Irani was about to say something when her phone beeped. She took her phone from her bag and saw her mother's text.

‘Irani, where are you? Your grandmother's already here.”

Irani's eyes widened. She forgot that today was her grandmother's arrival from Davao.

“Do we have a problem, Irani?" Red asked her, his brows furrowed at her reaction.

Irani cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I need to go home, Red. My grandmother from Davao was home."
"Alright, we'll go, Irani."

Irani took out her wallet, but then her lips parted when Red stopped her from paying the bill.
"I thought this is my treat?" she asked.

Red just shook her head. "Just pay me next time," he said before paying the bill.

Irani was thankful that the traffic wasn't heavy. She noticed that it was different from the road that they went to earlier.

“Let’s just say this is a shortcut road,” Red said when she asked him about this.

Irani's lips parted. "There's a shortcut road? Then why did you choose the farther road earlier?"

Red just shrugged his shoulders. "Because I like driving?" he said, smirking at her.

Forty minutes later, they already reached her parents' house. Irani turned to Red after removing her seat belt. But then her brows furrowed when she noticed he was sweating despite the aircon. There were beads of sweat on his forehead. "Hey… Are you okay, Red?” she asked him.

Red shut his eyes.

She noticed that even his neck and ears were red.

"Can I use your restroom?" Red asked her in a small voice.

Irani's lips parted when she realized why he was acting that way. “Your stomach is upset?"
Red's face reddened more as he nodded.

Irani bit her lower lip as she looked at him. "Okay, come follow me," she said to him.
After parking his car near the gate, they went inside the house.

"Where's the people here?" Irani asked one of their house help that she saw near the patio.

"Your parents are already in the garden area, Irani," the old woman answered. "They're already waiting for you there."
Irani just nodded to their house help before she continued walking with Indigo tailing her.

She looked at him and saw how he was wincing while holding onto his tummy. She couldn't help but pursed her lips to stifle a laugh. It was the first time she saw Red looking helpless like that.

“You wanted to laugh at me.” Red accused her.

Irani couldn't help but smirk. "Well, that's what happened for eating too much food, Red," she said, teasing him.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

She just grinned at him before pointing at the common bathroom near the kitchen.

She stayed outside while waiting for Red. She grinned as she remembered his troubled face. She should have taken a picture of him earlier.

A few minutes later, Red went out of the bathroom.

"You okay now?" she asked with a teasing smile on her face. "Or do you still need medicine for your tummy?"
"Irani? Is that you?"

Both of them turned to where the familiar voice came from. It was her grandmother standing at the entrance of the kitchen looking at them.

"Granny!" Irani exclaimed. She immediately went to the old lady and kissed her cheek. "It's nice to see you again."

Her grandmother greeted her back before turning to Red. "And who is this young man, lady?"

Irani pursed her lips. “Uh…”

“I'm Riley Edward dela Merced, ma’am,” Red said, introducing himself to her grandmother.

“Boyfriend?” the old woman asked, smiling sweetly at Red.

Irani's eyes widened. "No. Granny. He's not my boyfriend," she said, biting her lower lip. “He’s my best friend's cousin, Lola.”

Her grandmother raised her brow, then she turned to Red still with a smile on her face. "Join us for dinner, hijo.”

Irani's lips parted with what her grandmother said. “Uh, granny. Red can't join us for dinner. He still has to go somewhere." She turned to Red. "Right, Red?"

But then Red just smiled at her before turning to her grandmother. "Hmm, I won't decline your invitation for dinner, Grandma."

"MA, DAD, this is Red de la Merced," Irani said to her parents when she brought Red to the garden.

“Red? Cashmere’s cousin?” her mother asked with a smile on her face.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Red answered politely.

"Please, sit down, the two of you," her mother said, motioning to the vacant chairs across from her. "And please call me Auntie, Red."

Red smiled before he took the seat next to her.

“Nice to meet you, Red.” A girl beside her grandmother said.

Irani realized it was her cousin Ashley. That cousin of hers was two years older than her and lives in Davao with her grandmother.

Irani wasn't really close to her since she finds her too annoying.

"I'm Ashley," her cousin said, smiling widely at Red. "Irani's cousin.”

Red smiled back at Ashley. “Red.”

“Is Red your full name or only your nickname?” her cousin continued to ask with an obviously curious face.

“Riley Edward Dela Merced. Red for short.” Red answered.

"So… you and Irani are just friends?” Ashley continued to probe.

Her cousin glanced at her before her attention went back to Red.

Irani's brows furrowed. What does Ashley mean by that question? Did she like Red?

Red glanced at her before his gaze went back to her cousin who was in front of him. “Uh, yes. Irani and I are friends."
Ashley smiled sweetly at him. "So, it's okay to flirt with you?”

Irani's lips parted. She also noticed how Red got taken aback with her cousin's advances.

"Ashley! What is that behavior?" her grandmother said with a frown.

But then Ashley only smiled playfully at the old woman. "Chill, ‘granny. I'm just kidding, okay?"

See? That's why Irani didn't like this particular cousin of hers. She wanted to roll her eyes before her gaze dropped to her plate. She was still from the food they ate at the cafe earlier.

"Try this, hijo." Her mother said as she handed Red a bowl of beef kare-kare. "It's good."