02: Getting Closer

Ezra’s Point Of View.

I WAS making my bed when I was stopped by the abrupt vibration of my phone. Kiana’s calling me again. I reached for my phone and answered her call.

“Hello, Kiana?”

“Ezra…” Her voice was trembling, which made me feel alarmed. “I think we have a problem.”

All of a sudden, a shiver rose up in my chest. I already had an idea of ​​what she was about to say but I preferred to confirm it, so I listened to more information she had.

“W-What do you mean?” I asked, stuttering in jitters.

“Your Mom is starting to search for you, as we expected from the beginning. And I’m sure she won’t stop, not until she finds you. She’ll prolly do everything for you to come back home.”

I can feel her distress. I hope she didn’t say anything.

“Kiana, did you perhaps tell Mom?”

Oh, gosh! Please, say no!

“Of course not! Why would I tell them?”

I breathed a sigh of relief because of her answer. It’s good she kept her mouth shut because otherwise we’ll both be done.

“I’m sorry. I just asked to be assured.”

“Anyway, where are you now? Have you found a hotel or a place to stay in?” She changed the subject. I swallowed hard because of her unanticipated question.

I bit my lower lip. “Yes, I found a place to stay…”

“Really? I’m glad to hear you’re safe! So, how’s your new place?”

“Kiana, I know you wouldn’t believe me but…”

“What?”

“Uh… Oh my God! How will I explain this?” I ended up panicking.

I don’t know how to tell her the truth, but I don’t want to keep it from her either.

“Oh, come on, Ezra! You're making me die in curiosity! Spill the tea. Say it now.”

“I-I am living with seven men…”

The other line was silent for a series of minutes. I can imagine how epic her reaction was after hearing the news.

“Wait— what?! What nonsense did I hear? Y-You’re what?!”

“I’m living together with seven men under the same roof.”

“Bitch, what?! Seriously, Ezra?! What the hell are you thinking?! You’re telling me you’re surrounded by seven men in a house wherein you’re the only woman?” Kiana blurted out.

“Yes, you’re right.” I nodded as if she could see me in person.

“I won’t ask how that happened, but did they do something to you?! Did they threaten you?! Tell me right away so I can sue them!”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop overreacting, Kiana. I know you’re worried about me, but take it easy. They didn’t do anything to me. In fact, they are nice.”

“Or pretending to be nice…”

“No, I swear they are kind to me. They let me come inside their house and fed me. They even decided to let me stay here as long as I want.”

“And why did they let you stay? Come to think of it, you’re a mere stranger to them. I don’t think I will let a stranger of the opposite gender stay inside my house unless I’m planning to do something bad to him, right? You never know whether their actual intention was to help you or to harm you.”

“I told them I escaped the arranged marriage,” I recounted. “They asked me if my parents are going to find me, and I answered yes. Knowing Mom, she will do everything for the company, even if saving her dying company means torturing her own daughter to death. So, they insisted on letting me stay for a long while.”

“Fine, you won. I will believe you because you said so. But the question is…”

I let out a soft chuckle. I seem to know what she will ask next.

“Are they good-looking?”

Shoot. I knew she would ask that. Kiana likes handsome men. It’s her type. Whether it has an awful taste in fashion, has bad habits, and a red flag, it doesn’t matter to her as long as he has good looks.

“The truth is… they are! They looked like pieces of art. They have a perfect build of body, an amicable lifestyle, skin as white as snow, a bad boy aura, and an unrealistic appearance!” I described what they are like.

Seconds later, I put my phone a little far from my ears when Kiana squealed in romantic excitement. I might become deaf because of her in no time.

“Don’t make me feel envious, Ezra! Don’t take everything. Save one for me. Oh, gosh, I want to visit you there!”

“Don’t!” I reprimanded her. “Mom might find out where I am hiding if they put a tail on you. She has eyes everywhere. I don’t want to put your life at risk as well as the seven men who showed me acts of kindness.”

“I understand. Introduce them to me when you come back and everything is settled. I’ll hang up now. Mom’s here, picking me up. I’ll try to call you later if I have the chance to sneak out. I miss you!” She bid goodbye before turning off the call.

I left the guest room after cleaning up. I found seven of them in the living room playing X-Box. They paused for a moment when they noticed me.

“Do you need anything, Ezra?” Iñigo asked me.

I smiled and shook my head. “Don’t mind me. Continue playing your game. I want to watch.”

