Chapter 6: A Smile Etched on My Face as I Saw Her Irritated

ZACHARY FLYNN'S POINT OF VIEW

"Good that you're here, I started cooking and preparing our dinner." Mrs. Monroe was walking in our direction and seemed like she was waiting for us for some minutes. I saw the genuine smile of her that made me reminded of her great resemblance with Xincere.

"You can eat now, Zac. I already talked to your Mom earlier, she told me that their business trip is extended. I told her that I can be your temporary Mom until she comes back, so feel free to come over, okay?" I laughed at her joke and nodded my head before we walked inside our house.

"Mr. Monroe..." I greeted her dad, who was now watching the football tournament this season on their flat-screen television. He used to watch it with my dad. Whenever we have a family dinner with them, they used to boast how long they have been best friends. And I bet that was actually the main reason while we were just in the same village as them.

"Zachary, you should come over much often." He stood up and tapped my shoulder.

"Mrs. Monroe told me earlier that she was about to cook for dinner, so I decided to come over. I forgot the taste of real food since last week." I chuckled a bit.

"So better be here with us while your parents are still on their business trip, let's watch the football game tournament later." I nodded as a response to him. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Xincere making her way upstairs.

"By the way, is Xairo already in his room?" I asked as I remember that I gave him the flash drive which had the file that I made earlier when we had been given time to do our research and observation in one of our classes earlier. Xairo was a nice guy, he just had trouble sharing his sentiments, one of the things we had in common, and I think that was what bind us together. He always joined us whenever Nate, Justice, and I had our game.

"Yeah, in his room. He hasn't even gone down since it came earlier." Tito answered and let out a deep sigh. I was half-ran and headed upstairs toward his room. He was playing guitar on the balcony of his room as I entered. I could easily notice how he looked like his dad. His hair color was exactly the same as his sister's. I was just two inches taller than him, and it was hard to believe that he was just in his eighth grade this school year. We have the same height when I was his age.

"Practicing for a new song?" I asked as he put the guitar and lean on the wall.

"Yeah. Our organization has an event this week. The organizers invite us to perform." I smiled and nodded my head in acknowledgment. He was in his fifth grade when I taught him how to play the guitar since he badly wanted to be part of a popular band in their school. I was the one who bought his first guitar as he passed the audition.

"Bro, is that my project in Science?" He asked the moment I threw him a black flash drive. I just nodded and sat beside him.

"I already checked your work. It was good. I just improved your presentation. Better check it later. But you know that how expensive my talent fee is, right?" He grinned while shaking his head as he heard me negotiating.

"It seems like my allowance will be short this month." Our tumultuous laughs echoed in his room until we heard someone knocking on the door.

"Xairo..." He turned his eyes back on me before he shrugged and let out a deep sigh. I gave him a soft shoulder punch as if telling him to open the door for his sister, who sounded so mad while waiting for him to come outside. I even heard her kicking the door about three times. I opened a pack of chips I saw on the mini center table here on his balcony, I heard the loud voice of Astrid who seemed like scolding him, I could not force myself not to laugh after seeing Xairo who was just watching her sister talking something about the missing pack of marshmallows from their refrigerator. Yeah, she always wanted it to be infringed.

"I don't even have time to open the refrigerator since last night, but I'll gonna buy you a dozen tomorrow. So just go outside!" I could hear his irritation. Every time I went here, I always witnessed those scenarios of them. He often told me that her sister was one of the reasons why he never had a peaceful life, but I guess she also made his life more than just a boring one.

"Guys, what the notion is all about? Stop it now. The dinner is ready. Come down here." The sweet tone of their Mom's voice had the power to make her stop. She rolled her eyes around her brother before stamping her feet in vexation. I even saw him deeply closed his eyes as a sign of giving up. I was laughing as I threw my arms around his shoulder.

"Just bear with her, bro." I saw a curved in his lips before he slightly shrugged as I grinned at him. I saw how mad Xincere was but chose to sit beside her mom. Her long hair was hanging loosely, while some of its strands were still wet. She was now wearing loose silk plain black pajamas that accentuate his pale skin and her slender body. I could even see some of her veins on her both cheeks, seemed like she did not put anything on her face. She looked most beautiful in this state. I mean, when she was wearing no makeup and totally barefaced. The fact that she never believed on, every time I told her. She thought that I was just putting the blame on her doing makeup every time that we were late. Yeah, she was right, but I was serious about it.

"Is this yours, right?" Xincere asked when she saw the flash drive left by his brother on their dining table after we ate.

"Give that to Xairo." I simply uttered as I saw her knitted her brow.

