"Good morning," greeted Denis as he descended the stairs.Jose, standing by the dining table holding a plate, suddenly dropped it, shattering it on the floor, but his expression was as if he wasn't surprised by his actions. He continued to stare at Denis and said, "Good morning? Morning? Ah, I've lost my mind. Try repeating that one more time.""Good morning." Denis followed his best friend's instructions, and he was already standing before Jose, his smile perfect."Oh, my God! I'm creeped out now. Why are you doing this to me, Boss?" Jose stepped back, and he showed his fear to Denis."What did I do? Hurry up and clean up the trash." Denis pulled a chair behind the dining table before sitting on it. The aroma of the toast on the dining table's surface was delicious. Denis very rarely grumbled or protested about whatever food Jose made for him. Just having someone willing to make food was more than enough for Denis."Wait a minute. This doesn't seem real." Jose, still wearing his apro
"Thank you very much, Auntie. Make sure you add some soy sauce to your cooking later," Marra ordered the old lady after buying the girl's fish, letting her go with a friendly wave.Tring!"Ah, damn. Why does Denis keep disturbing my quiet morning," Marra muttered as she pulled out her cell phone from the pocket of her brown apron, finding a chat reply from Denis' number. "See, that guy is fifteen times more annoying than I thought."(You're so excited, watch me come.)"Hey! No one is expecting you!" Marra's lips made a sound. She did not reply and chose to turn off the activation of her cell phone rather than add to her illness if she continued to raise her blood in response to Denis.Not long after North appeared from a different direction, the man approached Marra's booth, two cold water bottles in each hand. Marra didn't seem to notice North's presence, and the girl sat dreamily thinking about nothing until North deliberately kept quiet, looking at her–hoping Marra would wake up wi
"Thank you very much, North." Marra handed him his helmet, and he had just gotten up after sitting for a long time on the Vespa driven by North. They were returning from work this afternoon."Of course.""I'm going in now.""Eum, wait a minute, Marra." North interrupted her, leaving the girl frozen in question."Yeah, can I help you?"North's right forefinger moved to scratch her temple, and she seemed to think before asking, "That guy keeps coming up to you. Is it bothering you?"Marra was silent momentarily when she understood that the man North was referring to was Denis. Marra understood. She nodded–like she wasn't sure of her answer. "Yes, I think so. There are times when that man is very annoying. He shows up immediately, and I can never figure out his thoughts.""Were you guys close before?"Marra shook her head. "Not at all.""May I infer something?""Oh yes, what is it?""I think that man is chasing you, Marra."The girl paused, staring intensely into North's hazel-eyed orbs
"Where is he?" Selena saw men sitting in a row on a long sofa, but she was missing someone. There was Jose, Jamie, then Moran–Jamie's brothers, while Matthew was probably in his study. Since the three men had appeared on 24Night, they hadn't seen Matthew.Jose blinked. He looked at Jamie. "Who is he asking?""Your shadow, maybe." They shrugged their shoulders when they turned to Selena. The woman had a flat face. She folded her arms across her chest and stood at the end of the sofa. Moran didn't seem to care about Selena's presence–even though they didn't know each other."Hey, I know you guys understand, especially you, Jose. Where's your boss?""My boss?" Jose thought. "Ah yes, that guy left the house around eight o'clock.""Denis?""I haven't changed bosses yet." Jose gulped down the contents of his glass of sloke."I mean, where did he go?""I don't know, and it's best if you contact him yourself. I don't want to intrude on my boss's business outside working hours."Jamie elbowed
Jose almost shouted and jumped onto the sofa after seeing the different situation at Racher Art this morning. Before pointing the key to open the main door, he had already whistled happily and greeted many people on the street, after which he got a surprise inside this place.Jose's eyeballs dilated a few seconds earlier, now narrowed suspiciously. He slowly approached the figure with a familiar posture, already sitting behind the dining table alone. Denis' hair was still wet, and he must have just taken a shower."My fingers aren't penetrating. It's impossible." Jose muttered after touching Denis' muscular arm with his forefinger, and while the owner of the house was indifferent, Denis continued to enjoy his bowl of oats without hesitation.His doubts were still not gone, Jose tried another method, and his current action was quite extreme as it caused Denis to groan in pain.Jose fearlessly pulled his boss's hair.That's as close as it gets."You've lost your mind!" Denis snapped. "Y
(Did you go to work?)(Are you busy?)(Hey, you didn't reply at all. Should I call you?)(You reply, or I come now.)Marra clucked, looking at the phone screen, and she put on a lazy expression for that. "Doesn't he keep bullying me into following his orders? Why is that guy so good at finding loopholes.""What are you complaining about today?" asked North, suddenly appearing before Marra. The girl quickly put away the phone and smiled."Nothing big.""Really?" North seemed to doubt it. He looked at Marra's apron pocket–where her cell phone was kept. "I've noticed lately that you've been complaining a lot and talking to yourself on your cell phone when you're not on a call or video call with someone."This place was open, and everyone knew each other's activities, so Marra wouldn't be surprised if North inferred such a situation.There was no denying that ever since Denis started texting regularly and even calling occasionally if Marra didn't reply promptly, Marra often grumbled to th
