**Five**
**RHEA'S POV**
While I was waiting for Dota to finish loading for the game I created, I turned up the volume of the speaker until it reached its maximum. I'm alone at home. My sister is at work while we are out of school for two weeks because of what happened at ComLab. Because of that, the Dota tournament was postponed. It makes me cry...
I turned to the small rectangular stainless steel container next to the laptop, and it was empty. After all, it took too long to load, so I got up and went to the refrigerator, carrying the rectangular container to get cookies.
When I opened the fridge, there were two paper bags left. I thought it was running out, so I took the two and closed the fridge. I opened the two paper bags and simultaneously poured the contents into the stainless steel container I was carrying and threw the paper into the trash bin next to the refrigerator.
I sang as I walked back to the sofa where I left my laptop. The song playing was my favorite, so I could sing even though I'm not good at rapping.
"Besides being good at Dota and rapping, what else are you good at?"
"In many th-"
I was sitting facing the laptop when I heard a voice that seemed to be talking to me. I automatically turned to where it came from, and my eyes widened at the unexpected person I saw standing in front of me, smiling at me.
"What are you doing here!? And how did you get in?!" I asked out loud.
"...................."
I heard him shout in response as he pointed to the speaker, but I couldn't understand anything because of the loud volume. Since I couldn't hear him, I was forced to turn off the speaker. I put the container I was holding next to the laptop, then stood up and stared at him with a frown.
"What are you doing here? And how did you get in?" I asked him again in an irritable tone.
"I was ringing the doorbell a while ago, but you obviously couldn't hear it because your music was so loud. So when I saw the door open a little, I went in," Ceejay explained with a smile.
I stared at the flower for a moment. I would have been so happy, but then I suddenly realized what kind of flowers he brought.
"What is that?" I asked, annoyed.
"My gratitude," he answered briefly.
"Gratitude or mocking!?" I replied while clenching my teeth because of the annoyance I was suppressing.
Irritated, he put down the flower he handed to me and replied with a frown, "Are you really that difficult to be with? I'm thanking you for saving my life."
Dammit! You handsome creature! I'm really annoyed. Can't you understand me? -_-"
"What do you think I am!? Dead!?" Annoyed, I shouted at him.
His face frowned even more, and his cheeks reddened from restraining himself. "Can only dead people give flowers!?"
I'm really in awe of this handsome man. It's tempting to punch him in the face.
"Look at that flower you're carrying. It's a flower for the dead!" I shouted back.
"Oh, really?" Suddenly, his voice calmed down, and it was as if the wind blew away the annoyance he was suppressing. "Is that so?" he whispered to himself while staring at the flower.
And I was even more annoyed when he suddenly laughed so loudly.
I raised an eyebrow at him while crossing my arms. "That one question you haven't answered yet."
He first glanced in the other direction while smiling, then faced me again. "I just stopped by to say hello and give this to you." At the same time, he handed me a flower, obviously anticipating my reaction.
No matter when you are, Ceejay. You are really crazy.
I just scratched my head and sighed. "If you were flirting, you probably haven't asked yet; you're already screwed."
He stopped laughing and glared at me angrily. "Hey, are you underestimating my flirting skills?"
"Even with flowers, you've failed. How about making the girl you love fall in love?" I mocked.
"Don't challenge me, Rhea. Maybe later, when you fall in love, you won't be able to move on." He's still bragging.
I laughed so hard when he said, "You also showed your arrogance; you don't know how to pick flowers."
"Oh, really?" he replied with a smile. "I'll prove it to you. Flowers are not a basis for courtship. It's in the sensitivity-"
"-and pure intentions of the heart that truly loves," I suddenly added to what Ceejay said. We said it at exactly the same time.
Come on!! Why did I do that?
Ceejay and I stared at each other for a long time. He was obviously wondering how I knew that, and I was nervous trying to think of an excuse.
I would have been the first to apologize for how I knew that when he spoke before me.
"Did I tell you that?" he asked in surprise.
"Aaa.... I think I read that on your Instagram. Because that's the one with the most likes," I explained.
Suddenly, his smile reached his ears, and he replied, "You didn't say you were a fan of mine."
