He is Enchanted

Because I Wanted to Have a Perfect Family

"It's right, Mrs. Pearson. I just bought a new apartment around here for investment." Ethan smiles awkwardly. 

Ethan worried because Roman didn't say anything and peacefully ate his food. He's not even looking at Ethan. 

Even though that old man still has time to make fun of his mother, and eventually, if Ethan isn't trapped in this kind of situation, Ethan will chuckle, his mom always thinks that she is the one in charge, as always. 

But about his question, why did that old man even bother asking about his food? He even asks if Ethan wanted something else, as he wanted to bring whatever food Ethan says. 

Unfortunately, Ethan didn't have a chance to answer; his mom took his opportunity. Roman, without a doubt, asked directly to him, not to his mom. Ethan grunts.

If destiny gives him a second chance, and he asks the same question to Ethan, Ethan will ask for a salad or take him to a night market to grab some street food. Wouldn't it be fun to see how clumsy that old man going to be? Because he seems like someone who was used to this kind of five-star restaurant service, he would be awkward if he had to eat in a place such as a crowded night market.  

Or he might have a stomach ache afterward. 

Ethan let his mom tell everyone everything he was doing for the past few days; buying an apartment and buying a few hundred lots of shares because they are cheap. She didn't even forget about his plan to make a new company engaged in the snack, with chocolate cookies as the main star of the new company. Another snack will be released if the cookies get a huge success. 

But it's just his mother's making things up. Those chocolate cookies didn't suit his taste. He wanted to make the cookies himself, not a company. 

Ethan let her be, as long as she didn't take his chance to answer Roman's question like she did before. Ethan grunts for the second time. 

But talking about that old man. How can he eat his steak so casually yet still impressive just from the movement of the lower jaw up and down to chew?

How did those jaws look so solid and firm when he was just chewing? 

Ethan envied him.

Ethan touched his lower jaw. He was definitely sure that his lower jaw was strong too. It's just not visible, but if there was a test to measure a jaw strength, Ethan was sure it would be effortless to beat that old man.

Ethan took himself out of his parents and Mrs. Pearson's conversation, especially when chocolate brownies with a tiny cherry on top sparkles so beautifully are served in front of him. Ethan beamed while the chocolate melted as soon as it entered his mouth. 

Ethan heard a short giggle, almost unhearable, and while he turned his head, he found that old man giving him a pleasant smile. 

"Do you love this kind of food?"

Before answering that question, can he ask something first? Why did Roman ask such a thing?

But Ethan nods, getting rid of what he thought next. 

"Then divide this cake into five. You guys can't eat too many sweets. The four of you just finished a whole cake yesterday. I don't know whose birthday cake that is." 

Liana nodded as she lifted the chocolate brownies and placed that beautiful piece of cake in front of her. Then with a knife, she divided the cake into five parts as just his father wanted.

Then Liana passed the brownies to Odette; Miles also helped Liana give the cake to Niall, then she put the last piece of brownies in front of Ethan. 

"Thank you." 

"Why didn't you tell me you wanted to give the brownies to Ethan? I can set up a camera to record you."

When did she would learn that she's not in charger of everything?

"Isn't this dinner for us to get closer? It's not to make videos for social media. If only for content, we only need 5 minutes." 

Her mother smiles awkwardly. But Ethan had ignored his mother. It seems that nothing will ever change his mother. 

But there's one thing that caught his attention, how can someone who doesn't talk much, but once he speaks, everyone will immediately be silent? Ethan wanted to know how people like Roman got that kind of superpower. At least Ethan wanted to know where they learned how to do it. 

The atmosphere at the dinner was again dominated by Roman's mysterious superpower, making everyone silently eat their desserts. 

Until finally, Miles accidentally wiped his hand full of chocolate on Niall's shirt, then Niall looked at his white shirt that was stained with chocolates, but his brother felt innocent. That little devil not surprisingly laughed and thought it was funny. 

Niall cried while trying to pull the shirt, hoping the dirty shirt would come off, but the clothes definitely wouldn't obey him. Niall felt very annoyed because the shirt didn't want to come off, plus Miles chuckled. 

It's not a lovely way to end this dinner.  

While Liana and Odette giggle, Roman tries to calm Niall down while a smile dance on Ethan's lips. 

Before finally, the war happened. 

Niall, who probably felt even more annoyed by the fact that no one helped him, suddenly pulled Miles's hair with his hands full of chocolate. Even Miles almost fell from his chair.

Liana that was realizing the war between her twin brother already began, got up and immediately grabbed Niall's hand, trying to free his hand from Miles's hair. Miles began to cry when Odette got up and tried to make Niall let go of his hand by promising him that they would go to the toy store to grab a new toy, but Niall was brilliant and wasn't fooled that's easy. But his sister didn't give up; Odette was unbuttoning Niall's shirt, so his focus changed from Miles's hair to his dirty shirt. 

But none of them are worked, and Miles started to hit Niall. Then Roman got up, held Miles's hand, and at the same time, Niall also freed his brother's hair. 

