Little MatchMaker

Win is in a pickle

Win sighed for the tenth time.

He had imagined a lot of things but not a sulking father and daughter duo in the middle of an Aquarium.

In the morning, while he was getting ready, choosing darker clothes so he wouldn't spoil them while planting a rose plant for Jing. He was excited at the aspect of spending the whole day with her rather than those little moments he stole from his days. He woke up early, prepared the buds of rose plants and the hand-picked roses from his backyard, and decided to ride to the suburban apartment buildings Bright lived in.

"You got me roses?" The excited gleam in the little girl's eyes gave him a lot of pleasure "and they are red"

When Win had handed a bunch of roses to Jing, she clung to him and the roses immediately, she wore a pretty pink dress, looking so adorable that Win almost cooed. He wanted to just steal her from her dad. She told him about the little flower bed she had prepared with her dad the previous night so that it would be easier for Win to work. Win felt a rush of admiration for both the Chiva-rees, kind and thoughtful.

He had heard from Aom that Bright had raised Jing alone and her mother was not in the picture, Win was pretty curious about what happened to her but he wasn't ever going to ask, that would be just rude. He was pretty impressed about how Bright had managed to make her playful yet respectful. Jing was a talkative child but she also knew how to listen, she was quick on her toes and was fairly obedient. She smiled easily but sulked easily too. She was very understanding of her father's tough working schedule. Bright had raised her very well, despite being a working man. Of course, with the help of his family but the point still stands.

"No roses for me, I see?" Bright came out of the adjoined Kitchen a cute apron draped over his white T-Shirt.

Win stared transfixed, the sight of the usually well-groomed Bright in a pink apron while his hair unkempt was definitely something. He looked warm and homey, and Win's heartbeat raised, the past week, after he had met Jing's gorgeous father for the second time, The man's emergence in Win's daily life had increased tremendously.

He had met Bright on his way back from the library in a convenience store last Saturday where the older man was getting his groceries, Bright had very shyly asked for Win's number that day, reasoning that Jing sometimes wanted to talk to him on call. The next day, he received a voice note from Jing saying that she was over the moon to get his number and a picture of her and her father sitting on the couch.

Win had saved it with a smile on his face.

After that, it had been a routine for him to keep Jing company until her father was there to pick her up. Bright sometimes stayed a while before he took Jing away. Those times had let Win realize that Bright was a grumpy little kid who was surprisingly a year older than him and had a rusty sense of humor. He was also beautiful inside out and Win was having a hard time to not let himself be swayed by his unintended charm, Bright was definitely what they called a desirable man, he loved his daughter, was attentive to people around him, did his job right and still smiled like the world belonged to him. But looking at Jing, maybe, it did.

Win shook himself out of his thoughts

"I brought you breakfast Bright, You don't need to sulk" Win smiled at him passing on the pancakes he had freshly prepared, Bright had put on the coffee kettle and was ready to cut something.

"Aw. but I wanted to make you something" Bright whined, taking the packet out of Win's hand.

Win had noticed that Bright and Jing shared this trait of being overly familiar with him. At first, Win thought they were naturally friendly but one of the past days when Jing had dragged them to the nearby park for a walk and Win had seen the father and daughter ignoring the attention of a beautiful woman who was desperately trying to make a conversation with the duo was too embarrassing to watch. Win realized both of them were cold and unfriendly but somehow he was treated differently.