"You're cooking?" I peeked my head in, looking at Reena, who was busy chopping something orange.
"Uh, no, can't you see I'm playing chess?" Reena replied sarcastically. I chuckled.
"Wow, you're getting good at sarcasm now? You used to be so straightforward!" Suddenly, she flicked my forehead.
"When was I ever straightforward? Can't you see my broad shoulders?" I smacked my forehead hearing that. Was she teasing me on purpose, or was she really that clueless?
"Hahaha, your confused face is hilarious!" This time, she pinched my cheek playfully. I swatted her hand away before she could keep going.
"Ugh, can't you just stop being so clingy?" Reena continued chopping the orange thing.
"Huh I just want to clingy with my boyfriend, but you don't like it right. Is it wrong?" Rina said in slow tone.
"It's not that I don't like it, but it's just bad timing!" I picked up a piece of what she had just cut and examined it.
"Why are you staring at that carrot like you've never seen one before?" I frowned at her words.
"What? A carrot?"
"Yeah, have you never seen a carrot before?" Reena grabbed a small piece and popped it into her mouth.
I shook my head.
"Geez, no wonder… Here, try it." She held out a small piece to my mouth.
"No way. Isn't that gross? It's not even cooked!" I pushed her hand away before she could feed it to me.
"What's gross about it? Rabbits eat them raw all the time, and they're fine, Fariz!" I watched as Reena chewed the carrot, looking completely unbothered. How could she eat raw carrots so casually? Weren't there germs on them?
"Why are you looking at me like that? If you're scared of dirt, just wash it first!" I backed away as soon as Reena stepped toward me with a sly smile.
"What are you planning to do?" My face paled as she grinned mischievously, holding a thinly sliced piece of carrot.
"Just try it, it's crunchy!" I shut my mouth tight and shook my head quickly.
"No way, don't force me!" I glared at her.
She just laughed loudly.
"Just taste it. Don't you trust me?" Reena winked.
"A big no. I don't trust you!" Her grin widened.
"Just a little bit!"
"No!"
Smack!
Suddenly, someone slapped Reena's hand, making the carrot piece fall.
"This isn't a playground for you two to mess around in." I turned to look at Rayqal, who stood with his arms crossed, staring at us.
Reena glanced at the floor.
"Reena, finish cooking. You, come with me. We'll wait in the living room while she cooks." I looked at Reena, and she gestured for me to follow her brother.
Reluctantly, I followed him to the living room.
"So, how long have you known Reena?" he asked suddenly.
"I don't remember." I turned my gaze outside.
"Do you really like my sister?" he asked again.
I just nodded.
"If I asked you to date me instead, would you?" My eyes widened as I stared at him.
"Are you crazy?"
But Rayqal just burst into laughter.
"You're so fierce. I get the feeling my sister likes you way more than you like her… but you? You act like you're half-hearted about her." I shot him a deadly glare.
"Why are you asking so many questions like a detective? Mind your own business!" I crossed my legs on the couch.
"You—" Rayqal didn't get to finish his sentence because we suddenly heard Reena calling him.
"Brother!!" He immediately got up and rushed to the kitchen.
Before leaving, he gave me a look that told me to stay put. I sighed in annoyance.
As soon as he disappeared, I took out my phone. I didn't think Reena would mind if I invited Nara and the twins over. I started typing a message on WhatsApp.
You
Wanna hang out? I'm at Reena's house.
Nara
I'm kinda busy, but I'll try to come with Amir later.
You
Okay.
Nara was invited—now for the twins.
You
Wanna hang out at Reena's place?
Twins
Sorry, man, we're in Taiping. Next time, yeah?
You
Okay.
Looks like I'll be alone here. Not sure if Nara will even show up.
"Huh…" I sighed and started playing a game on my phone while waiting for Reena in the kitchen.
Suddenly, Rayqal appeared and smacked my shoulder.
Smack!
I looked up at him and glared.
"Can you keep your hands to yourself?!" I snapped, already annoyed from boredom.
He just grinned.
"You're too cute. I can't help myself!" Rayqal plopped down next to me.
"Go away, isn't there another place for you to sit?" I moved away from him as he got closer.
"Nope, because my place is in your heart." Rayqal winked at me.
