Chapter 5: Maria

Me and James were still having our conversation when I had his footsteps sounding metallic on the stairs he was probably coming downstairs living behind Eva up there, both of us locked eyes together and it was as if he can see through me his eyes melts me within yet his wasn't easy to resist, there's this feeling that feels like I have a fire inside of me trying to burst out in many directions, yet I try my possible best to hold myself in order so as to not act silly towards him, his resemblance with Raphael was too similar to not catch anyone's interest, especially for the fact that they are not even twins, only his blonde hair makes him look off from the family of my late fiance. I wonder whether his blonde hair was artificial but it doesn't look like it, it looks natural like it has always been part of him, you can actually tell by the mixture color of honey and gold, looking so thick and free, " What do you want? ", I was shocked to see him standing right in front of me, I never knew that my thoughts have drifted so far away that I never managed to realize he was right here standing in front of me. His question is so intense to break down right now, did he caught me staring?, " What do you mean exactly? ", I can see the way his eyes is piercing through me, he definitely know that I understood his question clearly but how in the world do he want me to answer that, " I meant what you would like for lunch ", Oh, that, " Anything is fine by me ", I broke the eye contact between us, it was getting too much to handle right now, I can't stop thinking about Raphael while looking at him, my face is now placed downward towards him, he probably knew I am getting uncomfortable little by little, I never heard him speak again, I heard the sound of the door closing and looked up to see who else was entering the house and ended up seeing he was the one living, how does he walk so smooth that you can't manage to sense when he's present or absent, I wonder how I even heard his footsteps when he was coming down the stairs.

" What did you require to be served?", " Me?, He never asked me", Oh my God, I get it now, he definitely asked me that because he caught me staring, " Quite funny to hear he is a professor, he is definitely going to find it hard getting along with the students, what a nightmare that would be ", James smiled as if he actually find all this funny, " Maybe ". That was the conversation both of us were having before we got interrupted by the huge mysterious man. " So, how did you know that he is getting employed into the school so early ", " Common Maria, it's me James, I know everything going on in this town, don't act like you never knew what I am capable of ", sometimes, I find it hard having a conversation with James, his words are not always plain and understandable, James is also a professor in our university and I was one of the students in our final year.

Carrying a bag on his left hand and trying to have the door closed with his right, Scott made his way straight to the kitchen and was getting ready to prepare the lunch for us, his guests. " Any problems?", he asked with his back on me while washing some plates which was to be used to serve his guests. I am uncomfortable and wish to tell him what made me stare at him without him even asking, what a quality of sensitivity he posses to know that I am standing right behind him without him even looking, " No problems, I just came to apologize for the way I was staring at you, I know that was wierd, sorry for making you uncomfortable ", I finished and backed my speech with a gentle laughter to his hearing for him to know how genuine my apologies were, he said nothing as he just continued with the plates. Am known for being good at striking up a conversation and this mysterious man is not going to be any different from the others, just that he is intentionally holding back or he has never been a people person, " Your hair looks attractive, yet have no similarities with your parents or cousins but also doesn't look artificial, can you give me a brief talk about it ". Me and Scott never started on the right part but I am not going to allow that to stay for long, I am going to get him to open up for me, " didn't he told you yet?, I mean Raphael ", he asked as he carried the plates to the other side of the kitchen where he kept the food he just bought, " no, all he said was that he has another brother who is off town, he never even told me your name ". We are having a smooth conversation but it somehow feels like I am here interrogating him to share what he doesn't wish to share with people, to make the conversation less like interrogation, I went to his side as I began to bring the food out from the bag he came in with, " then how did you manage to shout my name at me at the funeral?", I was taken aback for some moments, I thought he would never bring that up in this our smooth conversation, it feels like he just opened a healing wound which I was trying to forget about, I think our conversation has come to a halt, I left everything there with him at the kitchen and left him in there by himself just like he wanted.