"So… will he leave?"
The question arose in my mind, but before I could say anything, I saw Alex approaching from behind. He looked shocked to see Rayan and me like that, and gave a fake cough to remind Rayan of his presence.
Hearing him, Rayan became embarrassed—because of both me and Alex—and let go of me.
Alex said, "Sir, you've been living in a place like this?"
Rayan replied, "Yeah, it doesn't look good at first, but eventually, you get used to it… and start to like it."
I just stood there, silent. The usual Zera would've been angry at Alex and might've snapped at him. But I didn't feel like it. It felt like… the more I spoke, the more my words would turn into tears.
And I didn't want that—
Because I didn't want to ruin a happy moment…
because of me.
I softly said, "Wow… congrats. Let me bring some food for you."
We had just settled when we heard a knock at the door—it was Mira.
I said to her, "Come in, Mira. Rayan wants to share something." But she immediately sensed the sadness in my voice.
She walked in and noticed another person in the room.
"Well, this is Alex," I told her. "He's with Rayan."
Rayan continued talking about how happy he was. Mira was happy for him too.
Alex was listening intently to Rayan's words.
But I just sat there, silent.
Mira said to us, "Well, I'm running late. I'll go for now. Zera, can you come with me for a moment?"
I simply nodded and followed her outside the door.
Once we were outside, she grinned and said, "Wow, Zera, did you see how handsome Alex was? Why don't you ever tell me about guys like him? He's even more handsome than Rayan!"
"What?" I exclaimed. "No! He's not handsome at all. And how can you even compare him to Rayan?"
"Okay, I see," Mira replied with a teasing smirk.
I fell silent for a moment.
Mira said, "Don't worry, Zera. You don't need to stress. Rayan's a good guy. Everything will turn out fine."
Then she added with a grin, "And yeah, by the way… if you look closely, Alex is handsome. If you ever get the chance, please set us up!"
Oh God, this girl… I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
I went back inside. My mood was a little better than before.
I spoke to Rayan normally now, and this time, I truly congratulated him from the heart.
After a while, both Alex and Rayan were about to leave. At the door, I couldn't stop myself—I gently held Rayan's hand from behind and asked, "Will you come again?"
Rayan turned with a soft smile. "Well, you don't need to worry. I'll never leave you like that. The only thing you can worry about now… is that you won't be getting your rent."
I couldn't help but smile too.
But was I truly happy?
No.
I knew I wouldn't see Rayan as often anymore.
I knew our conversations would fade.
Our cooking classes were over.
No one would be waiting for me anymore…
And I wouldn't be waiting for anyone either.
With all these thoughts spinning in my mind, I simply waved at Rayan as he left.
After that, Rayan started visiting my home two to three times a week.
The strange thing was, even now, he always came with his face covered.
When I asked him about it, he simply said that he came here secretly—so he had to come like that.
Whenever he visited, I talked to him about everything.
About how and how much I earned in the market, my conversations with Mira, even the funny little incidents I witnessed while working.
And Rayan… he listened so peacefully.
He listened to all my seemingly worthless stories like they were the most important things in the world.
He remembered every little detail I told him.
But he rarely spoke about himself.
Hardly anything at all.
Sometimes, we would also visit the quiet, beautiful places I had discovered.
But as time passed and everything between Rayan and me stayed pretty much the same,
I couldn't help but wonder—
What is he up to?
Who is he, really? I still don't know.
Does he still not trust me enough to share his secrets?
If he likes me...
Then why doesn't he just say it?