C1 MML 1

I was surprised when I turned around while washing the dishes, as someone hugged me from behind. "Roy!" I exclaimed in surprise, but later on, I relaxed.

He just laughed and released his arms from around my waist. In the past few days, he had been acting this way, especially when his wife wasn't around. Auntie Anne, who I owed a lot to because if not for her, I might still be in an orphanage. We aren't related to each other but still she want me to treat them as my own family and that makes me happy.

Because of our similar ages and the effort he had put into helping me adjust when he moved into Auntie Anne's house, we had become close. As Auntie Anne put it, I should consider them like family, especially her new husband, Roy. Even though I thought of him as an older brother, he wanted me to treat him as one.

Roy was kind and affectionate, especially to Auntie Anne, his wife. So, it wasn't unusual for him to act this way around everyone when he was in a good mood. However, I couldn't help but wonder why he seemed to be overdoing it these past few days. It was unlike him to hug or be this physically affectionate. No man had ever held me or hugged me before, except for him.

He innocently smiled at me, his huge frame contrasting with his friendly demeanor. "Do we still have rice?" he asked.

"Are you still hungry?" I asked in return.

We had just eaten a short while ago. The mother and daughter were at work and school. The two of us were always left at home. Roy had recently graduated from college, and for now, his wife allowed him to rest before joining her company to learn the ropes.

I might have graduated from college too if I had been studying, but due to the hardships of life and my need to support myself, I ended up working as a caretaker for the children and eventually became a housemaid. Sometimes, I wondered why my employer married someone so much younger than her. Every time I looked at them, it seemed as if I am looking at a mother and her son.

"Nah," he replied.

"There's still some rice, but there's no viand left," I said as I resumed washing the dishes.

"Do you want to eat?" he asked again, but I shook my head. I was still full.

"I'll just finish up the laundry outside," I told him, brushing him off.

"Oh? I'll help you," he offered.

"No, it's alright. I'll never finish if you keep talking," I said. His constant chattering had already made our chores take longer last time when he insisted on helping me.

"Why not?" he asked, laughing as he followed me.

"Do your things, Roy. Have lunch here. You want to eat right?" I asked.

"Then serve it," he instructed.

I raised my left eyebrow at him, and he did the same to me.

With a sigh, I gave in and served him. I knew they were my employers, but he can do it!

"You're going to cook me some eggs later, right?" he asked.

"Why don't you cook them yourself?" I retorted.

"Why me? I don't know how to cook," he said.

"You're just lazy," I muttered before getting some eggs from the fridge and cooking them for him.

I handed him the plate of eggs and bacon and left him in the kitchen to finish early.

"Hey, Ina!"

"What now?!" I couldn't catch a break.

I turned to him again as I bent over to pick up some clothes from the basket. I began hanging the ones I had finished washing. This washing machine had been a great help to me. It was so easy to use, so I didn't get exhausted on laundry days.

"Queen of the house," he said, chuckling.

"Cut it out, Roy," I shot back.

I gave him a stern look when he took my hands, causing me to stop collecting clothes.

"Can you please stop bothering me?" I said, trying to pull my hands away, but he held them even tighter as he examined them.

"Maybe that's why no one likes you. Your hands are so rough," he remarked.

I looked at him, controlling my irritation. "It just means I'm hardworking and do a lot of housework. Unlike you, who's incredibly soft, obviously lazy, and doesn't help with any household chores! I rather have this rough hands of mine than yours, though."

He just grinned and looked down. "Maybe I should do your work for you, but there's a condition," he said.

"What?" I asked, even though I knew he was just playing around.

"Of course, you'll serve me, and when I give you orders, there should be no complaints," he said.

"You're so audacious. You're not the only one paying me," I said, pulling my hands away from his grip forcefully.

He just laughed and sat down, picking up some clothes to hand to me. I furrowed my brow as I took them from him to hang them.

