CHAPTER 6: Growing Attachment

Edward’s POV

“Sam I’m here!” I was shouting outside her gate but no one was responding. Where are her guards and maids?

“Sam! Sevi! Sava!” I called them but no one responded. The heavy rain was pouring dramatically and causing a loud noise.

“Shit!” I was soaked and still, I cannot reach the gates lock.

Leaving without any choice I climb their gate to get in.

“Sam?” As I walk towards the main door, I saw her in a distance sitting and she’s face was wet from tears.

My heart beats faster than normal when I saw her wearing her bothered face, looking down and crying. Without a thought, I ran towards her.

“Sam, I’m here.” She hugs me eventually and started to cry aloud. I can feel the heavy loads of emotions she was carrying.

I rubbed her back and made the sound “shh…” She was like a child hugging her dad. I hope that I gave her that comfort that she needs.

After she calm down a bit, she stands up and turn her face away from me. However, I notice her arms with a bleeding bruise.

“What happened to your arm?” I was about to touch it when she moves it away and responded,

“It doesn’t matter. Sevi must be your priority.”

She’s definitely right so I decided to walk into the dark open room and my eyes automatically search for Sevi.

I found him on the corner glaring at me. I walk towards him. As I go near him, I make my walking pace very slow and quietly.

“Sevi, baby you’re a big boy. I know you can understand that all I’m going to do is just to sit beside you.”

Indeed, he still throws the cd in his hand right in my direction. Luckily, I managed to escape the hard object wanting to land on my face.

“Sevi, were friends, right?” I stop walking and add, “Look I am holding any syringe to give to you. I’m not going to let you sleep just to calm you down.” I put my hands up in the air to show him that I’m empty-handed.

“I’m just here to listen.”

I heard him sniffing. He hides on the broken and out of feather pillows he was holding.

Before I sit beside him, I turn on the light switch first and get his writing board that had been torn its edges.

I sit beside him quietly and out the board and the pen on his front.

“I am here to listen. I know that you’ve got a story to tell my little buddy.”

A minute passed but he did not move the board or make any other gestures. I decided to stand up and pretend to walk towards the door.

“I can see that Sevi is not interested in me. So, I will just be going home.” I act like I’m scratching my head and making my voice a little smaller. Just personating a clown, I guess.

“Okay, I’m going to exit the door now…” I prolong my words and started to take a few steps loud.

He made a sound from tapping the pen he was holding on the floor that’s why I turn around.

He looks at me in sadness, he was not glaring this time. He motions his hand at me signaling that I need to sit beside him.

I obeyed him and sit. He started writing on his board.

The first one he wrote was ‘We ask mom to have dinner with us.’ Without responding a word, I nodded to him.

‘She promised.’ I can guess that she broke it.

‘She didn’t come. I patiently wait outside the gate. The rain started to fall.’

I saw tears falling down his eyes. His hands were trembling. He's starting to be annoyed again. His reflexes are changing. I can clearly observe that his condition is tough, his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is in a difficult stage already.

‘The rain landed on my skin. I CANNOT MOVE.’

He throws the board and pen and bites the pillow once again. I feel pity for him.

Now, I can clearly see the problem.

But suddenly, he shouted the sound ‘Ah!’

Samantha’s POV

I was walking back in forth outside Sevi’s room when I heard him shout again.

I ran inside and saw Edward hugging him while he was forcibly trying to escape.

“Calm down Sevi. Calm down,” he repeatedly said.

“Do I need to get an injection?” I said panicking.

“No,” he responded.

“Then what do we do?!”

“Calm down Sam I got this.”

But then Sevi shouted once again and try his best to escape on his arm. I can see that he was eager to attack me. What have I done?

“I will promise you that we will cook your dinner tonight,” he said while greeting his teeth. Probably his having a hard time restraining Sevi to his arms.

“And we will have a family dinner.”

Like magic, Sevi started to calm and the only thing I heard is his crying voice and sniffing.

Edward rubs his head and stands.

“Lead me to your kitchen,” he said.

After we came to our kitchen bar, he put Sevi on the top of the kitchen table and he started to put on an apron.

He walks towards Sevi’s front and spread his arms separately while touching the edges of the table but Sevi was in his center facing his face, and then he asked,

“What do you want to eat for dinner Sevi?”

My son just shrugged and wipes his hands on the bubble snot on his nose. Edward laughed but I frowned.

“Sevi, that’s dirty!” I shouted.

