Beautiful Disaster (Complete)

9. Emotions

Chapter 9. 

    Not long after Linda called Leanne by using the comm, Leanne entered the dining room. Her bun-hairstyle was starting to get a little loose since she handled so much work that night, including cooking, yet it made her look even more attractive for Ace.

    She heading toward Cheryl straight away, without intended to interrupt the ongoing conversation, about another Sharon’s party on the weekend.

    It is one of her job too as an assistant, a housekeeper, --a maid, to be as invisible as they can be, not drawing unnecessary attention too, while getting the job done.

     “Hey sweetie, what’s going on?” Leanne whispered in Cheryl’s ear, she bended on her feet so she’s in the same level with Cheryl.

    “Daddy forced me to eat my greens.” She whispered back.

    The rest of the adults at the table were in their own conversation, except for Ace. He might had looked like he was listening to what Calvin’s and Jane’s says, but he can’t help himself to observes Leanne since the moment she entered the room.

    Ace drank the rest of his champagne, desperate with the fact that he can’t control himself by the way Leanne makes him feels. Even in some moment when he looking at her, he felt as if she moves in a very bright, slow motion and nothing else matters. Like the way she whispered now. Gee!-He thought inside.

    Leanne whispered again, her words makes Cheryl’s eye widened in joy, and she just quickly processing her meal as if she hasn’t eaten at all.

    “That’s my girl.” Said Leanne slightly swept her cheek and smiled, before she walked out the room. Without looking at Ace at all, made Ace felt disappointed for a second.

    “She should come, right Ace?” Calvin suddenly asked for Ace’s attention.

    “Y-yeah, sure.” Ace tried to keep up, he assumed that Calvin was invited June to join Sharon’s party this Saturday. “But she has to check on her schedule first.” Ace added while looking at June, with his guessing-look.

    “Yes, Ace’s right..” June smiled in her courtesy. “Thank you for inviting me..”

    “Our pleasure.” Said Calvin. At the same time Linda and Sam served the last menu of the dinner. The dessert that Leanne made is chocolate rum pudding with vla-sauce, and fresh fruits, it is Calvin and Cheryl’s favourite. Apparently, after everybody had finished their dessert, the chocolate pudding became the family’s favourite dessert.

    After a few conversations at the end of the menu, June was telling them that she has to go back to the hospital doing her hour of duty. Ace doesn’t need to drive her to the hospital himself, because June’s close friend who work in the same hour is going to pick her up.

    As soon as they walked June to the front door, Cheryl ran into the kitchen to see Leanne.

    Leanne is in the middle of her work, with her apron on—cleaning up the plates and cookware, when Cheryl came into the room.

    “There you are.. you must be looking for your surprise dessert?” said Leanne in warm smile. “Are you sure, you haven’t full yet?”

    “I’m sure! I still can take a couple more of desserts” she replied while take a look on the homework-book that she found on the top of the island table.

    “Oh, you’ve got a homework. I’m going to take your surprise dessert, and we’re gonna do your homework, what do you think..?” Leanne dried her hand using the hand-towel, before heading toward Cheryl.

    Cheryl is groaning for a second before nodded and listlessly replied, “Okay.” She does her math homework right away, while eating her bonus-dessert from Leanne.

     Ace is about to come inside the room, when he heard and saw Cheryl from the small gap of the door. He listened and watching at them for a while, at the moment he only can see Cheryl sitting down at the table, talking to Leanne.

    “I’m not so good at math, Leanne. My friend Toby can count very fast, unlike me. Why should I learn about it anyway?” said Cheryl putting her pencil on the book. Leanne came to her, and looking at her book.

    “That’s not true, Cheryl.. I bet you can do as good as this Toby-friend of yours..” she persuaded her. “I tell you a secret about math, we just need to understand the basic purpose—for example like this one,” Leanne explained. Cheryl is learning math about tens and ones, Leanne took cereals and pour it into a plate, and she divide it into three tens and seven ones.

    “See you got it, already! Some methods in math will help you counts faster, and I bet in the future when you’re a grown up, you sure can help your daddy..”, Leanne added.

    Cheryl giggles in excitement, while continuing her homework and eating her dessert. After listened to their conversation, Ace came inside the room.

    “So, this is what you get, by eating all your greens?” Ace said while looking at Cheryl’s dessert, a bowl of mix fruits with yoghurt. “Can I have a bite?”

    “No! You can ask Leanne, yourself!”  Cheryl quickly protected her bowl with smile.

    Leanne is already back to her job-- washing dishes, but her eyes met Ace when Cheryl said her name.

    “Do I get an extra dessert too, Red?” Ace said, even though his face was on Cheryl’s book watching his niece’s writing.

    “Not if you keep calling me with that nickname.”

    “Yeah uncle, why are you calling Leanne, Red? Her name is Leanne, not Red.” Said Cheryl while playing with his uncle’s cheek.

    “Well, her hair is red..” he said lightly.

    Cheryl instantly looking at Leanne’s hair. “Oh, I know what else! Her lips are red too!”, she shouted in excitement for thinking that it was some kind of a game for mentioning all the red part from Leanne’s body.

    From the moment Ace came into the room, Leanne tried to focusing her thoughts into the dishes, even though she failed to do so. She was like working carelessly and in a rush, scrubbing and cleaning everything.

    Hearing Ace called her with that nickname again, moreover when Cheryl said some things that made Ace would watch her—see her face, made Leanne even felt overwhelmed. Leanne’s palm accidentally got cut from a meat knife that lied under the white bubble-dishwater.

    “Ouch!” she groaned in reflex, pulling her hand out from the water. She can feel the pain stung, immediately.

    Ace stand from his seat. “What happened?” he asked.

    “Nothing..”, Leanne said while turning her back at once. Ace is coming her way, before he saw the first-aid box through the glass-door cabinet, and took it.

    “I-it’s nothing.” Leanne lowered her hand, when Ace put the box near the sink and he’s about to take a better look at her hand.

    Ace stared at her with his sharp look. “You better let me check your hand, Red, before your blood is dripping to the floor.” Leanne instantly raise her hand looking at her palm, considering that what he said might be true.

    When Leanne raised her hand from her back, Ace caught her wrist straight away—taking a better look on her cut. Her hand is still wet, Ace intended to dry it by taking the paper towel near the sink.

    “I-I can handle it myself.” Said Leanne tried to take her hand away, but Ace’s grip refused to let her go. He’s ignoring her saying, and kept treating her wound—since he’s confidence that Leanne is not a lefty.

    Leanne bite her lower lip nervously. This is too much emotion for her.. Standing so close with him, feeling his touch on her palm, sensing his scent,-- Leanne tried not to watch him, but failed to do so.

    “Now Red, what did I tell you about not getting hurt?” he glanced at her eyes for a second, knowing that she watched him with her round eyes.