Chapter 251 - 252: Feed You.
"What are you doing?" He asked Luna, who immediately hid the apple she had eaten halfway into her basket while she smiled at Eris.
"I’m picking apples!" She said with a bright smile.
Eris raised an eyebrow as he approached her. He stared into her basket only to see one single apple—and it was the one she had eaten halfway.
"...."
The two of them blinked while they stared at each other.
"I’m hungry," Luna simply said with a broad smile.
---
While they were busy in the woods gathering fruits, Sunnie was still back at home asleep.
She had been sleeping for a long time now, and she was already tired. By the time Sunnie woke up, she caught sight of Zayn bringing in her breakfast.
With a smile, Sunnie slowly sat up in bed as Zayn sat down close to her.
"You shouldn’t stress yourself..." He said as he dropped the bowl beside her. "Are you done sleeping?"
She smiled as she shook her head. "I’m already tired of sleeping... I’ve been sleeping for long now." She said as she stared at the meal prepared for her.
She wasn’t surprised that it was all vegetable soup in the bowl. She smiled as she said, "I guess Elza really knows what to make." She shook her head with a smile.
"You should have it," Zayn said as he ran a hand through her forehead, feeling her.
After a while, he said, "At least you’re getting a bit better compared to the last time I came."
Sunnie paused and stared up at him. "Huh? You came? When was that?" She asked, but Zayn casually smiled as he looked down at the soup before him. He said nothing but stirred it gently with the spoon.
Sunnie stared at him, surprised, as she said, "Did you perhaps... come here while I was still asleep?"
He stared at her with a smile. "And what if I did?"
Sunnie shook her head as she said with a smile, "You’re so unpredictable."
"You should have the soup before it gets cold," Zayn said as he pushed the soup closer to her. "It’s best when hot."
Sunnie casually stared at the soup with a deep sigh. "Suddenly I don’t want anything bitter at all. I think I’ll pass."
Zayn raised an eyebrow. "Says the person always happily handing out bitter soup when people are sick. Now it’s your turn, and you don’t want it?"
Sunnie smiled as she shook her head. "I guess so."
"No, that won’t do," Zayn said as he picked up the soup and stirred it. "Come on, I’ll feed you then if you don’t want to have it yourself."
He cupped a spoonful and stretched it to her. "Here, open up."
Sunnie stared at him. "You really are going to feed me?" She tilted her head with a smile. "Since when did the powerful tiger resort to feeding me?"
Zayn stared at her with a smile as he said, "I don’t even know."
He was quiet, sitting there and staring at Sunnie without saying anything. The two of them were quiet for a while as they stared at each other.
"What? What are you staring at?" Sunnie asked.
Zayn said nothing for a while. He stared at her with a smile lingering on his face before he finally said, "Nothing much. You’re just different."
Sunnie stared. "How different?"
"Different from the original female I got mated to," he said. "But I guess it’s a good thing." He stared at her. "Because I think I like this version better, anyway."
Sunnie was quiet for a while. She didn’t say anything—she didn’t know what to say. She simply listened as he continued stirring the soup.
"At first I was skeptical and rather careful. I mean, people don’t really change like that, do they? I was quiet... like I always was." He said with a smile as he stared at the soup. "At first I didn’t trust you. I thought that maybe you were up to something."
"I held my guards up and simply watched. That was the only thing I knew how to do, after all." He smiled as he said, "But in the long run, I guess I was wrong."
He smiled as he now stared at her, their eyes meeting in warmth.
For a while, there was silence as Zayn said, "You proved me wrong in every way. In my quiet observation, you did the opposite of everything I thought you’d do. I couldn’t help but admire you in the long run... I couldn’t help but accept the fact that you actually did change. And it was for the better."
He said as he slowly stretched out his hands and patted Sunnie on the ears. Sunnie stared, short of words.
"Now I guess I’m okay with you. Now I guess I like this way. Now I guess I can happily accept you as my mate. I’m more than happy with that now, and it makes me happy every day." He had a broad smile on his face as he stared at her.
Sunnie couldn’t stop her heart from fluttering as she stared at him and listened to what he had to say. This was unlike the Zayn she knew. The Zayn she knew was calm and quiet. He wasn’t one to speak in this way.
So hearing this from him had Sunnie shocked while also making her heart flutter. And his smile—she wasn’t used to his smile. But he had a rather warm smile! She could watch him smile all day long.
And just then, Zayn smiled as he leaned close. Close enough that Sunnie could be expecting a kiss anytime soon.
And then he said in a low, husky tone, "And remember what I told you the last time? I’ll tell you what I want you to do for me when the time comes."
He smiled as he said, "I think it’s almost time... so I might just let you know so you get ready."