Chapter 5

They're just walking their way earlier outside the mall after buying shoes for Eli and some other needs of the guys like tissues and petroleum jelly and they're still walking now but on their way inside Dizen's mansion.

“The old man's not around,” Celo after the two waited him to get out of the car. This man really enjoyed being the driver of his best friend.

“Yeah, probably busy at the company.” Dizen started to slid his feet away when Celo's at the same pace with him while Eli is just trailing behind.

“When will you get interested on it?” Celo continued asking as if there are only him and his best friend around.

Dizen tilted his head sideways to glimpse at his friend. “Maybe when crows became white.”

“You absent more than you visit your company.” Celo glimpsed sideways to Dizen and then turned his attention to the key he played in his finger.

Dizen started creeping. “I know.”

Celo is now one step ahead of him. “That's good. So proud of you, future CEO. If that's my family's business, I won't go anywhere else but stay at the company till death.”

“It's you, not me. That's a boring business.” He crept out a smile on his lip, saying, “I have a better business here.”

Dizen step backwards so he's now at the equal pace with Eli. He winked at her as if he meant it was her.

“Business what?” Eli removed the arm of Dizen wrested on her shoulder, giving him a blunt stare.

“You.” Dizen's impudence.

Eli raised her brows, twitching her eyes. “How come I am your business?”

“Because— um,” uttered Dizen, flicking his chin by his two fingers while looking up as if he could get bright ideas above there.

“Because what?” Eli seemed to be impatient, gradually losing her temper.

They paused for a while when they reached the doorstep. Celo opened the door and there the maids welcomed them. They even greeted Eli as they were amused by her beauty. Dizen is even-minded as he know that these maids, whom he consider as his friends won't do such thing like telling his father he brought a girl home.

Dizen started to speak when the maids close the door and made their way into the kitchen. He faced his best friend, there he began commanding, “Celo, just get these... put all of these inside my room and stay there, and you Eli,” he turned to face the woman, “I have something to discuss with you.”

“Okay.” Eli shrugged her shoulders afterwards, seemingly lull.

“Am I not suppose to hear it?” Celo asked, not doing what his friend said. When was the last time he quickly followed his friend's request? Even him couldn't think of any.

Dizen's altruism is all seeming, his patience had already left him the time he heaved a lofty sigh before saying, “Celo, just do what I've said. Bring all of these paper bags inside my room and lock yourself there until you die.”

Celo continued teasing his friend. He was that one friend who loves to pissed off a good friend. “You're gonna miss me when I'm gone, aren't you?”

“Of course, dear, 'cause you're my boy.” Dizen faked a smile, pinching both side of Celo's cheeks and making Eli invisible in their sight.

“Aw, that's so sweet of you mah friend! Sounds like you're gonna treat me some booze tonight.” Celo said while letting his friend pinching his face.

Then there's a sudden growl echoed the place coming from that angelic friend. “You greedy, get the hell out of my sight now!”

Celo stepped backwards to distance himself from Dizen's domain, teasing, “I really am waiting for that demon's side of you, ha ha ha!” He looked at the woman while snickering. “Eli, did you see that? Oh, I know you don't like a man who's like—”

Dizen interjected his best friend to give him the final warning. “Celo, you know what I can do.”

“Of course,” Celo nodded, smiling as if he's not affected of his friend's menace.

Dizen gritted his teeth, gnarling his knuckles. “And?” 

“And, that's why I'm going upstairs!” Chickening out, Celo took the piles of paper bags from Dizen's hand and also those Eli held.

Eli chuckled at the cowardice of Celo, running away but she still manage to throw some prank to him. “Oh, Celo wait! You dropped the shoe!”

Celo stomped his feet noisily that created a screeching sound of the floor tiles just to stop his fast pace. Without further ado he turned to glimpsed at Eli then rummaging the floor by his wandering eyes. “Eh? Where?”

“Just kidding!” Eli let out a sweet smile, making a peace sign on her hand. Dizen find it annoying.

Celo narrowed his eyes, smiling back at her. “You got me there, huh! Silly girl.” He winked at her as if that would earn him some extra points.

The two laughed at each other but the laughters had gone latterly when Celo has finally made his way up to Dizen's room and when this guy looked at the woman, she stopped chortling and began reading what's with the guy's stare. She bit her lower lip, slowly looking at the other side to avoid the taunting eyes of the man.

“Why did you stop?” asked Dizen, his voice is cold that may causes anyone who hear it to be frozen at one's place.

“What?” she sighed, summoning her nerves to speak. “Do you want me to laugh until I ran out of breath?”

Dizen in his low monotonous voice, “No, I just like seeing you smile and hearing you laugh.”

But Eli was not pleased by that. “Oh thanks but I don't like it.”

“Then why are you doing it?” argued the man.

“I do it for myself. Don't I have the right to be happy, do I?”

“Oh, I think you're doing it to get on the guy you want. You like, Celo? Do you like him? Tell me.”

“No,” Eli retorted. “Shit, no. What the fuck? Where are you coming from?”

Dizen fell into a trance, smiling as if he's imagining things with the woman he was talking. “Oh, is that so? Nice. I just thought of it. Coming from nowhere probably.” Deep inside he's building his tower of hope. Presuming there are big chances for him to get this woman.

“You really are a piece of work.” Eli rolled her eyes, in contrast to the reaction Dizen was expecting.

