Tina was absolutely buzzing with excitent. She clenched her fists and looked at the two of them, her eyes practically glowing. "So cute, so cute!
"I’ve been eyeing these two big birdies forever, thinking how adorable they are. I’ve always wanted to touch them, but I didn’t know they could talk! Oh my gosh, I love them! "Can I touch them? My hands are itching!"
Maria laughed. "They like to hang out up high and watch people. Unless sothing important happens, they won’t co down."
"What a sha." Tina sighed. "I’ve always wanted an owl. They’re so cool and cute. Too bad I can’t keep one."
But that was quickly forgotten when she spotted Dolli.
"Aww!" Tina squealed, clenching her fists again, eyes practically sparkling. She stomped her feet and shouted, "A kitty! And it’s a beautiful calico! I love it!"
She ran over and dropped to the floor, scooping Dolli up in both hands. She rubbed her cheek against the cat’s soft fur and kissed its little head. "So cute! I just want to take you ho with !"
If Dolli could talk, she would probably say, "What’s wrong with this two-legged giant?"
Maria was a little stunned too. Dolli was adorable, but Tina’s reaction was a bit... intense.
"Woof woof woof!" Bello saw all this and, whether envious or worried, stuck out its tongue and barked.
Tina looked up and froze, her eyes going wide. "A German shepherd? Your family has a German shepherd?"
She imdiately rembered that Zayn had adopted one, a German Shepherd that was almost put down by the production team. From the photo, this must be the one.
Without wasting a second, Tina scooped up Dolli and rushed over to Bello. She hugged Dolli with one arm and Bello with the other, showering their little heads with kisses. "Oh, this is the perfect life!" she kept shouting.
"One of my life goals is to have both cats and dogs. Once I’ve saved up enough for retirent and finally hit that sweet spot of freedom, I’ll have a few cats and a dog.
"I’ll fill my balcony with flowers, and every day, when I’ve got nothing going on, I’ll just chill, play gas, hang with the cats, walk the dog, living the good life. Then, I will die with no regrets."
Maria didn’t say anything, but in her head, she was thinking, ’Why does she want a bunch of cats but only one dog? Seems a little unfair.’
Zayn, who had just walked up to the second floor, saw the scene and froze.
He didn’t expect Maria’s new friend to be... that author. And she was a lot more childish than he had known. Even Josie wasn’t this over-the-top.
He cleared his throat, shook his head, and ca back downstairs. "So, Maria’s friend is here."
"Zayn, this is my friend Tina. She lives right across from us," Maria said with a big grin. "Tina, et Zayn. You might’ve seen him on TV or in movies."
Zayn didn’t skip a beat. "Yeah, I know. Miss Tina Tate reached out to a month ago to ask if I would play the male lead in her project."
Tina, still rolling on the floor with the cat in one hand and the dog in the other, froze when she saw Zayn. She quickly let go of Bello and got up awkwardly. "Oh, Zayn, hey there."
Maria’s mind was racing. "Tina Tate? That na sounds familiar."
Zayn looked at Maria, confused. ’How can she be so into romance novels and not even recognize the author’s na?’
"Tina is the author of ’Beauty and the Boss’," Zayn explained.
Maria gasped in shock, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh! I rember now. ’Beauty and the Boss’ is written by Tina Tate!
"Tina, are you really that Tina?" Maria was shocked, but not really all that surprised.
After all, she had already dealt with the shock of finding out Avery was actually Miss Yonder. So, this wasn’t going to rattle her too much.
"Yep, that’s -Tina Tate," Tina said, waving her hand with a smile. "I rented a place around here to try and convince Zayn to play Victor Dean. At first, I even tried to get close to you just to get to him.
"But don’t worry, I don’t have any bad intentions. I really do get along with you. You’re not mad at , are you?"
Maria shook her head quickly. "No, no. I know you an no harm. It’s just that I didn’t expect to et such an amazing romance author. Feels like sothing straight out of a novel."
"Stop it!" Tina chuckled. "I’m just selling words for living. And hey, Maria, you’ve got great taste. Please help convince Zayn to play Victor."
