Chapter 5
I just swallowed, staring at him. Why can't I be at ease in his presence?
"Let's go to the kitchen," he said, walking past me and heading to the kitchen.
Though I was puzzled, I just followed him. I don't know what he's up to, but I guess he won't harm me... I hope so.
"Dangerous-looking guys become less dangerous if they know how to cook, right?" he asked, facing me when we were finally in the kitchen.
I blinked twice. "I-It doesn't make sense, Eron."
Eron chuckled and tilted his head. "Is that so? Well... that's it, then... I'll cook for you, Ms. Cristina Miranda. Choose anything you like to eat in the fridge. I'll cook it for you," he said and wiggled his eyebrows.
I couldn't help but laugh at what he said. Eron was visibly stunned and then smiled as he looked at me.
"Hey, you should smile more often."
"You're a charmer," I said, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling again.
"If not a womanizer... then a charmer. Fine, that's okay. Who am I, anyway?" he said dramatically, holding his chest.
I tried to stop laughing, but I failed. Eron just grinned, looking at me.
"So... Ms. Miranda, what do you want me to cook for you?" He walked to the fridge, opened it, and showed me the contents.
I laughed again. "Your fridge has nothing in it except water and eggs."
"Hey, don't talk to my fridge like that... It has hotdogs, too," he boasted, grabbing a pack of hotdogs from the chiller.
He took one hotdog out and showed it to me.
"Wow, your hotdog is huge, Eron," I said while looking at his hotdog.
Eron coughed and touched his throat. I looked at him, puzzled, because he seemed to have choked.
"Are you alright?" I asked, a little worried.
Eron tilted his head and bit his lower lip. "Damn, I can't believe an innocent woman like you made a joke about being my fuck buddy," he muttered.
"H-Huh?" I didn't get him.
"Nothing. So, what do you want me to cook?" he asked.
I smiled and shook my head. "You don't have to cook for me. If you had some milk, that would be fine. Any kind of milk would be okay," I said.
"M-Milk? What do you mean?" he asked. His forehead creased.
"Milk, like powdered milk... like that," I said.
"Damn, why am I being so dirty-minded?" he murmured and shook his head.
"Hmm?" I asked.
Eron scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Cristina. I don't have any milk here; I don't drink it..." he said.
"Oh, is that so?" I looked at the table. I smiled when I saw some fruits there in a bowl. "We can eat these instead," I said and pointed at the fruits.
Eron chuckled and nodded. "Okay, I can't say no to my guest." He picked up the bowl of fruits.
We left the kitchen and went back to the living room. Eron sat on the couch and placed the fruits on the mini-table. He looked at me and gently patted the spot beside him. I just sat there because I didn't want to look awkward around him anymore.
I can smell his manly cologne. I don't know if it's cologne or his natural scent, but he really smells good. Especially since he looked like he had just showered. I can still smell his shower gel... I just cleared my throat and tried to act normal even though his presence, everything about him, affects me so much.
"Let's chat until you get sleepy." Eron took a grape and ate it.
I just cleared my throat and nodded... I was nervous because I didn't have anything to talk about with him; my life was just about studying and working.
"Eron, why is there so little furniture here?" I asked, looking around the whole house.
"It's because I rarely come here... Actually, I'm a soldier in the Philippine Army... so I only get to come home once in a while," he explained.
I gasped at what he said. "Wow... you're a soldier?" I asked, still in disbelief.
"Yes, isn't it obvious from my muscles?" he asked with a smirk, gently patting his biceps.
"So, you're always at war? It's a good thing nothing bad has happened to you." I adjusted my glasses.
"Well, not to brag, but I can take care of myself," he said. "How about you? What's your job?" he asked.
"Well, I'm currently unemployed right now. I just resigned from my job because I want to rest first... I spent so many years studying and working, so I want to relax since I've already done everything I needed to do," I said. I paused when I realized that I might have said too much. I just bit my lower lip and looked away from him.
Eron laughed and took a tangerine. He peeled one and ate it while chuckling softly at me. "Go on... It's better when you talk a lot like that," he said. He split the tangerine and gave me half of it.
I just bit the insides of my cheeks and took the tangerine from him. Eron smiled, took another bite, and leaned back on the backrest. He even put his arm on top of it. I flinched when his arm touched the back of my neck... It felt like he was putting his arm around me.
"What are you planning to do now that you've done everything you needed to do?" Eron asked, looking at me.
"I-I don't know yet," I mumbled and gave him an awkward smile. "How about you? Are you just on vacation from work?" I asked.
He nodded. "You can say that." He took another bite of the tangerine.
I just nodded, too, and ate the tangerine... I had nothing else to say. I also didn't know what I should say or ask him. He might think I'm getting too close.
"Do you go to the CAD Bar often?" he suddenly asked.
I shook my head. "It was actually my first time there. Um, to be honest, it was my first time to be in a bar," I said, a little embarrassed, and scratched the back of my neck.
Eron chuckled and tapped the side of my eyeglasses with the tip of his index finger. "I'm not surprised... You said you spent your life studying and working," he said.
I smiled shyly and nodded.
"You can go there more often, well, only if you want to. I'm always there, too. We can meet there or something."
I was stunned and looked at him. "I-I think I'm scared to go to bars now."
"Don't worry, the bar owner already knows what happened. He always makes sure that his bar will be a safe place for his customers, so he already took the necessary actions about it... I mean, if you just want to hang out with me or what, you can go there anytime. I'm always there anyway," he added.
I just smiled and scratched the back of my neck. "We will hang out... but why? We're not friends or anything," I mumbled in a weak voice.
"Aren't we friends yet? That's sad," he said dramatically.
I just stared at him and bit the inside of my cheek. "I-It's okay with me, as long as you're harmless... So, are we friends now?"
Eron smirked at me and nodded. "Of course. Welcome to my life, my friend."
I just hope... this won't get me in trouble.