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After saying goodbye to Bea, me and Rheyna went to her house again. Except this time I don't plan on seducing Rheyna into having lovey dovey sex.
'It's best if we don't do it frequently. Makes it more special and it feels better that way.'
Rheyna raises her knuckle and knocks on the door. "Pa, Anna, open the door please!" Rheyna yelled.
"Wait a moment! I'm coming down!" a young girl yelled back from inside. The voice belonging to Rheyna's little sister, Anna.
And not long after that, I could hear the locks being opened, before finally the door swung open from the inside.
On the other side is a little girl with neck-length black hair and square glasses. Her black eyes glanced briefly at Rheyna before shifting to me. "Kuya Mark!" Anna called out with a smile. She then ran into me as she wrapped her arms around for a hug.
"It's nice to see you again, Anna." I say while gentle patting her head.
Even though our interaction was short last time, Anna quickly opened up to me.
"Finally! I have a big brother now!" is what she said. And I totally understand. In my former world, I wanted a sister, too. Don't really know why, but I did.
"Is papa here?" Rheyna asks. Looking down on her little sister with a tinge of envy in her eyes.
"Nope! Oh, are you two gonna exercise again?" she asked with an innocent expression on her face. The question catching me off guard. I look at Rheyna and she's equally as shocked.
"Uhhh, no, we're not. We're just gonna..." I glance back at Rheyna, signaling for her help. She nods once and looks at Anna. "We're gonna work on an assignment together. So don't disturb us, Anna." Rheyna says. Which isn't a lie at all. We're just going to hang out together once we're done.
Anna then turns to Rheyna and scans her empty hands. "No pasalubong?"1essentially a gift or souvenir from someone returning home. In this case, Anna is asking for snacks. she asked with narrowed eyes.
Rheyna's eyes widened. "! Oh shi- Sorry, Anna, I forgot!" Rheyna says, scratching the back of her head.
I look down at Anna and rub her head again. "Are you hungry, Anna? I can make something, if you want." I ask in a gentle tone, unintentionally acting like a caring big sister, or in this world, a caring big brother.
Anna snaps to look me in the eyes. "Really!? Then I want spaghetti!" Anna requested with a wide smile and sparkling eyes.
Seeing her so energetic, I couldn't help but smile. "Hah, okay, okay. Just bring out the pasta, sauce, hotdogs, and cheese. Then I'll cook us some spaghetti, Anna."
"Yay! Spaghetti!" Anna hopped for joy while still hugging me.
"Is this really okay with you, Mark?" Rheyna asks, likely worried I'm forcing myself to please her little sister.
In response, I shake my head. "It's fine, Rheyna. I like cooking, anyways."
Rheyna then scans my face for a solid second. "... Okay. Thank you, Mark."
"You hear that, Anna? Bring out the ingredients so I can start."
Anna eagerly nods. "Alrighty!" she says before separating from me and running to the kitchen.
'It'll be my first time cooking at someone else's house. Hopefully I don't mess anything up.'
.
.
Chopping the cooked hotdogs, the sound of the knife hitting the board rings out in the kitchen. On the single stove is a pot filled with water waiting to boil.
Not long after I started cooking, the anxiety in my heart disappeared. Replaced by a familiar, therapeutic feeling I receive whenever I cook.
Watching from a distance, seated at the table is Rheyna and Anna. The two sisters patiently waiting, watching Mark move around the kitchen with grace.
Anna leaned in, her mouth close to Rheyna's ear. "Big sis, when is the wedding?" she whispered, half-joking and half-serious. 'If big sis marries kuya Mark, then won't he start living with us? Then I can see kuya Mark everyday!' Anna thought to herself.
Hearing the question of marriage from her 10 year old sister, Rheyna went wide-eyed. "Wedding?!" she blurts out.
"Hm? What was that, Rheyna?" I ask, looking over my shoulder. The knife safely to the side, flat on the board.
"Nothing!" Rheyna stammers, her cheeks a faint pink.
"... Alright." I say before turning back to the chopping board.
I didn't show much of a reaction, but I had a hunch on what's going on.
'Could this be the trope of the girl's family pushing her to marry the boy she brought home already?' I thought, a smile creeping up my face. In my old world, it would be the guy's family pushing him to marry the girl.
'Marriage, huh... I wonder how that'll go between us.' with the thought of marriage, I began imagining how my own wedding will be like in the future.
'A white suit, a flower pinned to my breastpocket, and a veil covering my head while my mother walks me down the aisle. Rheyna waiting for me at the altar...' I imagined. For someone with memories of my past life, it feels a little alien and strange, but I'm not against it at all. If I didn't grow up in this world, then I might have felt uncomfortable about it.
While I was imagining a fantastical wedding ceremony, the corner of my eyes picked up the sight of steam. "Oh, the water is boiling now." I muttered to myself. Using a pot holder, I took off the lid. Steam escaping once I did.
"Now put in some salt and a little oil..." after giving it a quick stir, it is finally time for the pasta.
'There aren't any Italians around, right?' I jokingly thought while looking around. After confirming there were no Italians in the room, I snapped the raw pasta down the middle before dropping them into the pot.2I'm sorry for any Italians reading this xd
'Somewhere in Italy, an Italian suffered a spiritual heart attack because of my crime.'
Some time later.
After cooking the sauce with the hotdogs bits, and the pasta thoroughly drained, the simple spaghetti is finally ready.
"I need some plates-"
"Here you go!" Anna called out. Turning around, I see her holding a plate with both hands. Rheyna stands beside her with a plate on each hand. "Pfft- Eager are we?" a small laugh escaped me, seeing the two sisters like this is a bit flattering to say the least.
Using a pair of tongs, I put a serving of pasta onto each plate. Next is the sauce. Using a large spoon, I scooped some sauce from the pan and poured them onto the pasta. "There we go. Now all that's left is to grate some cheese."
"I'll do it, kuya Mark!"
"Ah, okay. Thank you, Anna."
Putting down her plate, she grabbed the grater and cheese. Removing the foil, the little girl began grating cheese onto all three plates.
"There's a lot left, so eat as much as you want, Anna. Just leave some for your parents, okay?"
Anna nodded without looking away, focused on grating a generous helping of cheese.
"Done!" Anna announced. Proud of her assistance. Seeing her puff her chest out with pride is quite an adorable sight.
"Alright. Let's eat!" I say, clapping my palms together.
Grabbing my fork, I begin mixing my spaghetti. The sauce and grated cheese mixing together with the pasta.
"Ahh~ Uhm! Mhm! Delicious!" the sauce, cheese, and pasta are working together to bring joy to my taste buds.
"Mmm! It's just as good as papa's!" Anna says out loud before continuing to scarf down her spaghetti. 'Just as good as a former eatery cook's? Judging by her tone, it seems like tito is a good cook.'
"Wow... It really is as good as papa's..." Rheyna says. Genuine amazement on her face. Seeing her reaction, an idea popped into my head.
I lean in, my lips brushing her ear. "Eh-"
"This is a trial run for the future. Did I pass?" I whisper. A small grin on my face as I pulled back.
The close proximity, feeling my breath brush her ear, Rheyna's cheeks reddened. "Y-Yeah! You pass!" she nodded.
"Hahah~ Okay. Once we're done, let's go to your room and do our assignment, Rheyna."
Anna suddenly pauses and looks at me and Rheyna. "You two aren't gonna exercise?"
""!? No!""
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