Marra was acting like a tornado. If Denis concluded that the girl was being casual when they spoke over the phone, then the situation behind the scenes was completely unexpected.She darted like a rabbit trying to find a hiding place because a big bear was chasing her.The girl first contacted Uncle Sue. Marra said that tomorrow she would come earlier than the girl's average time to the market, Marra reasoned that a friend of hers ordered quite a lot of fish and needed to be delivered, so she had to leave early so as not to interfere with her activities when selling at regular hours.Luckily Uncle Sue agreed to Marra's request. The girl could breathe a sigh of relief, she just needed to set the alarm, and tomorrow would drop Lauren off at North's house early."Denis's behavior is driving me crazy!" Marra couldn't shout. She couldn't make Lauren wake up because of her daughter's ridiculous behavior. So, it was best for the girl to rest in preparation for tomorrow.***"Why did you go t
"So, what will you do with these fish, buddy?" A white box lay on the surface of the dining table. "I'm not a restaurateur who has to cook and sell everything for one day, so think fast." Jose didn't want to be busy thinking about the what and how, as he was more curious about Marra and Denis' interactions without his knowledge these days.If Jose had to make the connection that even before Marra had come to Racher Art this morning, they had met at the fish market, it must not have been a coincidence–considering that Denis had put a lot of pressure on them to buy fish where Marra was that day.Jose squinted suspiciously when Denis didn't answer his question but kept calm as he sat in a chair and played with his cell phone."Boss, you should have been honest with me," Jose spoke again, grumpy and resigned. "I promise it won't be a problem if you say it politely and pleasantly."Denis just looked at him. "What should I tell you?""I know you're well aware of it, so don't pretend to me.
"I noticed that even though that tall man didn't appear in front of my face, he still disturbed my mind. It was as if our knots had tied together." Marra clucked. "This is crazy!"Matthew and Celine had returned about ten minutes ago, and they had seen Lauren's condition, and Celine's admiration for Marra grew. She couldn't believe that the young girl was trying to take care of her sick mother without a father.Marra didn't even know the man's whereabouts; she was reluctant to remember him, and Celine's question left Marra speechless for a long time because she didn't have an answer about her father."Maybe he already has a happy new life." Although she spoke with a flat expression, Celine could emphasize that Marra was very good at taking care of every wound inside her. The girl could show a calm side when the emotional part of her sprung up.Now that the girl was feeling upset because of what Denis had done behind her back, if Matthew and Celine hadn't come and said things, Marra wo
Two weeks after the strange situation, some things had changed strangely. Still, Marra enjoyed it because not communicating or seeing Denis would not affect the girl's life unless someone robbed her of the money from selling fish.Two weeks of quiet, perhaps. When Denis no longer chatted, called, or came to Marra in front of her. Now and then, the girl tried to guess the situation: was Denis sick?However, her little heart always insisted that everything was fine and there was no problem that she should think about it.Marra enjoyed her everyday life like tonight. She had visited the hospital and filled up Lauren's medicine because it was running out, and the woman could not stay away from her medicines."Take this before you rest," Marra said as she knelt in front of Lauren's wheelchair and helped the woman swallow her medicine. "It's all right, Mom." She laid Lauren on the bed, pulling up the covers before kissing her forehead. "I'll always love you, Mom."A car horn sounded outside
Marra is busy cleaning up the empty tables after all the fish have been sold out today. Whoever has to do it for convenience, the tiredness is relieved as the fish sells well, and she receives her fair share.Meanwhile, the market's protective roofs make a relentless pounding sound, which always happens when it rains. The afternoon looks even more somber because of the rain.The crowds are still visible at every corner, as some vendors have yet to close their stalls. Competition is no longer an unfamiliar situation, depending on how each vendor can gain customers' trust.Marra was almost done. She had put all her money in the sling bag after it had been collected in the apron pocket. Marra untied her hair, smoothing it again before tying it lower.The girl almost jumped when North sprinted towards her."What's going on? Why are you running in the market? Aren't you afraid of slipping because the floor has become so slippery from the raindrops from the leaking roof, huh!" Marra was ann
