CHAPTER 3: Attachment

Ezra’s Point Of View.

I WAS making my bed when I was stopped by the abrupt vibration of my phone. Kiana’s calling me again. I reached for my phone and answered her call.

“Hello, Kiana?”

“Ezra…” Her voice was trembling, which made me feel alarmed. “I think we have a problem.”

All of a sudden, a shiver rose up in my chest. I already had an idea of ​​what she was about to say but I preferred to confirm it, so I listened to more information she had.

“W-What do you mean?” I asked, stuttering in jitters.

“Your Mom is starting to search for you, as we expected from the beginning. And I’m sure she won’t stop, not until she finds you. She’ll prolly do everything for you to come back home.”

I can feel her distress. I hope she didn’t say anything.

“Kiana, did you perhaps tell Mom?”

Oh, gosh! Please, say no!

“Of course not! Why would I tell them?”

I breathed a sigh of relief because of her answer. It’s good she kept her mouth shut because otherwise we’ll both be done.

“I’m sorry. I just asked to be assured.”

“Anyway, where are you now? Have you found a hotel or a place to stay in?” She changed the subject. I swallowed hard because of her unanticipated question.

I bit my lower lip. “Yes, I found a place to stay…”

“Really? I’m glad to hear you’re safe! So, how’s your new place?”

“Kiana, I know you wouldn’t believe me but…”

“What?”

“Uh… Oh my God! How will I explain this?” I ended up panicking.

I don’t know how to tell her the truth, but I don’t want to keep it from her either.

“Oh, come on, Ezra! You're making me die in curiosity! Spill the tea. Say it now.”

“I-I am living with seven men…”

The other line was silent for a series of minutes. I can imagine how epic her reaction was after hearing the news.

“Wait— what?! What nonsense did I hear? Y-You’re what?!”

“I’m living together with seven men under the same roof.”

“Bitch, what?! Seriously, Ezra?! What the hell are you thinking?! You’re telling me you’re surrounded by seven men in a house wherein you’re the only woman?” Kiana blurted out.

“Yes, you’re right.” I nodded as if she could see me in person.

“I won’t ask how that happened, but did they do something to you?! Did they threaten you?! Tell me right away so I can sue them!”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop overreacting, Kiana. I know you’re worried about me, but take it easy. They didn’t do anything to me. In fact, they are nice.”

“Or pretending to be nice…”

“No, I swear they are kind to me. They let me come inside their house and fed me. They even decided to let me stay here as long as I want.”

“And why did they let you stay? Come to think of it, you’re a mere stranger to them. I don’t think I will let a stranger of the opposite gender stay inside my house unless I’m planning to do something bad to him, right? You never know whether their actual intention was to help you or to harm you.”

“I told them I escaped the arranged marriage,” I recounted. “They asked me if my parents are going to find me, and I answered yes. Knowing Mom, she will do everything for the company, even if saving her dying company means torturing her own daughter to death. So, they insisted on letting me stay for a long while.”

“Fine, you won. I will believe you because you said so. But the question is…”

I let out a soft chuckle. I seem to know what she will ask next.

“Are they good-looking?”

Shoot. I knew she would ask that. Kiana likes handsome men. It’s her type. Whether it has an awful taste in fashion, has bad habits, and a red flag, it doesn’t matter to her as long as he has good looks.

“The truth is… they are! They looked like pieces of art. They have a perfect build of body, an amicable lifestyle, skin as white as snow, a bad boy aura, and an unrealistic appearance!” I described what they are like.

Seconds later, I put my phone a little far from my ears when Kiana squealed in romantic excitement. I might become deaf because of her in no time.

“Don’t make me feel envious, Ezra! Don’t take everything. Save one for me. Oh, gosh, I want to visit you there!”

“Don’t!” I reprimanded her. “Mom might find out where I am hiding if they put a tail on you. She has eyes everywhere. I don’t want to put your life at risk as well as the seven men who showed me acts of kindness.”

“I understand. Introduce them to me when you come back and everything is settled. I’ll hang up now. Mom’s here, picking me up. I’ll try to call you later if I have the chance to sneak out. I miss you!” She bid goodbye before turning off the call.

I left the guest room after cleaning up. I found seven of them in the living room playing X-Box. They paused for a moment when they noticed me.

“Do you need anything, Ezra?” Iñigo asked me.

I smiled and shook my head. “Don’t mind me. Continue playing your game. I want to watch.”

As I’ve said, they continued to play. I just watched them and examined them one by one. I was amazed at the way Hyde played. He’s good at guns and he’s incredibly fast! Unbeknownst to me, I was staring at him like a fool. Until I immediately sat up straight and looked away when I heard him speak.

“Stop staring at me.”

Did he catch me? How embarrassing!

From then on, I never looked at him again. I only watched the six others play.

They finished playing when the clock stopped at noon. To my surprise, none of them move to prepare the food nor cook rice.

“Uh… What’s our lunch?” I asked, being brazen because my belly aches in hunger. “It’s past noon, aren’t you hungry yet?”

“Let’s just order, or open the cans and noodles there, Ezra,” Jeremy pointed his finger to the kitchen cabinet. My forehead furrowed in astonishment.

“You don’t know how to cook?”

They looked at each other then shook their heads in response. I was stunned. How do they eat every day? Don’t tell me they stick to canned food and noodles? Or do they only eat fast food? That’s not good for their health.

“I’ll cook.”

They just nodded at me in agreement. I turned my back on them and headed straight to the kitchen counter. I opened the refrigerator and thought of something to cook. The refrigerator is full. It’s a pity because they don’t cook.

I prepared the ingredients and started cooking adobo. When it was cooked, I placed it at the dining table. They just watched me as I served the food and the plates.

“Let’s eat!”

They went to the dining area one by one and sat down. We looked like a family sitting at one long table and eating together.

“Smells good!” Clarence praised as he sniffed the dish. I smiled. His cheerfulness is contagious.

We started eating. I was about to ask them what it tasted like, but I knew it as soon as I laid my eyes on them. The seven had an appetite to eat and I could hardly count how many rice they had spooned.

While eating, they asked a few things about me, and so did I. I found out that they were the same age except for Joaquin who was a year older than them and Clarence who was the youngest of them in terms of birth month. They are two years ahead of me.

“I’m full,” Jeremy said as he rubbed his stomach.

When we finished eating, the seven of them got up and went back to the living room to continue playing. I was baffled.

I’m the one who cooked our feast, yet I’m the one who will clean and wash the dishes as well? I see.

I blew air. In the house, not a single plate is washed by me, but I would be more tolerant of this than being a princess there and marrying the man I don’t love.

Raiko Tan, the son of Mom and Dad’s business partner whom I was set up with a marriage. He’s good-looking, rich and popular. I’ve met him several times, and I can say that he’s nice but I neither like him nor love him. I consider him as a brother because I’m an only child.