Chapter 68: LXVII

Dinner was pleasant.

Much like how Laia expected, the dishes that the old woman prepared for the three of them were homely and were extremely delicious.

The conversations between the three were brief and were mostly small talk since their focus was on the food most of the time.

Laia didn't mind. She'd rather not be interrogated, thank you very much.

She later volunteered to wash the dishes, afraid of being stuck in another conversation with the old woman who Laia had a feeling doesn't like her very much.

Not that Laia blames her. It's not that easy to like a person whom you had just met for the first time.

"Are you sure, dear? You should be hanging out with Aiden instead of washing the dishes in my kitchen,"

Laia continued gathering the plates and shakes her head at the old woman before entering the kitchen. "It's alright,"

"Alright, Aiden and I will be here,"

It didn't take very long for Laia to finish washing the dishes. After drying them with a cloth that she saw hanging in one of the chairs, she slowly made her way back to the living room but stopped in her steps when she heard the topic between the old woman and her grandson.

"Aiden, you need to take my words seriously," Gone was the earlier warmth in the old woman's tone. "You cannot spend more time with these girls that are probably just after your wealth!"

Laia's jaw clenched as she fought the urge to step out of the shadows and throw the wet cloth on the judgmental old woman's face.

Apparently, she just had to be right regarding her hunch that the old woman didn't like her one bit.

But her dislike for me sure doesn't mean that she can just blatantly refer to me as a gold digger, Laia thinks as she lets out a scoff.

However, Laia's internal monologue and urge to make herself known to the two were unknown to the old woman who continued reprimanding her grandson who remained silent. "That girl could be a genuinely kind individual but your ex-girlfriend was just like that too--"

"Nana,"

It was the first time that Laia heard such pain and frustration in one's voice that it surprised her.

Laia genuinely never thought that Aiden could've been hurt by someone.

She can only hope that she wouldn't hurt somebody that much or be hurt by somebody that much in the near future.

"Aiden, I only want what's best for you--"

"If you want what's best for me then you know not to speak of that woman in front of me," Aiden says, his intention of ending the conversation at that statement clear.

Based on how the girl heard the loud creaking of the front door, Aiden had probably walked out and left.

A loud disappointed sigh came from the old woman's lips but as Laia peeked, the old woman did not attempt to go after his grandson and instead just sat on the couch and turned on the television.

Laia decided to come out of her hiding place when an advertisement came rolling in. The old woman quickly turned in her direction and was quick to pretend that she didn't just have a conversation with her grandson that involved her implying minutes ago that Laia was another one of those ladies who are after his grandson's fortune.

If Laia was only brave enough she might've smacked the old woman's face with the tray on the coffee table. But alas, Laia knew violence should never be the answer and she understood where the old woman was coming from.

Or maybe she's just trying to convince herself that her Aiden's grandmother wasn't that bad.

"Aiden's outside," The old woman says after switching channels for the upteenth time since Laia arrived in the living room. "He's getting some fresh air,"

Who wouldn't after you decided to bring up a sensitive topic?

Laia rolled her eyes subtly before responding with a nod.

Not like she could say anything else to what the old woman said.

It felt like an eternity before the clock struck nine. Sighing in relief, she makes her way towards the older woman to look at her. "Thank you so much for your hospitality," She gestures to the clock hanging on the wall. "It's getting late, I should be getting home now,"

"Oh," The old woman turned the television off and stands up as well. "I thought you would be spending the night,"

Laia restrained herself from frowning. Why the heck would she stay in someone else's house when her house was literally a few steps away?

Instead, she grins sheepishly. "I don't see a reason to sleep over when my house is just across the street,"

More like a few steps away but the old woman doesn't have to know that.

The obviously fake smile that returned on the old woman's lips. "Do you want to take home some leftovers? You can just return the containers when you decide to visit again or you can keep them, we have a lot of these containers anyway,"

Laia subtly rolls her eyes at the old woman's words. But as much as she wanted nothing else but to refuse the old woman's suggestion, she did not even give her a chance to refuse as she already went to the kitchen and returned with two containers of the dishes that she cooked earlier. "Here you go, dear,"

Putting the containers inside her bag, Laia once again bows a little in gratitude. "Thank you so much,"

"It's not a problem, honestly," The old woman turns to his grandson who just entered the living room. "Ah, you're here. Do fetch Laia a taxi, will you?"

