10 | Suspicion
Ariá:
It's been a while since Daniel and Leonardo have been hanging out in Daniel's room and I don't have the slightest clue what they're doing. The entire house has just been ... quiet. Dad went to Boston to work on this case involving some jeweler or whatever. I don't know when Leonardo and Daniel became so close for Daniel to invite him into his room just to have 'bro time' but I'm starting to get annoyed with the lack of attention I'm receiving.
They finally came downstairs talking excitedly about who knows what. It's like they turned into best friends and it still doesn't make sense to me. Trust me, I saw the way Daniel eyed Leo when he first came here and now all of a sudden, it feels like I'm the stranger and they're the siblings. Call me dramatic but I'm definitely going to insert into this little conversation they're having.
"Hi Leo. Daniel." I said sweetly as if I didn't despise their new found friendship minutes ago. Guess they went through character development.
"Hi Ariá." Leo said so softly that I barely heard him. Daniel snorted and I saw Leo glare at him playfully and I couldn't help but feel left out. Do they have inside jokes with each other already? It should be me joking around with Leo. I mean, we're the work colleagues anyways.
"What were you guys talking about?" They looked at each other before Daniel answered me.
"Nothing important really. I was just getting to know Leonardo more since you guys are friends now." I most definitely didn't fail to notice the emphasis Daniel put on 'friends' and unlike Leonardo, I glared at him beginning to get annoyed. I opened my mouth to retaliate in a not so nice way but I was interrupted.
"I can hang out with you if you'd like Aria," – there was a pause before he continued – "I have something to tell you anyways."
Oh. That wasn't something I expected to hear but my mood brightened a bit. I nodded in acknowledgement, refusing to say a word as embarrassment seeped into my being. They went back to idly chatting as I walked over to the fridge to get a drink in an attempt to calm myself. I was ready to disintegrate at this point.
I overreacted for absolutely no reason and it was very much embarrassing. What made it even worse was that if I could tell that I was being stupid, how much more Leonardo? By the time I finished drinking my juice, Leonardo and Daniel were still talking. I quickly ran upstairs to get my phone and came back downstairs to relax on the couch.
"Oi, Aria. I'm leaving out for band practice so keep Leo company and don't burn down the house trying to cook something. Toodles!" Daniel said. His motorcycle keys jingled and the door opened and closed meaning that he just left. Just great.
I turned off my phone and left it on the couch, beginning to get up and try to find Leonardo, plus, my stomach was literally pleading for me to find something to eat. I decided to deal with my food situation first because as much as I love attention, food comes first, always. I walked into the kitchen, going towards the cabinets to reach for the ramen because that was really the only thing I could make.
I don't consider myself a short person. I'd say I'm average height but for some reason, I was struggling to get the ramen and then I realized that Daniel was probably the reason why it's all the way up there, on the top shelf. 'Don't burn down the house trying to cook something'. Ugh.
"You seem like you need help Ariá."
I could hear the amusement in his voice and my brain struggled to come up with a response or even comprehend what he just said. He had a small smile on his face, as if he was shy and he began to move closer. Before my mind could catch up with what was going on in front of me, I felt a hand on my waist and another alongside my arm that was trying to reach the ramen in the cabinet. His touch was warm and I wasn't focused on the food anymore.
"Here you are." And just like that, the warmth was gone and the ramen was right in front of me on the counter. My whole face felt like it was burning up and I mumbled a 'thank you'.
"What are you making?"
"I'm going to attempt to make ramen." I heard laughter before it was quickly covered with a cough and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leonardo moving towards the fridge. He went in and closed it back with spinach and eggs cradled in his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"Upgrading your instant ramen. Daniel mentioned that you can't cook to save your life." He said, smiling wider than ever. I grumbled under my breath going back to looking for a suitable pot while he just laughed, moving around, searching for something.
As soon as I set the pot on the stove and turned on the fire, Leonardo asked, "Do you have any sriracha?" I guided him towards the cabinet that we kept the sauces in. I put the ramen in while Leo chopped up the spinach and garlic. How or where did he find the garlic without help? I have no clue.
After the ramen was finished boiling, I let Leo do whatever he was doing while I got two bowls from the cabinet and some apple juice from the fridge. In a few minutes, Leonardo was plating the food while I poured the apple juice into two glasses.
"Thank you for helping out. I really appreciate it even though you had no faith in me." I said, pretending to be heartbroken but it was the honest truth if we're being serious. I can't cook to save my life. He smiled and we dove right in beginning to eat our little gourmet ramen.
"This tastes really good!" I told him. How on earth was he able to make something as simple as ramen taste so good? All he did was smile bashfully and said it was no big deal. I could never be as humble as him though. If I could make food taste this magical so easily, I'd be bragging about it 24/7.
"You said you have something to tell me?"
"I have a few suspects to consider in terms of the painting I lost." He announced slowly as if he was still trying to reassure himself.
"It's okay if you're nervous to express your opinion. I am completely open-minded to any thoughts you have concerning this, plus, I'm an amateur to this so it's new to me as well." I voiced out, trying to comfort him and make me seem more trustworthy.
"I have a feeling it's my cousin Diego."
YOU ARE READING
The Cracked Painting (ON PAUSE)
Romance❝Til death, we do art ❞ Leonardo comes from a family full of artists, him being one himself. He loves his own company most of the time, he's quiet and finds comfort in books and art. An old painting that was passed down from generation to generation...
