Welcome back, sir
Carissa was muttering to herself the whole time she cleaned the flat this morning. She was annoyed because Leon had broken one of the rules they agreed on. It was clearly written in the rule list she made that cleaning on weekends was supposed to be a shared task. But what was happening right now? Leon's room was empty, the guy had even left before Carissa woke up. She could not tell if she had woken up late or if Leon had slipped out at dawn. Whatever excuse Leon came up with later, Carissa was ready to tear into him.
After she finished cleaning, Carissa took a shower and then settled onto the living room couch. She watched television while waiting for the food delivery guy. She had not ordered it. Alvero had. Her thoughtful friend sent over a spicy rice dish with meat and vegetables along with Carissa's favorite bubble tea.
The phone Carissa had left on the table let out a ding, signaling an incoming notification. A message from Alvero, apparently.
Alvero: The food delivery guy is out front, Carissa.
Carissa got up after reading Alvero's short message. She walked outside to meet the delivery guy she had been waiting for, a towel still wrapped around her wet hair.
"Thanks so much, sir," Carissa said politely to the delivery guy while flashing her sweet smile.
"Yes, finally!" Carissa squealed as she sat back down in the living room. She drank her bubble tea first before opening the food packaging. She also made sure to send a thank you message to Alvero.
Her irritation from Leon's behavior this morning faded a little thanks to Alvero's kindness.
"Welcome back, sir." Carissa greeted Leon when he got home with a mocking face.
Leon slipped off his jacket as he headed toward the couch where Carissa was sitting.
"You are staying home on a weekend, Car?" Leon made small talk, not bothered by Carissa's sarcastic greeting.
"Yeah, I prefer cleaning the flat on weekends, actually." Carissa answered, still trying to get at him. But her hints were not landing. He casually dropped his head onto Carissa's shoulder. Carissa immediately turned and looked at Leon, confused and surprised.
"So comfortable, huh? You do not help clean the flat, then you come home and lean on me like this looking for an opportunity? Such a player!" Carissa complained, unable to hold it in anymore. "Do you even remember the rules I made for this flat?!" she added in a louder tone.
Leon immediately straightened up and pulled his head away from Carissa's shoulder. He tapped his head, pretending to forget. Leon had not left on purpose just to avoid cleaning. He had actually made plans with someone earlier that morning.
"Oh no! I forgot!" Leon squeaked, which made Carissa roll her eyes at him.
"So irresponsible. You have two lives left now because you broke one rule today!" Carissa declared firmly. Leon pretended to look frustrated.
"Two lives left? Where would I get another life from, Car?" Leon teased.
Carissa shot him a dirty look. The nerve of him joking at a time like this. "Where did you even go, anyway? Leaving early in the morning and only coming back this late?" Carissa responded, not realizing she was making Leon smile.
"Aw, someone is curious. Wondering who I went out with?" Leon teased back, looking annoyingly smug.
"Tsk! I asked where you went, not who you went with!" Carissa clarified, not wanting Leon to misunderstand.
"I was looking at some boarding houses, Carissa."
Leon's words made Carissa go quiet. For some reason, she could not just brush it off. She should have been happy hearing that, but the words would not come out.
"Too many rules in this flat. I feel like I am living in a dormitory," Leon added, which was actually a lie. But Carissa fell for it.
That made Carissa snap out of it. She felt attacked, and she was the one who made the rules in the first place.
"Fine then, good for you! Hope you find a new place soon and get out of this flat quickly!" Carissa snapped, then got up from where she was sitting. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and walked into her room, leaving Leon trying not to laugh.
Turns out it was that easy to fool Carissa. He had not actually been looking for a new place to live. Instead, Leon had been hanging out with a new girl from campus who was getting close to him. The excuse about finding housing was just Leon's way of avoiding Carissa's scolding. Just as he expected, Carissa did not yell at him. Instead, she was practically pushing him out the door.