Chapter 86: LXXXV

LAIA'S DAY didn't end immediately after she arrived home.

Before the girl could bury herself in her blankets and pillows, she heard a familiar voice call her name from the gate.

She peeks through the window and saw that it was Aiden.

He was accompanied by his grandmother who last time Laia saw had a friendly smile on her face the whole time they talked and even had dinner but immediately talked shit behind Laia's back after she offered to wash the dishes.

The audacity of some people really, Laia thinks.

"Laia, are you home?" Aiden repeats, his voice louder this time.

Laia stole a glance at her mother's room where her mother (shockingly) was in the middle of a conversation with a man through a video call.

Said man was annoyingly familiar to Laia but she couldn't point out who he was.

Whatever. Laia should focus on the problem in front of her (or more like outside the gate) first than whoever her mother was in a video call with.

"Aiden," Laia says the moment she's in front of the gate and directly at the other side of where the boy was. "What brings you here?"

Laia internally cringes at how formal she was being with the same boy that she considers her close friend.

Well, close friends until they unconsciously started distancing from one another after the whole situation with Samuel.

"I brought--"

"We brought fruits, darling," The older woman behind Aiden steps forward and shows Laia the basket of mangoes that she was holding. "My son harvested quite a number of fruits yesterday and you see I'm not much of a fan of mangoes so I thought that instead of you buying some you could just have some of our extras,"

So they're basically fruits that this old lady didn't want and think that Laia couldn't afford for herself. Laia fought the urge to turn around and close the front door behind her even though how disrespectful that would be but she didn't.

Looks like her inability to treat other people in an awful way still had her in a chokehold after promising herself nights ago that she should start prioritizing herself more than appeasing other people who she doesn't need in her life.

"Thank you," Laia says after opening the gate for Aiden and his grandmother and accepting the basket of mangoes in her arms. "Would you like some tea?"

Please say no and leave our house this very instant.

"I'd like to," Aiden's grandmother says with another one of her phony smiles that Laia just can see through. "Do you have chamomile? It might help with the nap that I am about to take later,"

Laia could swear that her face scrunched in disappointment at the old woman's response but she still manages to flash a polite smile at the old woman immediately. "Sure, your tea will be ready in a minute,"

More like in an hour if I only could, Laia bitterly thinks as she made her way to the kitchen to start making the old woman's tea as quickly as she could so she'd have her peace and prosperity (AKA burying herself in her pillows and blankets) as soon as possible.

Because she was so focused on preparing the chamomile tea that the old woman wanted, Laia wasn't able to feel Aiden's presence until she turned around, almost jumping in shock once she saw him looking at her.

"You surprised me,"

The boy laughs. "That's for sure,"

It was then that Laia noticed how heavy the boy's eyebags seemed to be. He also seemed more pale than usual, and even his hair was unkempt on its sides. 

Did something unfortunate happen to him too?

Something unfortunate except that he had to have a grandmother like his, Laia thinks.

Realizing that she may have been staring at the boy longer than she was supposed to, the girl turns away, cleared her throat, and changed the subject. "Uh, the tea's almost ready,"

"I can see that," He gestures to the tea behind Laia. "You should probably discard the leaves already,"

"Will do," Laia turns away from the boy to return her focus to discarding the tea leaves. Upon noticing that the boy behind her didn't leave and return to his grandmother's side, she tilts her head to the side to look at him. "Do you want a cup of tea as well?"

Aiden looked sheepish. "No," He glances behind him. "I just wanted to talk to you about, well,"

Laia sighed deeply at the impending topic. She already had a hunch that Aiden didn't just visit to give her a bunch of mangoes alongside his grandmother, he probably saw the news as well and worried about Laia's wellbeing from finding out that her so-called boyfriend had gone to Germany for college but suddenly got rumored to be dating someone else who is apparently a well-known influencer.

"About Samuel?"

The boy's eyes widened and he nods slowly. "Yeah,"

"Well, there's nothing to talk about really," Laia takes the cup of tea in her hands. "It's not a big deal,"

"Laia--"

"I said it's not a big deal!" The girl snaps but immediately regretted it upon seeing how Aiden looked shocked at her outburst. Great, now he probably thinks Laia's gone cuckoo over how her supposed boyfriend suddenly dated somebody else upon moving abroad. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell,"

"Laia--"

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"Just drop it, okay?" Laia lets out a heavy sigh as she walks ahead of the boy and toward the old woman who had a confused look on her face. She probably heard Laia's outburst and will probably think that aside from being a gold digger, she needs professional help as well. "I apologize for the tea taking longer,"

"Ah, it's fine dear," The old woman sips from the cup and nods in approval. "This is good,"

Laia was relieved at the change of topic. "I got it from an online shop,"

"Ah," Aiden's grandmother nods. "Thank you for this, darling,"

However, it seems like the topic of Samuel just won't remain buried for one single day. After the old woman stopped sipping from her tea, she places the cup back on the table and turns to Laia with a pathetic and phony sympathetic look. "I have seen the news about Senator Laurie's son, dear,"

Great.

