"Go away. Don't disturb me... By the time I'm done making food for Tobi, I want you out of here," Rose said, turning her back to Rolan, going to do the rest of her cooking. The vegetables had almost turned soggy. Thinking that it was because of Rolan, she turned to him, giving him a glare, but Rolan smirked, shrugging his shoulders.
"Are you really going to ignore me?" Rolan's voice came from behind, asking her. She had really ignored him and just focused on her meal the whole time. Now, she was dishing the food on the plate. She had two plates, which meant it was only for her and the kid.
'Where was his own plate?' he mouthed to her but was totally ignored. He remembered that her cooking was good... It always tasted nice and not basic, no matter the kind of ingredients she used.
"What are you doing here? Still not leaving?" Rose turned to him and questioned him when she remembered his existence in her house. Her brows were furrowed, her lips pouted, making an angry expression. Didn't he hear her? He should leave. What was he still doing here?
Rolan stood there, resting himself on the kitchen counter, his arms folded. He was smiling at her, giving her a provoking look. He wasn't going to leave from here no matter what she said.
"Rolan, be for real. Leave." Her eyes turned serious as she told him. The food on the plate was totally getting cold, and she should stop herself from paying all her attention to him. What would he gain staying here anyway? So, with her thoughts, she took the meal on the counter, walking to the parlour where Tobi was watching cartoons. Rolan followed behind her like grumpy Mr. Grime, with his arms folded over his chest.
"Tobi, I got your meal... Come eat, dear," Rose said to Tobi, walking next to him. He was very focused on watching his cartoon and only brought his attention to his mommy when he heard her voice. Rose smiled, looking at Tobi's cute expression. He was her own son, and he was super cute. She couldn't help but pinch his cheeks.
Rolan, from the sideline, saw their interaction, and a smile curved on his face.
'Look how nice she is with the kid, but she was totally different when it came to him. She looked like an angel, soothing a child, but when it reached his side, she turned into a fierce tiger.'
"Thank you for this great meal you have prepared for me... M... aunty," Tobi said, looking at her. His smile was as bright as a star, though not literally. He had seen the uncle standing beside his mummy.
He didn't know how the uncle got into their house; he hadn't heard a knock on the door. Maybe he was busy watching cartoons and never heard the uncle knock nor his mummy going to open the door for him. Rose smiled at Tobi, not knowing the little thoughts he carried in his head. To her, she was just seeing her son admiring her.
Of course, he should always look at her with those worshipping eyes and not give them to someone not very much a nice guy standing next to her. Her eyes narrowed, and she secretly glanced at Rolan standing next to her, and by accident, he had also stared at her, so their gaze met. She quickly shifted her gaze away, focusing on Tobi.
Her heart was racing. He was so unpredictable she couldn't guess what he was thinking or the action he might take next. He was super shameless. She didn't trust his weird habits in front of kids.
"It's okay, dear. Alright, you eat," Rose said to Tobi, picking him up and keeping him in front of his meal. All this was to avoid noticing Rolan's presence before her, and she needed to feed her kid.
"You seriously are not going to feed me?"
Rolan said, stepping towards her. His voice was chilly, and his eyes were deep. Rose laughed slightly, trying to feed Tobi, pretending like he wasn't there, like he was just a board.
Tobi raised his small head, looking at his mummy and the uncle. He didn't know why he felt like the moment was tense between his mommy and the uncle. The words tense and everything he was understanding right now—it was Darius telling him all of it.
His mummy had left feeding him, now seriously staring at the uncle, so Tobi took his spoon, wanting to feed himself all alone. He was ignored.
"No, I'm not your nanny," Rose pointed, saying to Rolan. He should go eat in some other place and not her house. Jennifer was a great cook; he could go there... She was being sarcastic in her heart.
"Okay, fine," she heard the low response from him. Rolan had kept quiet. He wouldn't ask for food anymore. Since she didn't want to feed him, he wouldn't die if he didn't eat. He only needed to stay behaved so that Rose didn't lose it and really make him go.
He could see that she wasn't really serious about him leaving.
"Are you done eating? It's time to go to bed,"
Rose asked Tobi, seeing that he had finished his meal with no crumb left. He even burped after eating. She rubbed his head, smiling at him.
"Okay..." Tobi said, nodding his small head and touching his belly. He was very full.
Tobi got down, wanting to go to bed because he felt sleepy. His mummy and the uncle might want to have some chat, Darius said, and Tobi thought that sleep would be a good excuse to give them space.
"But first, let's brush your teeth," Rose suddenly held him, stopping his small toes from taking him anywhere. She had said to him, then led him to the bathroom.
Her food was left cold on the table; she didn't eat it anymore. Rolan didn't make any attempts to look at the food, like he wasn't the person fighting over the right of getting fed a while ago.
Tobi brushed his little teeth in the toilet, his tiny face looking very serious. After he was done, he turned to Rose, showing her his teeth.
"Wow, nice and clean! Now go to bed, it's time!" Rose applauded, picking him up, bypassing Rolan at the door, then walking out of the place. Rolan followed them anyway.
His actions might seem patient, but the frost in his eyes hadn't melted. He was silent all this time, boiling in secret annoyance.
"Where's uncle gonna sleep?" Tobi turned his head, looking at Rose when she had brought him to their door, looking at Rolan standing outside.
"In the couch," Rose nonchalantly said, giving Tobi a sweet smile, then turning to glare at Rolan.
"But it's not nice," Tobi pouted and said, dragging the hem of her sleeve.
With Tobi's words, Rolan smirked, looking at Rose, winking at her. Rose's blood boiled, seeing what he did. Now was he going to take advantage of a little kid just to get in her bed?
Rolan chuckled. "See? Even the kid knows it's cruel to keep me on the couch."
Rose stopped herself from showing that she was pissed off. She didn't want to break character in front of her child. Tobi was just a kid, and so with gritted teeth, she looked at Rolan and said to Tobi,
"Fine. Uncle will sleep with us."
Like that, Rose found herself sharing a bed with the man she wanted nothing to do with.
Tobi was in the middle, separating them, so she felt she was safe.
"Rolan, get your hands off."
"No."
"Oh my gosh, let me go, Rolan!"
But Rolan refused to listen.