"You cooked for me too, darling~?"
Rai dropped his bag with an irritated sigh, rolling his eyes as he turned around, already preparing an explanation. This idiot had darlinged him again.
"I didn't," Rai said flatly. "I accidentally cooked too much because there are no proper measuring tools here. If you don't eat, maybe the dog will."
He watched Zade chuckle and get up from the sofa.
"But we don't have a dog."
"There must be one other than you anywhere nearby, right?" Rai shot back smugly, already stepping outside.
But before he could fully leave, Zade suddenly grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back harshly, almost tripping him.
"Ah- shit! This fuc-!"
The curse died in Rai's throat when he felt warm breath at the back of his neck, followed by a brush of Zade's lips. Rai panicked in confusion, struggling as goosebumps rose along his arms.
Before he could shove Zade away, the man pulled back on his own, now wearing a wide, smug grin.
"You smell like me."
Rai frowned immediately, straightening his collar, trying to compose himself as he stared at Zade, his breath shaking in anger or...maybe in panic.
"If you hadn't messed with my things, I wouldn't have had to use your stuff. You don't have to point it out. I know I smell like some asshole."
Zade clicked his tongue, watching Rai complain, hands settling on his hips as his eyes dragged slowly over Rai from head to toe, wearing that intense, irritating stare again.
"Yeah," he said flatly. "It doesn't suit your boring personality."
With that, Zade turned and walked back inside, and Rai took it as his cue to finally leave.
"Hey. Wait."
Rai paused, turning back reluctantly.
"If the old man asks about me, or about how it is between us, don't tell him we ever knew each other."
Rai frowned, waiting for an explanation instead of agreeing immediately. Zade raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed.
But he still explained.
"He and my father are close friends. He updates my father about me all the time. If my father finds out about you, it won't end well. As much as I hate you, I don't want to stay alone here. I'd rather live with your barking than silence."
Rai listened, biting back a comment about the barking part, because that didn't feel like the most questionable thing he'd heard.
"I'm pretty sure your father already knows I'm here," Rai scoffed.
"Yeah, he does. But he doesn't remember your name. If he knew we knew each other, he'd dig into it. He knows exactly how things went between us, and he wouldn't hesitate to pressure the old man to kick you out. I'm actually being considerate here, so listen to me for once and don't fuck this up."
Zade exhaled slowly.
"It's not that bad living together. We're not even sharing a room. So… your call."
Rai nodded once and turned away at Zade's comment. Zade still stayed there, watching him go as he leaned against the doorframe, eyes following him until he disappeared.
When he did, Zade didn't feel like staring outside anymore, so he went to the kitchen, his eyes catching the extra food Rai had apparently accidentally cooked.
This wasn't expected.
He hadn't thought Rai would even consider leaving him leftovers at all.
After everything he'd done, eating Rai's food felt almost like kneeling before him. Still… Rai had always been good at cooking, and it was hard to ignore the delicious-looking food, which Zade knew tasted absolutely delicious too.
So how did he know Rai's cooking was great, you'd ask?
Well, before the whole enemies agenda, before everything went wrong, there had been a time when they were decent to each other.
Rai had shared his homemade lunch with Zade.
And Zade found out Rai had cooked it himself, which was surprising enough because Zade had never even been to the kitchen in his own house. He had maids who did everything for him. He didn't even have to plate his food.
His father was a minister, rich as hell, living in luxury, which Zade got to enjoy too. So he didn't know boys his age could cook a full meal.
Yet Rai had.
And it had tasted… comforting.
Like something his mother used to make.
That thought made Zade savour the taste of Rai's meal for a long time, because he barely even remembered his mom anymore, let alone the taste of the meals she cooked, since she'd died when he was just ten, cancer stealing her away far too early.
That seventeen-year-old version of him had savored every bite.
Zade stared at the food now, curiosity taking over.
Does it still taste the same?
Zade leaned down, inhaled slowly, then filled a plate with a little of everything. Sitting down, he took a careful bite.
At the first bite, his breath hitched.
No mistake.
It tasted exactly the same.
"Delicious as fuck," Zade muttered as he took another bite.
He finished the entire plate before he even realized it, then stared at it and laughed quietly.
"I can't believe I just ate the food that guy cooked. How desperate are you, Zade?"
Zade cleaned the containers, disbelief mixed with nostalgia, and packed the leftovers into lunch boxes, thinking about when Rai told him to wash the dishes too, rudely, and probably half-joking.
Still, Zade did it anyway.
He might be an asshole, but he wasn't ungrateful.
The kitchen was spotless by the time he finished.
Which was ridiculous, because he never cleaned. He never cared. And yet here he was, wondering what Rai would think when he saw it… or if he'd even be surprised.
Zade scoffed at himself, checked his phone and emails, ignoring the five missed calls from his father, and got ready to leave, with the two lunch boxes tucked neatly into his bag...
...
"Are you the new teacher?"
Rai looked up from where he was sitting outside the principal's office. He'd already received his timetable and documents and didn't see the point of going to the teachers' room with only five minutes left before class.
A woman stood in front of him, smiling brightly. She looked young, beautiful and warm.
"Yes. I'm Rai."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lia, also a teacher. I was surprised when principal sir said we got a new teacher. We rarely get new staff here."
"I heard that. Have you been here long?"
"About two years."
They talked about the school, the lack of staff, and the students until the bell rang and went on their ways for classes.
As the day went on, Rai quickly realized how different this place was.
Not just the buildings, environment...
The students.
Despite worn out uniforms, missing supplies, and barely enough teachers, they were eager, eyes bright, hands raised, genuinely excited to learn.
It left him speechless.
Back at his old school, students had everything and cared about nothing.
Here, they had nothing, and cared about everything.
It hurt.
These children deserved more.
And right then, Rai knew.
He wasn't leaving.
He would stay.
He would help them.
On his very first day, Rai felt it clearly.
No matter what happened...
'I'm staying here.'
He is staying there.