“What are you looking for?” Aiden’s voice came up which startled her.
“M… My phone,” Tiffany answered.
“Did you… Oh, shît! You dropped it earlier at the rooftop,” Aiden rubbed his forehead.
“Oh, yeah,” Tiffany pressed her lips together.
“Do you want to call Zoey?” Aiden asked and she nods her head.
“Okay, I’ll just get my phone, okay?”
Tiffany watched him walk away and then returned a few minutes later, “My phone is ringing, and it’s a call from you,” he frowned his face.
“Pick it, it could be Zoey,” Tiffany walked toward him.
“Okay,” he picked it up and placed it on the loudspeaker.
“Hey!” came the loud voice of Zoey.
“Come on, chill,” Aiden chuckled.
“Don’t you dare interfere. Where’s Tiffany? What the fûck did you do to her?” Zoey shouted.
“Zoey,” Tiffany collected the phone from Aiden and moved away from him.
“Bîtch, what the fûck happened? You got me worried!”
“I am sorry. Where are you?” Tiffany asked.
“In school, on the rooftop of course! It’s almost closing hour and you’re not here.”
“Something came up. Will you come over to where I am?” Tiffany asked.
“I am… Wait, I hope Declan is not with you.”
“He left already, where are you?”
“I am at Aiden’s house,” Tiffany answered.
“What?!” Zoey screamed.
“Keep it low, girl,” Tiffany sighed.
“Why are you there? Did something happen between you two? Wait, did you say yes to him? Even if you did, isn’t it too early to be at his house?”
Tiffany glanced at Aiden who mouthed to her that he was returning to the kitchen, “Babe, it’s not what you think. Can you come, please? I need you to be here.”
“Did Aiden do something to you?”
“Will you come over? You should see for yourself,” Tiffany sighed.
“Okay, text me his address. I’ll be there,” Zoey nodded her head.
“Declan should not know you’re coming here, okay?”
“Alright,” Zoey answered and ended the call.
Tiffany bit her lower lips as she stared at how Aiden had saved her contact and blushed.
Oh, here is not the time to blush.
She walked slowly to the space she had seen Aiden enter which she assumed to be the kitchen not failing to admire the house she was in.
As she turned in the corridor, she saw the kitchen and entered it slowly. There, she saw Aiden busy with whatever he was cooking, an apron tied around his waist, humming and dancing slowly as he work in the kitchen.
She stood for a while to take a good look at him but as soon as the guy caught her, she coughed out in embarrassment.
“What are you doing here?” Aiden glanced at her and then what he was doing.
“Huh… Can you text your address to Zoey? She wants to come over,” Tiffany walked toward him.
“Okay, just a sec, babe,” he said and then stir whatever he was cooking and then covered the pot with its lid.
He removed the hand gloves, untied the apron, and walked stylishly towards her.
“Are you okay?” He asked as he collected the phone from her.
“Yeah, sure,” Tiffany nodded her head and looked away.
“I sent it already,” Aiden said after a few seconds of silence.
“Okay,” Tiffany nodded her head, refusing to meet with his eyes, and then turned to leave.
“Wait…” Aiden grabbed her waist and pulled her closer.
“What’s wrong with you?” He walked in front of her, still holding her waist.
“Hum… I… There’s nothing wrong with me,” she forced a smile.
“Are you thinking of how Zoey will react when she sees you?” Aiden raised her chin and make her look directly at him even though the girl was trying to look away.
“I… I don’t know,” Tiffany shook her head with a sigh.
“Zoey is a good person, you know that. She’ll accept you for who you are,” Aiden assured her.
“You’re only saying that because that is what you did,” Tiffany said.
“I know, but you know Zoey, right? She wouldn’t ditch you,” Aiden smiled at her.
“Yeah,” Tiffany nodded her head.
“So, stay calm and have faith in your friendship and even if it doesn’t go as we want, I am here for you. Always,” he said and kissed her on the lip gently.
“You keep kissing me without…” Tiffany pressed her lips together awkwardly.