“I told you not to do that. You need a handkerchief or tissue before you rub your snots.” I push Edward’s body away from Sevi’s front, and wipe his tears, and snot away with a tissue.

“You look like an old lady,” he retorted.

“Shut up!” I responded out of his mockery.

“You know what, just put this apron on you,” he said calmly and offer me the apron in his hand.

“Why would I? I’m not hungry.” I rolled my eyes after saying my response to his order.

“But I do appreciate your offer to cook for me.” I crossed my arms.

He laughs handsomely and walks towards the fridge. “Not for you Sam,” he said while his head was inside the fridge.

“For your kids,” he added when he lifts his head inside the ref and look at me mockingly.

Does he just provoke me?!

I am starting to not like this guy.

I walk towards him and harshly took the apron in his hands.

“Did you just provoke me?”  I whisper to him while wearing the apron myself.

“I don’t think so,” he replied smiling wide.

He walks until he passes on me and puts all the vegetables he gets inside the refrigerator on the table. Then he takes the chopping board, knife, and some plates.

“I’ll just make a soup. It’s up to you what dish are you going to make.”

I squinted my eyes while staring at him. I hate when people try to challenge me. Let’s get it on then!

“Fine. Looks like you are challenging this master chef grand winner,” I said sarcastically. I saw his face smirking.

I notice Sevi looking at me in confusion. Come on my child you should side with your mother. I look at her with big eyes. Signaling him to support me. Then I saw his gentle smile. Hence, he claps his hands.

Edward looks at him and pinches his cheeks.

“I’d promise you Sevi, my cooking skills will leave traces of love in your heart. You will never forget its taste.”

“Cheesy,” I retorted. I was getting my ingredients inside our ref and responded to him while they are facing my back.

When I get all my ingredients done and also put them on the table, that’s the time I steal some glances at Sevi and I can see the fascination in his eyes. This is surprising. I have cooked for him, for them, but this is the only time I saw him delighted. Maybe cooking with a competitor is a good thing after all.

It’s been a minute now since we started to prepare the ingredients for our dish.

“Slicing the carrots in a good shape wouldn’t make a difference if you cook it in a wrong way,” he suddenly said.

“Making it perfect will contribute to its appearance for serving, and if you didn’t ask Mr. Cheesy guy appearance of your food is also a big factor in serving elegant and excellent dishes.”

He stops chopping his onion and looks at me. I greeted him with my lifted eyebrow and a frowned face.

“Restaurant dishes and homemade foods are different Sam. Your cooking for your children, not a food critic,” he responded. He showed me his onion and waves it in front.

“Look at this onion.” He places it on his chest in the part of his heart and said, “I can make this onion a special ingredient of my soup.”

He closed his eyes and then open them again after a second. “Because I will put it there with love,” he said his words seductively.

Ah, cringy!

I rolled my eyes at him.

“Whatever,” I retorted.

After I cook my fish in the pressure cooker, I noticed that Sevi was behaving well. It seems like he was a normal child that observed his parents. My usual Sevi would panic if he sees the kitchen not in order.

Edward's vegetables are all over, he wasn’t an organized person. Sevi and I hated that because we are perfectionist types. It was just very surprising to see him like this man.

“Do you want to taste my soup Sevi?”

He obediently nodded.

“Say ah,” he said then he approaches the spoon he was holding in Sevi’s mouth.

Sevi smiled widely after he taste it. They laugh together genuinely. I felt a little bit jealous.

“I think your mother also wants to taste it…” he prolongs the last words he said and speaks it mockingly.

“Shut up!”

“Yieeeee” he responded while taking a step forward to my position.

“Stop it. Do not go near me.” I look at him intently giving him the temperature that I am serious.

“I won’t,” he responded with a hideous smile on his face. He began to stretch his hands in my direction while taking another step.

“I said stop it!” I did not restrain myself from screaming. His crazy. I don’t like the look on his face.

“The train is coming open your mouth wide.” He's still wearing the mocking face he had and the way he talks like a kid added a point for him to become more of a hideous character I’ve ever seen. I don’t like it.

I step backward and he steps forward. We do that in several times not until I hit something on the floor. I was sliding fast.

The only thing that escapes my mouth was, “Ah!”

His eyes are staring intently and seductively at mine. His lips are almost touching mine. I can smell his breath and it was like a sweet wine that I wanted to taste bad. Most of all I can clearly see his eyes and my reflection in them.

I tried to speak but, “I...” is the only thing that gets out of my mouth.