"Do you even realize that you're into guys now? Do you realize that I'm your sister's boyfriend?" I pushed his hand away as he tried to put his arm around my shoulder.
"Of course, I realize all that. But why should I care when you're clearly not happy with my sister?" he said sarcastically.
"Aren't you ashamed if your dad and Reena find out what you're doing?" I asked, holding back my anger.
"They won't know if no one tells them. But if you dare to tell… I'll kiss your lips until they're bruised."
Slap!
I slapped his right cheek as hard as I could. He just let out a small laugh after getting hit.
"You look even cuter when you're mad." He quickly pinched my cheek.
"Stay away from me before I tell your family about your disgusting behavior!" Without wasting time, I got up and went straight into the kitchen. I'd rather be around a girl than deal with a perverted guy!
Reena smiled as she saw me entering the kitchen.
"Why do you look so grumpy?" She was stirring something in a pot.
"It's nothing…" I peeked into the pot.
"What are you cooking?" I sniffed the pot's contents.
"Chicken soup." I nodded slowly.
"What about the carrots from earlier?" I noticed that they were gone.
"I put them in the soup." She pointed at the now shriveled carrots in the pot.
"What were you talking about with my brother?" Reena added some cilantro and stirred again.
"Nothing…" My blood boiled just thinking about how creepy he was—just like Amir!
"Both of them are disgusting perverts who deserve a kick!"
"What did you say?" Reena turned to face me.
"Nothing…" Reena pouted and knocked my head with the ladle in her hand.
"Ouch! Do you want me to dunk your head into that hot soup?!" I rubbed my sore head.
"It's your fault! Every time I ask you something, you keep saying 'nothing' like you have no other words to say!" I snatched the ladle from her hand.
Smack!
I knocked her head with it.
"Arghh, Fariz!" Reena winced in pain.
"Now we're even—one to one." I smirked.
"Ugh, you!" Reena tried to grab the ladle, but I quickly washed it in the sink and handed it back to her.
"This ladle is for stirring soup, not for knocking my head!"
Reena chuckled and continued stirring the soup.
"Assalamualaikum!"
"Assalamualaikum, is anyone home?" I nudged Reena's shoulder when I heard someone calling from the living room.
"Just ignore it. Let my brother check. He's so lazy—eats and sleeps like a python!" I nodded in understanding and watched her chopping onions.
"Hey, do you know what I'm chopping?" Reena suddenly asked.
"Onions, obviously. Do you think I'm that clueless about cooking?" I rested my chin on my hand, watching the sharp knife slicing through the onion.
"Well, you didn't even recognize a carrot!" I rolled my eyes in annoyance and flicked her head.
"Hey! If you wanna wrestle, wait till later in the evening. What if I accidentally cut my hand?" Reena backed away as I kept smirking.
"Even better if you do—at least then I won't have to worry about you touching me!" Reena laughed softly at my remark.
Rayqal suddenly walked into the kitchen and called for both of us.
"What do you want, bro?" Reena asked as she sautéed the onions in the pan.
"Did you invite anyone over?" Rayqal looked at Reena as if he was about to devour her alive. She quickly shook her head.
"I invited Nara and the twins. But I didn't expect them to actually come—I thought they were busy." I wanted to punch Rayqal in the face. He just got back from studying overseas, yet his brain seemed to have stopped working—always blaming Reena for everything!
"Oh, you invited them?" Reena's face lit up with excitement.
"Yeah, it'd be boring without a group, right?" I shot a quick glance at Rayqal.
Reena smiled in agreement.
"Alright, go and invite your friends in." Rayqal walked away, leaving us there.
"Ugh, lucky he's my brother—otherwise, I would've punched him already. How can guests come over, and he doesn't even know how to invite them in?" Reena started mumbling in the kitchen, untying the apron from her waist.
---
My mood instantly dropped when I saw Amir's cheerful face at the door, holding a box of cake.
"Amir, you're alone? Come on in!" Reena opened the gate, and Amir stepped inside.
Sigh One after another… The number of annoying guys here keeps increasing.
"Nara said she'll come in the evening or at night. She asked me to come first to keep you guys company," Amir said as he walked in, answering Reena's question.
"Huh, like we're little kids who need supervision…" I muttered under my breath.
