Bad News?

The arrant irritation of a cellphone buzzing near his pillow woke him up. How much did he hate that, yet Jake almost always forgot to keep his phone in the night-stand. He took an annoyed peek at the screen. It was his mom calling at midnight, his time.

He collected his senses for a moment because if he hadn't, his tone would have shown his irritation of a rude awakening. Something he wouldn't have been able to explain to his sensitive mother, and running the risk of hurting her.

"Hi, Mom. All good?" He was content with his tone - non-expressive yet genuine.

"Hi, sweetie. I was so worried about you. How are you managing there?" His mom asked, clearly concerned about the curfew.

"I'm good. Don't worry about me. I'm living with a family of an acquaintance." He replied as his mind wondered if Dev Khettry had also returned to his home.

"Acquaintance? Well, send me their details. I gotta have details." Mrs. Burton said hastily.

"Yes, Mom. Just relax. I will send you all I can find. Okay?" Jake made a mental note to call Mr. Mathew and get any information on the family he was living with.

"Okay. Take care, baby. They are also running a city-wide lock-down here. I can't take this anymore, baby. It's all just not ready to end."

Jake didn't know what he could say to soothe his mother's mind. "I understand. Don't go out. You or Dad. Don't let Rufus out either. It'll all be alright soon."

"I can only hope that."

After their short conversation had ended, Jake got out of his bed, realizing he hadn't even changed from his travel clothes. He was so tired from the twenty-hour long flight; his body had missed the comfort of a bed.

It was too late for a shower but Jake had to have one. He got out of the clothes and threw them in a laundry basket in a corner. 'How thoughtful of her to put this here',' Jake thought. Just like a real hotel. Except, Aliya was doing this voluntarily. They weren't getting paid for Jake's stay. Jake was hopeful the company gave them some compensation though.

After running a quick, hot shower, Jake got out and slipped into his night pajamas and a T-shirt. He reached for a cookie and it hit him he hadn't had dinner. It was too late to ask the couple to get him some food.

Jake stepped out of his room.

The living space was dimly lit, enough to see what was around. The nine-seater black, leather couch, huge abstract paintings in the wall, purple lilies in a vase, a fifty-four inches plasma screen- it all showed how well-endowed and tasteful the Khettry's were.

He immediately ridiculed the idea of compensating them for having a guest for a few weeks.

As he walked close to the dining table, he noticed a few china clay pots laid out on the farthest side.

It was his dinner as it appeared. There was also a yellow sticky note on one of the lids.

"I didn't have a chance to ask you what you like for dinner. I hope this is good enough."

Instantly, Jake tried to figure out if the note was written by Mr. Dev or Aliya. Was Dev here already? He didn't get to say hello to him and thank him for his gesture. But, the handwriting was so pretty. It couldn't have been of a guy.

There were two more rooms adjacent to the living area. He wondered which one was of the couple's. None of them had any light seeping from under the door.

Hunger had started to cloud his mind. Without waiting further, he opened all four lids. He didn't recognize two of the dishes- a rice preparation, and what looked like a yellow gravy of some sort. The other two had mac and cheese, and a mixed salad.

Jake wanted to be easy on his stomach past midnight. He chose to take two servings of mac and cheese and covered everything back.

His mind again wandered off to the two rooms. He wanted to see her again. There was a tingling in his chest that he didn't understand yet

It was weird for him. He tried to break-down this strange feeling. He didn't have crushes often. The last time he had one was a senior in school.

He knew it wasn't serious, how could it be? He just met the woman literally for five minutes. Yet, his mind was trying to tell him something. Like he was being warned. But, for what?

He should have tried to talk more before taking a nap. What kind of a guest does that right after coming to someone's home? Guilt started to poke at him now. He really should have thought ahead.

He was almost done with his food when he heard a door click.

A dark figure appeared from the second door. It was her in a red silk robe with a trail behind. Jake felt a beat skip in his chest.

"Hey, why are you sitting in the dark?" Aliya asked as she walked toward him.

"It's not quite dark. I liked the dim lights." Jake replied. His eyes followed her movements as she stopped near the water filter to fill a glass bottle.

"Was the food alright?" Aliya's tone had a hint of guilt. "I didn't know what you like. I should have asked before."

"Food was great. But you had so much for me." Jake said as he watched her drink water with the corner of his eyes. "Where do I keep the leftovers?"

"I keep them in the cold storage in the kitchen. Wait, I'll take them." Aliya trotted back toward him.

"Please, if I'm staying here, you have got to let me help. I can't have you take my dirty dishes. Or is there a rule that strangers can't step inside the kitchen here?" Jake smirked, unsure if it was clear in the dark lights.

"How did you know about that?" Aliya responded with a concerned voice that quickly turned to a chuckle seeing Jake's confused face. A wave of awkwardness passed through them.

Jake smiled back. Aliya hesitantly looked away and carried two of the pots.

After they were done storing everything back into the refrigerator, Aliya said, "I have to wake up early tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning. By the way, in case you needed, the WiFi password is Dev's phone number. Do you have that?"

Jake nodded.

"Okay, great. Good night, then." Before she could walk away, Jake asked, "Is Mr. Dev here yet?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, his flight was canceled too. He has been trying to travel by road, but all the National highways are down. It looks like he might be stuck in Kerela for the whole curfew. He's hoping to arrange a company cab though." Aliya's face developed a dark expression.

Jake's mind flipped back and forth trying to make sense of the situation. Was he stuck with her and just her for almost three weeks?

"That's too bad." That was all he could think of as a reply. What else could he even say?

"Yeah, he isn't happy about it." Aliya gave an apologetic smile and began to walk out of the kitchen.

Jake wanted to talk to her more. But, he could wait for one night. He walked after her, seeing her disappear behind the door. The warning in his mind appeared again. This time he knew what it was for.