"WHAT ARE YOU doing here?" I asked again, glaring at him.
He didn't manage to answer me, though, as my mother suddenly came with a high-pitched voice.
"Tatia!" my mother exclaimed. "You came at the right time! Dinner's ready!" She might have noticed my glaring eyes as she added, "This is Magnus! This is my daughter, Tatia."
I gave the guy a look from head to toe and vice versa before stepping inside the house without a word. Good heavens! My mother would really let any guy inside as long as they looked good. She needed to change that habit!
I went directly to my room. And surprisingly, my mother followed me. She pinched my waist when the door closed.
"What was that for?" I asked, caressing the part that hurts.
"That's rude of you!" she glared. "Can you not learn how to behave properly?"
"I think I'm behaving right," I answered. If you saw a stranger opening the door of your house, would you jump in happiness or terror? I did none of those, but I was definitely not happy.
"He said he knows you," my mother explained. "He came here two days after you followed Brittany to her town. He was asking for you. And," she paused, and her eyes glistened, "he was holding a flower. I think he wants to court you!"
Goodness gracious! Let me faint!
"Mom, someone came knocking at our door, claiming he knows me, and you just let him in?" I said incredulously. And she even thought of matching me with the guy.
"You don't know him?" Mom asked hesitatingly.
"Do I look like I know him?"
Mom froze. I thought she had learned her lesson, yet I was dumbfounded to hear her say, "It's okay. You can get to know him now that you're here."
I gave my mother a look—- a look that I hoped she knew what it meant.
"He's a nice guy," she said. "He's a gentleman. Magnus is a good person. And most importantly, he is handsome!"
I shook my head. My mother couldn't be treated. I decided to put my attention on getting pyjamas in my closet.
"He also knows how to cook delicious food!"
That almost made me give in.
"That guy downstairs, I don't know him. But I met him months ago." When I saw my mother's excited look, I added, "Once. And I only helped him because his knees got scraped—- nothing special about our meeting. So, the flowers are probably his way of saying 'thank you'."
I paused whatever I was doing when I remembered our first meeting. The guy has no blood in his wound. Suddenly, my heart started to beat faster. I hope I was only overthinking it. But—-
I gulped.
What if he was an undead?
"Tatia?"
I sat on the edge of my bed.
How many brothers did Yasha say she had?
'Impossible. I only have three brothers, and Aseyana met them all.'
Three!
What if this one was one of those three?
"Tatia!"
I looked at my mother and couldn't help but ask, "Does he have blood?"
My mother frowned at my question. "Of course, he has!" I almost huffed in relief when I heard her say, "Which human has no blood?"
That made my face sink.
"Tatia, are you thinking about your story again? I told you not to drown yourself in your imagination," Mom said. "Know the difference between reality and fiction." She patted my arm. "Alright. I'll go down now. It's rude to leave the guest alone. But you better follow me after you're finished here."
When my mother left, my hair stood up. I hope I was overthinking things as usual and I was wrong. Maybe he really has a unique disease, and that was just all. Sighing, I went to the shower and sprinkled myself with cold water, hoping it would calm my nerves. It, somehow, did. But I regretted it later. I still prefer a warm bath!
—
I went downstairs. They were not in the living room. So, I went to the kitchen, passed it, and entered the dining area behind it. Then, I finally saw the two (mother and son, perhaps) talking and laughing. They looked like they were having a good time.
"You're finally here!" my mother said exasperatedly. Now, that was overreacting. "Sit down, sit down. Let's eat."
"You're not done eating yet?" I asked, looking at the dining table. It was small and could only fit four people, two for each side. Because there was only me and my mother here, and sometimes my dad would visit us for a break, there were only three seats. Then, my siblings rarely came here, so I didn't bother getting an extra.
Anyway, I explained that because of the seating arrangement. I couldn't help but think my mother was deliberately setting things up. Which mother would let their daughter sit beside a stranger?
