66. Is He Liuz?

66. Is He Liuz?
A young man with tanned skin, brown hair, bright brown eyes, and pierced ears stepped out just as Rose banged on her new neighbor’s door. But of all those things, what shocked Rose the most was his face. He looked exactly like Liuz.
“Are you Liuz?” Rose asked.
“Who are you? You’ve got the wrong person! There’s no Liuz here!” he replied.
Rose narrowed her eyes, studying him more closely, caught between disbelief and confusion.
“Why are you pounding on my door? I already told you—I’m not your Liuz!” the man said firmly.
“Ah, sorry! Your music is too loud. Could you turn it down a little?” Rose finally addressed the issue.
“Okay! I’ll turn it down!”
But Rose continued staring at him and didn’t leave right away.
“Do you still have a problem? Or do you want to come in and get to know me better?” the man teased, leaning his face closer to hers.
“No! Thank you!” Rose quickly bolted away.
She went back into her apartment, still unable to believe what she had seen. That man looked so much like Liuz—only his skin was sun-tanned. Maybe the weather on his planet was hotter than Earth’s. Many things were possible… but having an identical face? That was almost impossible.
“Wait! Didn’t Liuz once say that everyone in Orvantis has the same face? Don’t tell me he’s an alien too?” Rose muttered suspiciously.
Ding Dong.
The doorbell to her apartment rang. Rose flinched slightly, puzzled by who would visit this late at night. Was it her neighbor?
She slowly opened the door and peeked out.
“Rose! My baby!”
A middle-aged woman opened the door quickly and pulled her into a tight hug. She was Aunt Bertha—Rose’s aunt. The woman was Rose’s mother’s older sister. She was the one who had helped Rose the most after her mother passed away.
“What are you doing here, Auntie? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Rose asked.
“Do I need permission just to see you? I came because I missed you, Darling! Don’t tell me you don’t miss your aunt? Hmmm?” Aunt Bertha narrowed her eyes.
“Of course I miss you! God, it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever. I even thought I might never see you again—I was really desperate!” Rose answered unexpectedly.
“Alright, don’t be so dramatic! I know you never want me meddling in your business anyway. Have you eaten yet? I brought food! Come on, sit down and eat!” the woman said as she headed straight to the dining area, taking out the food containers and opening everything for Rose.
“Aunt Bertha, you’re the best!”
Without hesitation, Rose began eating enthusiastically while her aunt watched her with delight.
“Now hurry and tell me—what’s your boyfriend’s name?” she asked casually.
Rose almost choked, quickly swallowing her food and taking a drink.
“Wow, slow down, dear! You can finish all of it if you want!”
Rose grinned. It wasn’t the food that almost made her choke—it was Aunt Bertha’s sudden question that knocked the breath out of her.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Rose replied.
“Really? Didn’t you say you were getting close to someone recently?”
“Oh, him? We broke up,” Rose said shortly.
“Oh, I’m sorry. But if he wasn’t the best for you, then maybe breaking up was the right choice,” Aunt Bertha said with sympathy.
Rose resumed eating, but Aunt Bertha started talking again.
“Alright, since you’re single, I won’t hold back! I’m arranging a blind date for you. I’m setting you up with my friend’s son—he’s a lawyer, established, kind, and just like you, too busy working to bother with marriage! You’ll go, okay?” Aunt Bertha said without hesitation.
“Oh my God, Auntie, that’s so thoughtful! And without hesitation, I will also say: No! Thank you!”
“Rose Clara Anderson!” her aunt called her name with a serious face.
“Yes, Aunt Bertha Cale! And I refuse!”
“You naughty girl!”
“Don’t force me. I already knew you were going to make me go on a blind date! Let me find a guy I actually like on my own!”
Aunt Bertha looked at Rose in disbelief, leaned back, and started speaking again.
“Two weeks. You find yourself a new boyfriend, or I’ll arrange one for you,” she declared.
“Oh come on, Auntie! Two weeks isn’t even enough time for a seed to grow into a plant!”
“Then choose a mung bean seed—it can grow in a day!” her aunt retorted, refusing to lose.
“You can’t control my life! My life belongs to me!”
“I know your life is yours! But I’m getting old. What if I die before you get married? How am I supposed to explain everything to your late mother?”
“My mom told me not to fall in love easily! It hurts!”
“That’s what you think! Your mother told me something completely different!”
“What is it?”
“She wanted you to be happy—to have a little family who loves you, a place you can call home,” Aunt Bertha answered, her eyes glistening with tears.
“My poor little sister…”
Aunt Bertha’s face grew even sadder.
“Oh God, stop that! Alright, fine! I agree! If I can’t find a boyfriend in the next two weeks, I’ll go on all your blind dates!”
“Deal!” Aunt Bertha replied enthusiastically.
Aunt Bertha stayed the night and went home the next morning, looking cheerful as ever. Unlike Rose, who felt completely drained—she even dragged herself to work sluggishly.
“Oh my God, where am I supposed to find a boyfriend in just two weeks?” she muttered.
Walking without energy toward the bus stop, she didn’t even notice that the bus that had been waiting there had already pulled away while she was still strolling slowly.
“Huh? Hey! Sir! Wait! I need to get on!” Rose shouted.
But it was too late. The city bus she wanted to take had already sped off, turned at the corner, and disappeared from sight.
“Oh no, I’m going to be late!” Rose panicked.
“Missed your bus? Doesn’t another one come in like half an hour?” someone commented.
Rose turned and realized it was her neighbor.
“You!”
“My name is Lucas! I do have a name,” he said, sitting down on the bench at the bus stop as if he was also waiting for the city bus.
Rose sat beside him without hesitation, staring at Lucas very intently.
“So your name is Lucas? Do you know Liuz? Why do you two look so alike? Are you also from Orvantis?” Rose asked.
Lucas’s expression changed. He leaned in closer, as if he were about to say something serious.
“How do you know about Orvantis?” he asked in surprise.