That hasty voice of a man drew her to look back; her sight stopped at Felix's arrival at the mouth of the door. Her startled actions just stimulated him to assume that she was doing something suspicious. Indeed, she did; that picture frame, which lay on her palms, confirmed it.
"I did the cleaning and found this photo of two kids whom I think of as you and..."
"My cousin…." He continued her sentence. "Just put it back on the shelf." Luna did as she was instructed, slowly with her eyes still on it placing the frame on one of the shelves. "I have good news for you. You will work as a chef in my friend's restaurant. " A spark of happiness shone through Luna's dark orbs as she staggered toward Felix who had just taken off her suit, revealing his perfect shape under his white shirt, and plunged himself into the sofa. It was her dream job; cooking in a big restaurant and indulging people with delectable food she made with her hands. So, concealing her excitement was something she couldn't do now.
"Are you serious?" Her head tilted with a smile lingering there, her body bending nearer to Felix, who looked up at her with an awestruck expression before he turned his sight away.
"How can I lie to you, Luna?" Since we have lived together for a couple of weeks, you have been like... " His mouth closed, the words paused; Luna, with her flat countenance, waited in curiosity for his next utterance, "a sister to me." A smile, all of a sudden, rose on Luna's peach lips upon hearing his avowal.
"You are very kind." Her mouth motioned with a compliment. "I thank God for sending me someone like you into my life in my darkest time." Luna could only hide that confession in the corner of her heart.
"I just do what I have to do." His palms pressed against the sofa, helping him to his feet. He glanced at Luna before shifting his feet from their current position. "You are not a maid here, so please do not do the cleaning." Luna bowed to him as if he were her master and she had to follow his every command.
Luna, in her silence, was seated on the couch, her back leaning on the seat back with her folded arms on her chest. Her imagination had wandered in a second to the restaurant Felix told her where she would work. The curl on the corners of her lips gave a sign it was the only joyous thing she had in her thoughts.
"Here's a brochure for the restaurant's famous menu that you might want to look at." Faced with Felix's abrupt appearance, she was taken aback, but her hand, which quickly reached out to the object in his grip, was able to distract him from her embarrassment of being watched smiling to herself.
"Western restaurant…I thought it would be a Chinese restaurant where I would cook for." Her chin lifted in surprise, not expecting that she would cook western foods.
"Do you have any issue with that? You once told me that you are great at cooking."
"But, western food is not my specialty."
"If that's the case, you can learn by doing."
Luna secretly assented to Felix's opinion; with her cooking talent, it would not be that tricky for her to upgrade her mastery of western cuisine. No more protest she uttered. Now her fingers flipped the menu book on her lap; the food inside stole all her attention.
"When can I start working there?"
"You can start tomorrow.".
"That's great. I can't wait to work with other great chefs."
"But, today, we have to go out." Luna looked at Felix with a wide eye. "I want to treat you to lunch." To show her agreement, she nodded at his lunch invitation. "Get prepared then. We'll be leaving in half an hour."
"Why does it take so long? I am ready even if we have to go now."
"Are you kidding me? You can't go with what you are wearing." A frown of her offense at his remark creased her forehead.
"Why? It is not bad." She observed up-down the knee-length yellow dress that fit her body under his scrutiny and found no stains on it. Her nose flared, smelling only fragrance from her body. To the front of the big mirror, she moved and stood, examining her face but again no flaws she spotted on her broadened cheeks and temple except that ugliness that sometimes managed to loot her confidence.
"You can put on this." From behind, Felix's hand extended; a big box on his hold was shoved toward her.
"What is this?"
"A woman should wear a beautiful gown." Engulfed by her hesitance, Luna dared not to touch the box which was not even a centimeter ahead of her.
"Why did you buy this for me? I'm just a stranger to you." Her melancholic tone changed the atmosphere around them which drove the change in Felix's aura to be as icy as snow.
"So, after weeks, I am just nothing to you other than a stranger?"
"No…I mean. You are too kind to me. I am just…." Luna could not resume her sentences as her remembrance had now been filled with Danish Li, the one she fell for but showed no interest in her despite their engagement.
"Luna…" Luna's shoulder shuddered at the touch of his hand. "Can you just lift your head? Is it about your fiance who has dumped you again?" Having lived with Felix for the last weeks, Luna had no choice but to tell him a tiny part of her life story about her failed engagement with Danish whose name she never mentioned in front of Felix. "Look! You are beautiful. Nothing can change that fact. Just believe in yourself." In her awe, she bowed her chin in conviction. "Wear this." One of his hands hung the box containing the gown.
In a short time, they had been in the car that soon devoured the road toward the restaurant Felix promised her to have lunch with. Sitting next to Felix didn't thrill her heart like how she felt with Danish near her. She cursed herself for her mind, suddenly bringing Danish to her memory. That man should not have even gained her sympathy after what she had been through because of him.
"Please…." To her surprise, Felix had opened the door for her like a queen.
That scenery of Felix helping her out and guiding her with his hand ignited jealousy in the other girl's eyes who passed and watched them. Luna, by any means, calmed her heart of embarrassment and awkwardness with his action. She had no feeling for Felix now, but who could guarantee he could not charm her with his gentleness and kindness over time? Luna alerted herself not to fall for his charm as she was just a sister to him.
"You look wonderful in that gown." Felix's unexpected praise of her look left Luna dumbfounded because it was the first time a man admired her appearance. "Let's get inside."
Walking inside the restaurant, the first thing that Luna saw was a girl talking in cheerfulness to a man opposite her whose face was out of Luna's sight.
"Ana…." Luna couldn't help but whisper that girl's name. She was grateful that Felix didn't catch her murmur. "Could it be that it is Danish with her?" she asked in her heart. She almost persuaded Felix to go but that man turned his head. She seemed to recognize that man. After a long pondering, Luna could recall that the man was the one who nearly hit her when Danish abandoned her in the city center.