"Why are you not sitting? Don't let us wait for too long! We're hungry."
Sighing, I finally sat down. "You didn't have to wait for me."
Mom gave me a disapproved look. "Do you think I want to wait for you? But Magnus is magnanimous and a good kid." She looked kindly at the guy. "He said that family should dine together."
My mouth twitched. Probably. But I didn't remember him as part of the Ivanov Family.
I felt someone looking at me blatantly. I ignored it. Instead, I focused my eyes on the food placed on the table. I was astonished to see a king crab and three enormous lobsters. My mouth watered instantly.
"Magnus bought it."
Him again.
"Thank you for the food," I said, sparing him a smile. My lips were twitching from being forced to smile.
The guy's smile brightened. "It's nothing," he said. He took one of the crab legs, cut it, took the meat and put it on my plate. Then, he spilt the sauce on it. "Taste it."
I don't want to. Why was he serving me food? I wasn't used to such a treatment. It was making me uncomfortable.
And with my mother's eyes giving an undisguised interest, watching us, I didn't want to taste it! This was so embarrassing! I suddenly wanted to cry!
"Why are you not eating?" I asked my mother.
She didn't understand the hint, though. She urges, "Don't mind me. You eat that. Don't get Magnus's effort in vain."
What effort?
Sighing, I said frankly, "Mom, you're making me feel embarrassed." Then, I turned to the guy. "My mom loves to match me with whoever. I'm sorry if ever she's making you uncomfortable."
The guy stilled before he chuckled.
I didn't understand, though. Why was he laughing? On the other hand, my mother scratched her head and finally concerned herself with eating.
"I didn't mind," he said, eyes sparkling.
"Oh," was the only word that came from my lips. Ignoring his existence, I tasted the crab. I was astonished when the sauce touched my tongue. It was delicious!
"Are you a chef?" I asked. I could feel my eyes twinkling. I was confident my mother didn't make the sauce.
"Does it taste good?"
"It is freaking delicious!" I exclaimed.
"I'm glad you like it," he said. "And I'm not a chef. I do cook in my spare time. It's a hobby." He started to peel the shell off the lobster.
"You're a real talent!" I was envious. I loved eating. So, I tried to cook. I even watched tutorials, but nothing came good with every dish I made.
I observed him and felt that he was a good catch. A handsome gentleman who knew how to cook—- he was every woman's dream! Or maybe 'my' dream guy. If not for the fact that I was in a predicament, I could try dating him. That was, of course, if he was interested.
Hmm…
Was he a virgin?
My thoughts stopped when he put the lobster on my plate. Since he was willing to serve me, I would relish this moment! No need to shy away!
None of the food was spared. And I got most of the meat. My mother stopped eating after eating half of a lobster. She went to her room, saying she was tired and needed to rest. Excuses.
As for our guest, I think he didn't eat. The only thing he did was to serve me.
"Are you not hungry?"
"I ate a little."
He did? I didn't see him swallow a piece, though.
We rested for a while before he got up. He took all the dishes and washed them. I blushed in embarrassment. But I didn't tell him to do that. Hmph!
Out of respect for doing the choirs, I waited for him to finish.
"Are your knees okay now?" I asked, washing away the silent and awkward atmosphere.
He gave me a brief look and replied, "It's healed now. I wanted to visit you right after seeing a doctor, but my doctor told me to rest. It took me a month to come here. Unfortunately, you weren't around."
"I attended a wedding." A wedding that didn't happen. "Then, I met some beautiful girls. So, I stayed there longer than expected." I clenched my fist and silently took a deep breath. Here it comes. "There's a teenager named Aseyana," I looked at his reaction. "Then, her aunt Yasha."
I quickly noticed him still. It was only for a second. But I knew he reacted when I mentioned their names. That made my mind and heart cold.
I don't know if I was foolish or wise. But collecting all the courage I could get, I asked coldly, "Who are you?"
There was silence.
"Let me rephrase it. What are you?"