As soon as Beauty stepped into the house, she met the eager faces of her parents waiting by the door.
Her mother was already buzzing with excitement, her eyes gleaming, while her father, though quieter, stood with his arms crossed, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.
Beauty knew where this was leading to.
She greeted them softly and turned to walk to her room.
"Beauty! Who was that young man?"
Mrs. Hill asked, practically bouncing on her toes.
"He looked so handsome! And those clothes...are they his? Those aren't your clothes!"
Beauty's face flushed with embarrassment instantly, and she pulled the hood tighter around her head, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Mom... Dad... Calm down."
She mumbled, kicking off her wet shoes.
"It's not what you guys think. He's Sir Bruno... my boss. He gave me a ride because of the rain. That's all."
"Your boss? Well, he is quite young and good-looking too."
Her mother replied.
"Just your boss?" Her father chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "And he gave you his clothes? That doesn't sound like just any boss to me."
Beauty tried to laugh it off, nervously fiddling with the sleeves of the hoodie, but it came out awkwardly.
"Because he is Bruno, Dad. He's nice to everyone. He probably would've done the same for anyone else," she said, though she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.
Her parents exchanged a look, clearly unconvinced. It was like they just communicated to each other in a mute code and Beauty stood in front of them, clueless.
"So... he's your boss," her mother began again, her voice filled with curiosity. "But is he single? How old is he? How long have you been working for him?"
"Does he live nearby?" her father added with a grin. "He seems like a decent guy."
Beauty groaned internally.
This was exactly what she had feared.
She could already see where this conversation was headed, and she wasn't about to fuel their suspicions.
She rolled her eyes.
"No, he doesn't live close by, I don't even know why he came to our neighborhood. He lives far from here."
Her mother smirked.
"That sounds very realistic, not like something a girl who went shopping with her boyfriend made up... at all. Trust me, I have been there."
Her parents shared another glance and laughed together.
"Mom! I already told you, we are not dating. He's just being polite, that's all."
She insisted, trying to keep her voice light, as she got strong respect for her parents.
"There's nothing going on between us, Dad."
She slapped her forehead.
"But sweetie," her mother pressed, "You didn't answer, does he have a girlfriend?"
Beauty's stomach twisted, and she could feel her face growing warmer.
Of course, she didn't know much about Bruno's personal life. She had never asked anyone if he is dating currently, never dared to get too personal.
Jessie didn't know that else Jessie will be the only one to answer her without seeing her as delusional for having a crush on him.
Jessie in fact think don't like women that way.
However, the thought of him with someone else made her feel strange, and she didn't want to think about it. Not now.
"I don't know, Mom," she said quickly, hoping that would end the interrogation. "And it doesn't matter. He's my boss, that's all. Why should I be interested in his personal life?"
Her mother wasn't satisfied.
"But he seems to care about you a lot. The way he looked at you when you almost fell... we saw it all... he looks like a man in love."
"As a man I can agree to that."
Her father added.
"See? Even your Dad saw it too..."
Beauty cut her off, waving her hand dismissively.
"It was nothing, Mom. Please, just drop it. I get it that you two wanted me to be in a relationship. I know... I too wanted a man to love me but let's just leave it this way. If he likes me, he will make it clear."
Her mother was relentless.
"But do you like him?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "You seem pretty flustered."
Beauty rolled her eyes, backing away slowly toward the hallway.
"I'm tired, Mom and I need to change out of these clothes. Can we talk about this later?"