The Love Complex (Completed)

-3-

"Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet." -Franz Kafka

Dylan looked at her as one does a potential employer, his back straight and eyes looking directly at her own. He almost looked like a soldier, waiting for a command to be directed so that he could follow. However, there was something else about his gaze that made her feel odd. She wasn't sure what it really was, but it delved deep into the most fragile strand of her soul and eventually drove her to look away.  Her breath hitched, as she recuperated, but before she knew it, she was looking back at him once again. 

Meanwhile, Dylan surveyed the room curiously. The place was nice and it gave him a sense of familiarity. He could feel it, the warmth in his bones as he looked around. The ache in his heart had also become smaller, and easier to handle. The world no longer seemed cold and dim. A soft clearing of a throat, eventually led him back to those brown and suspicious eyes in front of him.

Regina tried to focus and not pay too much attention to her nervous heart. She looked away and tried to collect her thoughts. "Full Name, age, and occupation. Also, if you have committed any sort of crime in the past, I must know." She finally said. 

She could see that there was very little regard in Dylan's part. He saw her as a probable landlady, whom he would possibly get to be slightly acquainted during his stay. In fact, it was probable that they would get to meet every once in a while or not at all.

Dylan nodded. "Alright. My Name is Dylan Ren. I'm twenty-eight and I am currently unemployed. However, like Roger, I studied abroad and got my medical degree in internal medicine. I am a cardiologist....As for criminal record; I have committed no crimes in the past, so I'm pretty clean." He smiled cordially. 

Cardiology, Regina thought. He was a Doctor. The young woman nodded, understandingly. Her eyes scanned his clothes. They were neatly pressed with very few creases despite it being almost late in the evening.  "Okay, then. You are accepted. You just have to pay the remaining lease and you can move in as soon as you'd like."

"Great. How much do I have to pay?" Dylan asked, coming closer. He was taller than he looked, even taller than Roger. Regina took a step back. She cleared her throat and dried her sweaty palms on her shorts. 

She hadn't noticed that she was that nervous. "Well, approximately, 1,000 dollars." 

"W-wait, how much?" His eyes fixated on her, as one does when they believe they are being taken for a fool. 

Regina rolled her eyes, she hated having to repeat herself when she was sure that he had heard.

 "1,000 dollars. That is what you have to pay." 

"I don't have that amount with me, I only have 800 dollars. Besides, Roger said it wouldn't be so expensive. Is this some sort of scam?!"

 "Mr. Ren, I am a responsible and reputable individual. I am not scamming you. My rate is quite low in comparison to any other apartment you choose to get." 

"She's right." Said, Roger. Dylan glared at his friend. He only had 1,200 dollars with him. If he gave up 1,000 dollars then he'd only be left with 200 dollars, which wasn't anything in the city.

 "Okay, then let's make a deal. You lower the rate to 800 dollars and I take care of the food." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I can make breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is until I get a job. Afterward, I pay up the remaining amount." 

Regina looked at him. The man had the wrong profession in her eyes. He could be a lawyer and get away with anything. She thought about his proposition for a few seconds. "How do I know that you are a good cook?" She finally said, looking at him haughtily. 

Dylan smirked. He had spent most of his early childhood, and up to his teenage years in the kitchen with his mother. Cooking had become an art in his eyes, something one does, not only to sustain oneself physically, but also as a form of demonstrating love and respect toward others in the most poetic of ways. A delicious meal could warm up the heart of the most heartbroken individual, and persuade a landlady like Regina.  

Dylan's eyes landed on Roger who was looking at them excitedly. 

"Dylan is the best cook there is. You've just got to try his cooking." Roger explained. 

Regina nodded. She was ready to taste the great cooking of the man standing in front of him.

 Regina led the man to the kitchen while Roger followed excitedly behind. There was no way that he'd miss something like that. It wasn't long before Dylan found his way around the kitchen. Regina asked for his best dish. In thirty minutes, the kitchen had turned into a paradise of scented delicacy. 

Regina looked over at Roger, who was staring in awe at his friend who had been lost in his little world, with his back toward them. Dylan prepared the sauce to the pasta with ease. There was never a moment when he seemed lost or unsure. His movements were like that of the wind, natural and lively. 

 It was eight-thirty when he placed in front of her a plate of red sauce over yellow pasta. She could smell the spices mixed with tomato and cheese. "What did you put?" She asked, looking curiously at the plate. 

"This is Dylan's special," Roger answered. 

"It's a special recipe. In his mother's restaurant, they call it lasagna pasta. It's basically like having lasagna but with..." Roger went on and on, but Regina was no longer paying attention. 

Roger was right, she had never tasted something like that before. She looked over at Dylan curiously. His eyes were on Roger who was still going on and on about something else. He looked amused as he stared at him. It was then that Regina noticed. He had chipmunk cheeks. She tried not to smile, but it was hard. A piece of the spaghetti went through the wrong way and she began to cough uncontrollably. 

"Are you okay?" Dylan asked alarmed, his eyes filled with concern. He went over to grab a glass of water and quickly gave it to her. In her fit of cough, she had not noticed when he had walked over toward her. His right hand was carefully tapping her back while he held the glass of water for her to take with his other hand. 

"Thank you," she managed to say after the event had passed. 

"So, what do you think?" Roger asked, once Regina was almost finished with the food. Regina looked over at him and then toward Dylan. 

A light tint of blush formed in her cheeks, when she noticed that she had completely immersed herself in the food. 

"Okay, we have a deal. You can stay." Both Dylan and Roger looked at each other satisfied.