8: Love or lust? Or Both?

One rainy Saturday afternoon...

Arabella and Luke were in the movie room. Arabella was feeding Saraknib with mashed potato and squash while watching the movie they agreed on earlier, Mad Max. Not a romantic choice, but they're both suckers for thriller and mystery movies.

Sitting side by side, they looked like a perfect family.

"Let me feed him. Go and prepare his milk," Luke said, so Arabella went to

the kitchen and made Saraknib his milk.

She blushed when she remembered their convo last night.

Last night....

"What's your plan tomorrow?" Luke asked over dinner.

"I am not sure. Maybe, we'll just stay here," she replied.

"Hey! It's my first time to spend time with you two. So, please tell me whatever you wanna do," he said. She relented for a while then she remembered something.

" Ah! Can we go shopping? I have to buy Saraknib some formula milk tomorrow," Arabella, snapping her fingers, told Luke.

Looking at his confused expression, she explained, "Ah... well... uhm... I can't~ I mean I don't have~"

"Ei? He's just 4 months old, right? Shouldn't it be until one year old at least before it's gone?" Luke said, finally realizing what she wanted to say.

"As much as I want to breastfeed him, what can I do?" she admitted with a harsh sigh.

"Luke!" she called, realizing that he wasn't paying attention and focusing on his phone instead.

"Wait~" he said. She nodded since she didn't have any choice but to do what's told.

"Hello, Dr. Maine. We have a problem, her mammary glands stopped working! You told me that breast milk is the best for babies. Is there any intervention before we result to bottle feeding? Uh- huh~ Okay. What? Is this possible? Okay, I will try if she agrees," Luke ended the call.

Embarrassed by his words and actions, she yelled at him right after he finished talking on the phone. "What the heck was that?!" she shouted with her eyes wide open.

"What was what?!" he asked back, obviously unaware of the reason why she's mad.

"Did you just talk about my breast milk problem with Dr. Maine?" she said, feeling so tiny in front of him.

"Hey~I am just trying to help. Why are you so hysterical?"

"Because... these are my boobs, so leave them alone!" she said firmly.

"Well, of course. Those are yours and I have no intentions of taking them away from you~" Luke said, laughing at her reaction.

"I am just concerned about my son~" he blurted.

"Huh?" Arabella muttered, confused. In her head was, "What are you doing Luke?"

Not to give her a chance to put her thoughts into words, Luke took the opportunity.

"Anyway... Dr. Maine suggested many ways to solve your problem, but the most practical and the easiest way is a little crazy. But... just think about Saraknib's well- being and it'll be--- let's say--- acceptable," he said.

"And what is that?" she replied with sarcasm.

"Dr. Maine said that maybe... uhm... maybe~ Ugh! Swear to me that you won't hit me again when I say it!"

"Fine!"

"Promise?"

"Ugh! Okay, I promise!"

"Alright~ Dr. Maine said that maybe~ Saraknib isn't sucking hard enough to stimulate your mammary glands, so---"

"So--- your point is?!"

"According to Dr. Maine, maybe I can help!"

"Get lost!" Arabella said before throwing the serviette on his face. Then she left him smiling mischievously.

"If you change your mind, I'm just next door!" he shouted making her more irritated.

It was raining since this morning, so Luke went to the nearest pharmacy alone to buy some milk.

Back to the present...

"No matter what, I shouldn't fall for him. He's a womanizer and I am just his tool to escape from his lunatic ex-girlfriend! Besides, I am not his type," she told herself before going back to Luke and her son.

"Ah~ open your mouth~ weeeeeeeeeeee~" Luke, with a spoon in his hand as a pretend airplane, told Saraknib in a childish tone. Saraknib was so happy when the food landed in his mouth.

Arabella was at the door watching this heartwarming scene. Then, she sat beside him.

"Okay, buddy~ this is the last one!" Luke exclaimed before making the airplane sound.

"Good boy! Okay~ time for your milk!" Arabella happily said.

"How about 'daddy'? Am I not good?" Luke uttered, teasing her.

"Fine! You are the best UNCLE in the world~" she replied.

Luke was quiet for a while, just staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing~" he said in a sad voice. "I'll just go and check my car." Then, he left.

"What's wrong with him? Was he mad that I didn't call him Saraknib's dad?" she thought, but immediately dismissed it.

Later that night, he didn't join her for dinner, to her disappointment. She lost her appetite as well, so she ended up drinking a glass of warm milk. She was bothered by Luke's sudden change of mood.

"I think I need a warm bath to have a better sleep," she thought as she put her son to the bed.

She dipped herself into the aromatic warm bath full of bubbles. After 10 minutes, she scrubbed her body with a luffa and prepared the shower to rinse herself.

Then she heard her baby cry.

"Wait, my boy! Mommy's still in the shower~" she shouted to let her son know that she's there. Saraknib kept crying, so she hurriedly rinsed up.

"Odd," she thought while in the middle of her shower when her son suddenly stopped crying. Fearing that something bad might have happened to him, she ran out of the bathroom.

"Jesus Christ!" Luke said aloud as he stared at Arabella, who was petrified in front of him. Water streaked down from her wet hair to her naked body. He swallowed.

Arabella didn't know what to do. She was literally panicking.

Luke turned around and said, "Call me when you're done putting your clothes on."

Then, he walked out of the room with Saraknib on his arms. He went to his room and put down sleeping Saraknib on his bed.

"Fuck!" he whispered as he lit up a cigarette in his room veranda. It was still raining cats and dogs, but he didn't care as his heart--- or more of his body was in an erratic mood.

Looking at Arabella's body cut the last string of his self- control.

Meanwhile, Arabella already finished putting her clothes on, but there was a duel in her brain whether to go to Luke's room and get his son or just wait for him to bring his son back.