It seems that I gave him the wrong reason, and I made his head even bigger.
"He he he..." was the only answer I gave him with a forced smile.
"You don't have to be shy; I'll show you how to flirt with a Ceejay Gonzaga," he continued to brag.
I pretended I didn't hear anything so the wind wouldn't blow the whole house away.
"Have you eaten?" he continued to tease me with his arrogance.
"N-not yet," I answered.
"Such a pain," he said. "Where is your kitchen? I will cook for you."
"You? Know how to cook?" I almost laughed.
"Don't make fun of me. I rarely cook for a woman," he hinted.
"Oh... Don't torture yourself. Let's just buy a dish outside," I laughed at the suggestion.
"Are you lazy to cook or just don't know how to cook?" he grumbled.
I frowned again. "Okay, if you really want to cook, just go straight, and the kitchen is at the end. The fridge is full, so you can do what you want to cook," I replied.
"As long as you don't buy a dish, I'll actually cook," he said as he went straight to the kitchen.
I held my breath as I watched him walk to the kitchen.
He is always very demanding. I won't be surprised if what he cooks turns out delicious. He really likes to cook, but it's just surprising why he took a different course and not culinary.
Just wait? Why? When I was still alive, he took a culinary course, but why now, BS-IT? You fallen, you've changed a lot. You really hate me. I hardly know what is happening in my own life. I'll just play Dota while waiting for him to finish.
I turned to the laptop. The loading had finished a while ago. I just needed to choose my hero. I lost my focus on Dota because of that man. Before I could even sit down, my eyes were suddenly fixed on the keyboard. Should I really play or watch him cook?
Soon, the sky suddenly darkened, as did the whole surroundings. Time stopped moving, and even I froze. What else can I see now???
Fire?
A fire suddenly flared up in front of me at the same time as a single loud cry. It gradually grew until it consumed the whole house. I was sweating as I ran through the blazing fire.
Before I could panic, the surroundings suddenly became bright again. The fire dissipated like a bubble, and my eyes widened as I looked around the house. Everything seemed normal, and I didn't see any smoke that could start a fire.
Ceejay cooking.
When I remembered him, I suddenly ran to the kitchen. When I got there, I saw that he looked troubled. He automatically turned to where I was standing when he noticed my sudden arrival.
He looked at me from head to toe when he saw my strange reaction. He was obviously surprised.
"Are you okay?" he asked in surprise, obviously hesitating to ask.
I tried to calm myself down before answering, "You? Are you okay? You seem troubled?"
"That's how it is," he answered and looked back at the stove in front of him. "I've been trying to turn on this gas stove for a while, but it won't."
"That doesn't work anymore. I forgot to tell you, so I'm already eating outside," I explained in a tense tone.
He frowned at the strange tone of my answer. "How about the electric stove?" He pointed at the electric stove next to the gas stove.
"That's broken too. It's been a while since that one," I answered immediately.
I'm really the best at lying.
"Are you playing with me?" He started getting annoyed with me. "It's not easy to prepare something to cook and then end up with nothing." He was still complaining while returning the recipes he had prepared to the fridge.
I felt guilty. He didn't understand. I needed to do that to avoid the fire. I didn't want a repeat of what happened at ComLab.
His face was really disappointed. He felt that I was making fun of him.
"I thought you were just joking. I didn't know you were serious about cooking," I apologized.
He didn't say a word. He just continued to put everything away until he had put it all in the refrigerator. I was still staring at him as he took off his apron and placed it on the table.
"Stay here. I'm just going to buy a dish," he said as he walked towards the door.
I couldn't speak anymore. I just watched him as he walked towards the door until he finally came out.
I really felt guilty. His effort was a waste. He was so serious about cooking for our lunch.
When I made sure he was far away, I tried to turn on the gas stove, and it didn't fail; it turned on right away. I'm telling you, our gas stove is just fooling me to use the broken electric stove and cause a fire, especially since Ceejay will be cooking.
I immediately took out all the recipes he had prepared earlier. It looks like he planned to cook kare-kare. That's why I started cooking what he prepared so that when he comes back, he can taste it.