"What's this? If it was part of you 'boys matter', I might kill you, Zac." She gave me a suspicious look, a sideways glance. I just rolled my eyes before getting it from her and took some steps to where her Dad was standing to tell him that I was about to go home.

"Xairo, I'll go ahead." I handed him the flash drive before tapping his back.

"Thanks, bro. I have finally done with this stup*d project!" I just hissed and nodded my head.

"No problem, bro." We were doing our handshake before Xincere butted in.

"What project are you talking about?" She asked, exasperated and casually putting her hand on her hips. Here she goes again, she always interfered as if we were doing something illegal!

"Don't shout. Your voice was kinda deafening!" I grimaced and slightly shook my head in irritation.

"Why won't you do your own?" She faced her brother and threw him an indignant stare.

"Xincere, it was just a simple project. It is not a big deal, to begin with!" I explained, trying to defend Xairo. She just rolled her eyes against us.

"Mrs. Monroe, thanks for the food. Sir, I'll go ahead." I told them, while they were both standing near their garden, seemed like talking about some family matters.

"Come over here again tomorrow," Mr. Monroe tapped my shoulder.

"That was for sure. I was looking forward to the next dishes that will be prepared by Mrs. Monroe" They both laughed before he excused himself as his phone suddenly rang.

"Of course, anything for my future son-in-law." She used to throw jokes like this. I sheepishly rubbed my nape and smiled as I saw Xincere was standing behind me. She casually folded her arms across her chest.

"Mom, Zac is about to go home now, right, Zac?" She butted in and took some steps toward our direction.

"You know what, Mom? He has a lot of girls in the university. I mean admirers, you know, womanizer stuff? So he had a love of love letters that are still unread. I told him, that he should be grateful for them and should take time on reading those letters, just to appreciate their efforts." She shrugged and turned her eyes back on me and repeatedly raised her eyebrow as if trying to irritate me. Her Mom just laughed, which made me see how pure and genuine she really was.

"Jealousy is just part of it, guys. That's when we started." She abruptly covers her hand in her mouth as she chuckled a bit that causing a sudden change of expression on Xincere's face. I could not force myself not to laugh as I saw how irritated she was when her Mom took her joke so seriously.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Monroe, I'm used to it." I had her in a headlock and gently messed up her hair. I smelled a familiar floral fragrance of her, it was not as sweet as other girls' that I never get tired of the smell.

"Let go of me, Zac!" She tried to escape from me, but I hold her tighter.

"Zac, that was your Dad. He told me to let you stay here since they need to extend for another week there as there was an unexpected occurrence that happened during the meeting. But he said it was all under control, so there was nothing to be worried about."

"Thank you, Sir. I just have some errands to take care of in our house, but I'll fix it all so that I can stay here tomorrow." I smirked as I faced Xincere who was frowning at the idea of me, staying here in their house. I actually slept here countless times. So, their guest's room was like my room here.

I received a lot of text messages from Nate, telling me that he will sleepover in my place. He was with his grandparents, ever since his parents passed away. Our home was a place where he used to go whenever he had an argument with his grandmother. His grandma was so strict ever since, she used to scold us even now, so no one dared to have a sleep-over in their place.

"No problem. You know that you are always welcome in this house. Just come over here anytime you feel like to." I could see the sincerity in his eyes as he smiled and tapped my left shoulder. He was really kind and nice to me. No wonder why he was the only one that Dad trusted among his friends.

"Go home now!" I heard the irritation out of her tone as she whispered, trying not to be heard by her parents, but I guess it has happened the other way. Her Mom gave her a meaningful look as she barely heard what she just said.

"What's wrong with it, Mom? It's getting late, so he should be at their house by this time." She defensively uttered.

"It's okay, Mrs. Monroe. Besides, I really need to go home now. I'll see you tomorrow." She took some steps to kiss me. I even took her Dad's hand as he laid it for a handshake. Then suddenly, I felt a cold hand of Xincere grabbing my left arm and aggressively pulling me in the other direction going outside their gate that made me laugh.

"I'll just walk with him. You can come inside now, Mom and Dad. We'll be very quick." She sounded like shouting as she put all her strength to pull me.

"Zac, don't sleep here, okay?" She abruptly uttered as we reached their parking lot where I parked my car earlier. I felt a sudden unfamiliar feeling as if something was missing as she let go of my arm. Maybe because she was actually holding me for quite some minute.

"Why?" I was chuckling while asking her, pretending not to know the real reason behind her demand. She used to wake up 30 minutes earlier compared to her usual wake-up hour whenever I was sleeping in their house.

"Just go home now!" I chuckled a bit as she grimaced and began to push me.

"See you tomorrow, Xincere!" I gave her a wry smile and tried to tease her.