Sophia’s POV
As I open the door, I am surprised to see Alexander standing at the doorway, the two kids in his arms. Daisy is completely asleep, and her head is on his shoulders, the ponytail of her hair drooping on his chest, and her brother stirs up when he hears the door open. He rouses and looks up from his father’s embrace, reaching out to rub his eyes dizzily. I also notice the puppy he is carrying in his arms; it is the puppy from that day at the supermarket.
I am stunned by their sudden appearance, but I can’t help but think inwardly about how they are so cute. Not to mention how they all really seem like a family, and Alexander really looks like a father; I just never thought that he would really look like a father figure.
Which brings me back to reality why is the whole bunch at my doorstep?
I am about to ask when I hear Jake’s voice in the background, reminding me that I am still on a call. I quickly say to the receiver, “I’ll call you back later, Tyler,” I say before hanging up.
I hear Tyler trying to speak in the background, but I pay it no heed as I disconnect the call and slip my phone into my pockets. He is going to nag me anyway.
I return my attention to the three figures at my doorstep, regarding them curiously. I am about to speak when Alexander beats me to it.
“Did we disturb you?” He asks, placing Daniel on his two feet while he still holds the asleep Daisy in his arms. “We can come back later.”
I regard him, my brows creasing. Since when is he so thoughtful? Not to mention, if he really doesn’t intend to intrude, he would have said so when I opened the door, and he saw that I was on a call. Not when I already disconnected the call.
“You’re already here,” I respond as I regard him. It is already suspicious enough that he suddenly turns out to be my neighbor, but now, he is knocking on my door with a whole battalion of kids with his arms.
He nods, sighs, and looks a little helpless. “There’s an issue with our kitchen tap, and it burst.”
I look at him, unable to understand how that is meant to be my business. However, I am not surprised. The day I came to check for the apartment, I discovered mine was also broken, and I had to get them to repair it. They probably didn’t check theirs well.
“Okay…?”
He says directly, “The house is flooded with water. If you don’t mind, can the kids stay with you for the night?”
I fall silent as I regard his face. He is still the same indifferent and distant man I know. Even his behavior and facial expressions are no different from what I remember them to be one year ago. The only thing that seems to change is his manner of approach and speaking; he seems more laid back and approachable. Or maybe he seems that way because he has kids around him.
He is still staring at me calmly, and for a moment, I get lost in his eyes that I forget he actually asks a question and wants me to help. I don’t know how to react immediately. I always had the perception that he didn’t want anything to do with me and the kids. That was the agreement, and I had always felt that he really wouldn’t want me to be around them. But I didn’t expect him to come to me and ask me to shelter them.
“But…” I begin to say.
He looks me in the eye and cuts in. “Just for the night. They are tired and sleepy, I don’t want to drive them around so late. I’ll be here early to pick them up.”
I don’t know what else to say or do than to let them in. The kids are young to be awake at such a time. Not to mention, I couldn’t possibly let them sleep in a house flooded with water.
“Okay,” I respond. “Just for the night.”
He nods and looks relieved. I notice he seems worried, not surprising with two kids in his care. But for some reason, as I open the door wide for them to enter, I can’t help the vague feeling I have that there is more to it than I know. As if I am being tricked but I disregard such silly thoughts as I reach out to hold Daniel’s hand and take him in behind his father, closing the door behind me.
Alexander walks into the living room in front of me, and I can only stare, surprised by how easy it is for him to walk around in someone else’s home; if I didn’t know better, I would think he was the owner.
But thankfully, he is much mannered to stop at the doorway and wait for me to reach him. When I get to him, I regard him curiously, “Have they eaten something, or do they just need to go to bed directly?”
“They’ve eaten earlier,” he says.
“Can they sleep alone?”
He pauses. “Well, I’m not sure…”
I don’t need to hear the rest, knowing I wouldn’t be able to rest well if they don’t sleep by my side. I would have to wake up every minute and go check on them so it is best they sleep beside me.
“Let’s just bring them into the bedroom,” I say to him, and he nods calmly, carrying Daisy as he follows me inside the room. I quickly pull the blankets off, and he lays her on the bed, removing the pillow from under her head.
She doesn’t seem to sense any movements as she simply stirs and dozes off again. After settling her successfully, he looks relieved and stretches his arms, taking the chance to look around my room. I can tell he is looking by the way he is pretending to languidly stretch his body while giving everywhere a side glance.
Uncomfortable with his glances even though my room is completely clean and nothing personal is in sight, I turn to him and ask, “Daniel didn’t follow us in?”
He also seems to just realize that as he looks behind him before stepping out of the room, I follow behind. I find Daniel sitting on one of the sofas, looking so serious and well behaved. Alexander is talking to him, and when I come in, I notice how they both go quiet.
“Isn’t he coming in?” I ask, fishing for the reason why they both reacted like that.
“Oh, he will,” Alexander responds as he helps the kid down, and we return into the bedroom.