Roman takes Niall away from Miles, who's now busy crying, while Odette wipes all the chocolate in his hair. 

Roman comes back to his chair and puts Naill on his lap. 

The first thing Roman did was tell Miles that Niall wouldn't pull his hair if he didn't, the one who started wiping a handful of chocolate to his shirt. Doesn't he know that Niall doesn't like dirty things? He knows better than anyone because he is the one who spends most of his time with his brother. 

After talking to Miles, he takes a glimpse at Niall sobbing in his lap. 

"You look like a mess." 

Ethan burst a laugh. The twins remind Ethan about his older brothers, Carted and David Oakland. Unfortunately, his sister, Kaia, is not as caring as Liana and Odette. She remains calm under the mess her brother made. 

Ethan takes a wet wipe out of his pocket. Then wipe both of Niall's hands and his shirt. "I'm the youngest child like you," Ethan laughs while patting Niall's nose with his index finger. "Having a brother sucks, right?  

Roman laughs while glimpsing at Ethan. He understands what Ethan is trying to say to Niall because he might be an example of the older brother he's mentioned. 

Ethan turns his head, their eyes met and locked. "Back then, my family's living room used to be a battlefield between me, David, and Carter. We built something that we called a fortress using a bunch of pillows and Kaia's doll as our soldiers. Then after the battlefield was set up, we used toy guns to shoot at each other until the two of us got into a fight over small things," said Ethan, then breaking the eye contact, a tiny smile danced on his lips. Roman is still in his position, and now he stares at Ethan's hair while Ethan wipes Niall's shirt. 

"You are lucky to have two caring sisters and that annoying cranky old man." 

Liana and Odette's eyes widened as Roman's smile faded. On the other hand, Ethan's parents smiled awkwardly while staring at Ethan, hoping he realized something had gone wrong. Mrs. Pearson didn't know what to do, so she bit her lip then lowered her head. 

"Ah, the stains aren't disappearing, is it okay? Or should we change your shirt to a new one?" said Ethan, who still didn't realize what he had said earlier made the atmosphere change. 

"Am I annoying?"

Those sentences made Ethan feel like he had been hit by something hefty. His heart was beating faster than it used to. His chest was filled with worry.

Ethan laughs to calm himself while he pats Roman's shoulder lightly, while Roman just stares at his shoulder, then her gaze turns back to Ethan. 

He must get rid of his habit of calling Roman 'an old man' from now on, so this kind of accident wouldn't happen again. 

"You know, son and father relationship, sometimes yours beloved and cute son titled you with some impolite names, but it's his way of showing his love for you." 

Roman nods. Ethan knows that ol— He means Roman, still demanded a further explanation from him. 

"I used to call my dad an annoying cranky old man. I think other families have this kind of thing too, so," Ethan shrugged his shoulders because he felt like Roman's stare shrunken him before Ethan lowered his head. 

Mr. Pearson, I'm genuinely sorry about his words. I'm sure he didn't mean that, but I pro—" 

"Why did you want to marry my daughter then?"

His emotionless voice made Ethan feel even more shrank. He was hoping to be swallowed by a giant tortoise or kidn*pped by aliens who made a tunnel inside mars as their home, then come back after everyone had forgotten his sentence. But neither of those things can happen. 

Ethan is trying to calm his breath, inhale and exhale longer than he usually does. 

"Of course, because she is our daughter, she is beautiful. They look cute when they're together." 

"And, of course, our son will be the best husband ever." 

They didn't even let Ethan finish his exhale. His mom and Liana's mom, as usual, and Ethan didn't startle, took Ethan's chance. Again. 

"No, I mean, Mr. Pearson, it's not like that," said Ethan. Ethan was satisfied with how he professionally controlled his breath because his voice didn't c***k or sound dubious.  

"It's silly but, I wanted to have a perfect family. I don't know what is a perfect family is like. I am never married. But deep inside my heart, I wanted to be with someone that I go everywhere with, for example, someone to go to a zoo, seeing so many animals," Ethan said, followed by a clumsy shake of his head. 

"No, I mean I wanted someone who I can share my happiness with, and someone who's not going to leave me in a difficult time. It's not that I want to bring that person to a difficult time, don't get me wrong, nobody wanted difficult things. But I want that person to be my partner, someone who's in the same position as me. We both will solve the difficult time together and share that difficult times, in the same way, we will share the happy time. In the end, we will come out as the winners who loved each other even more than we used to." 

Then Ethan turns his gaze to Roman, his sharp eyes melting as their eye contact is locked. "I need someone to complete my life not because my life is full of flaws, and it's because I wanted to share my happiness because it's so pointless to enjoy it by yourself. And I'm not a perfect person, and I will never be an ideal person. 

It goes deeper and deeper, darker and darker, colder and getting colder, like the bottom of the ocean that covers itself from the sunlight because sometimes the sunlight is too painful to be felt. 

"Love, only love that will make me a complete human being." 

However, at certain times, the sunlight also feels warm, isn't it?