"It turns out that the tattoed man's house is far away," North said as he drove the Vespa along the highway this morning. Although the temperature was quite cold, the sweater made them feel better."Yes, it's far. I'm sorry if I'm always bothering you." Marra is like a lollipop when a large helmet hides her head."Hey. Didn't I say that this friend of yours should also explain the condition of that guy's car? We need each other, Marra.""Alright, I'll shut up now." Marra made a motion to lock her lips."Sure, we'll be there soon, won't we?""He'em."Marra had intended to wait for the public bus when she told North that she was going to Denis' house because she had to return the hoodie she had left at his house. Marra couldn't let a foreign object stay there for long. She would think about it for days.However, North offered to drive Marra to Denis' house, explaining that North wanted to discuss the progress of Denis' Jeep repair after entering his friend's workshop.Marra had refused,
Denis came out of his room after a long rest, and now that the sky was dark, he realized after looking at the window.Denis cleared his throat, and he felt dryness in his throat. The man walked out of the room. The light in the other room was already on. He could guess that Jose had done everything today.Some clients were supposed to come in, but without explaining his problem to them, Denis just dropped the job. He chuckled, realizing that he managed to disappoint them."I never wanted anything like this to happen," the man muttered as he descended the stairs. He inhaled the aroma of cooking before finding someone still at Racher Art.Yes, Jose was still in this place. He was standing in front of the stove with his apron tied around the front of his body while his hands were busy doing something else."I'm still an angelic human willing to take care of you even though you're a pain in the ass," Jose said, knowing the house owner was watching him near the stairs. He could find Denis
Marra still remembered asking Denis to fall asleep in her room while the girl remained beside Lauren. Denis's attitude was still annoying, but Marra felt it was too much to let him sleep on the sofa when he was not feeling well.Denis didn't say much. He followed Marra's orders and removed his hug from the girl's waist before going to Marra's restroom, obviously not as spacious as Denis' at home.Later this morning, Marra paused by the wide open wide-open door. She grunted as she watched Denis, the man still asleep in bed as if he never thought about the morning coming. Everyone had to get up quickly to start their activities, but Marra never knew how Jose dealt with his predicament whenever he pulled Denis out of bed and onto the floor."What time does he get up every morning?" Marra muttered. "Should I wake him up now?" She tried to think wisely. "But I still have to wake him up. The owner of this house is preparing to go to the fish market, setting up shop from morning to evening f
It was almost ten when Marra still calculated her earnings from selling fish today. The smile on her face spread like a sunflower, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Although slowly, Marra could divide the money into savings. The girl turned to Lauren, who had fallen asleep on her bed."I feel much better today, Mom. So, stay with me." She got up, bent down, and kissed Lauren's forehead. "May you always dream of every beautiful thing."Marra kept her money in a box with a dangling lock, and she kept it in the closet. Just as she was about to rest her body, a knock on the door from outside the house interrupted her."It's not too late. Did North come here?" Marra went out to the living room, and she was pretty sure that the person outside her house was North because four hours earlier, Marra had turned her cell phone back on, but there was no chat or call from Denis.Marra just felt that Denis must be busy with his nightlife. Especially since it was raining now, anyone should rest in t
Denis had no intention of showing up at 24Night tonight. He was exhausted from working on Benjie's broad back tattoo for almost five hours. Still, his curiosity about Jose's silence today was getting to him because Denis realized that his best friend had not ignored him all day, so he had to postpone his break to meet Jose at the club.He had tried the other way by continuing to text and call Jose's number, especially since Jose had gone home this afternoon without saying goodbye, even though the man had tidied up after he was done. Jose managed to ignore Denis just like Marra did, and now Denis wanted to guess that the girl must sleep comfortably without interruption."I hate the rain when it makes me feel even more tired," grumbled Denis when he had to turn on the wipers on his car halfway to the club–he met the rain, an overcast effect since the afternoon.Denis exited the car when he parked in 24Night's courtyard, put on his hoodie, and ran through the rain to the club's entrance.
"So, what will you do with these fish, buddy?" A white box lay on the surface of the dining table. "I'm not a restaurateur who has to cook and sell everything for one day, so think fast." Jose didn't want to be busy thinking about the what and how, as he was more curious about Marra and Denis' interactions without his knowledge these days.If Jose had to make the connection that even before Marra had come to Racher Art this morning, they had met at the fish market, it must not have been a coincidence–considering that Denis had put a lot of pressure on them to buy fish where Marra was that day.Jose squinted suspiciously when Denis didn't answer his question but kept calm as he sat in a chair and played with his cell phone."Boss, you should have been honest with me," Jose spoke again, grumpy and resigned. "I promise it won't be a problem if you say it politely and pleasantly."Denis just looked at him. "What should I tell you?""I know you're well aware of it, so don't pretend to me.