"Are you pouting? Why are you acting cute? Are you trying to impress me?"
Rai definitely wasn't pouting. Still, was there anything better than seeing Rai so angry that he looked like he was about to burst?
"Okay, okay. I admit it. You're cute."
Zade chuckled as he watched Rai roll his eyes. But before he could tease him again, the doorbell rang.
Neither of them was expecting anyone.
They looked at each other in confusion, silently confirming it, before Zade lazily stood up and went to open the door.
Three girls were standing outside. They looked to be in their early twenties, wearing similar short skirts and cropped tops. Their clothes were alike, but their faces were completely different.
"Hi," the blonde one greeted.
"Hi. What do you need?" Zade replied lazily, his voice uninterested.
"Um… We- we just moved into that house over there," another girl said nervously. "We thought we should meet our neighbours."
Zade gave them a polite but fake smile. They were being nice, but couldn't they have waited until tomorrow?
Well, he wouldn't even be home then.
"Ah. Nice to meet you," he replied shortly.
The girls exchanged glances before one of them stepped forward again.
"Um… Can we know your name? Are you the teacher? We heard that our neighbours are a doctor and a teacher."
"I'm Zade."
Zade felt slightly uncomfortable at the question. He had never met anyone who asked about his job so directly before.
Even though they wanted to confirm...
'Why do they want to know? So they can visit us again to get some lessons and then some medicine?'
It was a little annoying.
His fun time with Rai was being ruined.
But then...
"The teacher is inside," Zade said suddenly, smiling brightly. "Do you want to say hi to him too?"
The girls were startled by how cheerful he suddenly looked.
After all, how could he not be happy? Annoying Rai was always fun.
"Rai! The new neighbours want to see you!"
Zade called inside.
Rai dragged his feet over reluctantly. He had been listening the whole time and knew that idiot would call him sooner or later. Still, he didn't want to seem rude.
"Hi," Rai said quietly, shooting Zade a glare.
Zade crossed his arms and smirked.
"Hi, um…"
"It's Rai."
"Rai. Nice to meet you. I think we're around the same age. Maybe we could hang out sometime?"
"Mm…"
Rai only hummed in response.
Zade nodded for him.
The girls felt awkward. Neither of them seemed interested, and they weren't even invited inside. After exchanging glances, they politely excused themselves and left there quickly.
They thought they weren't as friendly as the villagers said.
The girls were university students, staying in the countryside to research the environment and facilities.
When they heard that their neighbours were a young doctor and a young teacher who were kind and friendly, they thought it would be easy to make friends.
"They didn't seem happy to see us," one of them muttered.
"Right? The doctor guy looked annoyed when he opened the door."
"But… is it just me, or are they kind of weird?"
"Weird? How?"
"Did you see the way he kept staring at the teacher? It felt… strange."
"Ugh, stop it. Don't ship everyone just because they stand close and make eye contact."
"Hm… maybe. But I'm sure something is going on."
"Okay, okay. Let's eat first. I'm starving."
And with that, they stopped arguing.
.....
The next morning, Rai prepared breakfast and lunch.
He hesitated, wondering whether he should pack lunch for Zade again like yesterday.
He looked at the dishes, then at the lunch boxes.
After a moment, he shrugged and began packing neatly, even writing their names on the lids.
"I just like doing it. So it's okay."
Rai stared at the two lunch boxes and sighed softly.
He really liked this.
Cooking. Packing. Organising things neatly.
It was satisfying.
His friends used to tease him whenever he said he cooked and packed his own lunch. At first, they didn't even believe him. When they finally saw him do it, they teased him even more, calling it "girly."
He never understood that.
Eating was necessary.
Cooking was needed for that. So how was that even 'girly' in anyway?
Daily tasks couldn't be divided by gender.
It was stupid.
He had never thought like them anyway.
That was probably why he had no close friends now.
He barely talked to anyone from school anymore, except Zade.
And even back then, he had never been close to anyone, other than to his family who are just his mother and grandmother.
Rai's mother passed away six years after he finished school.
At least she had lived long enough to see him become a teacher.
At least he had been able to buy her things with his salary.
That was enough for him.
She had raised him alone so he was satisfied enough that he got a chance to give her the experience of many things she couldn't before...
On the side note, he knew nothing about his father.
Whenever he asked, his mother would only say that he wasn't a good person and that she didn't want him around.
So Rai stopped asking.
Even his grandmother, who died a year before his mother, didn't know anything either.
To this day, Rai still had no idea who his father was.
Now, without his family, he was just a simple man living alone.
If he died, no one would cry for him.
No one would hold a funeral.
Sometimes, he felt sorry for himself.
But he was stubborn and that pushed him into corner.
He hated doing things he didn't like.
Talking to people he didn't like.
Forcing fake smiles.
Acting "normal."
But he had started doing those things for the sake of his image, his career...
It was tiring.
And he hated it.
He just wanted to be left alone.
If he could, he would live somewhere where no one existed.
Maybe, after getting used to loneliness, it had become normal.
And he wanted to keep it that way.
Living alone.
Doing things alone.
Following a strict routine.
Being himself.
That was all he wanted.
He was just so tired of everything.
"Rai, why are you staring at my lunch like that?" Zade's voice popped up behind Rai, which startled him as he thought the bastard was still asleep...
"Did you poison it? Did you finally get the courage to kill me?"
Rai snapped back to reality.
…And he must say again...
He is tired of everything.
However...
Of this bastard?
Especially.