Chapter 11: Tension

Four of the people in the group are having their own dates while the others are enjoying their company. They are currently at the place where the three girls are staying, in their condo unit, waiting for their friends to arrive.

Jhaderylle and Archer are playing video games while still in their uniforms. Danilaey changed her school uniform, but Lyxander was not there; he went home to change.

"Hey guys, do you want some snacks?" Danilaey asked the two.

"Yes please." Archer responded, his gaze fixed on the monitor.

Danilaey prepared some cookies and drinks for them. She baked it. Well, she's good at baking, especially deserts. She's one of the members of the cooking club at their former school.

A minute past, and Lyxander arrived in their condo with some clothes for his friends. Their gazes locked, but Danilaey broke it. The tension between them increased when their eyes locked together.

Lyxander gave the clothes he brought to his friends, and they immediately changed. He wants to praise the smell of food that Danilaey is making, but he can't do it. They are always like that; when they need some time to get to know each other, there are always their friends with them.

"Mmm... It smells so good!" Archer commented while walking through the kitchen.

"Thank you!" Danilaey said.

"I bet you're a good cook."

Archer is trying to get the attention of Lyxander, who seems distracted by the way he is sitting on the couch. He is aware of his feelings for Danilaey, but he is also aware that Lyxander is unable to express them. Well, Archer is like the Eros of their circle of friends. He is the road to their love life.

"Can you teach me how to bake these cookies?" His evil plan is working. Lyxander was literally killing him with his sharp glare.

"Of course!" Danilaey responded.

Archer gets closer to Danilaey to see what she is doing. She is teaching him in front of Lyxander, and it annoys him to see them so close to each other. The other one doesn't know that the one she is teaching is also good at cooking. Archer is the chef in their group of friends.

"Wow! I didn't know that. I'm not really good at cooking!" Archer said it loudly enough for him to hear.

'Liar!' Lyxander mumbled under his breath.

Archer is enjoying himself, seeing his friend struggle to watch the both of them. He is helpless! Jhaderylle doesn't care about the atmosphere either; he's just enjoying the video games he is playing. What a concerned friend he is!

Maybe he needs to swallow his pride and stop what Archer is doing. He knows what he is doing, but he doesn't have the courage to stop him.

Not until Archer's plan levels up. Danilaey was supposedly putting the cookies in the tray, but he grabbed her hand and ate the cookies she was holding. Archer was laughing inside when he saw his reaction. Danilaey just let him be, unable to read the atmosphere around her.

"Archer, someone is calling you!" Lyxander shouted at him.

He immediately ran in that direction to see who was calling him.

"There's nothing here." he said.

Lyxander lied. There was nothing calling him either; he just said that to get him off Danilaeys' side. Lyxander punched him in the shoulder softly, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Danilaey, Lyxander wants to say something to you!" Archer said he was pushing his friend in the kitchen. He gave him a questioning look, but Archer just shrugged.

Lyxander just walked through the kitchen nervously. When it came to Danilaey, he was nervous as hell. It's like he was having an exam without any review.

"What do you want to say?" Danilaey asked, looking him in the eye.

He was having a hard time deciding what to say. He doesn't have anything to say, but it's his only time to talk to her. His nervousness is killing him.

"All I want to say is..." He was talking to himself deep inside.

"W-what?"

The time is running out, and his mind is fuzzy, especially now that Danilaey is staring at him, waiting for his answer.

"I'm hungry!" he blurted out, thinking if that was the right word to use.

Danilaey burst out laughing. She found it adorable when he said that. It's like a child pleading with his mother for food. Because she was laughing so hard, she even covered her mouth and held her stomach while Lyxander just laughed with her, trying to hide his embarrassment. He really doesn't know how to talk to girls. You can see him as a womanizer, but he is not. He doesn't know how to communicate well with women. That is the reason he doesn't have a girlfriend yet.

"I-I'm sorry! It's just you're very funny!" She apologized while still holding her laugh.

