𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬

CHAPTER 13

Chris joking around and making dinner for Kiara above.

que sera sera

(prov.) what will be, will be

Keeping things casual, Kiara opted for an all-black ensemble cropped tee, leather mini and thigh high boots as she squatted past Vijay's window to get to her car. Unbeknownst to him, Chris had invited her to his home for their second date tonight. Since she and Vijay were neighbours, he could pretty much always tell when she left the house which meant she had to sneak out to prevent being interrogated tomorrow. After years of learning to evade paparazzi, she had become somewhat of an expert at identifying and losing any tails so could say with certainty that she hadn't been followed. She parked in the street by Chris' house, walking up the driveway to ring the doorbell as she anxiously rubbed at her wrist, waiting for him to let her in.

A wave of cinnamon invaded her senses as he opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, looking as if he'd just stepped out of GQ magazine, "Come on in."

How Chris managed to pull off the tropical Hawaiian shirt look, Kiara would never know but somehow it only added to the attraction. She moved expecting him to step back and make way for her to enter, swallowing nervously when he smirked and remained in place. Standing close enough to the point where their noses were touching, she side-stepped past him into the house as he followed, shutting the door behind him. He watched in rapt interest as she carefully took off her shoes, eyes trailing along with her fingers as they slowly unzipped the boots.

Swallowing thickly, he intervened, "Oh, you don't have to take your shoes off."

She placed her boots at the door, standing in her pink fluffy socks, "In my culture, it's disrespectful to walk around someone's house in shoes."

Making it a point to look away from the adorable socks, he tried his hardest but failed to keep a straight face, "Why the fuzzy socks?"

"They're comfy and warm!"

"I can see that."

Unsure of where she was going but refusing to admit it, Kiara pouted and turned away as Chris laughed before grabbing her arm and tugging her in the opposite direction. As soon as they walked into the hallway, the fluffiest dog jumped up onto her as it tried to lick her face. He playfully scolded his dog, Dodger, and led her into the kitchen where she was immediately enveloped in the delicious smells of cheesy goodness.

Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw what was baking and ran over, pressing her fingers against the oven door, "Are you making lasagne?"

Resting his hip against the kitchen island, he smiled, "Yeah. It's your favourite, right?"

She turned to face him and nodded excitedly, "Okay, I think I'm in love."

He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling, "Well damn, I would've expected it to take longer."

Raising a brow, she sassed, "Oh that's cute," bending down to kiss Dodger's head, she continued; "but I was talking about this handsome fella."

Grabbing a beer out of the fridge, Chris laughed and joked around with Kiara as they settled into the familiar rhythm of good conversation and light-hearted fun. Eventually the timer went off, reminding them the lasagne was ready as he plated hearty portions to serve and brought them out to the living room. Being a non-drinker, she grabbed a glass of water and watched in amusement as he juggled the plates unsteadily before setting them down. Making herself comfortable on the ground, she leaned back against the foot of the sofa as Dodger curled up beside her and rested his head on her lap.