Delayed Dinner

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Riana curled up on the bed, her hopes crumbling as hunger crept slowly into her. "Annoying!" she cursed in annoyance as she thought about the man in her house, if it weren't for him, maybe she wouldn't be this hungry. With a rumbling stomach, Riana walked slowly towards the bedroom door, trying to hold back the torturous hunger. She was determined to go to the kitchen, hoping to enjoy some warm tea or find any food to fill her empty stomach.

The atmosphere of the house at night felt very quiet, only the sound of the fire and the howls of nocturnal animals that could be heard faintly from a distance. That was the strongest reason why Riana didn't want to go home late, the thought of meeting a wild animal and attacking her haunted her mind. Although the possibility of meeting a wild animal was small, the fear never disappeared from her mind, especially since her residence was located in the middle of a stretch of grass, quite far from the settlement but not close to the forest. There was no other reason why Riana chose to live alone there, all of that was rooted in an incident a year ago, when she was seventeen years old.

As Riana's footsteps approached the kitchen, she heard a different sound of flames, clearly not from the flames of an oil lamp, the sound was too loud and blazing. Anxiety accompanied by fear immediately gripped her, mixed with a burning curiosity. Riana slowed her steps so as not to be heard, she tried to sneak around, thinking who was in the kitchen. It couldn't be a ghost, right?

"WHO ARE YOU?" The scream escaped Riana's mouth uncontrollably. A tall man wrapped in white cloth turned and turned his body to face Riana. One of his eyebrows raised, indicating surprise, before he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Riana pursed her lips, feeling so stupid. How could she forget that she wasn't the only one in this house.

Look at that adorable face! Ivander laughed, he couldn't hold back his laughter even though the pain was running through his body. "You're so scared," he teased.

"Besides, why aren't you making a sound?"

"Make a sound? What should I do alone here, talking to the stove?"

"That's not what I meant, but..."

"Okay, I'm sorry for scaring you." Ivander cut Riana off, then he continued his cooking activities that had been interrupted.

"What are you doing? Are you cooking?" Riana stepped closer to see what Ivander was cooking with a boiling pot.

"Vegetable and fruit soup."

"What? Vegetable and fruit soup?"

Ivander nodded. "I only found vegetables and fruits here. You don't have any meat?"

"I can't hunt and I'm also a coward."

"Do you have to hunt to get meat? Doesn't anyone sell fresh meat here?"

"Yes, quite a lot of them sell it at the market."

"Then?" Ivander stared at Riana in surprise before finally realizing something. "Don't you have money to buy it?"

Riana immediately shook her head. "I have money, it's just... I-I can't go there."

Ivander nodded, ending the conversation about fresh meat, and went back to stirring his homemade soup. Riana who was standing right next to him then moved away and sat on the nearest chair while holding her stomach. Even though he was busy cooking, Ivander would not be careless in the slightest with what was around him, including Riana's movements. "Are you hungry?"

"No." Riana shook her head, embarrassed to admit that her stomach was rumbling.

"Then why did you come here?"

"Can't I come? This is my house!"

"Okay, Ma'am." For now, Ivander concluded that Riana was not dangerous. He also seemed relaxed talking to her, maybe it was because Riana's frightened face looked adorable and comforted him.

"Aren't you cold?" Riana asked. It was only natural for her to ask the question, seeing Ivander who was only wearing pants, while his upper body was open and only wrapped in cloth.

Ivander shook his head. "I'm not cold at all." Yes, that was understandable considering that it was currently the middle of spring where the air tends to be hot.

"Ah! Your clothes!" Riana remembered Ivander's clothes that she had washed early in the morning. She immediately rushed to get them. At that time, Ivander was only wearing a long black robe, a beige linen shirt full of blood stains, and black pants and a pair of dirty boots when Riana brought him. However, now the clothes were clean, except for the black pants that were still attached to his body.

