CHAPTER 31

DAKOTA’S POV

Chef Ivo’s other maids did help us to get our friends to the room upstairs. We just let them sleep in each bed while Liam and Willow didn’t fall asleep right away. We stayed on the upper terrace was where we could see the helpers and staff cleaning the venue and have also changed our clothes.

“Why are you still awake?” Chef Ivo asked when he peeked at us. He was freshly bathed and already wearing a pajama suit. He looked at me and smiled slightly. “Aren’t you tired from the party?”

I shook my head. I’m not really tired. Even though it is midnight, I still feel full. I was just sitting in my chair, so it’s impossible to be really tired. Not like my other companions, who danced and did other things.

We turned to Willow when she yawned. “It looks like I’m sleepy. I’ll go inside first to rest. Good night, Dakota, Liam… Chef Ivo.”

“All right. Good night,” said Chef Ivo after turning to me. “Are you hungry?”

“No, Chef. I’m still very full because of what I ate earlier.” Apart from the fact that that thing is true, I am ashamed to say if I am really hungry. I took a deep breath because I didn’t know what to say at that time. Liam was busy playing with the cat he saw earlier on the terrace when we went. “Is this cat yours, Chef?”

“Nope. That cat is with a caretaker of ours. The two don't go up to the second floor. That’s all there is. We don’t know why.” Chef Ivo’s laughter followed what he said, which is why even we laughed.

“I didn’t know you had a house like this, Chef. I thought it was just the one at the restaurant,” said Liam.

“Ah, yes. This is the property of my parents who are abroad. I rarely come here because I’m always at the restaurant, but when there are occasions, we actually celebrate here.”

“Why aren’t they at your party?” I asked, so he turned to me. I want to regret asking that question, but luckily he answered me.

“They are busy with our business there. They called me this morning to congratulate me.” I’m not sure, but there seems to be something wrong with Chef Ivo’s emotions.

Suddenly I felt worried for him again. I often ask myself why and what does it mean that my heart beats fast whenever we are together, talking or even when our eyes meet? My concern for him, I don’t understand where it comes from.

Maybe it’s because he’s really kind to me. That’s why I feel that way. There is nothing else that can be the reason. I tried to smile at him. “Is that so, Chef? That’s good. I thought there was a problem.”

“Ouch!”

Chef Ivo and I both turned to Liam when we heard him grumble. It turned out that the cat he was playing with scratched him. Now Liam has a wound in his hand. We both approached Liam to see how big the cat scratched.

“I’ll just get a first aid kit.” Chef Ivo immediately ran towards the sliding door and it disappeared from Liam's and I’s sight.

“Does it hurt? Is it deep?” I asked.

“No, but I don’t have the anti-rabies vaccine.” Liam laughed, which made me shake my head.

“Tomorrow you should get vaccinated because rabies is no joke.”

“It’s just a scratch.”

“Even though it’s just a scratch, you should have it. Don’t be so stubborn.” We both sat on the iron chairs. A few moments later, Chef Ivo arrived with a small box with ‘first aid kit’ written on the cover. “Give me.” I took the box from Chef and opened it. I took alcohol and cotton, then held Liam’s hand to look at the scratch. I cleaned it slowly so as not to get infected somehow. “There, it’s okay,” I said after cleaning and applying a band aid.

“Thank you. You don’t need to clean it because the cat just scratched it.”

“Don’t ignore rabies, Liam,” said Chef Ivo with a dark expression, but I didn’t pay attention to that.

“Tomorrow you should be vaccinated with anti-rabies. I’ll come with you if you’re afraid of needles,” I joked, followed by a soft laugh.

“I’m not afraid of needles, huh.” Liam immediately defended. That’s why we both laughed.

“Lock the sliding door in case you’re done here. I’m going inside. Good night.” That’s all Chef Ivo said, then turned around and left Liam and me on the terrace.

We just looked at each other. We have no idea why Chef Ivo reacted that way. We didn’t say anything strange that could change his mood. His face showed that he was not happy about something.

“Chef Ivo seems to be in a bad mood.”

I turned to Liam when I said that. “Why? How can you tell?” I’m curious to ask.

He shrugged his shoulders and did not speak. It looked into the void. The stars are scattered in the wide sky and the moon is bright. It was not round, but the light from there was enough to illuminate the surroundings. The air caressing our skins is cool and fresh.

“Let’s come inside. I’m getting cold.” I hugged myself a little more because I was getting cold. Maybe it’s past twelve midnight. That’s why it’s like this.

“All right. Let’s go.”

Upon entering, Liam and I immediately separated because we were in different rooms. Girls and boys have different rooms. But when I got inside, I remembered that I should drink water first because I was thirsty. I looked for water in the room for a while but didn’t find anything.

After taking a deep breath, I decided to leave the room. I’ll just go down to the kitchen to drink some water. Chef Ivo called my name as I was going down the stairs. I turned to him. “Where are you going?”

“In the kitchen, Chef. Because I’m thirsty.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“You don’t need to come with me, Chef. I can do it.”

“But you haven’t memorized the kitchen in my house.”

Because of this, I have not done anything else. He is right. I didn’t memorize the house, so I had no idea where the kitchen was. The house is big, so I was sure to have a hard time, so I didn’t do anything else when he started walking towards the stairs and I just followed.