"But you know, you're actually pretty. You just need a bit of grooming," he said, making noise again.

"Is that even a compliment?" I asked.

"You're also hardworking. Wife material," he added. "If I didn't have a wife, I might have married you."

"You're crazy," I chuckled. "Maybe I should report you to Auntie Anne," I said.

"What if I didn't have a wife? Would you like me then?" he asked.

I raised my eyebrows, looking at him seriously. Our eyes met.

"No," I replied later, leaving him there to fetch more clothes that had just finished spinning.

"You're so picky! Like you think you're super gorgeous!" he said loudly.

"I never said I was beautiful! You were the one who said that!" I retorted.

He muttered something under his breath, but I didn't bother to ask. I didn't want to waste more time talking to him. I preferred to finish my laundry early and do some cleaning inside, even though there wasn't much to clean.

After we finished hanging the laundry, we went inside.

"Do you have a fever?" I asked him as he took the mop and started using it on the floor.

I was wiping some vases. I prioritized this and so I could get rid of the dust on the floor later. He rarely helped anyway. He preferred to sit and watch me do my job.

"Don't you like it?" he asked.

"It's fine," I said. "Just continue," I added.

"What's your type when it comes to men?" he asked again.

"Me?"

"No, Ina. Me. What's my type when it comes to men?" he sarcastically asked himself.

"First of all, hardworking," I said. "If a man isn't hardworking... he might not be able to support us or our future children."

"Ch-children?" he stammered.

"Yes, children. What's the point of looking for a partner if it's not for starting a family, right? I don't want to entertain someone only to find out it's not for the long term," I said.

"I see," he said.

I shrugged, and he didn't say anything more, focusing on wiping the floor in silence. When I finished wiping what I was working on, I moved to the stairs to continue there.

"You're going to wipe each step one by one?" he asked.

"Yes?" I replied with a question.

I was surprised when he suddenly pulled me up. It was a good thing we were only on the first floor of the stairs! My eyes widened as I pushed him away because of how close our chests had become due to the sudden proximity.

I didn't show any reaction and calmly distanced myself from him. "What's with that move?" I asked.

"You could just mop it, why wipe it step by step?" he said as he started wiping.

"But you're not done wiping over there," I pointed to where he had been cleaning earlier.

He hadn't even done half of the living room! "I'm done," he said.

"No, you're not!"

"I'm really done. I'll come back for it later," he said with a challenging look.

If there were two mops, I'd do it myself, but there was only one, and he wouldn't give it to me. "What do you want for lunch?" I asked him.

"Anything," he replied.

"Even dried fish?" I asked for the second time. Challenging him.

"I'll eat anything as long as you cook it," he said, winking at me slightly.

I was about to throw the cloth at him when he quickly dodged it. I just smirked at him and lowered my hand before walking towards the kitchen.

I went into the bathroom and threw the cloth in, then came back out after finishing washing it. I should have been at school today with the siblings, but Auntie Anne didn't let me come with them this time, so the driver ended up doing my tasks.

I left the chicken there for now and went out. It was scorching hot. "Damn you!" I exclaimed when Roy tossed a handkerchief at me as I entered.

"Wipe off your sweat," he said.

"Couldn't you hand it over properly?" I replied sarcastically as I wiped my face with the handkerchief. I even sniffed it slightly to make sure he hadn't done anything to it.

"My sweat smells nice, don’t you think," he said.

I bit my lower lip and blinked while looking at him. I was trying to restrain myself. It would have been fine if I had an endless amount of patience, but I didn't, and it got even shorter whenever I talked to him. I threw it back at him, and he caught it, laughing.

"You're really something else," I said.

"Such a drama queen. You even smell my clothes before washing them," he teased.

"You're so arrogant," I replied.

"Say it's not true," he said.

"It's not. Even if you put CCTV cameras all over your house, I would never smell your clothes. Besides, why would I? I don't want to die!" I retorted and left him there.