Doing It Yourself

“Trinity, we’re here.”

Phil’s gentle voice pulled Trinity out of her nap. “Mm, thank you.” She mumbled as she took her bag and got out of the van.

Phil was about to close the door for her but she did it for herself. “I get that we have to keep up the image in front of others, but let me do these things for myself when we’re alone.”

Phil looked at her tight smile and felt strangely awkward. “Sure. If that’s what you want.”

“Thank you.” Her smile grew wider and looked more genuine.

Trinity headed off first and opened the main door. She slipped off her shoes, took off her socks, then slipped on her pink fluffy slippers. Loving how soft it felt, she took the time to wiggle her toes a little.

On her way to her room, Trinity saw Damien seated on the large couch in the living room. His feet were propped up on a leg stool. The same MacBook that that she was given laid on his lap. She glanced at the screen and saw many graphs and numbers. He switched between screens that showed different charts and reports.

/How does he browse so fast?/

Just as she stepped into the corridor, Damien asked, “Where’re you going?”

Trinity stopped in her tracks and turned around. “You talking to me?”

“Who else?”

“To my room. Why?”

“It’s dinnertime.”

She stared at him blankly then made her way back to the dining room. Damien stared at her with a raised eyebrow. Knowing that he was still staring, she snapped, “What? I forgot. Do you have a problem with that?”

Damien joined her at the dining table shortly after she sat down.

Midway through their silent dinner, Damien spoke up. “You don’t look happy. Is the food no good?”

Trinity looked at him in disbelief. /Does he pretend to be dense or is he really dense?/

“I am clearly enjoying my food. Do you not see how fast I’m cleaning this plate off? I should ask you if there’s something you don’t like about it.” She gestured to his plate that is still more than half full.

“What’re you upset about then?”

Still not understanding what he meant or referred to, she recalled the events of the day. “Well, there IS something. Why DID you buy me that MacBook?”

“Is there something wrong with it?”

“The problem is not with it. It’s that I don’t know how to use it! For someone who hacked into my computer, you should know.” She folded her arms.

“... That’s true. You don’t use your laptop all that much. Did it cause you any trouble in school today?”

“Not exactly. But, ugh, someone had to teach me how to use it. Do you know how hard I had to wreck my brain to think of an excuse for not knowing how to use my laptop?”

“Finish your food.” Damien suddenly said, effectively ending the conversation.

“Huh?” She stared at him who showed no sign of having an intention to talk again.

“You’re the one who asked what upsetted me.” She grumbled under her breath while she picked at her food. She then wolfed down the remaining steak left on her plate and very softly squealed in delight. /This is so good!/

“Excuse me.” She said with a straight face before taking the empty plate to the kitchen. Phil helplessly watched her by her side.

“Seriously, Phil, you don’t have to eat at the same pace as me next time. I told you that I’ll do things myself here.” She sighed.

Phil, however, looked constipated.

“You seriously prefer if I left it to you huh.”

Phil nodded seriously.

Trinity sighed again and stepped back. “All yours. I’m sorry for stealing your job.”

Phil looked at Trinity in shock. He slowly broke into a smile. “Thank you.”

Trinity gave him a half smile then left the kitchen for her room.

When she passed by the dining room, she saw only an empty plate on the table. Damien was nowhere to be found. She frowned and wondered how fast he usually ate. When she looked in front again, someone’s broad chest filled her vision. She jumped a step back.

“Take your MacBook and follow me.”

“What?”

However, Damien was already walking away. She looked at her bag in her hand then at his back. /Should I just ignore him?/

Damien continued walking without looking back even once.

/Ah… What’s the point of so much needless drama. Let’s just get this over and done with./ She sighed in defeat and trudged after Damien.

Damien led her to the room with a giant wall-mounted television and floor to ceiling blackout curtains.

“Sit here and take your MacBook out.” He gestured to one of the super cushy recliner chairs. Trinity quietly obeyed. Damien chose the chair in the corner of the room and fiddled with some controls with the remote in his hand.

The television turned on and played a guide on how to use a MacBook. Trinity did not need to be told to know what to do next. While waiting for her MacBook to start up, she glanced at Damien. He was already busy browsing through his MacBook again. In the dimly lit room, the light from his MacBook lit up his face in a not so pleasant way. However, Trinity did not feel so bad about him at this moment.

The video was comprehensive and easy to follow. By the end of it, Trinity felt confident about using her MacBook. Recalling the way he used his MacBook earlier, she could now guess why he got one for her as well. However, he had neglected to consider if she even uses it the same way he does.

"Thank you." Her soft voice sounded loud in the now silent room. "For the MacBook. And the video."

He looked at her for a while like he was studying her, then stood up all of a sudden. "It's nothing." He replied while leaving the room.

Trinity returned to her room, showered, then studied in her large cosy bed. She revelled about the fact that she could lay out her study materials and still have space to lie down and roll about.

She studied into the wee hours of the night and only stopped when she started to yawn non-stop. She checked the time, set the alarm, then closed her eyes.

/Wait. No more work./

She opened her eyes again to adjust the alarm to a later timing. She mentally ran through everything she did for the day and only let herself sleep after being sure that she had not forgotten anything.

The sky lit up, signalling the start of another day. Trinity woke up and stretched. She blinked a few times and lazed in bed for a while. She felt around for her phone but could not find it. So, she looked around. All her study materials and her phone were neatly stacked up on her bedside table. /When did I…?/

At this moment, she realised an oddity in her sleeping position. /Did I go to sleep like this?/

She frowned in confusion but grabbed her phone anyway. She had woken up two hours earlier than the timing she set for her alarm. "I guess I do have a body clock." She mumbled.

After she turned off the alarm, she washed up and was about to resume her studying when an idea popped in her mind. She opened the door as quietly as she could, which was actually easy with how well-maintained the mansion was.

She crept down the corridors, past the living room, then the dining room, and finally reached the kitchen. "Let's make myself some breakfast!" She whispered while rubbing her palms together.