9. Meeting the Twin
1081 Words
After waiting for about an hour, the person Andrei had been waiting for finally made an appearance.
He was actually in a bad mood, but he couldn't bring himself to turn her away. He watched the woman from the second floor of his house. She seemed hassled, paying the motorcycle fare while carrying a white bag with unknown contents.
When the woman started entering his yard, he quickly went downstairs.
The doorbell of his house started ringing, prompting him to quickly open the door.
“Hello...” said Zea with a sweet smile.
“Hello,” replied Andrei with a flat expression.
Zea immediately entered when Andrei invited her in. She sat in the living room. Meanwhile, Andrei went back inside to get a drink of water.
“An hour late. Not serious about the supervision or just too lazy to work on your thesis?” asked Andrei curtly, placing his drink on the table.
“You invited me when I was cooking, so I had to finish it. By the way, I brought you some cake. Try it. If you like it, you can order more,” Zea chattered as she handed the bag to Andrei. She no longer cared about his complaints. Her intention in coming here was not just for supervision, but also to promote her products.
Andrei sighed in frustration. He then opened the bag and took out two box cups containing brownies.
“Are you selling these?” asked Andrei.
Zea nodded enthusiastically with a sweet smile. “Order more if you like it,” she said.
Although Andrei wasn't her target market, she was sure he would like it. She had heard that Andrei preferred sweet foods over salty ones.
“What's this called?” asked Andrei after trying a spoonful.
“Dessert box,” answered Zea.
Andrei nodded. “It's good. You're quite talented,” he praised, making Zea smile happily.
“Of course. Want to order? If you do, I'll make it for you tomorrow.”
“How much is it?”
“Ten bucks.”
“That's expensive.”
“If you want something cheap, just buy another, Sir. Just ten bucks for five pieces,” Zea retorted, holding back her annoyance. Dessert boxes are expensive everywhere. You get what you pay for. The process of making them is not as easy as making cake, and the ingredients used are more than those for cake.
Andrei chuckled. “Alright, I'll order five then.”
Zea's eyes went wide with surprise, her mouth agape. “Seriously?” she asked, not expecting it.
Andrei didn't respond to Zea's question. Instead, he said, “Open your laptop. It's time to focus on your thesis. Enough with the sales promotion.”
“But you're really going to order, right?”
"Yes," Andrei replied irritably, but it still made Zea smile happily.
As Zea was about to open her laptop, a sudden noise came from outside the house.
A few moments later, the door opened. Two small children entered, shouting, "Hello Dad!"
Zea's eyes widened in surprise. Especially when the two kids approached Andrei and kissed both his cheeks, she was even more speechless seeing it.
"Wow, he already has kids," Zea thought. This was even more shocking than the rumors about Andrei supposedly being gay.
Who would have thought? The guy rumored to be anti-woman already had two kids. Zea was sure all her friends would be surprised to hear it too.
"Change your clothes first. Put your uniform in the washing machine," ordered Andrei.
"Who is that?" asked Sena.
"Dad's student," Andrei replied.
"The one who didn't come yesterday?" she asked again.
"Yes."
Zea just smiled awkwardly. She was puzzled when the little girl looked at her with an annoyed face.
"You're annoying, Sis. I waited for you until I fell asleep."
Zea was surprised again. Why wait for her? They had just met for the first time.
"Sena, don't be rude. Go inside," Andrei scolded.
Sena pouted in annoyance. She then followed her twin, who had already run inside first.
"Are those really your kids?" Zea asked, still in disbelief.
Andrei nodded briefly. He returned to focusing on eating his cake.
"Oh no... I feel bad for your wife. Bringing campus stuff home? That's not good. It might cause gossip."
"I don't have a wife."
Zea was surprised for the third time. Having kids but no wife? That was really baffling.
She was still curious, but Zea didn't want to ask further, as Andrei's expression was already unpleasant.
Andrei then began the guidance session. However, a few minutes later, Sena approached him again with a sulky face.
"Dad... I'm hungry," Sena whined.
"Okay. I'll buy food once my student finishes studying," Andrei replied.
"I want it now," she whined again, clinging affectionately to her dad's arm.
Andrei sighed. There was always an interruption when he tried to guide Zea.
"What do you want to eat? Burger or pizza?" Andrei asked while opening his phone. Just this once, he would let his kids eat junk food. Because usually, his two kids would whine asking for those foods. Occasionally it's okay, as long as it's not too much.
"Just fried rice like always."
"I can't. Just eat whatever we have. Don't be picky. Your grandma's not around," snapped Andrei, which made Sena pout.
"Want me to cook for you?" Zea suddenly offered. She couldn't bear to see Sena's face, looking like she was about to cry.
"Can you really?" the child asked, while Andrei just gave Zea a blank stare.
"Of course I can. I can make fried rice, omelet, chicken katsu, and vegetable soup," Zea explained with a big smile, making the child smile.
"Sena wants an omelet," she said.
"Is that okay, Mr. Andrei?" Zea asked.
Andrei just gave a brief nod. Then Zea stood up and extended her hand to Sena.
"Come on. Take me to the kitchen," she asked.
Sena eagerly took her hand. She was so happy she hopped along, making Zea chuckle.
When they got to the kitchen, Zea put on an apron. After that, she opened the fridge to take out the eggs and some other cooking ingredients. Meanwhile, Sena waited for her on a bar stool while eating his ice cream.
"Want some ice cream?" the child offered.
Zea shook her head with a smile. "No, thanks. I have a cold."
"Do you want to be Sena's mom?" the child blurted out, making Zea's eyes widen in surprise.
- Writer
