>>Clio
"N-no," I felt a little scared.
Maybe I shouldn't have denied it all so blatantly!
"I wonder," Matthew stared at me, "Could you be lying about something?"
Oh! My God! Did it really make me look suspicious!?!?
I began to panic and unsure how to respond to him. So, I did the first thing that came to mind.
I glared back at him because I had no idea what else to do and he smirked when he saw my reaction. But I guess it worked because he raised his hands in defense.
"I was just teasing," He began to walk away, "I'll ask the chef to make something for you too."
He grabbed the door handle, "Your clothes are in the bathroom." He said as he opened the door, then walked out.
I watched as he left, then let out a sigh of relief as my body relaxed.
"Whew!"
!!
"Wait!' I then remembered something because my brain relaxed, "I didn't get an answer from him as to why we were sleeping in the same room!"
I frowned
"Oh! Damn it…" I shook my head. It makes no sense. Did he come to my bed purposely?
Or did he forget I was here and just came and lay down?
I folded my arms
But even if he forgot, when he came to the bed, he should have seen me and remembered.
I pursed my lips
Doesn't that mean he chose to be in the same bed as me?
My heart tingled at the thought and I shook my head.
What am I thinking!?
Stop being delusional Clio. He must be tired, a lot happened yesterday and he probably came and saw me but didn't care since we're both 'men'
I should just let it be.
Asking about it might make it awkward
I let out a disappointed sight
Yea,
It's better not to think about it.
I let out a soft exhale and walked to the bathroom
***
The Chef was a stoic man, far from looking like a chef. He was muscular, like a bodybuilder. I know it's rude to stare but I couldn't stop myself from staring because it looked like his shirt was going to rip whenever he flexed his arm doing his work.
"He looks funny doesn't he?"
!!!
I didn't realize I was staring with my mouth open.
I closed my lips and turned to look at the other side to notice Azef. He came from the direction of another room, passed by me, grabbed an apple from the kitchen counter, and walked away.
"Bye Chicky," He waved at me, "Have fun with Matthew."
"Bye," I waved back at him without a thought in my head, then stopped
Wait-
Chicky?
???
WHO??
Me???
"Don't mind him," Matthew's voice made me turn my attention to him, "Most of the time he does unpredictable things." He went out to take a call and was back now. He pulled the chair back, right across from me, and sat down.
"What are you making Bezof?" The boss asked.
"Pancakes sir," Bezof replied quite gracefully, "I'm done, I'll bring them over."
Matthew nodded and looked at me, "Did you sleep okay?'
I nodded at him while I suppressed the urge to ask him why he chose to sleep in the same room as me. I was dying to ask him but I also kept my mouth shut because I was afraid my delusions would be shattered.
"Are you sure you don't have a fever?"
I shook my head at him, pursing my lips as I felt a little self-conscious even though I was out of his clothes. I gulped. It's just that, when I was in his clothes, I constantly felt his gaze on me.
Almost like I was alluring to him.
My heart skipped a beat at those thoughts and I clenched my fists that rested on top of my thighs.
…
I looked down in shame.
As if,
Why would he find a man alluring? I should really stop! What is wrong with me?!
Bezof came over with the plates and started setting them on the table and the scent of fresh fluffy pancakes made their way to my nose along with looking extremely scrumptious.
"Oh my God~" The words just escaped my mouth on their own and I heard both Matthew and Bezof chuckle.
Oh! Shit!
I got shy and slumped back as I slapped my hands on my mouth in embarrassment.
"Go on," Matthew said, "Try them,"
Bezof took a step back and smiled at me, "If you want more, I will be more than happy to make them."
I nodded at him shyly.
Contrary to his appearance, he was a sweet guy.
I took the knife and fork and started cutting the pancakes. The steam left the fluffy yellow thing when I cut it open and Bezof put some syrup on it for me. Then I put it in my mouth to taste test it.
And believe me when I say, it was heavenly!
It made me put my hand on my cheek and hum, "Mmm~" I chewed the thing and swallowed it, "It's so good!"
Matthew didn't eat, for the most part, he was staring at me as I started digging in like some hungry dog and I didn't even realize it. Well, not until his phone began to ring and he picked it up to see who was calling.
I glanced at him and noticed the name 'Detective Harou' on the screen.
"Hello," Matthew answered the call and I noticed Matthew had nothing on his plate.
Hmm?
Is he not going to eat? Why?
I slowed down my eating but didn't stop and watched as Matthew's face turned dark. At that moment, I felt an ominous feeling creep up on me.
All of a sudden Matthew stood up from the chair, letting the wooden thing almost fall over.
"What?" His expression got stiff, "You found the body?"
!!!!
***
I heard the news, so there was no way I would just go home while Matthew went to see the body.
The place had an eerie stillness and a palpable sense of sorrow. The harsh fluorescent lights cast a sterile, unforgiving glow over everything, intensifying the clinical atmosphere. As I stood there, waiting, a knot of apprehension twisted in my stomach.
The minutes ticked by slowly, neither I nor Matthew said anything. The silence was punctuated only by the distant hum of refrigeration units. My heart seemed to beat in sync with the ticking clock on the wall, and I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled over me like a heavy shroud.
The door opened and the detective came in along with a doctor who walked over to pull the body out.
When the moment finally came, and they unveiled the headless body, a wave of nausea washed over me. It was a gruesome sight, one that sent shivers down my spine.
The head, the very essence of identity, was missing, leaving behind an unsettling void.
Oh My God…
I grimaced but forced myself to look, to confront the gruesome reality before me and my eyes welled up with tears. A flood of emotions surged within me and my heart felt heavy.
"Is this her?" Detective Harou asked with a stern expression as he looked at Matthew and I raised my head to look at my boss too.
Matthew didn't answer. He, for some reason, glared back at Harou. At first, I didn't get it, why was there such an awkward tension between them?
But then something clicked in my mind.
Why is he asking Matthew about the body?
Isn't this question supposed to be asked of a family member?
Matthew pointed at her wrist
"I gave her that watch," And I looked at the delicate and pretty watch wrapped around her pretty yet insanely pale wrist.
"Oh?" Harou looked at it too, "And?"
"Stop playing detective." Matthew shook his head, "We both know that's not Rameen." He had an angry expression on his face
!!!