Freya's eyes widened. Dinner?! With Liam?! What do I do now?!
"Uhmm…" Freya could barely speak, but before she could protest, Liam smiled and nodded politely.
"Sure, auntie. Thank you."
"Good! I'll set the table then," Freya's mom said cheerfully before heading downstairs.
Leiyah, meanwhile, could barely hide her laughter as she watched her friend turn red.
"Hey, Freya… dinner date! At your house, no less!" she whispered, grinning.
"Leiyah!" Freya hissed, but that only made her friend tease her more.
---
When they went downstairs, adobo, fried fish, and vegetables were already on the table. They sat down—Freya beside her mom, Liam across from her, and Leiyah at the side.
"So, Liam," Freya's dad began, taking some food, "how's school? I heard you're really diligent, according to my daughter."
Freya nearly choked on her water. Wait! Did Mom really tell Dad that?!
Liam smiled and scratched the back of his neck.
"I'm doing okay, uncle. I really can't understand English… but luckily Freya has been helping me."
Time seemed to slow down for Freya. Did the whole family just hear that?!
"That's good! Teamwork is always nice," her mom said, smiling. "That's wonderful, Freya. You should always be like that."
Freya could feel her cheeks heating even more. And it got worse when Leiyah suddenly spoke up.
"Eh, auntie, did you know that for a long—"
"Leiyah!" Freya quickly interrupted, almost dropping her fork and spoon.
Liam glanced at Freya with a small smile, as if he knew what Leiyah was about to say—but he chose to stay silent.
---
The rest of dinner was filled with cheerful conversation. Liam, though quiet, clearly seemed comfortable with Freya's family. Freya caught herself staring at him at times—she wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but she swore he smiled at her once or twice.
After eating, Freya stood to clear the plates. She was shocked when Liam suddenly helped.
"I got it, Freya. You might get tired."
"N-no, I can do this!" she quickly protested.
But Liam took the plate from her hands anyway. Their fingers brushed briefly—and Freya's heart seemed to skip a beat.
Oh my gosh… why does everything feel like it's in slow motion?
"Careful," Liam murmured softly, glancing at Freya. It was like he wanted to say something more, but chose to just smile instead.
After clearing the table, they stepped out onto the veranda together. The surroundings were quiet, the only sounds were the cicadas and the cool evening breeze.
"Thanks for dinner," Liam said. "Your mom's cooking is amazing."
"Y-you're welcome," Freya replied, barely able to look at him directly.
Liam stopped walking and looked at her.
"Freya…" his voice low.
Freya's hands went cold, and for a moment, the world seemed to freeze.
"I… I wanted to tell you something."