Are You Serious?

~

The next day, Zen awoke to the jarring sound of her phone ringing. She groaned, blinking against the sudden invasion of light as she fumbled for the device on her nightstand. Groggily, she held the phone to her ear and answered the call, her voice still heavy with sleep. “Hello?”

“Have you seen it? The Facebook post about you and Cassandra? It’s gone!” Nadia’s shrieking voice came through the line.

“What?” Zen mumbled, struggling to open her eyes.

“Get up and check for yourself,” Nadia insisted impatiently.

“Okay, hold on,” Zen replied, pulling the phone away from her ear and rubbing her eyes before opening her Facebook app. “Where did it go?” she asked in confusion, seeing that the post in question had indeed vanished without a trace. Even the one where Raine was holding Cassandra had been deleted.

“That’s the thing. No one knows. I heard the admins are freaking out because they can’t access the account anymore.” Nadia chuckled. “It’s a bit odd, but hey, it seems like someone’s trying to help you out. You should be grateful.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Zen replied, still half-asleep. “Can I hang up now? It’s Sunday, and I need more sleep.”

“Just hold on a sec. Spill the beans about Cassandra and Raine first. Is the rumour true? Is Raine actually dating her?”

“I don’t know,” Zen gritted out, her irritation rising as Nadia wouldn’t hang up.

“By the way, can we come hang out at your place later?” Nadia requested.

Three seconds passed without an answer as Zen tried to process the question. Then panic burst forth as she recalled Raine’s unexpected presence in her apartment last night. “No way!” she blurted out before she could stop herself, her heartbeat quickening. “Absolutely not! Bye!”

With an abrupt end to the call, Zen tossed her phone onto the bed, her mind racing as memories of the previous night flooded her thoughts. Sleep was out of the question now.

Zen threw off her covers in frustration, swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, raking her fingers through her tangled hair. She rubbed her eyes, stifling another yawn, and padded over to the bathroom to begin her day.

-~-

For someone who relished the feeling of privacy, Zen had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t be granted to her that morning – or even throughout the entire day if her intuition was accurate.

With heavy steps, she descended the stairs, her gaze sweeping the area, searching for any sign of a particular figure — possibly a tall man with dark brown eyes and furrowed brows. She wasn’t trying to hide her presence, no. All she yearned for was a peaceful start to her day, a simple cup of coffee to set the tone. Oddly enough, the prospect of encountering a homophobe on the way didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest.

If there was one thing Zen was good at, it was giving the silent treatment, the sort that didn’t sit well with most, especially women. While numerous females might resort to extreme measures if subjected to her version of silence, like one of them might even come running down the street with a knife to hunt her down—thirty-five stab wounds wouldn’t even suffice—supposing she was the guy in some relationship, she could rest assured for now. One, she wasn’t in a relationship. And two, Raine might even embrace the silence, given his known sentiments toward her; Zen wouldn’t be shocked if he initiated the silent act.

With these contemplations weighing heavily on her mind, Zen ventured into the kitchen, only to be utterly caught off guard by the scene that greeted her—Raine meticulously preparing breakfast. Holy- Zen stifled an astonished gasp, refraining from instinctively covering her mouth in surprise.

To add to the shock, Raine had even greeted her as he did away with the pans into the sink after having plated two omelettes and neatly cut fruits for breakfast. What a shame she missed seeing him in action while he cooked. Men often look attractive when they’re working, especially in the kitchen. Shut up. It’s Raine, The Homophobe, Zen scolded herself, disgusted that her mind would even entertain such thoughts. Only crazy girls from the asylum like Cassandra would fall for someone of his type.

“Want some breakfast?” Raine’s voice cut through her thoughts.

So we’re just gonna pretend nothing happened yesterday? Zen thought to herself. “You made it?” Zen asked, peering at Raine cautiously, trying to avoid saying any potential triggers that could awaken Raine’s dark side.

“Yes, help yourself. I made enough for both of us,” Raine replied, momentarily gazing up at her before going back to what he was doing. “And just to clarify, it’s not poisoned,” he added.

“Oh. Mm. Thanks,” Zen responded absent-mindedly as she moved towards the kitchen counter and pulled out a chair.

“Coffee or juice?”

“Coffee,” Zen stated.

At the dining table, as they silently ate their meals, Zen couldn’t help but notice how Raine’s attire never failed to disappoint. Even in a faded T-shirt and shorts, he looked good, and she hated it. Even when he was stuffing his face like a toddler, he still looked decent.

