Knock! Knock! Knock!
A sound on hard wooden door echoes in Lesley's house. She peeks from across the kitchen, squints her eyes while asks in a loud voice. "Who is it?"
"Post service." Clearly a lie. It is not even six o'clock yet, no post service operating this early. And she knows that voice.
With a huft, she turns on her stove and walks to the front door. She pulls a side the drape from her tinted window and a rather tall man stares back at her, a smug smile plestered on his face. "What?"
His smile grows and he winks at her. An empty plate on his raised hand. With a heavy heart, she opens her door, not really wants to indulge him so early in the morning today.
"Thanks for making me pasta." Wrong. It was him who smooch a plate full of her dinner. No consent on her part. None at all.
"Delicious as always." True. Which is why he always comeback and steal her foods.
He hands her plate, still smiling despite Lesley's sudden sour mood. She believes that he is her karma for letting her precious brother all alone in the magic academy. Oh yeah, his name is Gusion by the way. The guy next door. A handsome and charming man at the first sight. A NEET who always annoys her, no matter what the times are. No social life as far as she knows. But he always makes sure to always color Lesley's peaceful day with cursed words. Every. Single. Day.
One at a time, he planted Lesley's front yard with many sunflower's seed, the only flower she was allergic to. Or that time when he crashed her barbeque party and introduced himself as her long lost brother. Or when he sprayed water on her drying clothes. Or when he painted her fence bright orange. Or when-
"I smells something."
Oh.
With a blink, she hurries to her kitchen. A boiled chocolate is treatening to burnt out. With a click, the stove turned off. "That was close."
"Thanks to me, no kitchenhazard happening."
She gives him a stink eyes instead. After all, it was him who distracted her.
"Come on, thank me." He begs her.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She brushed him off.
"Thank me." He pouts at her.
"I did." Lesley picks a chocolate cast, circle one, not that she cares, and pours chocolates from her pan.
"I didn't hear anything."
"Poor you. There is a clinic around somewhere, better check that fancy ears of yours."
Gusion frowns and sticks a finger to his right ear. Wondering if he really need to check it or if Lesley is just messing with him. "What are you making anyway?"
"None of your business."
Sneaky hand picks a chocolate bar from her kitchen table. She snatchs said chocolate and swats the hand away. A hiss resounds from the owner. "Just a bit."
"No."
"Lesleeeeeey~"
"No means no."
"I mean it's Valentine' Day. Give me one already."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"Why should I?"
More pouts. He kind of looks cute right now. Before he opens his mouth. "Because you love me."
She cringes.
"You like me."
She stares at him, unblinking.
"You like me a bit."
A sigh.
"You kinda like me a bit?"
His uncertainty makes her take pity on him. Well, she tolerates him. Sometimes. "Sorry, but there will be no leftover chocolate for you. I'm sure there is some girl that will give you one. Maybe."
"You are so cruel."
"I am. So, shoo shoo."
And with that, Gusion decides that's enough for this morning. He'll definetely get some of her homemade chocolate.
Guilt keeps eating her heart all day. While handing many chocolates to her brother and her friends, she keeps remembering Gusion's fallen face. Maybe she really is cruel towards him. And she should have give him some as well. Oh damn. He is not even here but he managed to guilty trip her.
To the store it is.
And to her luck, the closest store that sells chocolate has triple their prices. There is no time to buy at the other store 5 blocks from her if she want to give him tonight. Oh, the things she would do for her insufferable neighbour.
Twenty minutes before midnight, Lesley stands under dimly lit terrace next door from her house. A buzzing sound of television greets her. She knocks on Gusion's door, a plain wrap of box in her hand.
"Yes?" His voice reachs her before he opened his door. "Oh, hey."
"Hey. Did you slept already? Sorry."
"Not really. It's okay. What happen? It's almost midnight." He said, his eyebrows tauts.
"Well... I'm sorry if I acted a bit harsh this morning."
"I don't mind."
"Oh." She was stunned. Did he really didn't mind? Did she just overthinking as usual? For nothing? "Umm."
"Do you want to come in?"
"What? It' almost midnight and you invite a girl to your house?"
"What?! No! I just, I don't, it's almost midnight. What are you doing anyway? Lost your key?"
Lesley sighed. She holds out her hand with the box towards him. "In case you don't get any."
He blinks at her. Huh. She really give him one? "Thank you!"
Gusion stares right at her eyes, beaming at her and smiles blindingly. Seeing him so happy and so close to his face, Lesley blushed. She turns her eyer from him, and finally notices many, many wrapped boxes and opened chocolate with varied shapes.
Seing her confusion, Gusion lightly said, "Those are from my admirers."
In a heart beat, Lesley' eyebrow rises. "You have admirer?"
"Sure."
"Huh."
"You don't believes me." It was a statement.
"Hmn." There was a kind of jealousy blooms in her heart. Weird.
"I'll let you know that I have many admirers."
"Yeah, yeah." He pouts again. He really is cute when he did that. "What did they see in you anyway?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that I am the best assassin mage in the Land of Dawn? Or that I am the holder of the Holy Blade? Or that I am the most handsome man ali-"
"Wait, assassin mage? What are you talking about?" Lesley interupted. Did she misheard him?
"You don't know." Again, a statement. Lesley crosses her arms in front of her. "I thought you knew."
"What?"
"Let me introduce my self again then." Sweet smile adorns his face, far nicer than his annoying smirk that he often wore. "My name is Gussion Paxley, one of-"
"Oh shit."
"Oh well, now you really knew."
For almost a year, she was being annoyed at his antics and bantering at each other, without knowing that her neighbour is the famed mage from noble family of Land of Dawn, who mastered his own special magic that no one ever thought of. One of the best assassin that she ever heard the rumoured of. One of her fantasy crush that she never met before. But that's not really true, because he is standing right in front of her.
Oh shit, indeed.
Then, she runs.
She heard Gusion yells across the yard. "Thanks for the chocolate! Happy Valentine's Day too!"
She slams her door. While she burries her burning face in her hands, she heard Gusion's voice again. "Wait for my White Day gift!"