Acceptance

"Ray's going to die."

The sentence was like dozens of needles poking right into Nala's chest, so she couldn't seem to look at Raymond. Who Raymond was to himself until he felt sick to her?

Nala just kept her lips tight. Swallowed every sentence she throw at Raymond for her to take out. They remain silent until the silence is broken by Raymond's stomach sound.

Nala instantly turns to Raymond, amused strokes instantly appear on her face. This time he tightly closed her lips so that the laughter did not trickle out. "Are you hungry?"

Raymond nodded with a curved lip, like someone pressing a button inside his head. Her eyes instantly glowed back slowly until Nala watched it. "Yes, Nala."

Nala's eyes flicker several times as she loses her focus. She's never been like this before, she's always directed and well-controlled. "Let's go out, I haven't had lunch either," she said as he stood up. Raymond follows Nala walking behind her.

"Want to eat?" Nala is stunned that she retreats backward to hit the front of Raymond's body. Nala's warm cheeks spread all over the surface of her face until she stepped forward again quickly.

"Daniel, I'm surprised. Since when is it here?" asked Nala while stroking her chest, and stared at Daniel who was standing in the way of the door.

"Since then. I can't just leave Nala alone with a stranger." Daniel's eyes flashed towards Raymond who looked back at Daniel with a question.

"Brother, that's the function of Nala following martial arts, right. Raymond didn't do anything just talk anyway, we wanted to go eat." Nala shifts Daniel to the side of the door blocking her path.

"Nala, he's not human. I don't know what he's from, and what he's aiming for."

Nala sees Raymond's head bowed from the corner of her eye after he hears Daniel talking. "Daniel doesn't talk like Raymond's not here."

Daniel rolled his eyes, he once again stared sharply at Raymond who didn't catch the gaze for ducking. "I just don't want anything to happen to, Nala, Father, or Mother."

Nala exhales. "I know," she sighs and steps away following Raymond next to hers.

"The result of sin came before me," said Daniel, who could still be heard by Nala's ear. He immediately turned to Daniel.

"What did you just say?" asked Nala.

"What? What are you talking about?" Daniel instead replied with a similar question, his face showing a look of not knowing anything. Nala believes Daniel was talking about the sin that came. But what?

***

"Dad told the neighbors that Raymond was our cousin who came to live, so they didn't have to ask again when they saw Raymond," Dad said after picking up a cup of water.

Nala glances at Raymond eating pasta in front of him with a smoky. It's like it doesn't matter that people are talking about it.

She turned her gaze to a plate of scotch egg in front of her who lived a piece with melted ketchup on it. She slices it and puts it in the mouth, feeling the ground meat and boiled eggs fused in her mouth. Nala wipes the sauce that stains her lips with tissues. "Dad, I can clean the empty room upstairs later."

Dad nodded, but Mother responded after putting the new dish in the wash on the shelf. "Daniel can help Nala, right?"

"Yes, Mother," replied Daniel next to Nala.

"No need. This morning Daniel said he wanted to check out the restaurant this afternoon," Nala said.

Daniel nodded his head. "Yes, it is. But I can't leave Nala with-,"

"Just go Daniel," cut Dad.

"Yes, Dad," surrendered Daniel and continued his meal. Nala rose to lift her plate into the sink and washed it.

"Raymond wants to add to the pasta?" asked Dad staring at Raymond who had just pushed his plate forward.

Raymond lifted his face with his mouth filled with pasta sauce. Nala wants to speed up there giving her a tissue but Daniel has already done it and muttered, "Like a kid."

"No, Sir. Ray's full," Raymond replied to Dad.

"Father, Mother, Daniel. A to the top, if you need something just scream as usual."

Mother laughed. "Usually more than five times, Nala just wants to go down."

Nala just smiled and started climbing the wooden stairs. She felt the smell of fresh rain and the faint smell of chocolate running behind her. Nala learns that Raymond is following and she doesn't care.

After opening the door in an empty room in front of Nala's room, she immediately shifts the window until it opens. Nala turns around and sees Raymond still on the doorstep. "Why?"

"Ray didn't sleep in Nala's room?"

Nala coughs from choking on her saliva. Raymond is suddenly next to her slowly wiping Nala's back, making Nala slide away. "Don't touch me and, unmarried men and women don't sleep in the same room."

"Why Nala? Raymond wants to take care of Nala," he said twirling the tip of his black T-shirt.

"Yes, but I'm not in danger right now. What to look after."

Raymond shook his tiny, messy black hair dancing slowly in the wind coming from the window.

"Your room is here, Raymond," broke up Nala.

"Yes, Nala," he said standing stiff.

"I want to ask you something?" asked Nala picking up some pillows in the closet and putting them on the bed.

"Just ask Nala."

"Why are your wing feathers sharp?"

"Sharp? Nala touched him? It shouldn't have been sharp on Nala," Raymond said began to panic.

"No, not me, but Daniel. When I touch it it's very subtle."

Raymond exhales with relief while stroking his chest. "That's right, Nala. From the fur alone Ray can't hurt Nala. Everyone who holds it will feel sharp, except Nala and Ray himself."

Nala's forehead wrinkled with questions. "Why is it like that?"

"It's a form of self-defense and because Ray belongs to Nala."

Nala snorts amused, hears the last sentence. "You're not stuff."

"But Ray used to be like that, Nala," he whispers, ducking to watch his toes moving.

This time Nala's curiosity for Raymond before he came here was so deep in Nala's chest. The question was already on the tip of her tongue, but Nala had to go back to swallowing it when she saw a few drops of tears falling to the floor coming from Raymond.

"What are you doing, Raymond? Can you tell me?" Nala came to Raymond's side.

Raymond shook his head. "No, Nala."

All right, Nala won't force it. He patted Raymond's back gently and smiled thinly. "You wait here a minute, I'll take something in my room. It won't belong."

Raymond raised his face and he nodded obediently, with which Nala went straight away and returned quickly.

She grabbed Raymond's hand and gave Raymond a pack of chocolates.

"What is this, Nala?"

"Chocolate," he says lightly.

"To Ray?" Raymond saw from among the chocolates in his hand then to Nala and back again on the chocolate.

Nala nodded but when she found out Raymond hadn't seen her, Nala immediately said. "Yes, Raymond."

Nala notices a red hue crawling up from Raymond's neck towards his cheek, making Nala stand restless. "Here I unwrapped it."

Nala opens the chocolate and immediately gives it to Raymond, to who Nala doesn't realize Raymond is paying attention.

"Nala would you like to?"

"No, it's for you."

Raymond only blinks once, his eyes brighter when struck by the afternoon light from the window. Raymond's eyes look down again at the floor, he slowly bites the tip of his chocolate.

Nala knows she doesn't eat the chocolate bars but she can smell the intense chocolate pouring out in front of her and hovering in the air makes Nala inevitably have to inhale it deeply.

"Nala, the chocolate is sweet. Like Nala."