Taking a bite of her sliced apple, Zen’s gaze lingered on Raine, her eyes catching the faint crimson bruise partially concealed by his hair. He didn’t seem to notice her staring at him as he was busy scrolling his phone with one hand and stuffing his fork inside his mouth with the other.

“I’m sorry,” Zen blurted out, immediately catching his attention.

“Huh?” Raine turned to her, his expression resembling that of a child who’d just lost his crayons. Zen had to hold back a chuckle.

“For hitting you last night,” Zen confessed. She noticed his expression suddenly turning serious.

“Well, if you’re really sorry, then do something for me.”

His tone was icy, demanding, and Zen felt a shiver run down her spine. Escape wasn’t an option. “If it’s within my capacity...”

“If you say it like that, then your apology doesn’t mean much,” Raine interrupted, his tone flat.

“N-No, I am sorry. I genuinely mean it,” Zen said, “I’ll do whatever you ask.”

There I go, digging my own grave again. Zen lowered her head in defeat. There was no knowing what the maniac would ask from her again. Why am I so submissive? Why didn’t I just ignore him? Zen mentally berated herself.

“Alright then. Tutor me.”

Zen looked up, blinking twice in astonishment. The silence was almost overwhelming, only reinforced by the loud chirping of birds outside. “What?” she squinted and motioned for Raine to repeat himself.

“Tutor me,” Raine reiterated.

“Are you serious?”

“In what subject? We’re not even in the same major,” Zen clarified.

“Engineering Mathematics,” Raine responded.

“But we studied that in like first semester,” Zen said, puzzled.

“Yes, well I keep failing. I’m not good at it.”

“If it’s first semester, and now we’re on sixth semester...” Zen counted with her fingers. “Then, that means you failed five times,” Zen declared in amazement, earning a glare from Raine.

“It’s just that one.”

“We did share Math as the only common subject between Architecture and Civil. But why haven’t you passed it yet?” Zen inquired.

“I don’t know,” Raine retorted with a hint of irritation. “Kai mentioned you had the highest score. So, be my tutor,” he continued, a faint blush colouring his cheeks.

Zen took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll help.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll pay you.”

“What? Why? There’s no need,” Zen said in surprise.

“I owe you that much. Remember, I got you fired from the store.”

Zen’s mouth formed a small understanding as she recalled that fateful night. “No, it’s fine,” she refused. “I won’t accept it.”

Raine stared at her intensely before relenting with a sigh. “Fine,” he conceded as he began clearing away the empty plates.

“I’ll take care of the dishes,” Zen offered, rising from her chair and hurrying to the sink. She stopped immediately when she noticed Raine’s exposed legs. The guy had been walking barefoot the entire time. “You. You’re barefoot,” Zen exclaimed.

“Thank you for noticing the obvious,” Raine retorted with a touch of sarcasm. “I forgot to bring my slippers.”

“Wait,” Zen suddenly exclaimed, crouching beside Raine and examining his feet closely.

“What the...” Raine pulled back, clearly bewildered by her behaviour.

“I think it will fit,” Zen muttered to herself, standing up with a hopeful glint in her eyes as she looked at Raine. “Hold on, let me grab something for you.”

-~-

“It fits,” Zen sighed with a dreamy smile, her eyes fixed on Raine’s feet as he donned the slipper she had brought out for him. The casual slip-on footwear settled onto his feet perfectly like it was custom-made for him.

Raine made a few adjustments, ensuring they sat comfortably. “This is new,” he said, eyeing the black and grey blended slippers with a critical gaze. “But it looks cheap.”

“It is cheap.” Zen smiled at him, taking no offence at his blatant remark. “I actually bought it for my brother.”

“Then why’re you giving this to me?”

“I got the wrong size. It was too big for him,” Zen said sheepishly. “We were talking on the phone, and he said if he wore those, he wouldn’t need a ship to sail the ocean,” Zen said flatly, recalling her brother’s words and momentarily scrunching her nose in annoyance.

Raine suddenly chuckled, taking Zen by surprise. It was the first time she had witnessed this lighter side of him. “I’ll take them,” he declared, his expression oddly joyful as he admired his newly acquired slippers.

“It’s yours.” Zen could never understand how his mind worked. She pursed her lips together and ignored the weird sensation creeping up her stomach as she got up to meet the sink where a pile of unwashed dishes awaited her attention. “So, when should we start?” she asked, turning on the tap and picking up a cleaning sponge.

“Start what?” Raine replied, his attention still fixated on his new slipper.

“Tutoring you.”

“I’ll let you know. But before that, You and I have to go somewhere.”

“Where?” Zen asked.

“The mall.”