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Chapter 3

It is quiet and peaceful in the room. Only the soft sound of a spinning ceiling fan broke the silence. But the sound it makes, plus the wind it blows, makes the room even more conducive and serene. Sometimes, the sound of a book page being flipped slips in between the spinning fan sound to make the room merrier. The atmosphere is very ideal for Khaiser to focus on his reading. In fact, it has been a while since he sits on his bed and leans against the bedpost, diving into his book. A pillow on his lap supports his hands that are holding the book. It also helps to keep the book to be on the same level as his eyes to avoid neck pain. He dives deeper into his reading.

"Big bro, dinner." A few knocks on the door contaminate the serene atmosphere in the room. Khaiser lifts his face away from his book before closing it and putting it next to him. He gets off of the bed and stretches a little. He does not realize how long he has been staying in the same position. His muscles really know that he cannot be disturbed during his reading session. So, they only cried out of soreness after he finished.

Khaiser grabs the book on his bed after attending to his muscles and approaches his table. He slips it into the gap between the other books on the shelf. After tidying his book collection neatly, he arranges his steps to the door and gently opens it. His hand creeps on the wall, reaching for the panel of switches as he steps out of the room, flicking them. The whole room turns pitch black instantly. He closes the door and steps to the dining room.

***

Marianne steps out of the kitchen and approaches the dining table with a stack of plates in her hands. Her presence does not get any attention from her twin sister at all as Julianne is busy arranging the glasses on the table. She then picks up a jug full of water next to the glasses and pours its content into each glass. Seeing her sister is focusing on her work, Marianne chooses to not say anything either as she places the plates neatly on the table, even though she has nothing to do next. All the preparation for dinner is finished. The only thing left is waiting for everyone to gather.

Not long after Marianne finishes her work, their mother steps out of the kitchen with a big bowl of curry. Nadya carefully puts it at the centre of the table, together with the other meals. Khaiser also appears at the entrance between the dining room and the living room at almost the same time. Nadya and her twin daughters glance at him briefly, before continuing with their work without saying a word. He brings himself to his seat and stands behind the chair. He takes his time to feast his eyes on all the prepared meals before carefully pulling his chair and taking a seat. Nadya and Marianne follow his action shortly after while Julianne is the last to take her seat.

"Oh, something smells good." Lukas' voice enters the dining room first before him. As soon as he arrives at his seat, he pulls the chair and sits down. All the meals present on the table get his attention equally. "Wow, these are special." He smiles at his wife as his hand reaches for the plate handed over by her.

"Once in a while is fine, right? This is to celebrate the holiday." Nadya returns her husband's smile with an even sweeter smile.

"Well, yeah. But you don't have to trouble yourself. We're going to celebrate it in our hometown anyway." Lukas sounds concerned, worried that his wife might be forcing herself to go the extra mile.

"That is a big family celebration. This is for our own family." Nadya does not seem like she wants to lose in the conversation. She can sense her husband's concerns and intends to ease him. A long pause cut their conversation as they gaze into each other's eyes. A wide smile is carved on Lukas' face.

"You're right. Thank you, honey." Lukas reaches for his wife's hand and holds it firmly. The couple is like they are already lost in their world of romance and love for each other. They seem to forget that they are not alone at the moment. The three siblings just stay silent in their seats, looking down at their meals and trying to ignore their parents. The situation in the dining room turns awkward for them. They feel quite uncomfortable with their parent's lovey-dovey act, but none of them dares to say anything.