She was sitting on one of the chairs, busy working on her laptop! Headphones in, her hands moving quickly across the keyboard. Jacob walked ahead of Matthew since Diana had her back to them and couldn't see them.
Annoyed, he shook his head.
-Ugh… what is this? Why do I have this kind of song on my phone?
He lowered his head, fiddling with his phone. Perfect timing.
Matthew ignored them both, pulled a chair back, and sat down, pouring himself some water before taking a sip.
Jacob tapped Diana's left shoulder gently with his fingers, but leaned a little to her right. Diana immediately turned left, only to see Matthew sitting there with his usual scowl. She gasped, hand flying to her chest.
Still catching her breath, she turned back toward the laptop only to see a shadow at her side. Her brain screamed panic, and this time she whipped her head right.
-Oh God…
She swallowed hard. For a second, she felt her soul leave her body.
Jacob couldn't help laughing, how quickly she went pale.
_You scared me once, that makes it even now.
-Heh heh… yeah, payback.
She tried to play it off.
Jacob wandered over to the stove and peeked into the pan.
-_Hmm… steak! Don't you think that's a bit heavy for you?
Diana shot him a side-eye.
-That's for you. I'm supposed to eat mashed potatoes.
She scrunched her face, then added:
-Sit down, I'll bring it for you two.
Jacob didn't argue, just pulled back a chair and waited.
Diana plated the steaks.
-Since I didn't know how you liked it, I went with medium!
_Perfect, little one. Come sit! Oh man… the smell of meat is killing me.
He dug in eagerly. Diana, less thrilled, prepared her own plate with mashed potatoes and sat down.
The moment Matthew and Jacob took their first bite, their eyes widened. She really could cook. Matthew tried hard to hide how much he enjoyed it, but Diana noticed and smirked.
-Arrogant bastard…
she muttered under her breath.
_Diana? Jacob looked at her.
_How are you this good at cooking?
She swallowed her bite, shrugged.
-Well… I had to. I started cooking around fourteen. After my mom passed, I didn't always have enough ingredients, so I had to be really careful not to waste anything. And then later, when I worked at that restaurant, I picked up a few tricks.
She lowered her gaze, poking at her mashed potatoes.
-I really didn't have a choice.
Jacob noticed Diana drifting into thought. Judging by her face, the memories weren't good ones.
He reached across and gently squeezed her cold fingers.
_If it bothers you, you don't have to cook here, little one… you know that.
Diana smiled sweetly.
-No… no, really, it's fine. Actually, it's better this way, it distracts me. I like it.
Jacob became certain Diana was hiding a lot. She forced herself to laugh, to play along, to keep busy anything to pull her focus from where she really was. But who was the real Diana?
The girl who laughed and teased? The shy, reserved one? Or the one who acted cold?
They finished dinner mostly in silence. Jacob glanced at the table.
_Diana, you can rest. I'll load the dishes into the washer. No need for you to wash them.
-No… I like washing dishes. I know you're busy. Let me stay here a little longer.
She took the plates from him and set them in the sink. Jacob reluctantly helped gather the rest.
Matthew, without even glancing their way, left the kitchen.
Diana was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice when Jacob slipped out. Humming softly, she caught herself mimicking her mother's voice just a little deeper.
After finishing the dishes, she dried her hands, opened her laptop again, and scanned the lines of code. She ran it, no bugs. A delighted smile spread across her face. It had worked.
She thought for a moment. Maybe some laps in the outdoor pool… or a run. Anything to keep her mind from wandering.
She changed into a bikini, wrapped a towel around herself. It'd be better to let one of them know. Leaving her room, she wondered: Were they in Matthew's room?
She knocked lightly.
+Yes? Matthew's voice came after a pause.
-Can I come in?
Another pause. Then:
+Come in.
She opened the door carefully, peeking her head in first. Jacob was on a chair, scowling at his laptop. Matthew stood on the balcony, smoking. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at her.
+What do you want?
She shifted nervously, gaze darting toward the balcony. Her own room's balcony was nice but this one was bigger, with an even better view. Still, she gathered herself and stepped inside.