Dizen asked suddenly, without a doubt. “Can you be my girlfriend?”

“What?” Of course, Eli was so shocked more than we think.

Dizen really know this is coming so he just crossed his arms, smirking. “Oh, wrong question. How much you costs?”

“Dizen, what the hell?”

“Oh, come on. Don't play hard to get. I can buy anything even you. Name your price.”

“I don't like your language right now, I badly wanna slap you in the face.”

Dizen seemed to be not affected of Eli's words, he's being cocky at this moment. “You said you're looking for a job, then why are you rejecting my offer?”

And this is the moment where Eli started to burst out in anger. “You call that a job? Being your girlfriend? I mean, buying me as your partner? Then what? Paying my body for you to use it every night you're feeling horny? You humiliated me!”

“No, it's not like that.” Dizen held her in the hands, looking at the teary eyes of the woman who seemed to be more than offended as she's being struck in the heart. Dizen's words left a deep cut on it.

“Then what is it?” replied Eli, holding on her tears.

“I just wanted to experience how does it feel to be in a serious relationship,” said Dizen, bowing his head down as if he felt sorry of his recent actions.

Eli inhaled much air, retracting her tranquility. “What do you mean? Haven't you in a relationship before?”

Dizen remained his head stooping. “I have been, but always not that serious type.”

“Then why you're trying to get me if you don't know how to handle a relationship?”

He looked up to explain his self to her. “I know you know that's why I'm picking you. I want someone to be with me in public, holding hands, having a meal on every restaurant we want to go and travel every places we want to visit, the one who will take care of me and I will take care of. Eli, can you be that one?”

But Eli seemed to have a decision and no one could change it now. “Sorry, I don't want to be a paid lover. I never picture myself being a girlfriend for rent to satisfy a guy needs.”

“Sorry for being so sudden but I badly need a girlfriend now, please!” Dizen took her hands again but this time his hands is shaking in nervousness.

“For what?” Eli was so stiff in her stature.

“I have my reasons!”

“Then tell me why?”

“I can't... it's just that, I mean, does it matter?”

“Maybe I don't wanna know anything of it anymore. I guess I should go.” Eli took back her hands of Dizen's, without having a second thought, she finally made her way out of the mansion.

The three maids had seen that very dramatic scene, they felt like they're inside a movie where the leading man was left by his leading lady. They find it heartbreaking so too does Dizen's friend, Celo who is now taking his steps down the stairs. 

“Hey, bro! What happened? Where's Eli?” asked by him when he saw his best friend stood quiet and seemed to be frozen on where his feet are.

“She's gone. She left me just like the other girls who refused my offer.” Dizen said those words while looking straight and without looking at Celo's face.

“I told you, don't say your reasons why you need them to be your girlfriend.” 

“I didn't!” Dizen's flipped out. “This time, I didn't tell about it yet she still refused my offer!”

“What? Does she have some reasons too?” Celo's worried so he neared himself to his friend and held its face.

“I guess I'll die without experiencing the feeling of having a lover.” Dizen shoved his face gently on Celo's chest.

Celo comfort his brother, tapping its shoulder tenderly like a caring father to his son. “I'm always here for you, bro.”

“I know,” mumbled Dizen.

Celo put his mouth near Dizen's ear and whispered, “Let's go and booze.”

Dizen pushed him away, “Your treat?”

“Yes, your treat.” Celo gave him a head nod but not the expected response. 

Dizen started to struggle himself, “You motherfucker. Don't dragged me I'm nerveless.”

Celo continued grabbing his friend in his hand, dragging him out of the mansion then pushing him inside the car. “Come on, don't droop just because of a girl. Girls are girls, they're heartless. Unlike me, I'm thoughtful.”

“You're only thoughful when you're starving.” Dizen said when Celo got inside the car too.

He started to fasten the seatbelt of his friend, talking with just an inch away from Dizen's face. “You know you can't let me starved to death. Food is my everything.”

“Then marry foods!” Dizen yelled on his friend's face but how lucky it did escaped his splattering saliva.

“If only I could.” said Celo, fastening his seatbelt and then inserting the key of the car to make it start.

“Fuck, you owe me again this time!” Dizen showed off his middle finger toward Celo.

“Anything for you master!” said by his friend right before he sped up the car.

“You'll pay.”

“Go ahead as long as it's not money.”

“It's as if you have that.”

“That's why I said no money involved. And you have them.” Celo laughed while driving.

“You're too unfair.” Dizen smashed the back of his head at the headrest of the passenger seat.

Celo made some laughs towards that. “Come on, Dizen! Say it! My intestines are about to bleed.”

“You're gonna help me find Eli.”

Celo glimpsed at Dizen, reverting his gaze to the road and turning face-to-face with his friend in a repeating manner. “Fuck, no, I mean, that's hard.”

“Deal?” Dizen didn't speak any words but to wait his friend's agreement.

“Um, okay dea—” Celo paused, putting his other hand back at the steering wheelz, “wait, you're shouldering the gas fee, right?”

“Dick head, of course we're using my car. You don't fucking have a damn car!” Dizen rolled his eyes, gnarling his teeth as if he wanted to eat a person alive.

“Yeah and it's sad. But anyway, let's go get some booze!” A different reaction was written on Celo's face. He keep on belauding like a child who got a big colorful lollipop. While on their way, he keep singing and chanting this all over and over again: “It's premature departure, so sure! Booze! Booze!”