SILLY TRAP

"I'm tired. I don't want to go home." Kaye whined slumping into her work-desk. She's been avoiding Ivan for three days now but the man was being oblivious to it, still initiating conversation or sometimes would call her attention before leaving for work just to say 'take care'.

"This is a miracle of unfortunate things!" Jestoni exclained clasping his hands with his eyes wide open. "This is the first time I hear you complain of being tired but not wanting to go home. Shouldn't you be going home if you're tired?"

"It's because I'm tired of someone at home." she was grumpy and was rolling her eyes at her friend.

"I thought you like him?" Kaye had told Jestoni about Ivan before and how she came to like him.

"That's because I like him that I don't want to go home. I'm tired of seeing him. I'm tired. I'm tired of liking him. I don't like this feeling at all." she was complaining like a child, who could we blame? It was her first time after all and no one is an expert when it comes to love.

"You still have to go home. Shoo! Pack your things and make sure not to leave your bad vibes here." Jestoni was packing his things, ready to leave the company.

"I know." she whispered, sighing in the process of getting her things arranged and having her bag closed. 'I don't want to fall in love. It's exhausting.' thought Kaye while walking towards the elevator area.

Ivan was almost done with his work for the day and was currently thinking of how to initiate conversation again. Just as he closed his laptop, a brilliant idea popped in his mind. He waited for an hour before hearing movements from the outside of his room. Kaye's home.

He walked outside just to greet her as usual. "Morning." Kaye observed that he was walking without his slippers.

"The floor is cold." was all she said before getting inside her room. Ivan smiled after hearing her concerned voice. It was really his intention to walk in barefoot to see how she would react. She didn't disappoint him.

Kaye intended to go out to take a halfbath but she didn't want to bump into him so she waited for him to go back inside his room. She waited and waited and waited until she wanted to sleep directly without taking a bath. She was even about to close her eyes when she heard a clanking sound of pans and pots. She rushed outside only to see Ivan on the floor, trying to clean up his mess.

He's got egg shells all over him, the frying pan on his left hand, the beater on his right, a pot near his right foot - it was a mess, but despite that he made sure that the mixed egg and flour were safe.

"What happened here? What are you doing?" she helped him pick up the items and returned them back to the cupboard.

"I wanted to eat something. I'm sick of takeouts already so I wanted to try pancakes." Ivan told her while washing his hands. He didn't even wiped the mess on his shirt. 'Did he even know he's a walking mess?' Kaye thought to herself.

"Go take a shower. I'll cook." she took the ingredients and the frying pan to continue his work.

"But you just got home. You should take a rest." Ivan "insisted" to cook even though he couldn't see.

"I don't want you to burn my place. You might hurt yourself in the process as well as put my life in danger." she added more ingredients to cook a proper meal for both of them. "Beside, didn't I cook the food for today already?"

"You didn't." Ivan uttered softly. He didn't even look at her before he went inside the bathroom, leaving Kaye stupefied like a fool for asking the question.

Kaye scratched her nose awkwardly after realizing how foolish her question was. Every night, she was in a hurry to leave him that she forgot cooking his food for next day's breakfast. Utterly stupid.

She continued cooking, minding her own business so she could go to sleep as soon as possible. Just the right time she finished setting the table, Ivan's muffled voice, cursing to whatever was happening, didn't escape her hearing.

"Ivan? Are you okay?" she called him indifferently. It took him a minute to answer her, making her worry.

"I...I...I for..forgot my towel. I get in here directly from the kitchen." Ivan said in a low voice, making it sound husky. Kaye's face grew hotter and she was turning red.

"You idiot! Did you hit your head when you fell? Why didn't you get your towel before going inside?" she covered her face as she yelled at him. Her voice trembled a little bit making her feel more embarrass.

"I'm sorry. Can I -"

"No, don't go out. If you dare step out, I'll really kick you out. Stay there and don't move." said Kaye interrupting him from speaking. She ran back to her room to get clean towels.

"I was about to ask her a favor. What should I do now? Isn't my plan backfiring at me?" Ivan chuckled, didn't really care about the situation he's in.

"Open the door just a little bit. Make sure you just poke your hand outside, not your head or your body, else I would skin you alive." Kaye said taking in heavy breaths to continue her life. When Ivan opened the door, she stopped breathing. Her head was getting dizzy. She gave him the towels when he reached his hands.

"Make sure to dry your hair." she exhaled slowly before stepping back to the kitchen slowly and steady, making sure she won't fall. Kaye sat on a chair to steady her heart, but when she bowed her head to look at her fingers, two drops of blood fell from her nose. 'What the hell?!' she stood up abruply, making her chair stumble as she wiped her nose with a tissue. 'I really got nose bleed because of him? NOSE BLEED!' Kaye couldn't believe what just happened.

"Did you get yourself hurt? I can smell blood permeating in the air." Ivan asked with a towel hanging on his waist, water dripping from his neck down below to what was under the towel.

"I'm not hurt and you, go and put on your clothes now." she yelled at him, anger bubbling inside her. She just couldn't believe he has this affect on her. To think, she didn't even see anything. She was angry because she felt like, he was holding her world and any moment, it might collapse with just a single mistake.

Ivan walked towards his room, without talking back to her, to get a change of clothes. He was wondering what made her so angry. He was sure that she was hurt, but he didn't know how it happened.

After changing into a set of clothes, Ivan sat at the dining table, sharing a meal with Kaye once again after a couple of days of being avoided.

They were silent, Kaye being depressed from this whole situation that she's in and Ivan was thinking how to get her attention again.

'Today, I got to hear your concern and I sensed your unhidden anger. Tomorrow, I will do better." Ivan smiled faintly at his own thoughts. A start of his beautiful trap to catch a butterfly.