“What?” Aiden laughed.
“Nothing,” Tiffany shook her head, her cheek red.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll get going,” Tiffany turned away swiftly and then hurried away.
=
Aiden came out of the kitchen after many minutes had passed and saw that Tiffany had already dozed off.
With a smile on his face, he settled beside on the couch and watched her sleep with great interest.
The girl looked so innocent while sleeping, so why was this happening to her?
Was it a curse?
Huh.
He raised his right hand slowly and placed it gently on her hair and caress it slowly which made the lady jerk from her sleep and open her eyes instantly.
Oh, he guesses she was a light sleeper.
“Aiden,” she half yawned.
“Are you sleepy?”
“No, I’m fine. I just… Dozed off,” she nodded her head.
“Food is ready. Would you like to eat now?” He asked.
“No, I’ll wait till Zoey gets here. Huh, can I use your bathroom, please?”
“Yeah, sure,” he answered.
He held her hand as she stood up and they both headed toward the stairs.
~
“The bathroom is over there, I’ll be downstairs,” he said and walked outside of the room.
Tiffany took time in admiring the guy’s room which was ten times and more bigger than her room and smiled, the room was very large and beautiful. In a corridor was a space where all those boyish games sat.
She strolled towards the door that he had pointed at, turned the knob of the door, and entered the bathroom slowly.
Oh, the bathroom was also very big.
She wondered what his parents’ house was going to look like if his house was like this.
As she strolled further in, her eyes caught the mirror that was hung boldly by her left-hand side, catching every view of her.
Her red eyes shone brighter and even she felt disgusted by what she was seeing.
She walked towards it, not taking her eyes off her own eyes in the mirror.
Gosh, she looked so scary right now.
If it was someone else, she could have run away.
She looked so hideous at the moment that she hate herself the more.
‘Oh, let me just get my business started here.’
==
“Where’s Tiffany?” Zoey asked as soon as Aiden opened the door for her.
“Just come in,” Aiden sighed.
“I hope nothing had happened, else, I’ll go to the end of the world to kîll you,” Zoey threatened and entered.
“You think I did something bad to her?” Aiden creased his brow.
“I don’t know,” Zoey hissed.
“Woah, I’m so disappointed in you,” Aiden shook his head and walked past her.
“Where is she?”
“She’s coming,” Aiden answered.
“Tiffany!” Zoey shouted.
“She’s in the bathroom, I didn’t harm her, come on,” Aiden frowned his face.
“Huh.”
After a while of waiting impatiently, she saw Tiffany descending the stairs and hurried towards her.
“Tiffany!” Zoey shouted, pulled her closer, and hugged her.
“I was so worried,” she said and then broke the hug.
“Holy fûck, you look so terrible right now!” She exclaimed and took a step back.
“I know,” Tiffany nodded her head, walking towards Aiden.
“What happened? Why did you use a contact lens? You have beautiful eyes already, why did you have to use something that makes you look so hideous?” Zoey said with disgust and walked towards her.
“I… I didn’t use anything,” Tiffany shook her head.
“Then what is this? Did your eyes just turn like boom?! I don’t understand,” Zoey frowned.
“I don’t know. It just changed all of a sudden and… I don’t know, ” Tiffany shook her head.
“…” Zoey only stared at her and said nothing.
All of a sudden, she burst into laughter and clapped her hands.
“What are you saying? Is this a prank? Can the cameraman come out already?”
“This is not a prank,” Aiden hissed.
“Okay then, if that is the case, I also have claws, I’m just keeping it in,” Zoey laughed, tapping her fingers.
“I am fûcking serious, bîtch!” Tiffany half-yelled.
“How can you be serious? How can your eyes just turn red? I don’t understand!”
“I don’t know!”
“Are you a Gumiho or something? There’s no way this is happening, girl!” Zoey snapped.
“Okay,” Tiffany nodded her head and then turned to walk away.
“Is she for real?” Zoey stared at Aiden.
