72 - Magic Door

Aster usually smiled charmingly or flirtatiously. The smile on his face looked like it was frozen in place, awkward. His eyes were riveted on Poppy. "Aster?" Annie inquired.

"Ahhh... Hahaha... Sorry about that. It's just..." He ran his hand through his ashy blond hair. "That's a really... pretty... hairpin she's wearing."

Annie turned to look and saw Poppy wore the purple lilac hairpin she had given her. It was pretty and looked well in Poppy's hair. Poppy blushed, brushing her bangs back shyly. "Thank you," Poppy replied.

Annie frowned at their interactions. "Aster, what were you doing downstairs?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Aster shifted his eyes to Annie.

"Downstairs?" he asked, confused but then realized what she meant. "Oh, I will be opening a small business in the basement. I won't ask for profits from your business in exchange for you helping me on my business."

What he said made her curious. "What kind of business is it? It's not bad, is it?"

Aster shook his head. "It's just a business for meeting special clients. If they ask looking for rayon, send them downstairs." Aster started buttoning his gloves up.

"What's rayon?"

"It's a rare fabric," he answered. He raised a finger to his lips and winked at Annie. "Don't ask too much about it, okay? It's very exclusive."

Annie turned away from him. She gestured to the back of the room. "So Poppy, there's a kitchen in the back where we can cook."

"Hey Annie! I'm not done explaining things!" Aster interrupted. "I've also invested in a magic door for you!"

Annie turned back, interested. "A magic door?"

Aster nodded and led them into the kitchen. There was only one door that led to the backyard. He pointed under the knob. There was a round device with numbers on it. "I made it convenient for you to go back and forth from your place to here. You'll need to turn this dial... Matching your numbers... To open the door."

Annie looked at him sharply. "How do you know where I live?" she asked, suspiciously.

Aster smiled ambiguously. "Annie, I'm an expert merchant. I've assigned your number to one, six, five. When you turn this, make sure it goes right one, left six, and then right five."

She watched him input the code and opened the door. The door opened to show the inside of their barn. How did he get this to be connected to their barn? Had he been around when they weren't around?

"Relax," he tried to calm her. "I'm not going to do anything bad. Trust me. We are business associates."

"If we're to trust each other, you shouldn't go behind my back. You should explain properly," Annie refuted him.

He laughed nervously. "Annie, I'm an honest man. I wouldn't ruin my chances with a girl I like."

Annie turned to Poppy. "Make sure not to be alone with this man. He's a womanizer and eats girls's hearts. Who knows what else he'll do," she warned, pulling Poppy away.

"A-annie!" he cried, pitifully.