That Day

18: Cold but Hot

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Oh! What a miracle!" Daniela's lou voice made Dwayne paused in the middle of chopping some vegetables.

"What got into you, Kuya?" she teased, her laughter filling the room. I, on the other hand, felt a jolt of fear, worried that Dwayne might take out his anger on me. Just when things were starting to get better, she had to provoke him. What a troublemaker.

"Shut up, Daniela," Dwayne scolded, his voice cold as usual, casting a stern look at his sister. My anxiety spiked; he was definitely angry now.

And when his gaze shifted to me, my heart raced even more. Oh no, here it comes. He'd surely let his anger out to me.

"How are you feeling?" But instead of throwing harsh words to me as what he used to do, he only asked me with a hint of concern in his otherwise cold voice.

Daniela and I were taken aback, our jaws literally dropping in shock. We weren't used to this side of Dwayne, especially me.With that, I felt a sudden, inexplicable warmth within me. I felt butterflies in my stomach. My cheeks flushed, and I couldn't meet his eyes. I was flustered.

"Hey, he's asking you," Daniela nudged me, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

I looked at Dwayne, who was still staring at me, waiting for an answer. Summoning my courage, I replied, "I-I feel better now," unable to look directly at him.

What was going on with him? Just yesterday and all the days before, he was like a heartless demon, indifferent to my pain. But now, he seemed different.

I couldn't help but wonder, does he had some sort of split personality? Is he a bipolar or something?

"Good," he said curtly, resuming his chopping.

But as Daniela was unable to believe everything her brother has said and done, she curiously approached him and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. "You're acting so strange, Kuya, are you sick?" she remarked.

"Daniela, get out of here so I can finish cooking," but Dwayne just hissed at him pretending to be angry.

Worried that Dwayne's mood might swing back to anger, I pulled Daniela towards the living room. We turned on the TV and started watching Netflix.

"So now, you're getting all giddy because my brother spoke to you?" Daniela teased, her eyes sparkling.

"Shut up! Who wouldn't be?" I retorted, playfully swatting her arm.

"Seriously though, what's up with him? This is so sudden. He never cooks at home. He only cooks for his friends. And now he's cooking for you? Tell me, what happened between you two?" Daniela's curiosity was evident.

I blushed, unable to hide my emotions. The only thing I could think of was what happened last night.

However, upon thinking about it, the memory made me shiver slightly; the trauma was still fresh, despite Dwayne's kind treatment today.

"Are you okay?" Daniela asked, noticing my change in demeanor.

"I'm fine," I lied, trying to shake off the fear. I wanted to enjoy this moment, unsure of how long this kinder Dwayne would last.

"Let's eat," Dwayne called from the kitchen.

Daniela paused the movie, and we headed to the dining room. The aroma of Dwayne's cooking filled the air, and I couldn't help but be impressed. He really was an excellent cook, the thing that adds another layer to his already overwhelming appeal.

"If you cook like this all the time, Kuya, I'll eat here every day," Daniela joked as we started eating.

"I never knew you didn't like my cooking. So, is this the reason why you don't like eating here when I was the cooking?" I replied, pretending to be offended.

"Your cooking is good, too. But it's nice to have something different," Daniela explained, stuffing her mouth full of food.

While Daniela and I are talking, Dwayne just remained silent. He focused on his meal, his face was serious. I wished he would always smile same as what he did earlier; he was so handsome when he did, especially if those smiles are for me.

But hey, who knows, one of these days he would finally smile for me?

Oh. How much I wish for that time to come.

Sigh. Dream on Shane!

After we finished eating, I volunteered to wash the dishes, with Daniela helping. Once we were done, we returned to the living room to continue our movie.

To our surprise, Dwayne joined us, sitting on a single-seater sofa near me. I noticed him glancing at me frequently, making it hard to focus on the movie.

After an hour, the movie ended. Having not satisfied with it, Daniela wanted to watch another, but Dwayne grabbed the remote.

"Shane needs rest. She's not feeling well," he stated coldly, dismissing Daniela. "Go home now; we're going to bed," he added, driving Daniela away.

"Why? It's still so early," Daniela complained, giving me a confused look.

"Go," Dwayne insisted, ignoring her protests. Reluctantly, Daniela left, grumbling all the way.

I intended to close the gate and the front door, but Dwayne beat me to it. I watched him, puzzled by his behavior.

Seriously, what happened to him?

After locking the gate and the front door, he returned to me and asked, "Did you take your medicine?"

But since I felt too embarrassed to speak, I just nodded my head unable to look at him directly.

"Good. Now let's sleep," he said, leading the way upstairs forcing me to follow him.

But when he stopped at my bedroom door and opened it, I started to panick. "W-what are you doing?" I stammered, my heart racing.

"I'm sleeping with you," he replied, looking directly into my eyes.

"H-huh?" I whispered, my heart pounding due to the mix of emotions. My cheeks burned with embarrassment and excitement. I felt like I was about to pee.

"If you don't want to, I can sleep in my room," he said, turning to leave.

Impulsively, I grabbed a bit of his shirt just enough so that he can stop from turning away.

Successfully stopping him, I murmured, my voice barely audible, "I-it's okay."

"Good. Then let's sleep," he said, taking my hand and leading me into the room.

I gulped, nervous of what was going to happen afterwards, though an idea has already surface in my mind.

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Wow! What do you think would happen? 😁