Reena pinched my arm and gave me a sharp look.
"I know you guys aren't kids, but Nara insisted I come," Amir explained, as if he regretted it. Reena nodded in understanding.
"Fariz, take Amir to the dining table first. I'm going to call my brother." Before I could say anything, Reena had already disappeared up the stairs.
"Ugh, just go sit at the dining table first." Amir obeyed and went to sit down.
"Fariz, where are you going?" I felt Amir tugging my hand as I was about to walk to the kitchen.
"I'm getting some plates. You're not going to eat off tissue paper, are you?" Amir nodded and let me go.
By the time I reached the dining table, Reena and Rayqal were already seated, waiting.
"Alright, everyone, enjoy your meal." Reena placed the chicken soup, stir-fried water spinach, and the rose syrup drink I had prepared earlier on the table.
Everyone ate in silence. I ate a little, even though I had lost my appetite for rice.
---
Reena was sitting on the swing, lost in thought. I nudged her shoulder gently. She glanced at me and raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you?"
I pulled back the white hoodie covering part of my face and showed it to Reena. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw my pale, corpse-like face.
"What the hell happened to your face?" Reena asked, alarmed.
"I'm hungry…"
Reena immediately got up from her seat and crouched in front of me.
"What? Hungry again? We just ate!"
I groaned in frustration at her cluelessness.
"Not that kind of hunger. Right now, I'm hungry for blood…"
Reena quickly covered my mouth before I could say more. Her eyes darted around nervously, checking the surroundings.
"If you wanna talk about that, be careful. My brother has sharp ears…"
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going out. So if anyone asks about me, cover for me!"
I turned to cross the street, but Reena grabbed my hand, forcing me to face her.
"I'm coming with you!"
I shook my head in disapproval.
"Are you crazy? What if your brother or your dad comes back? They might report to the police and say I kidnapped you!"
There was no way I was letting Reena tag along. Her annoying nature would only cause more trouble.
"Haih, what if Nara comes later?"
"You figure it out yourself… I'm not sure if I'll be back tonight. If I don't come back, don't wait for me—I'll be sleeping somewhere else."
Reena's sulky face nodded in understanding.
I patted her shoulder before leaving her house. Whistling happily, I finally had the freedom to be alone.
---
"Hey, honey…"
I was scanning the area for a target when a voice made me turn around.
"Honey, my ass! You better get lost before this stick smashes your head!" I growled, glaring at Amir, who was standing there grinning.
I swung the wooden stick in my hand just inches from his face.
He chuckled and slid his hands into his pockets.
"Fariz, Fariz… You're so cute. You should be thanking me because Nara won't be coming to Reena's house tonight. That means we can spend some quality time together, right?"
His words sent rage through me. I raised my hand to slap him, but he caught my wrist before I could.
"Relax, I was just joking. Nara can't come because her mom is sick." Amir plopped down on a nearby bench.
"Did I ask? No? Then get lost!"
Amir shook his head and laughed.
"I came to tell you the truth about something."
I crossed my arms and glared at him.
"What? I don't have time for this!"
Amir stood up and slowly stepped closer.
"Your dad… is dead." He whispered into my ear.
I froze. No. That's impossible.
But then, I noticed the shift in Amir's expression—something was off. My hands clenched into fists.
Thud!
Thud!
I landed two solid punches on him. He fell to the ground, letting out a small laugh, blood dripping from his lips.
"You're lying!"
Amir spat a mix of blood and saliva onto the ground before crossing his arms and smirking at me.
"You just figured it out? So sad, honey. But it's okay… As long as we can be together, right?"
His words made something click in my mind.
"So you lied about the police chasing me? You lied about my family reporting me? Are you telling me all of that was fake?!"
I grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Wow, you're only realizing that now, Fariz? Hahaha, pathetic. But you should know… I did all of this for a reason." He grabbed my hand that was holding his collar.
Smack!
Smack!
"A reason? I have to admire your guts for playing me and Reena all this time. But I'll never fall for your manipulation!"
His head jerked to the side from my hard slaps.
Slowly, he lifted his face again, still wearing that damn smirk.
"I don't care if you beat me to death… because in the end, it's all worth it."
He leaned in close to my ear.