"You'll like it someday."
Serena slowed her chewing. When she turned toward the refrigerator, Nathaniel was no longer there. He had simply left without saying anything else.
Serena closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then she looked again at the remaining sandwich. It really did taste good, but Serena was just too difficult to impress.
"What a weird man." Serena stood up, leaving the remaining piece of sandwich on the plate.
She then went back upstairs to her room without bothering Niel to discuss what had happened the night before. Her anger seemed to have faded after eating the breakfast the man had made for her.
Now, all she did was lie back down on her bed. She played on her phone while her favorite playlist played in the background. Meanwhile, her thoughts were busy trying to guess at Niel's strange personality.
Niel's handsome face seemed to keep spinning through Serena's mind. And yet, Serena still remembered the first time she had met Niel. He hadn't been that handsome, but now his looks even surpassed those of her boyfriend, Varron.
"Damn, did he hypnotize me? Could he be a wizard?"
Serena shook her head over and over. She remembered again how quiet the man had been. But that attitude seemed to have disappeared completely ever since their parents had gone abroad.
"Could it be that he really wasn't that quiet all along? Could it be that he's actually..." Serena let her words trail off.
Serena shook her head repeatedly again, as though trying to erase her bad thoughts about Nathaniel. If she kept thinking badly of him, she might not feel at ease staying in that house either.
"No, Serena, no. He wouldn't do anything beyond your imagination. He wouldn't."
Nathaniel stood there in front of the dining table, where Serena's plate—with one piece of sandwich still on it—remained. Serena had eaten one piece and left the other there.
Niel smiled crookedly. He felt a little relieved that Serena had managed to finish one piece of the sandwich he had made, and that she had also left one piece for him. Yes, Niel chose to see it that way.
The man wasn't hurt at all. In fact, he was happy, as though Serena had really left the sandwich for him.
"She really is sweet."
Slowly, Niel reached for the piece of sandwich with his hand. He picked it up and, without waiting any longer, ate it. Little by little.
"It's delicious. This sandwich is infused with the touch of your hands. I love it, Serena."
Serena had dressed beautifully. She was going to meet Varron for lunch again. This time, however, he would come pick her up at the house, just as Serena had asked.
"I'm going downstairs now. Wait for me there," Serena said as she closed her bedroom door.
But somehow, Nathaniel was there. He stood in front of her door, casually leaning against it. He called Serena's name, forcing her to stop and turn around.
"You? How long have you been standing there?"
"Where are you going, Serena?" he asked as he pushed himself away from the door.
Serena was at a loss for how to answer. If Niel complained to her father again and Dad found out that she had gone on another date with Varron, he would have trouble trusting her again.
"I'm meeting a friend. I'm going to hang out with him. I won't be long. Why?"
"Go," he said, making Serena even more confused.
Instead of stopping Serena again, Niel left her and went downstairs first. Serena could only stand there in silence for several minutes.
"What else is he going to do this time?" she asked herself.