04

"Locked Out and Unwelcome"

Hearing a knock at the door, he glanced over, grinned, and waited. When the knock came again, he asked, "Who's there?"... mimicking the exact way she always asked. She stayed silent, pouting instead. Curious, he stood up and walked to the door. When he opened it, he looked her over from head to toe, surprised. She quickly turned her face away. Still amused, he asked, "Madam, hope everything's alright?"

Trying to sound calm, Liyana replied, "I need you to open the door for me."

He straightened up. "I don't get it. Do we now share keys? Where's yours?"

"It's fine. No long story," she said, turning to leave.

He raised a brow. "So you couldn't find yours?"

Giving him a sharp look, she snapped, "If I had it, would I be here asking you to open the door?"

"Ohh, I see… does this mean you're careless too?"

Liyana walked away and returned to the sitting room. He shook his head with a satisfied smirk and headed back inside to grab his keys. When he returned to the living room, he muttered teasingly, "How do you misplace an entire bunch of keys like it's a sewing needle? This is so strange."

She picked up her handbag and walked toward the door. He opened it, and she exited without looking back. He locked the door behind her with a smug grin. At least now he'd paid her back for yesterday.

In school, Soraya looked at Liyana and asked, "Are you sure your keys aren't inside the couch?"

"How could they be in the couch?" Liyana frowned.

"Well, did you check the kitchen?"

"I've checked everywhere!" Liyana sighed.

"Then just contact the property agent and ask for a replacement key," Soraya suggested.

"I think that'll be a long process," Liyana replied. "Besides, the bunch had two keys. I lost one, so I've been using the spare. Now I can't find that one either."

"Don't stress," Soraya reassured her. "You'll definitely find them. You probably just forgot where you left them. It's either in your room or the living room. But are you seriously going to wait for your housemate to come back before you can get in again?"

Liyana rolled her eyes. "What housemate? He hardly even sleeps at the house. And there's no set time for when he comes around."

"Huh? Where does he sleep, then?"

Liyana widened her eyes. "What kind of question is that? How am I supposed to know? It's none of my business where he sleeps!"

"Well, come stay at my place for the night then," Soraya offered.

"You think it won't be a problem?"

"What kind of problem? It's not like the house belongs to her or her father. Come on, let's go," she said, leading the way while Liyana followed quietly.

When they entered the sitting room, they greeted with a soft "hello." Safa, Soraya's cousin's wife, was lounging on the couch and barely looked up as she replied, "Hi."

Liyana greeted her as well, but Safa just kept scrolling on her phone. Soraya added, "You remember her, right? My friend and classmate, Liyana."

"Oh, okay," Safa muttered.

"She'll be staying the night. She lost her house keys."

Safa's phone rang. She stood up to answer it and left the room without another word.

Soraya turned to Liyana. "Come on, let's go to my room."

Once inside, Soraya changed out of her clothes and said, "Let me grab us something to eat from the kitchen."

Liyana nodded. Truthfully, she felt uneasy in the house. She knew from the cold reception she got that she wasn't welcome here. She spent the rest of the time quietly reading while Soraya dozed off after dinner.

When evening came, Liyana got up and washed her face. Afterward, Soraya suggested, "Let me check what that woman cooked for dinner."

Liyana stayed silent, continuing her quiet thoughts.

Soraya stepped into the living room where Safa was feeding her child cereal. "Aslam just woke up," she said. "I haven't seen him all day."

"Yes," Safa replied.

Soraya ruffled the child's hair and walked to the kitchen. The food Safa left behind was just a small portion, barely enough for one person. Soraya stood silently, then shrugged, scooped out a serving for Liyana, and decided she'd just eat cereal later.

As she left the kitchen, her cousin Hailong walked into the house. She greeted him and took a plastic bag from him.

"Leave it," he said. "Go eat first."

"That food wasn't made for me," Soraya replied. "It's for my friend. I'll just eat cereal."

Safa just watched quietly.

"Which friend?" Hailong asked.

"Liyana. She lost her house key and came to spend the night here."

"Oh wow, that's unfortunate. Wasn't more food made earlier?"

