Hundred and seven. Only you

Hundred and seven. Only you

Monalissa looked into those deep blue orbs which were almost engulfing her in their heat. She didn't know what to reply and could only stare at him.

"Say it, my name" Ezekiel urged, not minding the battle going on in her expression.

"Give me time. I'm not used to saying it" Monalissa finally said.

Ezekiel looked at her for a few seconds and leaned forward. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Okay. Take your time, but don't take too long. I don't have that much patience" he said. Taking calm and dignified steps away from her, he faced the kitchen work board and continued with what he was doing.

Monalissa stood enthralled, even forgetting the annoyance she had towards him some hours ago. He was this man that was just so...magical.

In less than an hour, Ezekiel served the food at the dining area which was also in the kitchen. Monalissa pinched her nose on several occasions to calm herself down due to the tasty aroma emanating from the dish. However, her stomach betrayed her, releasing a sound which came out as a raging growl. Her lashes quivered furiously in embarrassment and she lowered her head to avoid looking at him.

A deep chuckle entered her ears, causing her face and the corners around her ears to turn a hot red. This ignited something in Ezekiel's being and he reached out his hand and grazed his fingers on her ears. Monalissa's body quivered from inside out, and she turned to face him.

"What?" she asked, with an arched brow. She was trying to recover from the shame her tummy had caused but he was touching her? How was she supposed to handle that?

"You're all red. Cherry red" Ezekiel said with a smirk. He let her be and walked to the seat opposite her and settled down. He looked at her, his eyes filled with nothing but affection. Her eyes were shining as she looked at the dish in front of her. She looked like she would swallow the whole setting if he said 'dig in' like one who was granted amnesty.

"Should I eat now master?" she asked.

"Yes. Dig in" he said.

Immediately, Monalissa grabbed the cutleries and began scooping the white pasta into her plate, not caring about the man who was in front of her. Her eyes widened in wonder at the taste of the food. She almost bit her tongue. "Master....this is good!" she exclaimed.

"I know" he said, proud of himself.

"I didn't expect that you could cook this deliciously" she said.

"That's a plus on my portfolio".

"Tsk, tsk" Monalissa tutted. "You really know how to praise yourself right?" she chuckled and continued eating. She couldn't waste her time talking when there was something better in front of her.

Ezekiel was both surprised and amused. This was actually the first time that they had eaten together. "Take it easy Walker" he said.

"Yes. I'm just so hungry" she replied.

"We could have returned earlier but you just wanted to wait for Camille" he reminded.

"Yeah. I was the reason she went over to Cee country" she said.

"I know. But it was quite helpful. The president would be coming to look for us soon, to thank us for finding his daughter" he said, his gaze never leaving her face. "That's a very big credit for us" he added.

"Where's she?"Monalissa asked. She scooped a fork of spaghetti into her mouth. This question from her turned the light air in the room into a dense one.

Ezekiel clenched his fists. There was no need hiding it from her anymore. Elena already spoke a lot. It would be ridiculous if he didn't say something. It was clear that a part of Monalissa believed what Elena had said.

"She's here, sitting opposite me right now" he replied.

Monalissa paused in between her chewing as if assimilating what he had said and continued chewing after some seconds.

"Walker..." Ezekiel called her.

"Master, I don't care what anyone else says except you. Something like this, it felt really horrible to hear it from someone I have never even seen before" Monalissa lamented. She was looking him straight in the eyes. She didn't look angry or annoyed as she did from the time at the Realm. Rather, she was very calm as if the matter they were talking about was something of irrelevance.

"I know" Ezekiel replied. "And... I'm sorry for everything" he apologized.

"I don't really care about being a Lakewoods or whatnot. I don't remember a thing. Don't beat yourself up about it" she said to him.

"But you are Walker. You are a Lakewoods. You're Lily. The Lily I have been searching for" he said, sounding emotional. "I should have found out sooner".

Monalissa looked at him, her emotions mixing up. "How come you didn't recognize me? You should have" Monalissa said.

Ezekiel didn't say anything and just looked at her.

"It's not like I know who Lily was or how she behaved because I don't remember myself with such identity. But then, you should have remembered" Monalissa said.

"I'm sorry" Ezekiel said.

"I know you are. Fate was just really cruel on the both of us".

"I will help you bring back your memories" Ezekiel said.

"How? That's something so natural. It doesn't really happen easily. I will remember them when the timing is right" she said and focused on her food.

"The doctor would be coming tomorrow morning to take our samples. Doctor Maya isn't really a sure plug at the moment. There are lots of eyes" Ezekiel said, as he set some strings of spaghetti into his mouth.

"Okay. That's a good idea. And, it's also good that Daya has been sent away. That would have been a hassle" Monalissa said.

Their dinner came to a silent end. Monalissa tried clearing the dishes but Ezekiel intervened, preventing her from doing it.

"You did all the cooking master. It's only right that I help with this one" she protested.

"If you want to help, start by calling me by my name" Ezekiel said with a side smirk.

Monalissa was immediately stumped the moment he went back to that topic. It was really a tough situation for her. "It's all your fault that I can't call you by your name" she pouted, stepping back and allowing him to clear the dining table.

"How so Walker?"

"You said I would have to call you master, you said so!"

"But now I don't want that anymore" he said.

"Well, that's unfair. You can't expect me to start addressing you informally this fast. I have been calling you my master for the past months, you need to bear me, shouldn't you?" Monalissa rationed.

"Knock yourself out Walker" he said and began walking out of the kitchen. Monalissa followed him closely behind, her mouth up in a sad pout. Her emotions were just fluctuating.

Ezekiel suddenly stopped in his steps, causing Monalissa to hit her head on his back. Tears brimmed the corners of her eyes due to the pain.

"You always do this master" Monalissa complained with reddened eyes.

Ezekiel was alarmed and immediately held her close. "You're okay Walker?" he asked, looking her over.

"It hurts" she said, rubbing her forehead.

Ezekiel touched her forehead with his thumb, massaging it gently. "I'm sorry about that baby, you shouldn't walk behind me" he cooed.

"I know. You were just walking too fast" Monalissa pointed out.

"Forgive me Red cherry" he said with a chuckle. Monalissa raised her head and looked at him with an arched brow. "Darling? Red cherry?"

Ezekiel nodded. "There's no one else who can be those two things to me. Only you", he said.

Monalissa's lashes danced in shyness but she didn't lower her gaze. Standing on her toes, she reached for his lips and pecked them. As soon as she had done that, she hurriedly ran upstairs, leaving Ezekiel in his own bewildered state.

A man stood in the shadows, in the dead of night, with two centrifuge bottles in his hands. A smirk played on his lips as he admired the red liquid settled in them. "It was time to go on a joy ride" he said.