****

After returning Ivander's clothes, they were now enjoying dinner that was past the usual time. The taste of Ivander's homemade soup did not taste strange to Riana's tongue, although it was not very delicious, she could still enjoy it.

"Sorry, if it doesn't taste good," said Ivander, looking at Riana who was eating the soup he made with a frown on her forehead. The soup should have been quite delicious even though she was not a skilled cook.

"This is not bad, I can eat it."

"That's good then, actually I'm not good at cooking."

Riana nodded, she had guessed it. "Yes, that's natural. Besides, people like you don't seem to be good at cooking."

Ivander laughed, he really didn't expect to hear such a sharp sentence. "Even so, at least I've saved you from starvation."

"Ah, right." Riana nodded in agreement, not intending to deny Ivander's words. "Thank you for cooking me dinner." Although she initially intended not to eat, it turned out that her stomach was not like that, she kept struggling to get food immediately.

"No problem. I should be the one to thank you first. Thank you for helping and taking care of me," said Ivander.

Finally, the words of gratitude that Riana had been waiting for were uttered, she concluded with a smile. However, her smile immediately faded when her gaze fell on Ivander's black pants which were shabby and dirty, unfit to wear. "Don't you need some clothes? I'll try to ask my uncle for some clothes."

"Your uncle?"

"Yes." Riana nodded. "My uncle lives not too far from here, although I probably can't get much. You don't mind wearing other people's used clothes, do you? I can't buy you new clothes because my harvest hasn't been much lately."

"Harvest? Are you working?" asked Ivander who got a nod from Riana. "You live here alone? Where is your family? And your uncle?" It was undeniable that Riana's words made Ivander curious.

"My family doesn't live with me," Riana answered softly. "Ah, I think I finished first. I'll go to bed soon, thank you for the food." Riana then stood up while tidying up the cutlery. However, when she turned around, she found Ivander standing right in front of her.

"I-I'll rest first, I hope you sleep well," she said goodbye and immediately walked quickly to avoid Ivander. Actually there was no problem with Ivander, it's just that Riana avoided questions about her family. It's not that she didn't like being asked about her family, but she wasn't ready to tell the story of what happened a year ago. The pain was still suffocating, she couldn't accept everything with an open heart.

****

Riana lay down, her head spinning thinking about tomorrow, how she would ask her uncle for clothes, especially a man's clothes. Her uncle would definitely be suspicious and find out that she lived with someone in the garden house. "Aakhh... what should we do?" Riana banged her head several times on the soft mattress, hoping to find an idea or solution.

"Do I just take it secretly?" A flash of herself sneaking into her uncle's room and stealing some clothes crossed her mind. She immediately shook her head, a sign of disapproval of the despicable act.

"What should I do!" said Riana in despair.

Meanwhile, in another place, Ivander was standing near the half-open bedroom window, letting the night wind enter and pierce his bandaged body. He was not wearing the clothes that had been given, letting the wind touch his skin. His empty dark blue eyes showed that his mind was full and chaotic. Ivander was trapped in his memories of the day before, making him aware of what he had to do immediately.

"I can't stay still like this!" he exclaimed firmly. He clenched his fists tightly, until the coldness that ran through his body was replaced by pain.

"Arghh... damn! Why do I have to be sick, bastard!" Curses of disappointment came out without him being able to hold them back. He was very upset with his weak body condition. The black robe hanging, the long-sleeved beige shirt draped, and the pair of boots lying right under him reminded Ivander of the day he was dying. A high fever forced him to leave his horse and sword—which were always at his waist, considering that his body was no longer able to carry heavy loads. He had to be willing to lose, making him hate himself very much.

"I should have trained harder!"

No one knows what will happen, but someone should be able to recognize the signals given by the body when they are not feeling well. That's how it should be, but Ivander continued to ignore it until his body had reached its limit. Luckily, he could still be saved, although the price he had to pay was quite heavy.

****

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