“When has she even joked with something like this?” Aiden raised a brow.
“But…”
“I was there when it happened, I saw her eyes change, and you… You think it’s a joke?” Aiden furrowed his brow.
“Aiden, I’ll get going,” Tiffany said.
“Fûck, no! You’re going nowhere,” Aiden hurried towards her.
“Everyone will probably think it’s not real. No one will think my eyes changed for real, right? See, even Zoey didn’t believe it,” Tiffany shrugged off her shoulder.
“No, no, no, I’m so sorry, Tiffy, I thought it was just a prank since you and Aiden left without a word,” Zoey hurried toward her.
“It’s fine.”
“Babe, you are not leaving here. You are staying indoors till your eyes return to normal, okay?” Aiden cupped her cheek in his palm.
“What if that didn’t happen? What if my eyes remain like this? Maybe Zoey is right, what if I am a Gumiho or some hideous creature? What if I hurt you one day? It’s going to be a disaster. Just let me leave while I can, I can just go to the forest and roam there for the rest of my life. I can’t… I can’t live with being awfully different, I can’t!” Tiffany cried.
“Tiffy, I’m sorry for saying those words to you. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you the way I did. Just stay here with Aiden till it’s over, I am so sorry,” Zoey joined her in crying.
“What if I harm you?”
“You can’t harm us. Babe, you can’t harm me, I know that for sure. J… Just stay here with me. Please,” Aiden pleaded.
“Guys,” Tiffany shook her head, crying.
“Just stay here with us, please,” Zoey said.
“I will,” Tiffany nodded her head after a few seconds of silence.
“Thank you, baby,” Aiden pulled her into a hug.
“I’m sorry for causing all of this,” Tiffany sniffed.
“I’m sorry for saying that shît also,” Zoey chuckled.
“Wait, for real, do you think I could hurt Tiffany?” Aiden turned to look at Zoey.
“Look, I’m so sorry, forgive me, huh?” Zoey wore a puppy expression.
“Whatever,” Aiden rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorryyyy.”
“By the way, Tiffany and I are dating already,” Aiden announced.
“Huh?”
“I knew it,” Tiffany and Zoey chorused respectively.
“Yes babe, you kissed me when I asked you out. There’s no better answer than that,” Aiden laughed.
“Did you need to say that?” Tiffany blushed.
“Yeah, it seems like you were going to deny me,” Aiden shrugged his shoulder.
“I wasn’t going… ”
She had only started when the lion guardian and Spirit mountain appeared before her.
“Fûck, not now!” She yelled.
“What?” Aiden and Zoey furrowed their brows.
“Tiffany, I saw what happened,” Chephirah started.
“And you’re just visiting?” Tiffany raised a brow, ignoring Aiden and Zoey who looked completely lost.
“We came after meeting with other guardians,” Benroy answered.
“Did they say they are going to help?” Tiffany asked.
“Tiffany, what are you saying?” Zoey asked.
“Anny, you’re scaring us. Who are you talking to?” Aiden looked around.
“I’ll make those two see us. Should I go ahead?” Chephirah
asked.
“Can you?”
“Sure,” she smiled and walked towards Aiden.
She leaned towards him and then blew air from her mouth to his eyes while Benroy did the same to Zoey.
“Hi,” Chephirah waved at Aiden who looked startled immediately.
“Jesus Christ!” Zoey widened her eyes.
“I am the lion spirit, Chephirah,” she introduced.
“I am the mountain guardian, Benroy,” he smiled.
“Fûck, I am seeing things,” Zoey took a step back, and then another.
“You are not, we are…”
“Jesus!” Zoey interrupted the lion’s spirit and fell to the ground immediately.
“Did she black out?” Chephirah asked in awe.
“I think so,” Tiffany nodded her head.
“Wow,” Benroy laughed.
While all this was happening, Aiden only stood on his spot, shocked at what he was seeing.
“These kids are so weak,” Chephirah shook her head.
“You can say that again,” Benroy nodded his head.
*