As I’ve said, they continued to play. I just watched them and examined them one by one. I was amazed at the way Hyde played. He’s good at guns and he’s incredibly fast! Unbeknownst to me, I was staring at him like a fool. Until I immediately sat up straight and looked away when I heard him speak.

“Stop staring at me.”

Did he catch me? How embarrassing!

From then on, I never looked at him again. I only watched the six others play.

They finished playing when the clock stopped at noon. To my surprise, none of them move to prepare the food nor cook rice.

“Uh… What’s our lunch?” I asked, being brazen because my belly aches in hunger. “It’s past noon, aren’t you hungry yet?”

“Let’s just order, or open the cans and noodles there, Ezra,” Jeremy pointed his finger to the kitchen cabinet. My forehead furrowed in astonishment.

“You don’t know how to cook?”

They looked at each other then shook their heads in response. I was stunned. How do they eat every day? Don’t tell me they stick to canned food and noodles? Or do they only eat fast food? That’s not good for their health.

“I’ll cook.”

They just nodded at me in agreement. I turned my back on them and headed straight to the kitchen counter. I opened the refrigerator and thought of something to cook. The refrigerator is full. It’s a pity because they don’t cook.

I prepared the ingredients and started cooking adobo. When it was cooked, I placed it at the dining table. They just watched me as I served the food and the plates.

“Let’s eat!”

They went to the dining area one by one and sat down. We looked like a family sitting at one long table and eating together.

“Smells good!” Clarence praised as he sniffed the dish. I smiled. His cheerfulness is contagious.

We started eating. I was about to ask them what it tasted like, but I knew it as soon as I laid my eyes on them. The seven had an appetite to eat and I could hardly count how many rice they had spooned.

While eating, they asked a few things about me, and so did I. I found out that they were the same age except for Joaquin who was a year older than them and Clarence who was the youngest of them in terms of birth month. They are two years ahead of me.

“I’m full,” Jeremy said as he rubbed his stomach.

When we finished eating, the seven of them got up and went back to the living room to continue playing. I was baffled.

I’m the one who cooked our feast, yet I’m the one who will clean and wash the dishes as well? I see.

I blew air. In the house, not a single plate is washed by me, but I would be more tolerant of this than being a princess there and marrying the man I don’t love.

Raiko Tan, the son of Mom and Dad’s business partner whom I was set up with a marriage. He’s good-looking, rich and popular. I’ve met him several times, and I can say that he’s nice but I neither like him nor love him. I consider him as a brother because I’m an only child.

Then one day, he confessed his feelings for me, but I turned him down and explained to him that I see him not as a man, but only as a brother. He grew mad and crazy. I’ve seen him angry once and I can never forget it! He is strange. He is scary. He shouted at me and abused me physically. He even forced me to get married to him.

So that’s how my impression of him changed. He apologized and I accepted his apology, but since then, I refused to become his bride. I don’t want to.

“How long will you stay in the kitchen? You’ve already finished washing the dishes, and the water is overflowing now,” Hyde spoke behind me, which woke me up from trancing.

I turned to the sink. My eyes widened when I saw that the plates and spoons were already clean and shining. I quickly turned off the faucet that was already overflowing.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t notice,” I apologized, being ashamed of my abstraction.

Why is this man so cold? Didn’t he know that being a snob reduces his handsomeness?

He turned his back on me and I followed him into the living room. I caught those six playing X-Box again. They don’t even take a break, seriously!

“Join us, Ezra!” Clarence called me.

I scratched my head. “I don’t know how to play X-Box.”

“I’ll teach you…”

They turned to Hyde when he suddenly spoke while I immediately looked away. Why is he offering to teach me when I didn’t ask for his help?

“What!?” He hissed to his friends.

The six laughed and shook their heads. They whispered something to one another before returning to play.

“Come here.”

My eyes fixated on Hyde. His face was blank, and I couldn’t read what’s on his mind. He’s confusing me with his mixed signals lately. I no longer know if he’s being harsh to me or it’s just the way he is.

I pointed to myself. “Are you talking to me?”

“Who else do you think I am talking to?” He sounded annoyed.

I hate to think his tone was indirectly telling me that I’m stupid. I rolled my eyes and pouted. Since I was left with no choice, I just obeyed him and didn’t ask another question because maybe later he will start blowing fire at me.

What a grumpy man!

He taught me how to play what the boys are playing. It was just easy so I learned it fast. At first, I killed only a few monsters in the game. But later on, I was able to keep up with them and I even led the score. I have the highest kills and points compared to them who, as far as I know, were skilled in playing.

