Zadhea looked at the faintly steaming soup and then at the door respectively. After thinking for a few seconds, with a small sigh, she put down the wooden spoon and went towards the door before opening it without a noise. When she peeked outside, she saw Heidith rubbing his arms, seemingly feeling cold.
She cleared her throat as loud as she could, making Heidith flinch and look at her, widening his eyes. When he came back to his senses, he exhaled a short breath before saying, "Gosh! You scared me!"
Zadhea nibbled on her bottom lip as she made up her mind to say, "Come inside. It must be cold out there."
Seeing him nod his head, she stepped away from the door, giving him space to enter.
When Heidith came inside, he closed the door and checked the fire before taking a seat, face-to-face with her. He saw almost half of the dishes were empty, much to his satisfaction.
There was an awkward silence between them until Zadhea opened her mouth to ask, "Did you have dinner?"
Heidith let out a 'Hmm', not wanting to lie to her. He, in fact, didn't eat after lunch since his stomach was aching a little. He didn't have an appetite to eat again.
"Oh." Zadhea looked down at the bowl of soup. "Then what about some soup? I saw your body tremble. Have some soup to warm yourself."
Without waiting for his reply, she lifted her chair and put it beside his chair and sat next to him. Then she filled the spoon with soup before putting it before his mouth.
"Open your mouth," She said softly. She was actually feeling bad for him. Thus, she thought in that way, she could pay back for what he had done to her. Since childhood, she hated to owe anyone anything.
Heidith's heart began to beat fast. 'Does she like me? Otherwise, why does she care about me?'
That thought made his face break into a smile like a flower that blossomed under the morning sunlight. "Thanks," Apparently, his mouth betrayed him as it unconditionally ejaculated, forgetting the cold war between them.
Zadhea nodded solemnly. "Don't think too much. I'm just returning the favour."
"I know." Heidith thought, 'I know you are shy to admit it.' A smirk on his lips.
"How's the food? Do you like it?" He asked again, not wanting the atmosphere to become silent again.
"Yeah." Zadhea smiled sincerely. "So fresh and yummy. Did you steal them from the kitchen?"
Heidith's face darkened. "No. I never steal."
His answer astonished the girl. "Wait, really? Then how did you... Did you... Did you cook them? By yourself?" Her mouth agape.
Using two finger tips, Heidith raised her chin, closing her mouth with a smile. "Yeah. Can't believe?"
Zadhea shook his hand from her chin by looking away, saying, "True. It's quite unbelievable. Especially..." She suddenly turned to him eagerly as if her body got electrified, before holding his shoulders, shaking them. "The pizza! Did you make it? How? How do you know the method? Tell meee!!!"
"Gosh! Calm down!" Heidith took her hands using his own, squeezing them lightly. "I don't know what you are saying."
"Liar!" Zadhea was at the verge of crying. She shook his hands and stood up, searching for the only slice she kept as a memory. She found it soon after and showed it to him. "See! It's a pizza! What do you have to say about it?"
'Are you also from my world?' Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at him pleadingly, desperately searching for answers in his emerald eyes.
"You are talking about Secret?" Heidith raised a brow. "You call it pizza?"
"Secret?" Her mouth twitched a little. "You call it secret?" 'The hell! Someone calling pizza secret!?
"Yes." Heidith nodded sincerely. "I learnt how to make it by watching a middle aged woman doing it. She refused to give me the recipe so I learnt it myself. I added my own things too. Since I didn't know how to address it, I named it as 'Secret'."
"Do you know where she is now?" Zadhea asked, trying hard not to sound so enthusiastic although, her entire soul was shaking with excitement and expectation.
"No. It's been many years. I can't even remember her face let alone where she lives. Don't worry, I can make as much as you want. The taste is the same, maybe even better."
Zadhea's face dimmed. "No need." She felt disappointed as all her hopes shattered into pieces. "Can't you really remember her?" She tried one last time. "Think harder. You might recall something."
"No." Heidith knew for sure. "I was like eight years old when I met her."
"Eight?" Zadhea was stunned. She knew his pizza was almost identical to a modern cheese pizza. He learnt it when he was just eight? She felt it was impossible. "Wow! You really are impressive."
"Thanks." He smiled. "Feel free to name anything you desire. I can cook anything for you."
His words made Zadhea's brow go up as she remembered a saying, 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' wasn't it the opposite here? Heidith was trying to win her over by cooking for her!
"No need." She rolled her eyes. "I did say they were yummy earlier but the truth is... They are actually average," She lied. Her stomach shed tears when it heard her, scolding her. 'Idiot!'
Heidith felt a little hurt when he heard that. "Oh." He smiled bitterly. "Thanks for being honest. Next time, I'll try harder to impress you."
"No need," Zadhea directly refused. "I don't need your sympathy. I'll take care of my meals in the future myself. I don't want to rely on you."
"You can always rely on me. It's perfectly fine." Heidith's eyes filled with honesty. "Actually, I love it. I really, really do."
"But I hate it," Zadhea said back. "I don't want to depend on you. I don't even like you. Whom do you think you are? In my eyes, you're just a nobody. This engagement, our relationship... Everything is fake, Heidith. So please grow up! Don't say I took advantage of you in the future. Because I didn't and I don't want to. I would never take advantage of you. So please leave me alone." Zadhea went on and on until her mouth went dry. "Find someone else."
