"Because she is a demon. You would've heard of the evil step-sister and stepmother stereotype, right?" She spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Rio understood what she meant as he was familiar with it from the stories he read in school.
They took the stairs and went to the second floor.
Nyla unlocked the door to her apartment with the access card and she entered.
Rio hesitated to enter as it was a girl's apartment. He wasn't used to this kind of situation. He was feeling shy because Nyla wasn't even his wife like Lia.
"Come inside… don't be shy, Rio. You were almost my half-husband." She sarcastically invited him as she saw his hesitation.
He rolled his eyes at her and entered finally by the little push Nyla gave him with her words.
The Center of the hall had two couches opposite each other with a round table in the middle.
On the left side was a rack in the wall with some kitchen utensils and a table in front of it with some cooking appliances.
The right side had a window that showed the view of a pond with beautiful flowers outside.
Behind the couch, there were two doors. One of the doors was open and showed the bedroom inside. There was a bed in his sight with a white bed sheet that had purple flower patterns. A teddy bear was placed near her purple pillow.
There was a door at the end of the bedroom which was probably an attached bathroom. At the corner of the kitchen rack and bedroom, there was another door that reminded him of the portal capsule room in his room in Havenglow's house.
'If I also have a similar room then my problem might be solved.'
"Does everyone get a private portal capsule in their room?" He asked her.
"Nah, only we at Grand Dew Garden have them. You will also have one in your apartment." She said with a nonchalant voice.
"You should take a seat on the sofa. I'll make coffee for us. Give me two minutes." She hovered her left half in front of her by folding all her fingers except the middle and index while her face kept a sweet smile which caused her eyes to take a crescent shape.
'If I didn't meet Lia I might have been charmed by her elegance and cute gestures.'
He took a seat on the couch while Nyla went to the kitchen table on the left side.
After two minutes, she brought a tray with some cookies and two cups of coffee.
She sat on the couch opposite him before handed him a cup of coffee and placing the tray on the round table.
She looked at Rio who was glaring at her as if asking her to speak and not extending this meeting long.
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't put anything funny in the coffee to cause you to go on many toilet trips. You can trust me." She said with a proud smile.
He was speechless by her process of thought.
"Ten minutes have passed long ago. Should I leave then if you're done?" He said with a flat tone.
"What ten minutes, Twenty minutes. I'm your fellow schoolmate. Can't you talk without remembering the grudges of the past?" She said in an apologetic tone but a smile was still on her face.
He rubbed the middle of his forehead hearing her logic to be friendly with her.
"Okay, don't be impatient. At least drink that coffee I made for us. I'll Start then." She indicated by moving her eyes to the cup in his hand.
*Slurp!*
He took a sip from the cup.
'It's really good.'
The coffee was creamy and sweet. It was perfectly made.
"Engagement with you was arranged without my agreement and It was broken without my agreement as well. My stepmother doesn't like me so she wants to send me away from the family as soon as possible.
I was less worried when I heard dad arranged my marriage with you because I thought you would understand me more than the son of my stepmother's best friend, who is a playboy.
Her best friend wanted her son to be married to my stepmother's daughter. So instead of Talia, who is her biological daughter, she wants to send me to marry her best friend's playboy son." Nyla explained in a sad voice.
This was the first time since he met her when she was not being cheerful or happy. It was as if the glimmering full moon was going through an eclipse.
"Why would I understand you?" He asked her in a nonchalant voice before taking a sip from the cup.
"When I was born my mother passed away so my stepmother and step-sister told me from a small age that I killed my mother. Father doesn't like me much either. Although he doesn't say it on his face, he agrees with his wife and daughter.
From my father's side, my grandmother is the only one that loves me. Grandfather stays busy at the shelter and he likes Talia more because she is at the purple stage like me even though she is younger than me by a year." She spoke in a down voice as her gaze was looking down at the cup of coffee in her hand.
"I'm sorry." He apologized as he heard about her sad past.
"You don't have to say sorry." She smiled and came out of the eclipse moment she was going through because of remembering the sad memories.
He felt better seeing her happy face as it brightened the heart of people around her by just looking at that smile.
"Are you still mad at me for breaking the engagement?" She asked him with a lower voice as if asking a child to forgive her.
"Nope. It's fine. I'll leave then." He put the cup on the table and got ready to stand up.
"Wait… I haven't finished the main topic." She said in a hurried voice which made him halt his action and made him stay on the couch.
"What now?" He asked.
"Please don't get mad after what I'm going to ask you." She hesitated and calmed herself by taking a deep breath.
He wondered what she wanted to say to him. He waited for her to speak.
"Will you marry me, please?" She requested in a pleading voice while hands pressed together and palms touching each other with a slight bow.
She dropped a landmine that caused his mind to go into chaos, he was flabbergasted.
As If a hammer was struck on his head, he was shaken and was wondering if the girl had gone insane.
