Chapter 7 7. Queen Bee

"Calvin, you can't cross this line. Period!" Emily warned as they were about to go to bed.

Calvin, who was about to sit down on the bed, quickly changed his mind. He stared at Emily sharply, with raised eyebrows, his hands folded in front of his chest, watching her as she placed two pillows vertically in the middle of the bed to act as a barrier between them. Then, he scratched his head, which had suddenly become very itchy. Calvin felt like he wanted to split open Emily's head to understand what was going on in her mind. The longer he spent with her, the stranger her behavior became. He could swear that Emily was the strangest girl he had ever met. Unfortunately, the strange girl had now become his official wife.

"Fine, it's up to you! I'm tired, I want to sleep!" Calvin surrendered and lay down on the bed, refusing to engage in further argument with the childish girl beside him. At 23 years old, a girl should be considered an adult, but not Emily. Her behavior was rather childish. Calvin had only spent 24 hours living with Emily, and he was already considering waving the white flag. If necessary, he would surrender before the battle if his opponent was the annoying girl named Emily, the frustrating little bee. He wondered how long she would disrupt his life.

Tick, tick, tick, tick... The sound of the wall clock's ticking was consistent, accompanying Emily who was still awake. She was restless, constantly changing her position, clutching the edge of the blanket covering her chest. "Such a shame to waste a handsome devil like him. Just look at that body," Emily murmured to herself as she gazed at the broad back in front of her. Calvin's rhythmic body movements indicated that he was now sound asleep.

Emily shifted her sleeping position, gazing at the ceiling as she blew a strand of hair out of her face. Her hands were folded above her stomach, and she occasionally looked back at Calvin.

"Why am I reciting this prayer?" Emily protested, hitting her own lips repeatedly. She couldn't believe her brain and lips were clashing like this. "It's not wrong, is it? I've known this prayer for a long time. But it shouldn't be me who has to memorize it; it should be that kutilang bird," she continued, complaining in her mind, which was becoming increasingly chaotic.

Once again, Emily smacked her own lips and then ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. Apparently, being close to the handsome man next to her was causing her already glitchy brain to malfunction even more. It seemed like her mind needed to be completely reinstalled to remove the deadly viruses that had almost paralyzed her already contaminated brain from the romantic novels she had read.

Emily laughed inwardly as she recited the prayer correctly. Following the teachings of Islam. Her hands slid across her face, and she forced her eyes to close. Her efforts paid off as, at precisely 2:00 in the early morning, Emily finally fell into a deep sleep until morning. Unbeknownst to her, Calvin had already left the apartment to take a walk and get some fresh air in the park, as he usually did on weekends.

Emily quickly cleaned herself and performed the dawn prayer. She tidied up her bed and room before heading to the kitchen. She had no intention of looking for Calvin's whereabouts. Instead, she lit the stove to boil water. She brewed coffee for Calvin and prepared milk for herself. While waiting for the water to boil, Emily prepared the ingredients for the morning's delicious meal.

"Does my handsome husband like jengkol?" Emily murmured with her eyes shining as she looked at the cleaned jengkol beans in a box inside the refrigerator. The night before, Emily had neatly organized the fridge, arranging all the ingredients in plastic containers according to their type.

Without much thought, Emily took out the jengkol, beef, and spices. She mixed the spices according to the menu she planned to cook: jengkol stew and rendang. She didn't forget to prepare the spices for Calvin's favorite tempeh fried in spiced coconut milk. According to Amora, her mother-in-law, Calvin loved tempeh fried in spiced coconut milk. It was even considered a mandatory dish to be served at the dining table at home. To chase away the loneliness, Emily picked up her phone from her room and played her favorite songs by Justin Bieber.

Outside, behind Calvin's apartment door, he stood there in silence. He tried to gather as much oxygen as possible as a supply for his lungs, which were about to work extra hard when he saw Emily. Once he felt ready, Calvin swiped his card to unlock the door to his apartment. He walked in and immediately headed in the direction of the playing music. However, his body froze in place when he saw the beautiful sight in front of him. Emily, who was still unaware of Calvin's presence, continued to sway her body to the rhythm of the music.

Calvin tried to gather his senses with all his might, and then he let out a soft cough to stop himself from staring at the captivating sight in front of him.

"Eh, you, have a seat over there. The coffee is still hot," Emily greeted, turning to look at Calvin briefly before returning her focus to her previous activities.

"Be patient, Calvin. Isn't the busy bee not the kind of woman you dream of?" Calvin's heart reminded him. But his gaze continued to enjoy the beautiful curves of Emily.

How could he resist temptation when Emily, without a hint of guilt, was wearing a simple white knee-length cotton dress that perfectly outlined her figure? Calvin was still transfixed, staring at the black bra strap and thong peeking out from under the dress.

"Calvin, where were you?" Emily continued to ask, not receiving any response from the man she was addressing. "Calvin!" She repeated with a slightly louder voice as she turned to face him.

"Ahem..." Calvin cleared his throat to neutralize the warmth rushing through his body. "I went for some fresh air outside!" Calvin replied curtly and took a seat.

"Breakfast will be ready in a moment," Emily responded, ignoring Calvin's curt words. She then transferred the prepared dishes into a bowl and carried it to the pantry table where Calvin was sitting.

"You didn't have to bother cooking for me," Calvin replied, trying to avoid looking at Emily who was standing in front of him. For God's sake, if his ego didn't stop him, Emily might be on today's menu.

"Well, I could give it to the security guard later. Besides, I cook too much anyway," Emily replied casually and picked up the bowl from the dining table she had set.

"Let me taste it first. Is it good? Then you can give it to the security guard," Calvin insisted, taking the meal from Emily's hands and placing it on the table right in front of him.

"You indecisive little bird!" Emily teased and walked over to the refrigerator to get some fruit.

Calvin couldn't care less about Emily's teasing when his sense of smell began to pick up the delicious aroma of his favorite meal. Just from the appearance, Calvin was convinced that Emily's cooking was delicious.

Calvin took a sip of his coffee before filling his plate with rice. His stomach, which had only had a small steak since the previous night, was now demanding food. He savored his breakfast enthusiastically, paying no attention to Emily who had been watching him with a puzzled expression.

"Are you so greedy, Calvin!" Emily teased, to which Calvin responded with a slight smile.

"Aren't you having breakfast?" Calvin asked as he noticed Emily's breakfast menu, which consisted only of fruit. He saw a plastic container filled with apple slices, pears, dragon fruit, and banana, a meal that wouldn't satisfy his hunger.

"My breakfast every day is Calvin," Emily replied, placing a slice of apple into her mouth.

"No wonder, bees feed on flower nectar and fruits!" Calvin quipped, and Emily responded with a smile.