The old woman continues when Laia doesn't say anything. "Aiden told me that you were together," Laia glares at Aiden when the old woman was preoccupied with her tea. "It's such a shame that he's found someone else in Germany,"

Laia rolled her eyes but it went unnoticed by the old woman who continued on without a single care. "I heard she's made quite a name for herself these days, an influencer they said? I'm not trying to offend you in any way dear, but she does seem to be a better match for the Senator's son than, well, you,"

"Grandma--"

"Oh but she's right," Laia says and stood up from her chair. The old woman's eyes gleamed in approval but the gleam disappeared after Laia's words. "But hasn't somebody taught you basic manners on how you're not supposed to say those words in front of the same person that your oh-so-favorite Senator's son just cheated on?"

The old woman was about to respond but Laia raised her hand as a sign for her to stop. "Uh, uh, you don't get to say another word, grandmother," Laia reaches out for the basket of mangoes that the grandmother-grandson tandem brought in earlier and shoved it into Aiden's arms. "First of all, I don't give a single fuck about what you think,"

"Second of all, you don't get to fucking tell me who's a better match for my supposed boyfriend," Laia could feel all the anger coming out of her in waves. "Third of all, you don't get to call me a gold-digger when you're nothing but a gossipy old lady who doesn't know to shut her mouth,"

"And lastly," Laia pushed the chair that the old woman was sitting on to make her stand up abruptly. "Get the fuck out of my house before I make you,"

When the old lady doesn't move a single step from her position, Laia shouts. "Get the fuck out!"

The old woman was still in shock and her eyes were still wide as Aiden pulled her out of the gates of Laia's house. She probably never had anybody talk back to her ever, especially with how meek Aiden can be towards her.

So much for getting along with your neighbors, Laia thinks as she took the cup that the old woman drank from and threw it outside the gates.

Apparently, the shouting from earlier (one-sided shouting) didn't catch her mother's attention from whoever she was having a conversation with but the sound of shattering glass did.

"Laia, why are you throwing a mug outside our gate?" Layla glanced at the pieces of the mug on the street. "And what's with the cursing earlier? Who were you fighting with?"

Oh, she did hear it.

"All the curses that came out of my mouth earlier weren't enough for you to come out and check on me instead of video-chatting with whoever that is?" Laia deadpans.

She knew she probably should stop being mean and blunt by now but she couldn't help it. It was as if all the anger and frustration that she tried so hard to keep inside of her decided to unleash today.

And to an old lady, Aiden, and her mother of all people.

"Laia, honey,"

"I screamed murder at an old lady just now," Laia bluntly says. "You know, the old lady who lives across the street with a grandson who's probably not my friend anymore?"

"Judith?"

Ah. So Judith was that old lady's name. Not that Laia gives a shit. "Yeah,"

"Why?"

"She decided to tell me upfront how the girl that Samuel cheated on me with was a better match for him," Her mother's eyes widened. "And also she called me a gold-digger behind my back after I offered to wash the dishes at her house when I ate dinner with them a couple of months back and also implied just earlier that we were too poor to purchase mangoes,"

"That hag!" Layla's frown intensified as her brows knotted. "I thought she was a kind and generous old lady!"

"Apparently not," Laia stole a glance at Aiden's house. "So are you going to scold me for cursing an old woman out and getting cheated on by my supposed boyfriend because I am ready to pretend to listen to your pointless arguments,"

Instead of an angry scowl on her mother's face and a long scolding, what Laia received was a tight hug.

A very tight hug that managed to make her once again, sob.

"I am so sorry, Laia," Her mother whispers as gently as she could. "I am so sorry that I was never there for you when you faced all those things by yourself,"

Gone was the frustration and the anger that Laia felt. It was replaced by sadness and a tinge of happiness that somehow rooted itself the moment her mother apologized.

"I am so sorry my baby," Laia felt her mother hug her even tighter and even felt wetness on her shoulder, probably from the tears that her mother shed. "I am so sorry,"

Laia doesn't say anything.

But for a while, the comfortable silence and the ever-tightening hug between the mother and daughter tandem seemed to be perfectly fine at that moment.

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