Melody grabs her coat and puts it on herself. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs to see Damian already waiting for her.
“I’m done!” She announced her present.
“Can you be the first one to get ready before me for once?” Damian asks in sarcasm as he puts his phone back in his pocket.
She rolls her eyes, “Women need time to get ready.”
“Really? Because you look the same to me no matter how many hours you need to get ready,” he smirks.
“Excuse me, sir. That’s an insult to women!” Melody glares at him. “Besides, it’s not like I’m being beautiful for you.”
“Oh yeah? Then for you?” He arches his eyebrows.
“For anyone that appreciates my beauty,” she huffs.
“I didn’t say I didn’t appreciate your beauty,” Damian crossed his arms above his chest. “I just said it looks the same to me.”
Melody sighs, “I think it has the same meaning.”
He rolls his eyes. He grabs his stuff and walks to the door. Before he opens it, he turns to Melody who looking at him in confusion. His eyes look at her up and down.
“What? Are you trying to find the thing to make fun of me?” She arches her eyebrows.
Damian didn’t say anything. Instead, he walks away upstairs leaving Melody still in confusion.
“What is wrong with that old man?” She mumbles to herself.
After a few minutes, he went downstairs holding a pair of socks. He hands it to her.
“Socks?”
“Yes, it socks, dumb. What else?” He rolls his eyes. “You should wear it. Your feet will get cold if you don’t wear them. And it not good.”
By that, he steps out of the house. Melody holding the socks, still in a surprised state. She looks at the socks trying to snap out of her thought that this is not a dream.
After a moment, they finally arrive at the bakery. Melody pushes the door open to see a lot of customers, like always. No wonder since it’s breakfast time. So, a lot of people come to buy some bread for their breakfast.
“Sweetheart! Look, we got a lot of customers today!” Matthew came to her with a big smile.
“Yeah, I see that, Mat. Are you sure you guys can handle it?” She looks at them with concern.
Matthew scoffs, “Oh please. Of course, we can. It’s not that hard. I have been doing this since I was born.”
“You have learned how to hold a gun since born, Mat,” Damian chimed in.
“Shh! Don’t expose it!” He grunts.
Damian sighs and shakes his head slightly. Melody chuckles seeing their interaction. As she looked around, her eyes saw Riccardo sitting alone enjoying his coffee and bread. She remembered she needed to apologize.
“I will be right back. I need to talk with Riccardo,” she speaks.
Damian gave her a nod.
She walks away by that. Matthew stands beside Damian, “This is my first time seeing you are okay with that.”
“I know Melody is a soft-hearted person. Besides, both misunderstood something so why not let them settle back,” he shrugs his shoulder.
“Huh. You seem softer toward Riccardo,” Matthew mentions it.
“Can you not speak it out loud about that?” Damian glares at him.
“I’m just telling the truth! You welcome,” he huffs.
Melody approached him slowly. As she finally stands beside him, Riccardo finally notices her existence. He lifted his head.
“Um…hey…” she fiddles with her fingers.
“Hey. Is everything okay?” He arches his eyebrows.
“I…I just want to apologize about…that time,” she sighs, “I didn’t listen to you and being mean to you.”
Riccardo chuckles, “It’s okay. I understand. I didn’t take it to heart. I know you want a little bit of freedom.”
“Damian already told me everything,” Melody spills it out.
“Everything?” He frowns.
“Yes. About that Matthias guy. He…He is your father-” Before she could finish her sentence, Riccardo cuts her off.
“He is not my father,” he firmly said. Melody flinches with his harsh tone. He sighs, “I’m sorry. I just…didn’t like it when people say that.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry for saying it that way,” she apologized.
“So, Damian tells you everything huh? That’s…great I guess,” Riccardo shrugs his shoulder.
Melody looks down, “Just… want to tell you that, no matter where are you coming from, it wouldn’t change my perspective of yours.”
“Why did you say that?”
“You try to fix your friendship with Damian and then do the work with your father. I can see the regret in your actions and now, you try to save everything. Thank you for doing that for Damian,” she smiles.
Riccardo lost his words. He stays in his seat not saying anything. As if Melody’s words stuck in his head.
“That old man didn’t hate you. He just…can’t accept it yet. Bear with him,” she chuckles.
Melody waves at him before turns around and leaves. Riccardo tightened his grip on his coffee cup. The sweet and nice words of Melody just increase his eagerness to help and protect Damian’s life even more.
Why?
Because his best friend has suffered enough.
He didn’t deserve all of this.
“Celestia!” Melody ran to hug her.
Celestia laugh, “Ma’am, what with the hug?”
“Nothing. Just happy to see you. You should take a break. You have been working hard,” Melody frowns.
“I’m fine, ma’am. Besides, all of us enjoying this work,” she grins.
“Are you saying you are complaining about the task that Damian gave you?” Matthew appeared out of a sudden.
“I didn’t say it that way, idiot,” she glares at him.
He scoffs, “Oh please, just say it that way. We all know what you are trying to say.”
“What is your problem!? Can you stop annoying me for once!?” Celestia scolds him.
“Chill down, angry bird. I didn’t annoy you. I just helping you tell the truth,” He smirks.
“Your presence is enough to annoy me,” she said through her gritted teeth. “Bring your ugly face out of my face here!!”
“Ugly-woah! My face is not something you can say it that way! Don’t you dare insult my face,” he pointed at her.
“I don’t care! Because it hurts my eyes,” Celestia scoffs.
Melody stands there watching them fighting. Victor stands with her watching the scene.
“They are on it again?” Victor asks.
“Seem like it,” she answers.
Victor sighs, “I can’t imagine if they are married one day.”
“They? Married? That’s…unexpected things I ever witnessed,” Melody said.
“Well, it’s not impossible,” he shrugs his shoulder.
Matthew and Celestia? Married? She never thought of that. Matthew is not a serious person while Celestia is opposite of him. Melody chuckles as she imagines both together.
It will be both cute and surprising.
Riccardo just watched their interaction from his seat. He lets out a small laugh.
“I see that you and Melody are good now?” Damian appeared beside him.
He smiles, “Well, I admit it. Your wife is the best person I ever met. It’s not because she’s innocent of naive.”
“It’s because…she knows the value of that person. She can see the kindness in someone.”
“I’m not surprised you are saying that about her,” Damian smirks. “She is just like a sunshine for everyone.”
“She is…”
Damian glanced at him, “I want to say thank you.”
“For what?” Riccardo looks at him with surprise. This is the first time he heard Damian saying ‘thank you’ to him.
Not in a bad way but in a good way.
“Melody told me that you are asking her to stay with me. You ask her to try understanding me and not to decide something too fast,”
“…And she said, if it not you, me and her wouldn’t be like this. And…I must admit it.” Damian sighs, “She was right. Thank you for helping.”
“You…know what is better for me and I’m thankful for that.”
His words make Riccardo stunned. It’s happened too fast. “It’s weird that you are saying good things to me.”
“Please, don’t ruin the moment. If you don’t want me to insult you like I always did,” he glares at him.
Riccardo chuckles, “Wow. I…don’t know what to say.”
“No need to say anything,” Damian rolls his eyes and makes his friend laugh a little.
As Damian watches Melody from afar, he notices something. His eyes narrow on her, seeing red dote on his top. As far as he remembers, she wears a top that has patterns on it.
“Ric, do you see what I’m seeing?” He inquired.
Riccardo looks in the direction she’s looking. His eyes narrow like Damian’s. “That just like…”
A red laser.
Only means one thing.
Their eyes are wide open. Damian looked outside the bakery and saw a man holding a huge gun.
“TAKE COVER!!!”