Favor

Prince finished boiling a soup he made. As soon as Aria said those words, Prince turned to the display of wooden spoons and sighed. Aria wouldn't know, as long as no one would come up and spill the beans. Prince only gave comfort, and it's enough to drive her close to his hook.

Once she jumped to the sharp tip, no one can get away without a wound. Prince made sure to leave a scar once Aria had gotten close to him. Prince picked up a ladle, and a bowl, scooped up a small serving, and turned around, pushing it in front of her.

Aria turned to the soup, and smiled a little.

"I'm doing you a favor. Do the same to me by cooking something good."

Prince heard from Bryce how good a cook Aria was. She shifted her eyes to him, and grinned.

"I'm not a good cook. You might beat me," Aria mumbled. She picked up the spoon, and tasted the soup. Right after she tasted it, Aria got surprised. It was undeniably delicious! Aria scooped up some more, cherishing the savory taste, and gasped. She even covered her mouth.

Prince turned off the stove quietly and placed the remaining fried chicken on a platter.

He took a seat down as Aria gobbled down the soup all alone, without a serving of rice.

"You need to slow down or you'll be able to drain down a pot." Aria didn't listen. Prince joked around Aria as if they knew each other so well, for years, and for a while, like they had talked about life all night and gotten attach to each other for comfort.

Prince smiled, pretending to happy along with her company, and served her rice.

They enjoyed their afternoon lunch as they talked about what happened in the hospital.

…

While Aria was inside the bathroom, Prince did his tricks. He pressed a few buttons in the television with his personal programmer dealing with the display picture, so that Aria wouldn't see the latest news if she ever come back home from the mansion.

For sure, Aria wouldn't settle down inside her house, because she'll be afraid to have nightmares with Bryce's face in her vision. It's better for her to stick along with Prince, not knowing about what he had done days ago to her twin sister.

As Prince settled with the voice recorder buttons in the corners and activated them, he installed the live listening app in his cell phone, and checked if it's working. Prince whispered, "I can hear it well."

He sighed, closing his phone right away, and turned to the bathroom door opening.

Aria came out in a new set of clothes: a simple t-shirt and worn-out skirt, not entirely the same as Avery's style. Both of them have grown to different worlds, and they're not even aware of each other's existence. Prince has met the two of them, and it'd be just like living a lucid nightmare day by day.

But Aria was different. She isn't close to Avery's behavior.

Avery's defiant, but Aria's kind.

Avery's aggressive, but Aria's careful.

All of those traits Prince had never known because Bryce had been tasked to get rid of her.

But Prince wouldn't fall in love. It isn't in his vocabulary.

"What are you doing there?" Aria asked, snapping him out of his livid thoughts. Prince turned back to reality, and smiled.

"I was just checking if there's anything to do besides the dishes. You are… such a minimalist. I can't see anything but…" Prince cut himself off. Aria might get offended by his compliment. It might not be a compliment at all.

Aria bit her lip, nodding. "I don't have enough money to buy things. Besides, I have to take care of the lot for more than three years. I paid this house for 2 years already, so I had to keep my budget tight. As long as I eat, work, sleep, and had a house, I'm all fine."

Bryce never reported these things to him for the past years. Avery was living well in her mansion, but her twin sister was in the edge of Vasteria, and had to hold her money tight as if she's going to lose it the moment she received it. Prince doesn't want to understand things, but this time, he had a small glimpse of what Aria's life into.

She's never greedy. She would never be until she gotten rich.

Aria hung the towel on one of the chairs, adding, "Personally, I like this kind of life. I don't have a good phone to get addicted into. I only had a keypad thing to send and receive messages. Still, I wouldn't get too attached to the political news outside of the rural. I'm lucky, I guess."

Aria shrugged, turned around, and walked to the couch, delving to the softest of the pillows.

Prince hid his phone simply, sighing. He shifted the conversation, asking, "Aren't you going to the hospital?"

Aria lay down on her side, rested her arm as her pillow, saying, "What's the use? I just collapsed because I remembered someone. And I'm pregnant. In fact, I want to go with you."

Prince settled down on a couch by the side, meeting Aria's drowsy eyes.

"Can you take me with you?" Aria has been vocal of what she felt now. Prince raised his eyebrows.

"Are you willing to be with me?" Prince had never been this grateful of the turn of events. Aria has been clinging to him after a week. In showing good kinds of act for the past few days, she has been fooled. Aria wouldn't be able to snap awake until that day comes.

It was what Prince wanted the most.

Aria stood up, retrieved a towel, and brushed down the drenched ends of her hair.

"You saved me. I know, just by looking at your eyes, you're not going to do something to me. Plus, I have…" she trailed off for a while as Aria looked around the room. The traumatic experience she had with Bryce live up inside the room. All the banging and screaming, all the screams, everyone in the neighborhood have known she's getting beaten up by the man who came over every day.

Aria closed her eyes as she heard every single shriek inside her head.

Prince saw her sweat trickling down the sides of her hair.

"What's wrong, Aria?"

With those words, Aria must have woken up a devil in her subconscious.

"I'm a bad guy, Aria. I'm not the man of your dreams."

It was the only thing that echoed inside her mind, and she gasped for air. All the slaps, the wounds, muzzle of the gun right on her temple, and all the things Aria have experienced for the first time. The violence she never went through her childhood…

Prince came up to her rescue as Aria suddenly raised her hands to cover her ears. Someone is too loud.

Bryce's whispers, all of the words he said, the sound of his smile. The way he slapped her face that day…

"Stop!" Aria caught her breath right after she screamed. She opened her eyes, bloodshot, meeting the television screen, and the silence ensuing around the room, suffocating her. Prince hurried up, sliding close to her, and patted her shoulder, but Aria jolted awake, turning to her side.

A simple touch made her afraid.

Is that how Bryce treated her?

Well, he's good at his job.

Prince pretended to worry. "Aria, you're…"

Aria held her chest, and the tears broke out in her eyes.