"Oh, that isn't necessary--"

"She lives close by, though?"

Laia glared at Aiden when the old woman was distracted by her phone. Fortunately, Aiden quickly understood why the girl was angry and took back his earlier words. "I mean, she doesn't live that far, I can just take her home,"

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The old woman raised an eyebrow. "With your car?"

"No," Aiden beckons Laia to go to his side and she complies easily, not wanting to be near to the old woman. "We're going then,"

"Aiden--"

"Let's go," The boy didn't give his grandmother the chance to reach out for them or follow them as he had already pulled the girl's wrist to follow him outside. Even if Laia's house was just in front of Aiden's, the boy deliberately slowed down his pace.

The girl raises an eyebrow at the boy. "My house is literally just a step away,"

"Don't worry, trust me,"

Instead of opting to just cross the street to reach Laia's house, the boy unexpectedly takes a different route which effectively led them to a completely different part of their subdivision but it did cover their tracks from the old woman so Laia thinks her swollen feet are worth it.

At least the old woman wouldn't realize so quickly that Laia literally lived across the street and suspect her of living in a closeby house to stalk Aiden or observe her grandson's habits.

Laia grimaces at her thoughts.

"We're here," Aiden says when the two were finally in front of the gate of Laia's house. He gently lets go of Laia's wrist. "Did I pull too hard?"

Laia glances at her wrist. "No, I don't think so," She reassures him with a smile. "Well, I better be going,"

"Okay,"

"Good night," She waves.

He waves back with a boyish grin before disappearing out of her sight.

The girl shuts the door behind her as silently as she could, keeping in mind that it was already ten in the evening and her mother may already be home.

However, the older woman still wasn't home.

After putting the leftovers she received from Aiden's, the girl saunters towards the bathroom to take a quick shower.

"Hmm, should I shampoo or not?" Laia glances at the new shampoo bottle that her mother probably purchased. She did read an article last week that shampoo makes the hair dry. "Fuck it,"

Lathering the shampoo on her hair, Laia started humming a tune that she heard on the radio on the mall.

The mall. The ice cream parlor.

Samuel.

Laia momentarily stopped from lathering her hair upon remembering the earlier moments with the asshole treating her like a good friend and then suddenly like shit.

Great. Now her supposed self-love practice is over.

She proceeds to wash her hair and dried it quickly before going straight to her room to get some well-deserved rest.

"Ah," The girl stretches both her arms and legs before blankly staring at the ceiling. "I wonder when will she come home,"

It was already ten-thirty and still no sign of her mother. She knew she was supposed to sleep already but the comfort of knowing that her mother was already home would guarantee her immediate sleep so the girl waited.

Waited. Waited. Waited.

"Ah, fuck!" Laia angrily kicks at her blanket before sitting straight. "Where the hell is she?"

Grumbling, the girl makes her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk.

While drinking her milk, she decided to turn the television on to distract herself from her mother's absence.

It was almost midnight when her mother finally came home, dead drunk.

"Ah, Laia," The older woman reaches for her daughter, dropping her bags and the umbrella that she always brought with her on the floor. "My baby.."

"Mom, what the fuck," Laia pulls away from her mother's drunken embrace and pushes her to the couch. She proceeds to pick up her mother's bag and the umbrella and placed them on the coffee table, keeping in mind to come back to them later after she deals with her mother. "Have you been drinking with your coworkers again?"

Layla caresses her daughter's cheek. "Yeah, they're very good coworkers,"

The girl rolled her eyes. "More like bad influences," She hands her mother a glass of water which the older woman drinks from. "Stay here and I'll get a towel,"

"Ah, don't leave your mother.."

Laia ignores her mother's dramatics wails as she fills a container of lukewarm water and a towel.

"Let's go to your room," Laia helped her mother walk. Fortunately, the older woman quickly complies and didn't fight. "Okay, sit here,"

"Mmm,"

Laia wiped her mother's face with the wet towel and helped the older woman get out of her dirty clothes. The girl wrinkled her nose at the smell of the liquor her mother drank but continued wiping her mother's body before the older woman fell asleep again.

Unexpectedly due to the exhaustion, Laia ends up falling asleep by the side of her mother's bed for the first time in a while.

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