the storage boxes," Almira, her mother said.
Alyana looked at the photo, it was her and Nix while they were about to graduate from elementary school. They looked so young in that photo, it was their first ever picture together.
"I remember that time when my baby went back to the house crying because she lost one pair of her shoes," Almira said, trying to look back at those times when Alyana was just young. "And you tried your best to search for that one shoe, even though her father said he will just buy her another one. She couldn't stop crying at that time, because those shoes were her grandmother's last gift to her that she treasures the most."
Nix remembered it, and it makes him happy to know that Alyana's mother really appreciated him that time.
"You manage to see it, but it's already broken. My Alyana still wears it, which became one of the reasons why she got bullied. Her father got mad, you know him," Almira said, touching Nix's hand. He nodded at her and listened to her. "That's how she loves her grandmother," she added.
"I remember that," Nix said. Almira looked at him.
"I think you still didn't change that much, I can feel that you are still that little Nicolas," she said. "You've grown up, but for me you were still those kids who's always fighting because of my banana que. So now, I will just get that for you both, wait for me here."
"Okay, auntie."
Nix looked at Alyana who was still busy looking at the pictures inside the box. Seeing her smile making his heart melt.
"I'm sorry Sir, my mother can't still accept that you are already my boss now. She will always see the both of us as those little children." Alyana said and looked at him.
"It's nothing, Auntie is nice." Alyana smiled because of what he said.
While waiting for Alyana's mother. Nix looked at the house, it's still the same. Nothing has changed that much, their house has a classical design. Alyana has wanted this kind of design ever since, she also likes seeing old artifacts and things in the museum. He remembers that she even loved Greek mythology, it's her favorite subject when she was in school. His eyes diverted to one picture frame, it was Alyana. It was the time when she graduated from college, he was in the US at that time already running the company his father entrusted to him. He didn't even see her graduate, he tried to fly back but his father didn't agree.
"Here, eat this. You are 24 now right?" Almira suddenly showed up, putting the plate full of banana que.
"Yes, auntie. I am," Nix replied.
"Do you still like this? Is there anything like this in the US?" she asked.
"I didn't eat this kind of food there but once I got here, this is the first food I ate."
Almira smiled because of what he said.
"Very nice, so go and eat. I will just do something there. Hey, Alyana join him okay?"
Alyana, who was still busy looking at the pictures nodded at her mother.
"Yes, mom."
"Thank you, Auntie. We need to go now."
Nix waited for Alyana, she was still clinging to her mother. One of the things he likes about her, she loves her parents very much.
"Bye mom!" Alyana said, waving her hands. She smiled at Nix when she saw that he was still there, opening the door waiting for her to go inside the car.
"Take care okay? Son please look for her, thank you for visiting," Almira said and waved at them. Nix nodded in return before starting the engine.
"Sorry for that, and thank you," Alyana said.
"For what?"
"Hm, for making my mother happy this day and also for bringing me home."
Alyana said without looking at him. She was focused on looking outside the window.
"It's fine, I love it." He whispered, smiling.