Shikera snapped her head around to look at him.
"What?"
Ethan was taken aback by her challenging tone, and he wondered if they had a prior argunt.
"Can I see you upstairs for a minute?" he asked, not wanting to talk in Esther’s presence.
"No! I am talking to Esther here," Shikera refused, causing Ethan’s frown to get deeper.
He shrugged, then picked up the dish before setting it on the table before Shikera and Esther, before taking his seat opposite Esther.
Shikera ignored him throughout the al, engaging in a discussion with Esther alone.
"Alright so, tell about your friends and what they like. I can get it as gifts for them," she smoothened a tangle in Esther’s hair as she talked, maintaining a smile on her lips.
"I don’t have much friends. Alexis alone and maybe Jude, because he helped with my... howork on Friday. Alexis likes everything but Jude likes watching soccer. That’s it," Esther concluded, oblivious to the way the people at the table were looking at her strangely.
"About the assignnt, were you unable to do it yourself?" Shikera asked.
"I needed assistance with it but daddy was looking so tired. Miss Hazel—"
"Don’t worry about it. My schedule will be less packed from tomorrow on so I will have more ti to spend with you. Tell if you need anything too, instead of daddy, okay?"
"I will!" Esther exclaid. She seed a little too excited for anyone to think that it was only because of what Shikera said.
Since she would not answer Ethan no matter what question he asked, dinner that night was earlier than usual. Shikera picked the plates up and walked to the sink to wash the plates while Ethan and Esther watched her from behind, wondering what had ca over their housemate.
Esther was more than ready to welco the developnts, but Ethan was reluctant. Esther was his daughter, and he would not allow Shikera feel like she had an obligation to act as her mother.
After she was done washing the plates, Shikera walked up the stairs and the others followed her. Her hand was already on the door knob before she suddenly turned, rembering her vow from earlier.
"Do you want to accompany you till you sleep, Esther?"
"Yes! Daddy, you can leave for tonight," Esther answered, releasing her father’s hand and hurriedly going to hold Shikera’s. She pulled her to her own room and pushed open the door to reveal a room with everything in white. Wait, was this how they decorated a young girl’s room?
"What is your best color, Esther?"
"Yellow."
Shikera committed the answer to mory before walking towards the bedside table, spotting a collection of fairy tales.
"Which would you like to read to you?" she asked.
"Beauty and the beast. I want to read that for tonight."
Shikera picked out the book and held the girl’s hand to tuck her in bed. Even though she had never done sothing like this before, it still felt as natural as it could be and oddly, Shikera was happy doing it.
She got into bed with Esther and playing with her hair, she began to read the story out. Within five minutes, Esther was asleep with her hand tightly wrapped around Shikera’s as if she did not want to let her go even in sleep.
However, she still had to think about work so she slowly removed the hand and tiptoed out of the room. As soon as she closed the door after herself, Ethan appeared in front of her with a blank face.
"What happened? Did I do sothing wrong?" he asked, seeing how Shikera rolled her eyes at him as if he was pestering her.
"You didn’t. I should be asking that question instead," Shikera replied. "Why did you ask to stop when I told Esther to call mum? Would you prefer it if she called Hazel mum instead?"
"Wait, why don’t I understand this discussion? Why would Miss Hazel be involved in this?"
"Miss Hazel?" Shikera scoffed mockingly, mimicking his tone. "You are rekindling the fla between you and your childhood friend and you pretend in front of ! You were with her without your nosemask in the kitchen and she even addressed you both as ’we’, yet you did not bother to correct her."
"As confused as I already am with the first half of your sentence, I am even more confused with the second half. Was her english incorrect?" Ethan asked, summoning all his brain cells to decipher Shikera’s cryptic ssage. He knew he was smart, but why was that skill not working when he needed it the most?
"Just forget it, Ethan. Don’t stop and Esther though. I want to do it so you have no right to stop !" She glared at him, bypassing him to go to her own room.
Ethan stopped her imdiately by holding her hand.
"I am sorry I am kind of slow tonight but I promise I will think about your words and make sure I understand by tomorrow. Before that though, why will your schedule be less packed from tomorrow? Did you decide to resign after all?"
"Resign my foot. I got promoted and I was given a week to think about which show I want to anchor."
She pried her hand out of his hold and bade him goodnight, but even Ethan knew that her wish was not sincere. Why would she bid him goodnight without kissing him?
Raking his hand through his silky black hair as he sighed in confusion, he walked down the stairs. He didn’t think he would be able to understand what she said, even if he thought about it all night so he decided to ask from Raymond or Enoch and if the didn’t understand too, then it had to be a woman thing. He would ask Ruthlyn then.
He got to the villa at the back and input the door’s passcode, pushing open the door to et Hazel standing there.
Hazel was elated that Ethan had co to see her, and her eyes did nothing to hide it. She had been right that Ethan was supporting her when he did not say anything earlier. He probably didn’t want to offend Shikera because of her father, and that was why he had not defended her.
"Where are the others?" Ethan asked, bursting her bubble of illusion.
Hazel was confused and she asked, "Did you not co to see ?"
"You have already been excused earlier. Get Raymond and Enoch down here," Ethan ordered. As he stared at Hazel’s retreating figure, he wondered if tonight was a night designed for all girls to act strange.
And his suspicions were further confird when Enoch and Raymond ca down looking downcast. Before he shared his problem, he had to ask them to share thiers first so they would be in the right fra of mind to think about his.
"What’s the matter? One after the other, I’m listening," he rested his back on the couch, like a relationship counselor who was ready for his clients.
Upstairs, Ruthlyn stared down at the three n, one with a confident expression; another with a confused expression, and the last one just downcast.
"Tsk...a bunch of inexperienced n thinking they have all the knowledge in the world."
Not far from her, Hazel could not help but smile. Ethan didn’t have anything important to say to Raymond and Enoch so why else would he have co here if not for her? He was probably trying to play hard to get for her.
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