"Nope," Soraya said, tipping the plate slightly to show how little food was left. "We've been back since afternoon."

"Alright, what do you two want to eat? I'll go get something from the restaurant."

Soraya smiled and placed the plate on the center table near Safa. "Let me ask Liyana what she wants."

Safa watched her coldly as she walked into the room.

Inside, Soraya said, "Liyana, come greet my cousin brother Hailong. I told him you're here."

Liyana looked up. "Is that really necessary?"

"What kind of question is that? He's my cousin, and I already mentioned you. You should at least say hello."

Liyana sighed, got up, and followed her out. Standing beside the couch, she greeted Hailong without making eye contact. He smiled warmly and responded while watching her. Safa, on the other hand, was expressionless, accidentally shoving cereal into her son's nose instead of his mouth.

Only Liyana noticed.

Smiling, Soraya told her, "My cousin's going out to get food. What should we ask for?"

Liyana didn't say anything.

Soraya started listing off options excitedly.

Safa got up, left the bowl on the center table, and carried Aslam out of the room. "Let's get you cleaned up," she said.

Liyana lowered her head quietly. Hailong turned to her and asked gently, "So, should I just get the things Soraya listed for you, Liyana?"

She nodded without speaking and then slowly returned to the room, feeling even more out of place.

Liyana sat quietly on the edge of Soraya's bed, cold and withdrawn. She pulled out her phone and checked the time... it was already 7:30 PM. She didn't feel like she could spend the night here anymore. Most likely, her housemate was back home by now. But how could she just go back? The thought of having to knock on his door made her stomach turn.

Soraya entered the room, snapping Liyana out of her thoughts.

"Can you believe that awful woman didn't leave us any food?" Soraya complained, holding her chin in frustration. "Poor Hailong came back looking like he'd been dragged through the mud.... and he's on night shift, mind you! She's so petty, she probably hoped we'd starve out of spite. I listed food items for him to bring for all of us, and now there's barely enough for two. Unless he had the sense to buy her something separate, she'll throw a fit. I've never seen someone so toxic in my life. I thought people left their bad habits behind when moving abroad.... but she packed hers right along with her luggage!"

Liyana forced a smile and replied, "It's okay. I think I'll head home anyway. Even if brother Hailong hadn't brought anything, my housemate called....he's back now."

Soraya stared at her in shock. "Wait, when did you even get your housemate's number? He called you? I don't believe that. You just want to leave. Look, if this is about Safa....I'm only tolerating her in this house. Her attitude is unmatched. But you, you could stay here for a year and she couldn't do anything about it. It's not her house. Brother Hailong would welcome you warmly."

Liyana sighed. "Soraya, my housemate is back. I really can't stay. I don't even have spare clothes, and I left laundry in the machine. It's a shared space....he might need to do his laundry too."

Soraya frowned, clearly upset. "So what are you really saying? While I was listing food for bro Hailong to buy for us, you're planning to leave? He'll be disappointed too....he went out because of you. If it were just me, I'd starve before asking him for help."

Liyana smiled faintly. "I'll wait until he comes back, then I'll leave and take the food with me."

Soraya didn't respond. She picked up her phone and scrolled in silence, her mood clearly soured. Liyana didn't say another word. No matter how upset Soraya was, she knew she couldn't spend the night here.

After a while, Hailong returned with food. When he called Soraya to let her know he was outside, she got up and left the room. Liyana watched her go without a word, then smiled quietly to herself.

At the dining table, Soraya picked up the takeout bag her cousin had brought and returned to the room. Without saying anything, she dished out a small portion for herself and left the rest... quite a lot.... for Liyana.

Liyana looked at the container. "What am I supposed to do with all this food, Sora?"

Without looking at her, Soraya replied, "That's your problem."

Liyana didn't want to argue. She stood, grabbed her veil, handbag, and the food, then said softly, "I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you so much, dear."

"Did you order a ride already?" Soraya asked.

"Yes," Liyana replied.

Soraya got up, and they both left the room. Just as they stepped into the living room, they bumped into Hailong. He looked at them curiously.

"What's going on?"

Soraya tilted her head. "Her housemate is back, so she's heading home."

"Isn't it a bit late?"

