The dinner was set-up at the rooftop terrace of the house for some barbecue and stargazing.
The weather was nice, not too cold and not hot either.
Keira was sure that even in the morning, she would have an amazing view at mountain curves and nature from there.
"We will grill fresh meat from our ranch, so you can have a taste. Our ranch will soon be one of the best meat suppliers in our country," said Grandpa Shen proudly as he kicked Zach away from the grill.
Zach laughed out hard and said, "Grandpa, you think too ahead of things..."
"Well, I must declare everything confidently, so we will achieve our goal. Should I say we are the worst? Of course, not. We are always the best because that is what we are aiming for," answered Grandpa Shen nonchalantly.
"You stay with your girl. I and Josh will handle this," added Grandpa Shen, pushing Zach to sit with Keira.
"Wow, what do we have here?! Hmmm, I can smell fresh meat! Wow, it’s been a while since I ate grilled meat from the best ranch in the whole world!" exclaimed Torin smiling.
He arrived with Lyra.
"Oh, here’s my helper. Come here and grill this with Josh," said Grandpa Shen as he handed the grill tongs to Torin.
"But, Grandpa, we just arrived. Let me take a breath first," Torin complained as he gave a weary face.
Grandpa Shen laughed and replied, "Alright, you go rest for a while. How about five minutes? And then, give this elder a rest?"
Torin’s face crumpled as he got the tongs from Grandpa Shen, "Alright, you know how I love you, grandpa. So you go have a rest, and I’ll continue this."
Keira was observing Torin and smiled unconsciously.
"Why are you smiling like that while looking at Torin?" Zach asked with a bit of complaint.
"Torin is a nice guy. How long have you been friends?" asked Keira who disregarded Zach’s complaining tone.
"This year will be nine years already. Why? Why did you get curious all of a sudden?" asked Zach with a slight of annoyance.
"You are like real brothers, right?" asked Keira and shifted her gaze to Zach who’s face looked crumpled.
Keira laughed as she said, "What’s with your face?"
Zach arched a brow and said, "You are staring at another man. I don’t like it."
"What?! He’s your best friend. It’s just that I noticed he’s so close with your family. Like a real brother, I must say." Keira explained.
She wanted to say what was on her mind but she felt that it was not the right time yet.
’Maybe, I should wait and see how things develop.’ She thought inwardly, referring to Lyra’s staying at Torin’s condo for a month.
She was actually excited to know if her gut feeling was right. So, for now, she decided to just observe the two of them.
She was in deep thought to the extent that she even ignored Zach beside her, as she observed Torin’s bantering with Josh, as they laughed together while grilling.
"Stop!" she heard Zach grumble.
Keira laughed, seeing how gloomy Zach’s face was.
She touched his face and gave him a sweet quick kiss on his lips, as she whispered, "Stop that sulking, it doesn’t suit the expressionless face of the General I know," a grin followed her words.
"Stop smiling, or I’ll get one of the blinders I used to train Duke..." Zach threatened with a straight face.
"What am I, a horse?" asked Keira with a frown.
This time Zach smiled and caressed Keira’s cheek as he said, "Of course, not. You are my falling star, but if I ever caught you staring at another man again, I will have no choice left than to put those blinders on you and train you to look only at me."
"What is this? Are you threatening me, General?" Keira asked grinning.
"No. I’m not. It’s not a threat, but an ORDER!" Zach answered in his serious tone that made Keira flinch.
"What is this? That’s an abuse of authority, you know..." Keira fussed.
"If you feel bad, then feel free to do the same to me. Put those blinders on me too, so I will only see you. But I think you will never need them because as I said before... My eyes only see you." Zach murmured that made Keira’s crumpled face relax and blush.
Then, following those words, he moved his face near to Keira’s as he whispered, "See? Do you see my eyes? They reflect only your face!"
Without minding the surroundings, Zach’s next move left the people who witnessed it open-mouthed.
"Geez! Can we get an ant repellant in here! I think we’ll need it here!" shouted Lyra as she put some of the dishes prepared by her mother on the table.
Her face crumpled, as she quickly turned her gaze away from the couple who were kissing before their eyes.
"These two love birds like to display their affection everywhere! Can you, at least, not do that whenever there are people around?!" Lyra continued to protest.
Rizie, who was behind her with plates, laughed and teased, "You’re just being envious, Big Sis! Go get a boyfriend, because I’m telling you, you will soon be hunted by the ants once Josh and I bring someone to. I’m sure you’ll behave even worse when you finally get a boyfriend."
"Darn!" Lyra cursed in frustration...
Zach and Keira laughed, seeing the embarrassed look on Lyra’s face.
Keira, on the other hand, shifted her gaze to Torin, and their eyes met. She gave him a gesture, pointing to Lyra.
While Torin gave her a look of, "What?!"
Keira shook her head as she mumbled inwardly, ’What a slow guy, ah.’
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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