"N-no, it's not… it's not good." he said.
But he kept eating. He ended up finishing the whole bowl of noodles.
"Wow, he said it wasn't good, but he finished it all. Liar." I teased.
"Tsk, fine, it was good… give me some more." he ordered, so I served him more noodles.
"It looks weird, but I liked the taste." he said after eating his fill of the noodles.
He almost ate everything. Meanwhile, I was eating the fruit he had given me earlier at the hospital.
"Well, I guess you guys don't really cook food like this." I said.
"No one cooks for me." he replied in a serious tone. I glanced at him while I was eating my apple.
"Don't you have maids?" I asked.
"Yeah, but they just cook the same things over and over. And most of the time, we eat takeout." Cairo said.
"What about your mom? Doesn't she cook?" I asked further.
"My mom doesn't cook for me. She's always busy with our business. And I always eat alone." Cairo replied.
I suddenly felt sad hearing that. Back when my parents were still around, we always ate together, and my mom would cook for us. I felt sorry for Cairo. I used to think that being rich meant being happy, but from what he told me, it seemed really lonely.
"Ahmm, if you want, you can come here anytime… so you can eat noodles with moringa and eggs again. I cook this often." I told him, trying to lighten his mood. He smiled.
"Really? You'd do that for me?" he asked, almost like a child.
"Ahmm, yeah, sometimes." I said.
Cairo and I went to school together, but I rode my bike. I needed it, especially since I pick up Kai from his school after classes. Cairo got to school first and waited for me at the parking lot.
"Why aren't you inside yet? You're going to be late, Cairo." I said as I parked my bike.
"Nothing, I was just waiting for you." he said.
"Tsk, anyway… as a thank you, maybe I'll treat you to a meal next time." I said.
"Sure, I'd like those noodles from earlier." he replied, and I just laughed.
"I'm heading to my class." Cairo said, and I just nodded. Then he walked away. I went to my class as well.
I sat at my desk, opened my bag to take out my book, and started to study. But then I saw the drawings Cairo had asked me to make—his project for his philosophy subject. I had put them in my bag after I finished drawing everything.
I had forgotten to give them to him, and today was the deadline for his project. Our professor had already started discussing, but I needed to give these to him now. I quickly stood up.
"What's the problem, Ms. Gozon?" asked the professor.
"Ma'am, please excuse me, I need to go. It's an emergency." I said, holding Cairo's project.
I didn't wait for her to respond, I ran out of the room. I was headed to Cairo's department building, running as fast as I could, when I suddenly bumped into another student. I dropped the drawings, scattering them on the floor. I quickly knelt down to pick them up.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking. I'm in a hurry." I said as I gathered the drawings.
"Aria?" The voice was familiar, so I looked up. It was Denzel, the student I had bumped into.
"Where are you going, Aria? And how are you feeling? You almost drowned in the pool last night." Denzel asked. I stood up after picking up all the drawings.
"I'm on my way to Cairo's class. I need to give him these projects for his philosophy subject. And I'm feeling fine now, thanks for asking." I replied.
"No problem. Anyway, a philosophy project?" he asked, looking confused.
"Yes, he asked me to draw five philosophers. He said it's their project, and today's the deadline." I explained.
"Wait, just so you know… I'm Cairo's classmate in that subject, and no, Aria, we don't have any such project in philosophy." Denzel said.
"What?!" I exclaimed, almost dropping my jaw in shock.
"Yeah, there's really no such project." Denzel added.
"If that's the case, why did he ask me to do this? He's really annoying." I said, feeling frustrated.
"Wait, when did he ask you to do this?" Denzel asked.
"A while ago, on the same day I joined the art club. He gave me some art materials, and I thought he was being genuine, but he just gave them to me because of this project. Now I find out that there's no such project in your class… it's so infuriating. I barely slept just to finish this. He's really getting on my nerves." I vented. Denzel remained silent, as if he were thinking.
"Aria, I know Cairo's actions are annoying, but I think he did that because… he really wanted to give you the art materials." Denzel said.
"Huh? That's confusing. It seems clear to me that he was just being a jerk." I replied.
"No, Aria, I'm not trying to defend him. He did it because that's just Cairo. He's bad at showing people he cares." Denzel explained.
"I don't understand." I said.
"He did it out of pride. He didn't want you to think he was giving you those materials just because you joined the art club. He wanted you to think he was giving them to you for this project he claimed was due." Denzel continued.
"Tsk, why does he have to complicate things like that?" I asked angrily.
"Because he doesn't know how to show he cares for someone. Cairo is too proud. At the same time, it seems like he cares about you, but he can't lower his pride. His care for you and his pride collide. That's why this happened. And Aria… you're the only one he behaves like this with, but he doesn't know how to show it. He cares." Denzel said, making my eyes widen in surprise.
What? He cares about me? Is he losing his mind? That seems impossible… A guy like Cairo Hayes wouldn't worry about someone like me. Why would he care? Tsk.