XVII

LAIA REGRETTED TRUSTING THE ASSHAT'S preference when it comes to food.

The asshat ordered spicy food.

Spicy-fucking-food.

Out of everything he could have had ordered, he ordered spicy food.

Laia couldn't help herself from grimacing at how red the color of the soup the asshat brought to the dining table was. It was followed by another serving of spicy-looking pork, which Laia had no idea what its name is.

Finally, the asshat drops a plate of chicken lollipops on the table. Laia sighs in relief, finally seeing something she could eat.

The asshat was quick to notice Laia's delight at the plate of chicken lollipops and he chuckles. "Good thing I ordered something other than Korean food,"

Why did he even order spicy Korean food in the first place? Is it to spite her? Laia frowns at the asshat who laughs openly at her reaction, probably elated at seeing her look at the food in the table with uneasiness and displeasure.

The asshat sits on the table facing Laia, much to her chagrin. She doesn't want to eat while seeing his annoying face.

Not that she wants to spend more time with him and watch him eat in the process, but free food is free food.

Even if the asshat calls it charity. Laia notes to herself to get back at him in the near future, but she still has to think of a plan how to.

Maybe not now, as she wants nothing but to eat the delicious-looking chicken lollipops in front of her.

When she deemed that the rice and the chicken lollipops on her plate are enough, Laia starts eating. The asshat also took quite (definitely much more than necessary) a lot of servings from the various dishes he bought, and eagerly started eating.

He didn't seem to be bothered by how spicy the dishes were, as he continuously ate bite after bite.

Realizing she had stopped eating and instead watched him eating without a single care of the numerous jalapenos Laia saw on the dishes, the asshat stops eating and directed his gaze at the girl in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"

The girl didn't turn away despite getting caught staring. "How can you eat those," She points at the dishes he was eating with discomfort obvious on her features. "Without drinking water every other minute?"

"I happen to like Korean cuisine," He replies and continues eating. "Have you never tasted it before? It's really good despite it being occasionally spicy and a bit expensive,"

Laia didn't miss the asshat's implication of her being unable to purchase the dishes but just rolls her eyes. Can't this asshat afford to ask decent and unoffending questions for once?

"Nah," She uses her fork to get another chicken lollipop and eats it. "I like Western cuisine better."

The asshat doesn't say anything else and Laia is thankful for that. They eat the remaining dishes (chicken lollipops for Laia) in silence. The girl turns towards the clock on the corner of the dining room.

Nine-thirty. She has doubts if she can still ride a bus at this time, but she'd rather take her chances than have to stay over.

Maybe she should have had went home earlier.

Despite that implying that she cannot eat more of the delicious pizza and the chicken lollipops that came after.

The asshat seemed to notice her fidgeting after he places his plate and utensils on the dishwasher.

He raises an eyebrow at the girl. "Is your curfew at ten? Boring,"

Laia rolls her eyes for the umpteenth time. "That's the fifth time you're wrong today," The asshat had the audacity to look genuinely confused. "I don't have a curfew."

"Finally something not boring about you," He walks towards the fridge, pulls it open, and grabs a carton of chocolate milk.

The way the asshat drank directly from the carton made Laia grimace. It's against one of the primary rules she and her mom had at home which makes the girl unable to restrain voicing out her dismay. "Can't you at least take a glass and pour it there to drink?"

"Why?" The asshat replies after he places the carton back inside the refrigerator. "It's not like anyone else lives here."

His revelation made Laia perplexed. He lives alone in this huge ass condominium unit?

Noticing the girl's perplexion, the asshat suddenly steps towards her and folds his arms behind his head. "Sometimes it's better to live all alone in such a huge property."

Laia begs to disagree. It seems very lonely if you think about it, going home to such a huge place and nobody will be there to welcome you.

It's one of the reasons why the short-haired girl would rather opt for a smaller house, maybe a bungalow-sized house, in the near future when she's successful and financially stable.

It's not like she would be living with anyone else anyway for she would rather stay single than settle for a marriage that will still end in divorce.

"I'm guessing you disagree based on the ugly expression on your face," Laia rolls her eyes as the asshat fishes his phone from his pocket. "Not that I care about your opinion,"

The asshat shows Laia his phone. "Here, I called you a cab and already paid for it,"

Laia looked at him incredulously. Why is that asshat suddenly being generous--

"It's charity work," As if he read her mind, the asshat says, even having the audacity to look disgusted.

As if Laia asked for his so-called generosity!

"I didn't ask for your generosity, I can just ride the bus home,"

The asshat didn't say anything. He just made his way to one of the bar stools again and sat there, resting his head on his hand as he looks at the short-haired girl.

The girl opted not to say anything else either. The two remained silent until the asshat's phone vibrated, making the asshat look at it and he turns to Laia with a bored expression. "Looks like the taxi's downstairs,"

Laia nods and grabs her bag with her as she walked towards the door. Despite wanting to just leave and say nothing else, she happened to have manners.

"Thanks," The girl utters out and immediately leaves, not waiting for the asshat to say anything as she closed the door behind her gently.

True to what the asshat said, the taxi was indeed there. The condominium complex's guard bids her goodbye as she enters the taxi, relaying her address to the taxi driver as soon as she sits down in the backseat.

Since the taxi driver probably wanted to be a race car driver deep inside, he drove quickly. And when Laia says quick, she meant very quick to the point that she feared that she might die before she reaches college.

The girl's legs were shaking when she stepped out of the cab, and she had the thought that maybe the asshat sent the taxi company a memo to send a driver that drives like a race car driver just to spite her.

Laia lets out a couple of breaths before entering her house. Upon entering the house she's quick to notice that her mother was home for she can hear her loud snores and from the remaining food that was left on the table.

She immediately puts the dishes in appropriate-sized containers and placed them inside the refrigerator. The girl sighs in relief after she finishes her job.

"Okay, looks like I'll be skipping one study session for today," She whispers to herself as she realizes that it was already ten-thirty in the evening.

Laia must get her well-deserved beauty rest after having to deal with a certain asshat for more than six hours!

The girl was immediately asleep the moment she laid down on her bed and hugged her pillows.

Laia was surprised to hear honking so early in the morning.

A very familiar car honking.

Brie?!

The girl sits up from her bed so suddenly that she felt dizzy and had a headache shortly after.

She grimaces and was about to just start massaging her temples in an attempt to ease the pain when her mother barges in with an infuriated expression on her face.

"Why the hell is your friend honking her car so early in the morning?! Some of our neighbors are giving us odd looks!" was what her mother said before leaving as quickly as she appeared.

She's probably cooking something in the kitchen.

Laia groans and quickly dials Brie's number. Her friend answers straight away.

[Laia!]

Her high-pitched voice makes Laia's ears ring and did nothing to help ease her headache. "Please refrain my screaming so early in the morning,"

Contrary to an almost immediate apology from the girl on the other line, Laia suddenly heard sobs.

[Can you please come out..?]

"Why the hell are you crying?!"

Laia felt her anger vanish and was replaced by worry. Why is her friend suddenly crying so early in the morning?

Did they break up...?

The short-haired girl shakes her head. Definitely not. Jake won't do that.

Right?

[Can you please come out... I just need someone to talk to, please..]

Laia immediately rushes towards where she deduced Brie is, and her deduction was right as Brie was indeed in another car (not the convertible) parked in front of their house.

The girl knocks on the window of the driver's seat gently, and the window rolls down, revealing her friend crying.

And mascara ruined. But Laia would probably not tell her friend that right now.

"Brie--"

"He broke up with me," The long-haired girl breaks down with an anguished cry, covering her face with her hands.

Laia's eyes widened.

What?