Chapter 106: Meeting Him Again (3)
Zachary glanced at her briefly. "Yes?"
"There’s a convenience store near my apartment," Sienna said. "It’s open twenty-four hours. They sell pretty good food, and I usually go there when I’m too lazy to cook."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sienna couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned about offering him convenience store food.
This man probably only ate at expensive restaurants without even looking at the prices.
’Geez, Sienna, what are you even thinking?’ She scolded herself inwardly as she waited for him to respond.
Surprisingly, Zachary’s expression didn’t change at all. He still looked calm. "Sounds okay," he said.
Sienna blinked in disbelief. ’He agrees?’
"...Are you serious? Want to eat there?"
"Hmm."
"Do you know what convenience-store food is? Instant rice, instant pizza...everything is instant."
His lips curved slightly. "It’s still food."
Sienna stared at him for a moment before laughing softly. "You sound very easy to satisfy."
"Not really."
"Then why are you agreeing so easily?"
Zachary finally glanced at her properly for a brief second. "Because you recommended it."
The simple answer made Sienna pause. As if someone had just pushed the pause button in her mind.
Warmth spread through her chest so suddenly that she had to look away, avoiding his gaze.
She feels the man beside her is dangerous, not for flirting but because he speaks simply and naturally, catching her unprepared.
Trying to regain control of herself, Sienna cleared her throat lightly.
"Okay," she said, forcing herself to sound normal. "You can park at my apartment first, and then we can walk there."
"Alright."
A few minutes later, the SUV slowly entered the parking area of her apartment building.
"You can park over there," she said softly while pointing toward an empty spot nearby.
Zachary parked smoothly.
Sienna unbuckled her seatbelt first, and for some reason, her movements were slower than usual.
Then she glanced at him. "You really don’t mind eating at the convenience store, do you?" she asked again, just to make sure he wouldn’t regret his decision later.
He looked at her with calm amusement in his eyes. "Sienna."
"Yes?"
"You’ve asked me that three times already."
Her cheeks instantly warmed. "...Because I’m still shocked. And feels surreal."
"Why?"
"Because you don’t look like someone who eats convenience store food."
Zachary raised his brow slightly. His sharp gaze fixed on her. "And what do I look like?"
His question caught her off guard immediately. She was utterly speechless. Because the honest answer sitting in her mind was, "You are handsome and very dangerous for my sanity."
Instead, she muttered weakly, "You look like someone who eats in places with chandeliers."
Then, hurriedly, Sienna opened the door and stepped out of the car. Behind her, Zachary suddenly let out a low chuckle.
"Alright," he said calmly, amusement clear in his voice for the first time that night. "If you’re that worried... then let’s just go upstairs to your place. How?"
Sienna almost tripped the moment her feet touched the ground outside the car. Her entire body froze.
’What did he say?’ Sienna’s eyes widened immediately. ’He wants to go to my apartment?’ Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
For a brief second, Sienna genuinely wondered whether she had imagined the sentence, because there was absolutely no way he had just casually suggested going upstairs to her place at this hour.
She turned around, but Zachary was no longer inside the car. She hurriedly shut the passenger door.
And the moment she turned fully, she found him already standing right in front of her. Close enough to make her breathing instantly uneven again.
"Y-You what?" she asked weakly.
Zachary calmly pressed the lock button on his key, and the SUV beeped softly.
"We go upstairs to your place," he repeated casually, as though he hadn’t just thrown her poor heart into complete chaos.
Sienna silently gulped.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
They simply stared at each other under the dim apartment lights, both strangely still, as if they had somehow entered a silent staring contest neither wanted to lose.
Then suddenly, Zachary laughed. A soft, low laugh that instantly ruined the last bit of calmness Sienna had left.
"I’m kidding," he said, still smiling slightly. "Let’s go."
He glanced around casually, trying to locate the convenience store she mentioned earlier.
But Sienna? She was no longer listening properly. Her mind had already fallen into complete disaster.
Because somehow, although Zachary had clearly been joking, the idea of him coming upstairs suddenly refused to leave her head.
And before her brain could stop her—
"Let’s go upstairs," she blurted out. "I’ll cook for you."
Once more...silence settled between them the moment the words left her mouth.
Sienna immediately wanted the ground to open beneath her feet and swallow her whole. She was so embarrassed to agree with his idea.
’Sienna! What the hell are you doing?!’ she vents her frustration in her mind. At this moment, she feels her heart nearly jump out of her chest.
It was almost ten at night. And she had just invited a man she liked into her apartment. Not only that, she offered to cook for him, too.
She opened her mouth, wanting to take the words back immediately.
But before she could, Zachary smiled. Not the faint little curve she occasionally caught from him. A real smile. It appears warm and dangerous for her heart.
"After you," he said calmly, gesturing toward the main entrance of the apartment building.
And just like that, there was no escape anymore.
Sienna forced herself to smile back. "Right..." she muttered weakly. Outside, she still looked relatively calm. But inside? Complete panic.
As they walked toward the apartment entrance side by side, Sienna’s thoughts spiraled wildly in every direction possible.
Did she clean the apartment this morning?
Were there dishes in the sink?
Did she leave clothes on the sofa?
And the worst part is, did she even have the ingredients to cook anything decent?
"Oh my God..." she whispered, hoping the whisper wasn’t loud enough for Zach to notice.
Beside her, Zachary glanced at her briefly.
"What is it?"
"Nothing—" Sienna answered immediately, almost too loudly.