“How come you’re excellent, Ezra?!” Clarence complimented me.

“Wow, Ezra! I didn’t know you’re a fast learner!” Axle said in awe. “Can you learn to love me?”

I laughed at his silliness while Hyde glared at him.

“I’m kidding. I’ll back out, Ezra. The boss is mad. I don’t want to die yet.” Axle joked.

“Game is over. We’ve been defeated by a girl, dude,” Iñigo grunted, disappointed.

“Hey, losing to me is not a big deal.” I cheered them up.

I approached the six. They looked like heaven and earth fell down on them because of their expressions. Their shoulders are flat, their heads are facing the floor, and their voices are weak. I don’t think they have ever lost to anyone, especially a woman like me, so they are upset. I thought of a way to erase their losses.

“Guys!” I grabbed their attention and clapped twice.

They turned to look at me but their reactions didn’t change. It was the same, except for Hyde who has his own world.

“I’ll make a snack. Let’s have a movie marathon.”

Their mood suddenly brightened because of my suggestion so my smile widened.

“Deal!” They simultaneously agreed.

Hyde looked at me like he wanted to talk to me, but I ignored his existence and walked past him. Then, I cooked in the kitchen.

“What are we going to watch?” Clarence asked.

“The usual, dude.” Jeremy and Axle joked.

“Find a decent show. We’re watching with a lady,” Joaquin reminded them.

I heard them talking while looking for something to watch later. When I finished cooking, I headed back to the living room immediately. I found out that the CD was already on.

“What genre did you choose?” I asked them then placed the snack in front of us.

“Romance is what we picked,” Clarence answered.

“Would it be fine with you, guys? You might get bored if that’s what we are going to watch.”

Because I think it would be unfair on their side that I’m happy with what I’ll be watching while they will only be bored. I’m a fan of romance when it comes to movies but I’m fine with action films as well. Besides, I like guns and bullets. Holding a real one will make me feel like I’m cool.

“No, it’s okay, Ezra. Don’t worry,” Jeremy replied with confidence.

“Are you sure?” I asked more.

“Yes, we promise, we won’t be bored,” Iñigo assured me.

I could do nothing but sit on the floor and start watching. When we were in the courtship part, the surroundings became quiet. I would have been exhilarated by the movie I was watching but I didn’t expect I would be more stunned by the sight when I glanced at them one by one.

Is this real? I can’t believe what my eyes are seeing. I must be dreaming. There’s no way they are thrilled watching a romantic movie.

Oh, please!

Clarence and Jeremy threw a pillow to each other, while Iñigo and Axle smiled a little, trying hard not to show their enthrall. On the other hand, Joaquin, Xavier, and Hyde remained silent and serious. As usual. I didn’t even see Hyde flash a smile. I only get bored with the thought. As if he knows how to smile.

I continued to watch. Each time the scene was romantic, I tightened my grip to the pillow that I was hugging. I don’t want to scream my lungs out. I have to save my face at least. I’ve had enough embarrassing myself.

When we finished watching, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. A while ago they were screeching and being hyper in thrill, now they are acting serious again. I patted their shoulders to tease them.

After wrapping up, we went back to our own respective quarter. Their house is bulky so there are a lot of vacant rooms. They let me use the most commodious guest room.

Even before I could enter my room, I was startled when someone grabbed my arm. Out of shock, I hit the one who held me with my fist. I covered my mouth when I found out it was Hyde.

“Oh, God, Hyde! You startled me! Why did you show up out of nowhere? Oh, no! I’m sorry!” I apologized while checking to see if he had a bruise on his face.

“I just want to know if you—” He covered his face and massaged the bridge of his nose, unable to continue speaking.

Is he embarrassed?

My eyebrows met while waiting for what he would say next. I’m confused by what he’s up to. I can’t seem to understand him.

“I mean, you had fun tonight, right?” he asked, and then averted his eyes.

I nodded in surprise. “Uh… yes. Thanks to you and to the others.”

“Well, then… You can take a rest now. Good night.”

He spoke as fast as the flash that I could barely repeat. He didn’t look me in the eye either.

I stared at him, dumbfounded, until he could enter his room. I entered my room next and closed the door after. I leaned there for a moment and reminisced about the scene he put us in earlier.

Seriously? What’s wrong with him?

I thought he was going to say something important. I didn’t notice myself smiling when I remembered how frustrated he was while asking me if I enjoyed bonding with them.

He’s weird, but I’m starting to think he’s cute.