"Alright," Maria said eagerly, glancing at Zayn and getting ready to speak.
However, Zayn cut her off, "I’m not playing him. Don’t bother. Also, I’m hungry. Let’s eat."
Maria closed her mouth, sighing as she let the words go.
Tina, still cuddling Dolli, looked around the house, then asked, "Is it just you two here?"
"Yeah," Maria replied. "The rest of the family is either working or out of town. It’s just the three of us tonight."
A few days ago, Josie was invited to Yundara for the talent show’s finals. Avery decided to bring their parents along since they hadn’t traveled in years, so they were all there now, planning to stay until school starts. Their grandparents, on the other hand, were off in the countryside for the sumr, so it was just the two of them at the villa.
Tina nodded, "Gotcha. First ti at your place, so I didn’t know what your family likes, but I know you. I brought you a little sothing."
Maria opened the bag Tina handed her and found a stack of hardcover books. "These are all the novels I’ve published so far. Signed and revised versions," Tina explained.
"Oh!" Maria’s eyes practically sparkled. "I love this gift so much! I’ve heard you’ve got a bunch of pen nas, and honestly, it’s a challenge to get through all your books. I’m really honored to get ones with your signature. "Tina, you’re amazing. I’m so happy!"
The two of them hugged each other. anwhile, Zayn just stared, confused. "Are you two like... kids?"
Tina grinned. "I’m not a kid. I’m 26, okay?"
Maria and Zayn both looked her up and down, clearly surprised. Then, Maria chuckled. "You look like a college student, the type who hasn’t even graduated yet."
"Really?" Tina said, thrilled. She adjusted her big black-frad glasses and added, "I don’t get out much and don’t sunbathe, so my skin doesn’t age easily. Plus, no relationships, no n, no marriage drama-that’s my natural anti-aging hack."
Maria blinked. "I thought you wrote romance novels. Don’t you dream about love and marriage?"
"No way!" Tina shook her finger. "Here’s the thing-if you’ve never been in a relationship, you think love is all magical. If you’ve never been married, you write about how perfect marriage is.
"But people who’ve been in both don’t have those fantasies anymore. It’s way harder to write about love when you know the real deal."
Zayn paused, surprised by her perspective. ’As a writer, she really sees things differently than most people.’
Maria nodded thoughtfully. "I get that. But my parents are super happy together. They’ve been married for years. I guess they’re an exception?"
Tina gave her a thumbs up. "Your parents are lucky. Finding the right person in this huge world, being able to have kids, and living a full life together-that’s the best kind of luck."
Seeing they were about to go on, Zayn cleared his throat. "Let’s eat before everything goes cold."
They sat down at the table, Tina happily eating while chatting with Maria. Between bites, they still made ti to pet the cat, but the whole convincing Zayn plan was dropped for now. Zayn ate quietly, just listening to the two won chatting. He didn’t mind at all-honestly, it was far from boring.
After dinner, Tina learned about
Zayn’s injured ribs and how he went for walks every morning and night She thought, ’Zayn is rarely stuck at ho for so long. Perfect, I’ll use this ti to brainwash him into loving Victor Dean!’
So, from that point on, Zayn kept bumping into Tina every ti he went out for his walks.
She would tag along, playing "Beauty and the Boss" audiobook on repeat, pushing him to speed up. Every ti, Zayn would think of so way to ditch her.
Tina was all about her new motto: "More food ans more energy." So, she would load up on snacks before heading out, then chase after Zayn, determined to keep up.
But it always proved to be a lost cause.
No matter how many snacks she stuffed her face with, she couldn’t keep up with Zayn, who was in shape from constant exercise. After just ten minutes, she’d be out of breath, left behind as he kept going. Each ti he looked back and saw her behind, hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath, Zayn couldn’t help but smile. ’Maybe she’ll give up soon.’
But little did he know, he was underestimating this popular online author.
That evening, as soon as he stepped
outside, there she was-Tina, on roller skates. One hand on her waist, the other throwing him a peace sign. "I’ve been practicing for days," she said proudly. "My skills are finally at its peak.
"I don’t care how fast you go, I’m catching up with you now!"
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