Shiro is still at the dining table and her mom is just deep sighing in front of her while clamping her forehead with her arc eyebrows.
"So you are still excusing?" she said calmly. Shiro bit her lips, slightly stamping her feet and trying to be more convincing for another excuse she is going to say to her mom that she wishes to be effective this time. She looks at her mom tamely her arched eyebrows are still on her face that's why Shiro is trying her best not to panic because for sure her mom will never stop asking her even until morning.
"Ma..." she said with her unsteady voice but still trying to remain as tough as possible.
"There is nothing between us... like Lynx and me," she asserted quite confidently as if that thing will ensure her mom is going to believe in it. She gazes at Shiro one more time and her doubtful face is more written all over her face, "Lynx is different Shiro, is that an excuse, or you just didn't know it?" her mom clarified to her.
"Let me explain again Shiro, first of all, who is someone who will wait for you that morning and gives an effort to take you home even though he has a car? Secondly, if you say they are the same as Lynx why would he take you on a date that is supposedly a dare in the first place? You tell me he owes you something but it ends up like that? And lastly, how come he knows your schedule without your prior notice?"
She asked those questions to her like she's a reporter that needs to explain her topic to her professor. Shiro is trying so hard to absorb what's going on and why do people interpret it like that. Her mind was full of questions and she is overthinking again.
"I don't want to assume unless he said it by himself that... that he likes me or whatever his intentions," she said fiercely without looking at her mom and scratching her fingertips on the table.
"I hate to jump to conclusions too Shiro but sometimes learn how to read between the lines, you either hurting him or yourself," her mom said and take a sip of her steaming coffee and glances again at Shiro who is trying not to wither in front of her mom.
"But I don't like him!" she loudens her voice unintentionally.
"Calm down, did you know how to get to know each other?"
"Don't think like that ma! This is... this is nothing! We're friends!"
She stubbornly asserted and crossed her arms before she thinned her lips as she saw her mom coldly looking at her and it made her a little bit frightened.
"You just said stop assuming things and now you are concluding things like it's sure," she said in an intimidating calm manner and it makes Shiro widen her eyes. After she exhibited her expression like that her mom started to snicker quietly and Shiro gets more nervous about it.
"It's fine for me for you to have a boyfriend but I just wanted you to be careful, I know you are not reckless but we can not say that as time goes on, that's why I have to ask you to make things clear but for now, maybe you have to start clearing things on your head by yourself but still be careful and your studies make sure it will always be your priority... do you understand?" she pointed out.
Her mom never gave her a chance to let her explain again because she said that enough is enough and also said that before they will talk about it, make sure that she made things clear up by herself that is why she just went to her room with her disappointing face and feelings towards the confrontation between them. But before she takes a rest after she prepares herself for bed; she thinks about it more seriously this time and before she decides to close her eyes, her heartbeat ignited unintentionally once again as she keeps on thinking about Austin as he calmly and happily smiles at her while she closes her eyes slowly.
Austin just set himself at his mansion and the sensation of somnolence pricked his mind as he stepped through his immense aisles and clearings of his mansion. As he finally steps into his room he gets startled to see his friends glaring at him while they are sitting on his accent chair and Chesterfield sofa exactly when he exhibits his open wide mouth yawning whereas he also patted his hands to it.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?"
"Finally he is here," Yangyang let out.
"Hey, Austin we need to talk!" Asher demanded.
"For?" Austin arrogantly said and quickly settled himself on the couch and leaned his back, with his understandable weariness, "What?" he asked coldly while massaging his forehead with his arm wide open and looking at the ceiling. Asher cleared her throat and sat straight on the navy blue accent chair before she spoke up again.
"So what is really happening between the two of you?" Austin hastily panicked getting up from leaning on the couch as he heard them unintentionally asking him in the chorus.
"Us?" Austin confirmed and started rapidly moving his eyes. All of them except Asher glared at him very coldly, that's why Asher took a deep breath again and thinned her lips charmingly.
"Uhm... between you and Shiro, are you dating?" she asked him calmly.
"No... not yet..." he confessed with his unsteady and unsure tone of voice. Asher gets bewildered like excitement to be exact but she suddenly stopped as she heard Yangyang deep sighing deeply more than the time when Austin finally got home.
"What's not yet are you talking about? Are you even sure she's aware of your intentions?" Yangyang asked him and he is being serious.
Austin frowned upon them and he felt something on his cheeks, it became warmer and warmer while they were looking at him.
"She's fine! And we're fine... we are honestly getting together..." he asserted and clenched his fist, "W-where's Butler Qian? Why is my air-conditioning not functioning well?" he added then grabbed the bottle of water on the table and drank it up aggressively.
"You like her?" Yangyang asked.
"Are you serious about her?" Asher added.
"What kind of question is that?" Austin stubbornly demanded on them and he jerked off his hair forcefully.
"Why are you asking me like I don't have any good intentions on her?" he appealed while looking at the floor whereas he was biting his lips.
"Fine, let's say the intentions are okay, but Austin isn't that so quick to decide? What if you are just being overwhelmed about what you feel? Please take your time bro... you have a lot of time to think about this," All of them get dumbfounded to hear Mark's convincingly great advice for Austin. Even Yangyang starts to raise his eyebrows because he wants to agree with him but he lets Austin react about it first.
"Yeah, Mark is right... plus there is another thing, what if it's not reciprocated, and what if she only thinks of you like Lynx?" Nana speaks up for the first time in a while.
"Yep, take it easy for now bro..." Mark said and pats Austin's back because he doesn't want to answer them back. Asher surveyed him as he still nodded his head.
"Austin, that's alright! Don't be so sudden to Shiro, what if your parents will know that? And what if she's not ready for this kind of lifestyle... she might get hurt—"
"I'M NOT GOING TO HURT SHIRO!"
He shouted and stood up fiercely looking at them while clenching his fist.
"I'll never hurt Shiro okay? Or let anyone else... so go home now! It's late," he swiftly walked out and slammed the door of his bedroom loudly.
They exchange glances quietly and shrug off before they get up and ready themselves to leave. Asher realized that she was too much to say those last words to him, and he almost forgot how dramatic Austin was when he wanted something. But as for now, this situation is more complicated than their friendship quarrel had happened, therefore, she can't help doubt a little that Austin was too frigid to conclude he is in love with Shiro.
As all of them are getting ready to leave Zhong household, earlier, Butler Qian eavesdrop on the conversation as he is leaning on the wall behind Austin's room. He walks towards the hallway and with his serious expression, he greeted Austin's friends and said goodbye afterward. As they all finally go home, Butler Qian immediately ambles his feet in his office, he is seated on his swivel chair looking at his phone beside him.
'Mrs. Zhong Xiulin'; he quietly reads the contact name once again before he takes his breath deeply and turns up his specs one more time. The happenings one day starts to lure hastily inside his head, the moment when Austin told him to pick up his car by his family driver at school because he'll go home to commute and also depart at home too early before his class without his car. Butler is full of doubt if he is going to update his parents but he has no choice at all. He presses the green button on his phone and the ringing sound starts to be heard inside of his turn-down lightroom along with tangerine lamps around his quiet spacious office.
"Hello, Mr. Qian, how is it going in there?" she asked in a formal intimidating way.
Butler Qian smiles but in a way that he is probably in a serious situation, "Madam I think It is your right to know what Young master has been doing these days."
He made known her in a calm manner and that makes Mrs. Zhong starts to arc her eyebrows while starting to open her dead rose-colored lips to ask something about Austin.