"What?" Heidith laughed angrily as his eyes turned dangerously dark. "Just like you did?"
"Huh?" Zadhea knitted her eyebrows. "What are you saying?"
"You know what, I'm such a fool." Heidith brushed a hand through his hair looking devastated, making his neatly combed hair messy. "You'll never change. Why should I waste my time on a person like you? You are right." He nodded continuously like a mad guy. "I should... No, no, I MUST find someone else!"
"Congratulations then. I hope you find the perfect one for you," Zadhea said, rather mockingly.
"I want no one else." Suddenly Heidith rushed towards her, pulling her into his arms. "I only want you, Zie Zie."
"Hellow?" Zadhea snapped her fingers before his eyes, making Heidith snap back to reality. "Should I repeat it again? Congra.. wait, wait. If you can't find someone, feel free to seek help from me. I'll help you to find a girl, a good one."
"No need," Heidith spat out before leaving, slamming the door behind him.
Zadhea fell on a chair nearby. Sorry, Heidith. I had to do it. I think Evelyn isn't correct. You like me. I guess, yeah. Or else, would you bother to cook for me? I'm sorry. I can't fall in love. If I fall in love with you, the day I go back, will be the most painful day in your life. I don't want that! Better we remain as enemies. That way, you won't find it difficult to... Kill me.
Evelyn waved at Zadhea when she saw her. "What happened?" She asked eagerly.
Zadhea told everything that had happened to her. "You see, he likes me, Evie. Otherwise, you tell me! Otherwise, would he cook for me and just me? Isn't it hella suspicious?"
Evelyn sighed inwardly. What should I do now? My plan didn't work in the end. Why is she so smart? Ugh, this is getting harder and harder.
"Nevermind." Zadhea shrugged. "From today on, he'll start hating me. It's much better. I want him to hate me. Nope, despise me!"
"Gosh, gurl!" Evelyn was at a loss. "What do you expect by doing that? Why do you want him to hate you?"
Zadhea shrugged again. "We are born to become enemies, Evie. That's the truth."
Enemies to lovers. Evelyn chuckled at that thought.
"Hey." Zadhea gave her the side eye. "What are you laughing for?"
"Nothing, nothing, " Evelyn said, still smiling.
When they arrived at the dormitory, Zadhea was shocked to see how luxurious it looked. Everyone had their own separate room which looked like a room of a five star hotel. Zadhea almost felt like she returned home because it looked so similar to her room in the palace. When she stepped inside her room, she saw a queen sized bed, a walk in closet, a gigantic bathroom and a marble table with a comfy chair. They didn't forget to add a fireplace too. In Zadhea's mind, the room was too much for a college student. They were there to study, not to enjoy unnecessary luxuries. It was truly unnecessary.
"Can I change my room into a simpler one?" Zadhea whispered to Evelyn. "I'm not comfortable with this room."
Evelyn shook her head. "Sorry, hon. Girls can't change their rooms as they like. It's a rule."
"Oh. What a pity!" Zadhea thought for a moment before asking, "What about Dreva? What kind of a room did she receive?"
Before Evelyn could answer her, they heard a commotion outside. The two girls looked at eachother before hurrying there.
"Whom do you think you are? A queen? An empress?" A girl dramatically said, putting a hand on her hip while waving other hand. "After coming here, you forgot that you are actually a stinking, good-for-nothing maid? You are a maid, slutty. You are a maid."
Her friend chimed in, "I heard she slept with her master to get an opportunity to come here. How shameless!"
"Shame on you, bitch!" The first girl kicked Dreva's butt, making her wince in pain as she laid down on the floor, looking miserable.
When Zadhea saw the scene, she pitied the two bullies instead. "If Heidith gets to know about it, he won't leave them alone," She blurted out without thinking.
"Then you still think he likes Dreva? Then why are you saying he likes you? I can't understand you, Zadie." Evelyn truly couldn't understand what was in her mind.
"He likes me temporarily," Zadhea explained. "When the right time arrives, he'll fall for the love of his life."
"The what?" Evelyn was dumbfounded. "I don't ship them. So why are you shipping them?"
Zadhea shrugged. "This world belongs to them. Sooner or later, they'll end up together."
Then she approached the bullies before giving them a cold look. "What is going on here?" She asked fiercely. "I can't even take a rest properly."
"Please forgive us." The two bullies quickly lowered their heads in fear when they sensed Zadhea's gloomy aura. "We asked this woman to clean our toilets. But she refused to do that. You also can see how much audacity she has to refuse our command. Being a maid, isn't she too much to act like that?"
"That's enough." Zadhea glared at them. "In the future, don't you dare lay a finger on her let alone bullying her."
The two girls looked at her in disbelief. "Whaaat?" They exclaimed simultaneously.
"You heard it just right." Zadhea held her head high. "Remember what I'm saying now. From today on, no one can bully her because..." She squatted on the floor and held Dreva's chin, making her look into her eyes. "Only I can bully her."
Dreva's heartbeat rose up when she heard her words. They rang in her mind, over again and again. Only I can bully her... Only I can bully her...
Suddenly, her cheeks flushed red.
"Now leave."
"We are going, we are going." The girls quickly left the place, afraid of offending her further.
"Evelyn, you go too." Zadhea looked at her best friend with a serious expression in her face. "I'll meet you later."
When only the two of them were left, Zadhea gave Dreva a sharp look.
"Stewina, we need to talk."