"I said the same thing," Soraya huffed.

Hailong turned to Liyana, who kept her gaze lowered. "Why not stay until morning?" he suggested gently. "It's already dark out."

Liyana gave a polite smile and replied quietly, "There's something I need to take care of tonight."

Hailong shrugged. "Well, if you insist…"

"Thank you," she said softly.

Soraya rolled her eyes. Hailong then offered, "I'm heading out anyway... I can drop you off."

Liyana was surprised. "I already ordered a ride…"

Soraya gave her a look. "You can cancel it."

Liyana suddenly felt uncomfortable. She didn't respond immediately, but after a moment, she said quietly, "Okay."

As Hailong headed for the door, Soraya leaned in and muttered, "Loosen up a little. You always act like you're from.... What's that neighborhood of yours in Shenzhen called again?"

Liyana stared at her blankly, then turned and walked slowly toward the door.

Soraya chuckled under her breath. "Goodnight, girlfriend."

Liyana didn't even reply.

Hailong was waiting in the car. When Liyana got in, she looked around nervously, hoping his wife wouldn't come out and see them. He started the engine, and they left the garage. Only then did she finally exhale and fasten her seatbelt. In her mind, she swore this would be her last visit to Soraya's house.

After a few minutes on the road, Hailong asked, "Where do you live?"

She told him while keeping her eyes on the road.

"So you're in a co-living apartment?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Why didn't you just come stay here with Soraya instead of living with a stranger?"

"I'm usually home alone," she said. "My housemate's rarely around."

"Hmm… I see." He was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Are you also from Shenzhen?"

"Yeah."

"Which neighborhood?"

She stayed quiet. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him glancing at her while driving. She quickly looked down and gave him a vague answer.

"Oh, okay. I'm from Shenzhen too....born and raised."

Liyana stayed quiet.

Thirteen minutes later, they arrived at her building. He parked and turned toward her.

She picked up the food bag and said, "Thank you so much."

He handed her his phone. She looked at him, confused.

"Put your number in. That way we can keep in touch. If you need anything, feel free to reach out."

Liyana looked down, uneasy. If she'd known earlier, she would've just waited outside her apartment until her housemate returned. But it was too late now.

He was still looking at her, waiting.

She finally took the phone and entered her number. He dialed it immediately, and her bag vibrated.

"Save my number," he said.

"Okay."

"Good night, take care, Liyana."

"Thanks," she said, pushing the door open and stepping out.

She glanced up at her building and saw the kitchen light on and a car in the garage...her housemate was home. Relief washed over her.

She walked up to the door, shivering slightly as the chilly night air bit through her clothes. Winter was coming.

She knocked gently three times before she heard his voice.

"Who's there?"

She turned her head and mumbled, "Somebody."

"Somebody? I wasn't expecting anyone this late."

She scowled. "Just open the door. I need to get in."

"And who exactly am I opening the door for?"

She didn't respond, already irritated.

"Oh well," he said. "I guess I'll head back to bed. I'm not a door keeper, after all."

Now truly upset, she snapped, "Please just open the door."

"For who?"

"Don't you recognize my voice?"

"Ohh, now you're yelling at me?"

Almost begging now, she said softly, "Please, open the door."

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are. Do you not have a name?"

She stared at the door, on the verge of tears.

"Well," he said, "I'm going to bed unless someone tells me who they are."

She took a breath and finally said, "Liyana."

"Ohh… Liyana." His tone shifted. "L-I-Y-A-N-A," he spelled mockingly.

She nearly burst into tears. "It's freezing out here. If it were you, would you want to be standing in the cold?"

He finally opened the door. "If you knew it was cold, why'd you stay out so late?"

She ignored him, brushing past him with a scowl.

"Oh, I see," he said as she stormed inside. "You were out with your boyfriend. He dropped you off, right? Let's hope he wasn't the one making you cry."

Liyana headed straight to her room, his words echoing in her mind.

He watched her go and added, "Well, your door keeper opened the door. Better find that missing key.... unless you're planning to sleep outside again."

She slammed her bedroom door, locked it, and let out a long, frustrated sigh.

Zhanxianyibo🌹🌹🌹