Chapter 8 A Beautiful Smile

The gentle warmth that the room exuded gradually dispersed the coldness that Yusuf felt from staying outside for a long time. He held the paper cup in his hand but he didn't drink the water yet. Then, he lowered his head slightly, and it revealed how long and thick his eyelashes were.

Right now, the atmosphere in the room was a little awkward.

Sitting beside him was Maya, who was staring at him in silence. She then directed her gaze towards the dog who wasn't even barking, and instead, was staring at her with an innocent expression. Suddenly, Maya felt like she was caught in a predicament.

"Ahem..."

"Growl..."

Clearing her throat, Maya put her hands in the pockets of her long coat and mustered the courage to speak. Before she could utter a word, she was interrupted by a strange sound that left her speechless.

If her ears weren't deceiving her, the sound came from the man's belly. At this point, Maya figured that he might be embarrassed right now, so she thought it was better if she didn't look at him. However, she couldn't resist the urge to look at him, and found that he was looking at her as well.

His eyes were clearer than crystalline water, and his lips were slightly pursed. Even though he appeared to be stoic, through her keen eye for expressions, Maya realized that something was wrong with his ears. His ears looked a little too red.

Trying to figure out how to start the conversation, Maya thought, 'Should I just ask if he's hungry? Would it be impolite to ask that? Perhaps I should ask him if he wants to use my phone to call someone to send the key. Or maybe, I can help him find someone who can get the door open?'

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to ask any of the questions in her mind, because the man had already taken the initiative to speak.

"I apologize for my rudeness, but could you please give my pet something to eat? It hasn't eaten anything for hours." The handsome man's cold and ethereal face was covered by a light, pinkish color, completely highlighting how red his ears were. But he retained a steady, unblinking gaze at Maya, as if his life depended on it. He was sincerely asking her to feed his beloved dog.

Consequently, Maya was rendered speechless.

She was the kind of person who seldom laughed, but this time, she couldn't resist the urge to chuckle. To keep herself from bursting into laughter, she bit her lower lip. After a moment, she glanced at the starving dog lying on the ground. At this point, refusing his request would just be cruel.

"No problem." Maya remembered that she still had some dried fish and porridge cans in store, so she took them out and put them in a clean big bowl. Before she could willingly hand it to the handsome man, he had already taken the bowl out of her hands and thanked her. Then, he crouched down to feed his beloved dog.

Watching the pleasant scene unfold, Maya noticed the man's slim back and toned jawline. Suddenly, she remembered that she also had eggs and tomatoes in her fridge, and noodles in the kitchen.

At this moment, Yusuf felt that staying at this girl's home for more than twenty minutes was the most awkward and difficult situation he had been in in his life. Fortunately, the girl left him alone in the living room after she gave him the food for Beauty. To distract him from how awkward he felt, he focused on feeding his pet.

Not long after, he felt his stomach grumbling again, so he bit his lower lip to endure the pain. Seemingly noticing his torment, Beauty raised its head and looked at him with concern.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Go ahead and eat your food," Yusuf fondly said to the dog as he touched its head.

A few minutes later, he suddenly smelled the enticing aroma of food, and it made him swallow his own saliva. It seemed as though he had gotten so hungry that his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Hey, I cooked some noodles. You must be starving, too. Come and eat some." Just when he was convinced that it was just an illusion, he heard a soft voice coming from behind him.

He then turned around and saw a delicate and kind face. The girl had taken off her long coat and was wearing a mint green sweater, black trousers, and a pair of thick slippers.

When she noticed that he was staring at her, she felt mildly abashed, but she still flashed a beaming smile at him.

To Yusuf's surprise, there truly was a smile more beautiful than any flower he had seen in this world. His once cold eyes and heart reacted honestly at once.