"Hey," a bunch of people stepped into the house. There were two girls and three guys. All around the same age as Naila and Luke.
"What are you guys doing here?" Luke looked pretty shocked. It felt awkward for Naila, to meet new people, while living with Luke. She did not know what to say, how to greet, worried whether they would misunderstand them.
They all then looked at Naila who stood behind Luke not saying a word. "So, this so your wife? Why did you not tell us that held a wedding?" One girl sounded pretty offended. She had dark long hair tied up into bouncing pony tail. She was wearing a blue jean and red sweater. She hit Luke's arm.
"How did you know Millie?" Luke asked as if it was true.
"So, it is real?" The guy with bags on both his hands asked.
"Why does it matter Matt?" Luke asked back. He was not saying no at all.
"We just asked the way to your place and everybody recognised your wife more than you. Everyone talked about going to the house Teacher Naila lives and Teacher Naila's husband Luke who is the engineer in this community," another girl spoke animatedly. She was wearing a blue denim skirt and bottle green sweater with red collar and buttons.
"That's what people said?" Luke and Naila looked at each other. This was a new news to them.
"I'm screwed," Naila whispered to him.
"Don't listen to them, Jean, anyone" he said to the guests.
"That's a lie. We are not married. He is just helping me with a situation. And everybody misunderstood it and we cannot reveal the truth since it would affect my work," Naila explained.
"What situation?" Jean asked again.
Everybody was impatient till Luke and Naila explained everything. "You acted foolishly Luke. You should have just followed Naila's lead, doing what she said instead of acting on your own. Idiotic action and complicated stuff for her," Millie concluded after listening to everything.
"Men!" Jean commented.
"Hey, stop," it appeared Matt did not like that comment from Jean.
"And that's my team!" Luke introduced the gang to Naila.
"Matt, our driver, Jean my makeup artist, Millie deals with my costumes, and Sean, my manager's cousin, the people I put up with everday," Luke said. "Why are you all here?" He asked curiously.
"For Christmas of course. We were told that you have taken off this year. Since we spend Christmas together, we thought we will come to your place for a variety. Who knew about her!" Millie spoke.
Naila looked at Luke who moved closer to her and held her hand behind their back suddenly.
"Christmas was always fun, thanks to them," he said to Naila. "Since the college days. We all met when I was in my sophomore year, my first gig. Jean started her career around that time too. I was one of her first experimental rats," Luke explained and chuckled.
"Time flies. Five years already" Sean said. Everyone settled down in the living room and kept chatting.
"Drinks? Coffee?" Naila asked.
"Anything but alcohol," Jean replied. "This time no drinking," she warned everybody.
"Coffee then," everybody agreed to it.
"Wait," Naila was stopped by Luke. "Let's head to the Christmas market," he suggested. Everybody turned their heads towards him. "Naila why don't you go change?" He then immediately said.
Naila nodded and made her way to her room. She picked out a grey turtleneck sweater and a black denim skirt, imagining how well they would go with her black woollen trench coat. She was still deciding whether to leave her hair loose when she heard footsteps behind her.
A moment later, Luke walked into the room.
She turned, only to find him approaching her. Before she could ask what he wanted, he reached for her hands and gently held them in his.
Naila froze.
His touch was warm, his fingers resting comfortably around hers. He stood close enough that she could see the faintest shift in his expression, close enough that looking anywhere but at him suddenly felt impossible.
"Don't forget about my wish," he reminded her.
She blinked, momentarily distracted by how near he was. "Your wish?"
"The dinner."
Oh.
Naila's lips almost curved into a smile. She had remembered, of course. How could she forget something he had asked for with that quiet insistence? But the way he held her hands, as though he had come all this way just to make sure she wouldn't forget, made her heart flutter in a way she wasn't prepared to admit.
She nodded. "I won't," she promised softly.
Luke tilted his head a little, studying her face.
"One with them won't count as dinner," he clarified.
This time, Naila nearly smiled for real.
'He really wants that dinner', she thought, trying to keep the amusement from showing on her face. Or perhaps it wasn't the dinner itself that mattered to him. The thought arrived uninvited, and she quickly pushed it away before it could make her cheeks warm.
"It won't," she repeated, her voice quieter now.
But she didn't look away.
Her gaze lingered on his dark eyes, searching their depths without quite knowing what she hoped to find. There was something disarming about the way he looked at her, not impatient, not demanding, simply waiting for her answer as if it mattered more than it should.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Luke's fingers shifted slightly around hers, a small, almost unconscious movement. Naila felt it all the way to her chest.
Then his lips curved into a smile.
"Good."
He released one of her hands only to lift his own and give her cheek a gentle pinch.
Naila's eyes widened at the unexpected affection.
"Luke!" she protested, bringing a hand to the spot he'd touched.
He chuckled softly, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
And that was the trouble with him.
He could stand so close that she forgot what she had been thinking, look at her as though he had all the time in the world, and then casually pinch her cheek as if he hadn't just left her heart beating a little faster than before.
As Luke turned to leave, Naila watched him for a second longer than she should have.
Only when he disappeared from the doorway did she let out the breath she'd been holding.
Her fingertips drifted to her cheek.
She was still smiling.
And, much to her annoyance, she couldn't seem to stop. "What the... what am I doing, smiling? What the hell is this? What just happened?" Naila patted her cheek and woke herself up. "Stop it," she forced herself. 'Dear O dear,". Naila could not tell what this stir inside her was.