Call from Destiny | COMPLETED | English

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Reward

C L A I R E

My eyes couldn't help but widen at what I saw. The man that almost killed me was here right in front of me, doing my laundry and currently glaring at my clothes like he almost wanted to throw them.

Whites are separated from non-colored as well as small from large clothes. I looked at him intently as Ethan wiped his sweat on his towel.

I wonder if he also does this at home.

"Wow, at this rate, you can start your own laundry business," I said to Ethan and cheekily smiled. I didn't know he would really do this. I thought he'd argue just like how I met him.

I'm not sure why I think that but that's really what I had in mind when I saw him at the gate with a frown on his face as soon as I told him where the laundry was.

Ethan just stared at me in annoyance as I stood there, admiring his work.

But as soon as he smirked, I got the hint that he was teasing me.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" My eyes almost threw daggers at him as he then chuckled once he saw me reacting badly to his expression. Shaking his head, he turned away from me and decided to even hide his amusement.

"Just thinking," he commented as I pouted.

"Let me guess, you probably think that I don't know how to do housework. Excuse me, I know how to do the laundry. You look down at me too much as if I don't know how to do chores."

As soon as Ethan heard what I said, he grinned. "I wasn't thinking about that. You're the one who said that."

Knowing that he wouldn't really back down, I decided to change the topic. Putting a plate of chicken pops in front of him and an unopened can of soda, I smiled.

"Nevermind that. I brought you food." His gaze fell on it and I fakely coughed as he kept on staring. "Here's the chicken pops and some cola."

"Thanks," he told me as he then started to take a bite of the food that I made. There was a silent pause as I took my apron and decided to cook mine.

He sat on the kitchen countertop. As my back is turned from him, I could feel his gaze not leaving my figure. I was about to ask him if he wanted to talk but then I heard his voice behind me.

"Are you sure the laundry's the only punishment I have?"

A bit confused, I raised an eyebrow as I turned around and looked in his direction. I could see in his face that he was expecting more than this. He sat there, of course, still eating his chicken pops and taking a few sips from his drink.

So, I decided to ask him back, "Why? Do you want more?"

"No, it feels unfair if I just leave you by doing a simple chore," he replied with a chicken pop in his hand. His eyebrows furrowed immediately when I turned the stove off and sat across from him.

"So, what do you have in mind?" I asked him with a bit of curiosity. He then put his finger under his chin and pretended to think.

We sat there for a whole minute, trying to find a suitable way. I didn't really think much of it. I even thought that making him do the laundry would be enough. But, I guess it wasn't much for him.

When he finally got an idea, he snapped his fingers at me and even smiled. I was taken back in surprise when he even took his phone out.

"You're going to the game, right?" When I saw him typing out something, I couldn't help but stay silent. A few moments later, he looked back at me and waited for my response. "The one held at the arena."

My cheeks turned a bit red when I finally knew what he was pertaining to. "Oh, the basketball game? Yeah, why?"

"Maybe after that, we can make amends and treat you out to a meal."

"Are you—?" The words in my mouth trailed off as Ethan finally understood what I was trying to say. He then waved his hands as if to disagree with it — his cheeks flushed as soon as he did.

"As a friend. Not as a stranger that you'll have a grudge against," he clearly told me before telling me another reason why he wanted to do it.

"I want a fresh start."

And that was believable. The times we encountered each other weren't really that great so it was maybe the best for us to start all over with no incidents.

I looked at him and just gave a nod before standing up to get my food. "That sounds like a good idea."

Suddenly, the next phrase almost made me stop in my tracks. Ethan looked at me from top to bottom before pointing out, "You're still wearing your apron."

"So?" Taking the plate that had chicken pops, and an egg sandwich, I made sure to put it on the kitchen counter before taking a soda can from the fridge.

Sitting back down, I decided to ask him, "You seemed surprised. You like the color?"

"It suits you," he replied with a nod. I know that he might have thought that it was natural for girls to like the color and most of them probably listed it as their favorites — so he decided to make sure not to comment badly.

I let out a sigh before taking it off afterward. "Pink has never been my type. It's just there so I decided to take it."

"Still, it does look good on you." My eyes widened at the comment. Well, I didn't expect him to repeat that.

Coughing to remove the awkwardness, I decided not to dwell on his reply further. "After you finish those snacks, you can leave. I'll guide you back out of the subdivision."

He put his soda down and decided to breathe deeply before letting out an exasperated sigh. "That's good to hear. 'Cause I'm not very familiar with this place."

"It's nice that there's someone who'll guide me back."