Danilaey gave him the cookie she was holding, and he awkwardly ate it. Before returning to Lyxander, she visited his friends and gave them cookies and juice. He was amazed by the taste of the cookies she baked. It was delicious.

"So, how was it?" Danilaey asked.

"It was delicious! Eat some." He's getting better at talking.

It's not really hard to talk to Danilaey. She's very nice, and her voice is calm. You can talk to her all day.

"No, thanks. I don't really eat those foods that I cooked."

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't know. I just can't tell. Maybe it's a chef thing or what?"

Lyxander smiled at her. How can that be a chef thing? They're enjoying themselves by talking and smiling at each other's silly jokes. I don't know if that's funny or if they're just unconsciously liking each other.

"Can we be friends?" Lyxander asked. He really wants to be friends with her. Nothing else?

"Of course!" Danilaey happily agreed.

Archer was secretly monitoring them when the others arrived. It was already evening when they got home, and they seemed to be enjoying each other's company. They even talk if they're already in the condo.

"Dani, we're home!" Zharia shouted from the living room.

"Let's go greet them!"

Danilaey immediately went to the living room, pulling Lyxander by his wrist. When they arrived, all eyes were on them. Archer was grinning mischievously at the view. He knew that something was forming when he heard the laughter in the kitchen.

Sabrina clears her throat to remind Danilaey who she is holding. She has no idea what it is, but she recalls her hand holding Lyxander's wrist. She immediately drew her hand from his wrist before clearing her throat too, trying to ease the tension.

"You want some cookies?" She said it awkwardly.

The two girls' faces immediately brighten up. They really loved the food she cooked. They didn't even say a word and headed straight to the kitchen to search for the cookies, which they immediately ate.

"I guess they just loved the cookies I baked. Wanna join them?" Danilaey asked Dyren and Prince.

"Nah! I'm still full!" Prince rejected.

"Neither do I, but we do buy you some food." Zharia said,

"Perhaps you haven't eaten your dinner yet." Dyren said while giving them some paper bags of food they bought.

Jhaderylle was very hungry while waiting for some dinner foods, so he got them before they thought about it. Danilaey got some plates, spoons, forks, and juice for them. They ate in the living room while Dyren and Prince went to the kitchen.

"You're not obviously hungry. You know Jhaderylle!" Lyxander teased his friend.

He got no response from him; he just ate the food without talking. He surely is a big eater.

After some time of bonding with each other, the boys prepare themselves to go home. It's getting late already, and they have class tomorrow. They gave their farewells, and the girls accompanied them through the door.

"Can we hang out tomorrow? As friends." Lyxander clarified before Danilaey misunderstood it.

"I'd love to!" She smiled and agreed.

When Danilaey agreed to it, Lyxander was the happiest person in the room. His smile can't be drawn by any artist in the world. He can't even notice the wall he will bump into. His friends were laughing at him and making snide remarks about him. He was in his own world.

On the other side, Danilaey entered their condo with so much excitement in her face. She was even jumping with joy, and her friends were just staring at him awkwardly.

"What happened to her?" Zharia curiously asked Sabrina.

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Nah! Did she pass our quarterly exam? But we didn't have our exam yet." Sabrina just gave her a face of disappointment.

Zharia is really a low-getter. She's very innocent. She really has no idea what is happening to her friend. Sabrina has already been through this scenario, and she is aware that her friends are gradually growing to like Lyxander without her knowledge.

Before they went to bed, Zharia and Sabrina shared their moments with Dyren and Prince. Sabrina also said her new job and her friends were very supportive of her. But when they find out what her new job is, Sabrina was made fun of, especially when she says that Prince is the one she will tutor.

"What is so funny about that?" Zharia, the curious little one, asked Danilaey.

"If I explain to you, you will not understand it either." she said.

Zharia just shrugged and went to her room. She was thinking that sometimes she can't understand her friends. She fell asleep before that. A new day of challenges will come into her life again.