Chapter 30 - XXIX (1/2)
When the two were only just a few more steps away from Laia's house, the asshat's phone rang loudly.
Grumbling, he motioned Laia to give him space with a wave of his hand. Laia was happy to oblige, immediately making her way inside of her house.
As she entered her house, she was welcomed by the delicious smell that came from the meal her mother was preparing.
”Laia? Samuel?” Her mother calls from the kitchen.
Laia saunters towards the kitchen door. ”He's outside,”
The older woman turns to her daughter with a frown. ”Did you have another argument?”
”Nah,” Laia shakes her head. ”Someone called him. Maybe his rich ass parents--”
”Laia!”
”What?” The girl nonchalantly glances at her mother's deepening frown. ”Anyway, I think the soup's cooked already, mom.”
Squeaking in surprise, the older woman turns back to what she was cooking, and just as Laia expected, it was already cooked and a few more minutes it would have had burned.
”Can you grab me one of the bigger bowls on the cabinet--”
Laia was already on it and immediately handed one of the bowls to her mother's outstretched hand.
The older woman's eyes widened in surprise but accepts the bowl nonetheless. She swiftly but carefully pours the soup on it and hands it to Laia who brings it to the dining table.
After placing the bowl on the center of the table, the girl sneaks a glance at the asshat who was still in the call from earlier.
With how the asshat had an infuriated expression on his face, Laia was sure that he was giving the person on the opposite line hell.
More than usual, she thinks.
Shrugging her shoulders, Laia made her way back to her mother in the kitchen. The woman was already preparing the ingredients for what Laia thought is another side dish.
Her mother turns to her. ”Why don't you talk to Samuel while I prepare this dish?”
”He's busy,” Laia dismisses the idea quickly, opting to look at her mother's cooking instead. ”And I don't like small talks--”
”You don't like anything, dear,” Her mother interjects with a teasing yet sad smile. ”Maybe just studying or that stray cat--”
”You know about Mika?!”
The older woman gives her daughter a deadpanned stare. ”Honey, where do you think our leftovers go?”
Laia's eyes widened as she finally was able to connect the dots to the mystery of why Mika always seemed to be full, especially during the weekdays. ”You were feeding her!”
”She is a pretty cat,”
”Definitely!” The younger girl agrees as she started to prepare the dining table. ”I think she might have had been abandoned, though.”
Placing the newly cooked plate of pork ribs beside the huge bowl of soup, the girl's mother nods in agreement. ”I think so too.”
”Can we adopt her?” Laia pouts at her mother, who had sat directly in front of her.
”Hmm,” The older woman remained silent for a while and then nods, making Laia clap her hands in glee and excitement. ”Just make sure you will be the one to take care of her, and when I say take care, I mean cleaning after all her messes!”
Laia waves her mother's concerns off. ”Who else would?”
Despite raising an eyebrow at her daughter, the older woman says nothing else. Instead, she cocked her head to the side to imply Laia onto calling the boy who was probably still in the middle of the conversation he was having earlier.
However, the girl knew her mother might change her mind if she wouldn't follow her orders. So for now, Laia would try her best to remain in her mother's good graces.
For now.
Sneaking a peek at the asshat through the window of their living room, Laia realized that she was right about the asshat still not being done with the call.
”Ugh, what's with the delay?” The girl whispers to herself.
She looks back at where her mother is. The older woman raises an eyebrow at her child and points at the clock, implying that it was already lunchtime.
It was just eleven. Her mother was traditional like that.
Groaning in defeat, Laia makes her way to the door dubiously. Regardless of her usual confidence when it comes to dealing with the asshat, there was something with the asshat's conversation with whoever was on the other line that made Laia want to stay away.
However, the girl knew that returning to the dining room without the asshat would only make her mother irritated and Laia might have to kiss the opportunity to adopt Mika goodbye.
Oh well, what's the worst thing that could happen?
The girl reluctantly pokes the asshat on his back. At first, the asshat ignored it, but after Laia repeated the action five times, he turned to her with a scowl.
”Fuck, call me later Ame. I have something to do,” The asshat was about to drop the call but he stops and groaned in frustration. ”I'm not-- Ugh, it's not another girl!”
The asshat motioned Laia to move away, and the girl was happy to oblige. Laia knew when to give people space, after all.
Laia tried to distract herself by looking at the new plants that her mother seemed to have planted earlier this week. They were still sprouts, and Laia noted to herself to water them regularly whenever her mother had to go to work.
Her thoughts drifted to whoever the asshat was in a conversation with. She glances at him and was quick to notice how he was increasingly growing frustrated with every second he spent more on the conversation with whoever was on the other line.
Maybe his girlfriend? A clingy and possessive one?
The girl sighs. That is probably one of the reasons why Laia would rather not marry and instead spend the rest of her life with her mother, buying the older woman everything she liked and giving her everything in return for taking care of her.
And maybe traveling around the world. Greece would be a great destination for starters, especially with how obsessed Laia was with Greek mythology.
”What are you smiling about?”
Laia jumps in surprise when the asshat was suddenly already beside her. The asshat laughs at her making her roll her eyes. ”You done calling with your girlfriend?”
The asshat tilts his head to the side. ”Girlfriend?”
”You know, the one you were with a conversation earlier? Ame?”
He laughs as he enters the gate before Laia. ”Ame's not my girlfriend,”
”Then who is she? A fling?” Laia narrows her eyes at the asshat suspiciously.
”Why are you so curious?”
Laia fights the urge to choke him. ”I just don't want her to come here without notice and murder me in my sleep thinking I'm your--”