"Earlier, you mentioned that living alone is boring, even for a quiet person like you," Adro said.
"That's true, but you still have to go home, right? I'm not trying to kick you out. Honestly, I'm quite glad you're here to liven up the atmosphere in this house. I just don't want to take advantage of your situation just to make myself feel better," Grace explained as she gazed blankly at her cereal bowl.
Adro was silent, staring at Grace. "Then, my presence makes you feel better?"
Realizing what she had just said, Grace raised her face and looked at Adro. She blinked several times, feeling her cheeks getting warm. "I-I mean, my feelings about this house. You know, I used to have my grandma; we lived together. But when I suddenly had to live alone, it felt a bit strange. If there's someone else living here, it wouldn't feel as lonely as when I'm alone."
"I-I think everyone would feel the same as I do. I once invited Bella to live with me, but she chose to live with her boyfriend after high school," she continued quickly.
"I understand. No need to be nervous like that," Adro said, smirking.
"What are you saying? I'm not nervous. Why would I be nervous?" Grace replied, laughing awkwardly.
"You're right. Why would you be nervous?" Adro tilted his head, still smirking a little.
Biting her lower lip, Grace cursed herself inside, 'Why would you do that, Grace? Have you ever learned what will happen every time you are being too honest with a guy?'
Somehow, Grace had become a naive girl who wasn't good at socializing. Her overly honest mouth about her feelings when someone was kind to her always led her into trouble. That's why she had been trapped by various men who only wanted to exploit her kindness.
Grace knew she shouldn't trust Adro too much. She didn't even know if Adro had a good or evil heart. However, was she wrong to have a feeling that Adro was a good guy? Nevertheless, she shouldn't have said things that made them both awkward like this, considering they were currently living together.
***
"Tell me, Sarah..." Bella said, stirring her iced coffee.
Sarah took a deep breath and sighed hard. She stared at Grace, who was sitting in front of her. "Alright, Grace..."
Grace was aware that Sarah had something to say from the first moment they met today. She didn't expect at all that Adro's presence among the three of them would make things a bit awkward for her friends, especially Sarah, who had been overly suspicious of him from the beginning.
Since Adro had agreed to come, Grace took him to accompany Sarah to the airport. Now, he was in the toilet, so Sarah seized the opportunity to express her thoughts about Adro to her friends before leaving the country, or she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
"That guy... he's not your relative, is he?" Sarah asked.
Grace was silent, biting her lower lip and rubbing her arm. Her demeanor made Sarah and Bella understand that they were right.
"What really happened, Grace? Why did you lie like that?" Sarah asked as softly as she could while holding Grace's hand.
"Grace, I know I've been too busy with my affairs, but we've been friends since we were kids, and I'm worried now because Sarah is about to leave," Bella said.
Sarah glanced at Bella cynically. "At least you realize that you're not very useful in this friendship."
"Girls..." Grace quickly jumped into the two girls' conversation. "Please... I don't want to be a burden to you. I'm an adult now, and my safety is my own responsibility. I can't always depend on you two."
Bella nodded, then looked back at Sarah. "You see that? I'm just afraid of hurting her feelings!"
Sarah rolled her eyes, then she returned her gaze to Grace and decided not to argue with Bella anymore. "Is that guy your boyfriend?" Sarah asked.
Grace shook her head weakly. "He isn't."
"He's not your boyfriend, not your family, or even your maid, but he lives in your house," Bella muttered, tapping her chin with her fingers.
"Look, Grace, Bella is right. When I leave, I'll be very busy, so I won't be able to help you as easily as before. On the other hand, Bella doesn't seem to care too much because she even admits to herself that she'll continue to busy her life with her affairs. If you keep covering up the truth, we won't know if something bad happens to you later," Sarah said, restraining her patience.
"I'm pretty sure nothing bad will happen to me, Sarah. You don't need to worry," Grace said, still keeping her gaze down.
"Grace, we're not saying that we don't trust you. But the reality is that there have been a few cases of fraud through online dating that have trapped women lately. I know Adro is gorgeous; well... he even looks fictional, but that's their weapon!" Bella said.
Grace sighed. "I believe that Adro is not that kind of guy. I want to tell you two the truth, but I'm sure you won't believe me."
"How can we not believe you, Grace? We've been friends since kids," Sarah replied, disbelieving what she heard.
"That's true." Bella nodded before sipping her iced coffee.
Grace sighed again. She looked at her two friends in turn before glancing around to make sure Adro hadn't returned yet.
"Adro comes from another world."
Grace's whisper made her friends, who had previously had serious faces, now give frustrated chuckles.
"Are you really doing this, Grace? Since when did you become a person like this?" Sarah hissed.
"I'm serious. It might sound crazy, but I'm telling the truth! I met Adro in that abandoned mansion. He came from a dead-end door and helped me when I fell from the second floor," Grace explained quickly.
Sarah and Bella pondered, then looked at each other with furrowed brows. Only the insane would believe that story. And they were both still sane!
"Grace, can you stop joking around? Seriously, this isn't a funny way to avoid our questions. You better just say that you don't want to tell us anything rather than making up such a silly story," Bella said, holding her temple and shaking her head.
"But I'm not lying... Geez! This is why I didn't want to explain it to you. You'll just think I'm crazy," Grace muttered.
"Because only a crazy person would believe that, Grace. What the hell is wrong with you?" Sarah clucked.
"Sarah, do you remember when Adro couldn't open the car door and-"
"Shhh!" Bella stopped Grace's sentence when she noticed Adro approaching their table. His long legs made him arrive quickly.
The three girls immediately stopped their conversation because the topic of their discussion had returned. If it weren't for the distant location of the restroom, they wouldn't have had a chance to talk this far.
"Is it so far?" Grace asked Adro, trying hard to relax her smile.
"Not too far, but the way was quite crowded."