They both sat on the couch close to the window as they waited for Lordy to wake up. Maybe by then, her mother would have come back there to check on them. Miriam made a mental note to ask permission from her mother to go out with the boy to look around the mansion.
With that thought, she smiled to herself and subconsciously turned to look at the boy sitting next to her, with about an arm's length distance between them. Surprisingly, he was also looking at her. She quickly turned away. She was the shy type, and coupled with the fact that he seemed a little bit older than her and his classy look, she felt a little bit shy around him. She knew for a fact that this boy right here was from a rich family, and as she had grown to learn, the rich commanded a lot of respect. And that was what she wanted to do right now, she had to respect this boy if she wanted to be on his good side.
After some time, the boy cleared his throat to gain Miriam's attention.
"My name is Maxwell. What about you?"
"Miriam. My name is Miriam." She replied shyly with a smile.
"And your brother?" He asked again.
"His name is Lordy."
"That's nice." Maxwell smiled at her.
Miriam couldn't help but admire the boy. He acted all gentlemanly even at this age. The way he spoke showed the kind of respect he had for others. He wasn't acting like those spoilt rich girls in her school who looked down on the poor like herself.
"What does your mother do here? Your mom works here, right?" Maxwell asked. Miriam nodded and answered.
"Yes. She's a cook here."
"Mrs. Gerry is your mom?!" Maxwell gasped a little as he asked. That woman was one of the workers he loved so much. Aside the fact that she was easy-going, her food was to die for, something he looked up to every morning, afternoon and evening.
"Um...yes. Why do you seem...surprised?" Miriam asked with anxiety written on your face. Did her mom do something?
"Oh, nothing serious, haha." He scratched the back of his neck. "I really like Mrs. Gerry. She's like a mother to me. And I really like her food. You are really lucky to be eating her meals all the time." His eyes shone with glee as he remembered the meals Mrs. Gerry prepared in the mansion. Every member of the household seemed to like Mrs. Gerry's cooking.
"Sigh, she doesn't really get enough time to cook for us all the time. I usually do the cooking at home. Sometimes with the help of my dad but mostly I do it mysel..."
"Wait, hold on..." Maxwell cut her off and turned himself on the couch to fully face her, his eyes wide open in disbelief. "You what?"
"I...cook..." She drawled her reply with a confused look on her face. Wait, was he doubting her right now? With that realization she turned to him and asked.
"Wait, you think I'm lying? Heh! My mom thought me how to cook when I was way before my brother's age. And not only can I cook. I can bake as well." Miriam said proudly. She couldn't help but flaunt her ability. This boy, he just didn't underestimate her!
"What?!" Maxwell's eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets. She could bake?
"Oh yes, I can." She replied with a toothy grin. He should come to her home and ask her dad. She was praised by her dad all the time. Her dad called her a pro-chef, if he didn't know. This boy...tsk.
"Wow! That sounds amazing!! But on a second thought," Maxwell said with one hand on his chin with a contemplating look on his face, "I think it's not really that surprising. I mean your mom is really good at it. It's just that I didn't expect you to be doing it at this age." He came closer and whispered the last part, "My sister doesn't know how to cook and she's almost 16."
They both burst into laughter. Lordy stirred in his sleep which drew their attention to him. Luckily, he didn't wake up because of their noise. They both stopped laughing and covered their mouths reflexively, and Miriam gestured with her hand for them to keep their voices low.
"Forget about my sister, I have never seen my mom in the kitchen since I was born."
"Hey, shhh...." Miriam shushed him while looking towards the door. "You can't say that out loud. How can you say that about your mom? What if she hears it?"
"Well it's the truth and I don't think anyone can hear us from here." He paused and continued. "So you can cook? And bake? That's huge! I'm really eager to try your food. Must taste amazing."
Miriam blushed and lowered her head. She was always praised by her family for how well she could cook at her age, and she was used to that. She didn't know why she felt shy when Maxwell praised her.
"Well, my mom is my teacher so you can only relate." Miriam said proudly. "For now, she measures the ingredients in their right amount for me and all I need to do is put them together into a meal."
"That is still great. I mean I can't do anything at the kitchen at my age even if there's someone doing it and I'm supposed to just watch and do the same thing. I'll mess everything up."
They talked for some few minutes more before the door creaked open and Gerry walked in. She was surprised to see Maxwell in the room.
"Young master, you... when did you come here?" She asked, shifting her gaze between her daughter and Maxwell.
"Some few minutes ago. I came to look for something and I saw your daughter here. We were just talking."
"Oh..." Gerry nodded in understanding. "Young master do you..."
"Please call me Maxwell. I hate it when I'm called young master." Maxwell interjected.
"Um... Well it's not like I want to..." she said hesitantly, turning towards the door to see if anyone was approaching. More like, if the lady boss was around. "...but your mum doesn't want us to be addressing you by your name. She specifically gave us a warning regarding that."
Maxwell massaged his temples with his slender fingers and gave a quiet sigh. His mother was just too strict. He didn't know what to do with her anymore.
"I already told her about it and she's okay now. So don't worry. I don't want to feel superior over anyone in this house." Maxwell told Gerry and smiled, while Gerry nodded.
There was a long pause.
"Mrs. Gerry..."
"Mom..."
Both Maxwell and Miriam called at the same time. Both turned sharply to look at each other and laughed lightly. Miriam got a hint of what Maxwell was about to say, so she gestured for him to go on.
"What is it?" Gerry asked shifting her gaze between the two youngsters.
"Um...Mrs Gerry, would you be... I mean, can I show Miriam around the..."
"No!!"
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Hello there. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If so, please comment and let me know. If not, please do comment and let me know how I am doing. I also want to make it clear that this story is a slow-burn romance. We will get to the heat moments further in the story, so I would urge you all to continue the journey with the characters. I would really appreciate if you add it to your library and leave a review. Thanks a lot. XOXO.
Juu.