BREE was currently helping Teresita prepare dinner when Aiden walked into the kitchen. Pedring wasn’t home yet, but according to the older woman, he was already on his way.
“Oh, hijo, are you feeling better now?” the woman asked when she saw him. Bree noticed the concern in the older woman’s eyes.
“I’m feeling better. Bree just takes really good care of me,” he said, even glancing at her. She wasn’t sure if he was teasing, but she felt a faint flush rising to her cheeks.
“I agree with that,” the older woman agreed. “Bree even made you corn soup.”
Aiden walked over to the dining table and sat down. “I’d like to help, but I don’t think Bree will allow me. She’s stubborn sometimes,” he said with a playful smile directed at her.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re more hardheaded than I am,” she defended herself, making Aiden laugh. She looked at Teresita for support, but the older woman was just smiling at them, as if amused by what she was seeing.
At that moment, they heard a vehicle outside. Teresita immediately went out to meet her husband, leaving the two of them alone again. For a moment, Bree didn’t know what to do. She knew Aiden’s attention was on her. And she wasn’t wrong, because when she looked at him, she caught him staring. He smiled right away, and she wasn’t rude enough not to return it.
She was the one who broke their eye contact. She turned around to get two red chilies from the refrigerator for the chicken curry, but one slipped and rolled toward Aiden. They both bent down at the same time to pick it up, bumping their heads in the process.
“Ow!” Bree held one hand to the top of her head as she straightened. Aiden did the same as he stood up.
“Yup, you’ve got a hard head,” he teased again.
She couldn’t help but laugh and lightly hit his chest. He caught her wrist and gently lowered it. He also removed her other hand from her head. When he took a step forward, she immediately took a step back.
“No, let me take a look if you have a bump,” he said as he held her cheek and tilted her head slightly downward.
She bit her lower lip. How could she not, when she could clearly smell his scent? How he managed to smell good despite not taking a bath today was beyond her.
She didn’t know what else to say, so she decided to make a lame joke again. “Is it just me, or do you have a thing for lumps?” she said as she lifted her face.
His lips stretched into a slow, slightly crooked grin, but he didn’t say a word. They just stared at each other. His dark brown eyes bored into hers, pinning her in place. She couldn’t even look away. She also noticed that he hadn’t removed his hand from her cheek. The warmth of his palm sent unexpected tingles through her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Aiden’s gaze dropped to her lips, and she could feel his hand slowly moving lower, as if he was about to touch them. Bree’s heart soared another ten thousand feet up.
The approaching voices of Teresita and Pedring snapped them both out of it. They both broke their gaze, and Aiden quickly removed his hand from her face. She almost let out a groan at the loss and wanted to smack herself for it.
“Are you feeling better now, son?” The older man asked Aiden when he saw them. The young man nodded and said something, but Bree didn’t quite catch his answer because she was busy calming her heart. Good thing the couple didn’t notice the strange magic that had surrounded them. Bree could swear it was still there. Even with the couple’s presence in the kitchen, it hadn’t disappeared, as if it was just waiting for the right moment to strike them again. He must have felt it too because he looked at her again, and their eyes met once more. She quickly looked away, as if shocked by his gaze.
Cupid, if that’s you, stop! This isn’t funny! she thought angrily.
She turned her back and kept herself busy helping Teresita. When Pedring stepped outside and Aiden followed him, she finally let out a breath of relief. A few minutes later, Teresita’s chicken curry was done. While the four of them ate, Bree stayed quiet, though she smiled from time to time. Aiden was sitting across from her, and she felt awkward. Not to mention, the urge to look up and see his face was overpowering. And when she couldn’t take it anymore, she gave in. Without hesitation, she lifted her gaze to his face.
She found him already staring back at her.
He instantly smiled, and somehow, it put everything back at ease. It was as if his smile was telling her that nothing had changed between them. That she had nothing to worry about because whatever had happened between them earlier meant nothing to him. She felt her shoulders relax and started to smile back. But something suddenly ached in her chest. She knew she had no right whatsoever to feel that way. She just hoped that whatever this feeling was would completely disappear.