“This is going to be fun,” Kian sighed as he parked his car in front of Malak’s house. 

“I’m sorry,” Malak apologized guiltily, as he played with his fingers.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they will like me.” 

Malak frowned. “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to say?”

“Exactly,” Kian leaned in for a kiss. “I’ll be on my best behaviour.” 

Before they can even get out of the vehicle, the front door got slammed open. Lesley was ready to meet Malak’s infamous, mysterious boyfriend. She watched Kian get off of his car before opening his trunk to grab some gifts. With his hands full, he quickly made his way to the front door. 

“Lesley, this is Kian, my boyfriend. Kian, this is Lesley, my twin sister,” Malak presented the both of them.

While Kian was sporting a smile, Lesley didn’t show many emotions. She was scanning the man from head to toe. At first, she wanted to make fun of him if she ever found a physical flaw, but there was nothing to use against him. Instead, she was a little jealous of her brother. 

“Welcome,” she mumbled as she finally let them go through the front door. 

Malak entered first, followed by the twins. Inside, a delicious odour wafted through them. As they approached the kitchen, the smell got stronger. As none of them ate anything for breakfast, the twins’ stomach rumbled in anticipation. 

“It smells heavenly,” Kian mentioned as he placed the gifts on a coffee table. 

“Thank you for the compliment,” the twins’ mother said with a smile as she wiped her hands on her apron. 

He walked toward her and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Elsan. I’m Kian, your son’s boyfriend,” he smiled, with his white teeth out. 

Like Lesley earlier, she also eyed the man from head to toe. Only when she was satisfied that she accepted the handshake. 

“Welcome to our home,” Lucy, the twins’ mother, greeted warmly as he passed the appearance test. 

“As a token of my gratitude, please accept these,” Kian politely answered as he showed the bags that were placed on the coffee table. 

Lucy followed the direction he was pointing with her eyes. Once they set on the bags, she quickly noticed how fancy they were. In no time, she recognized the name of the different brands. They were all expensive and considered luxury items. 

Before she can say anything, her husband, Frank, walked down the stairs. Before he can even touch the floor, both men made eye contact. It was as if they were assessing each other. 

“So, you’re the boy who’s dating my son,” Frank said as he now stood next to his wife. 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Elsan. I’m Kian,” he greeted as he once more offered his hand. 

Frank accepted the firm yet almost crushing handshake, as they never looked away from each other. 

“Honey, he brought us gifts,” Lucy whispered to her husband as she pointed at the bags with her chin. “Thank you so much for the gifts,” she smiled at Kian.

Frank quickly understood what she meant by it after identifying the items. “You seem to do well for your age,” he commented as they all made their way toward the dining room. 

As Frank and Kian sat down, the twins helped their mom to bring the different plates filled with delicious food to the table. 

“It’s a family inheritance,” Kian briefly explained. 

“Are you going to take over your family business?” Frank asked as he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.

“Yes, I’m still learning from my father, but I do well,” Kian smiled confidently. “Of course, I graduated from business school. Education is important.”

“Indeed, it is,” he agreed. 

Minutes later, everyone was finally sitting around the table. The family sat in their usual places, as Kian was next to Malak. They all ate and for the first few minutes, no one was talking. 

“It’s excellent,” Kian praised as he went in for seconds. 

“Thank you,” Malak’s mother answered. “Eat as much as you like or these two will scavenge for your portion.” 

“You better be careful,” Malak warned before stealing a piece of an octopus as Lesley stayed silent in embarrassment. 

Kian shook his head as he chuckled at Malak’s antics. “You can have as much as you want,” he pushed his plate so Malak could easily access it. 

Malak blushed and showed an embarrassed smile. “Thanks.” 

“So, where did you meet?” Lucy asked after she cleansed her mouth with water. 

“We met by chance at the nightclub. I think we were both trying to escape that place,” Kian answered as the parents nodded. 

“Yeah, sounds about right,” Malak nodded in confirmation. “We started as friends and went to different places together.” 

“Mostly to eat spicy food,” Kian added. “I don’t know how he does that.” 

“Don’t you usually go with Kayla and Enrico?” Lesley asked. 

“Each time I try to bring them, we end up eating in a completely different place. I’m always outvoted.” 

“I bet. Did you know he can eat the toe of Satan as if it was normal candy?” she asked Kian while fetching for her phone to show a picture. 

“What’s that?” 

“It’s a candy with a Scoville unit of nine million!” 

“Stop,” Kian laughed as he didn’t believe her. 

“It’s true! Here, check it out,” she passed him her phone with a video of the twins doing the challenge together. 

They both sucked the candy at the same time. While Malak didn’t seem affected by the spiciness, Lesley started fidgeting and soon crying and hiccuping. She couldn’t even complete the first minute of the challenge. As the minutes passed, Malak only struggled halfway there. However, he only took the toe of Satan out after the five minutes were done. In the end, the twins both enjoyed a gigantic bowl of ice cream. 

“It looks insane,” Kian commented as he gave back the phone to her. 

“It was. I’m never doing that again,” she shivered at the thought. 

As they emptied the food on the table, their stomachs bulged. Soon, everything was eaten. Although he was a guest, Kian helped the family to clean up. Once it was done, they gathered in the living room. A light conversation filled the room, and everyone seemed relaxed. Not everyone was smiling, but they weren’t uncomfortable either. 

While Malak’s parents gently questioned Kian most of the time, Malak was trying to guess what they thought about him. After announcing the news to his parents, they didn’t say much, nor did they react negatively. They more or less stayed impassive. Therefore, he didn’t know if they were against their relationship or not. 

A few hours later, Malak and Kian walked out of the house until they reached the car. After unlocking the vehicle, Kian smiled at Malak. 

“It wasn’t so bad?” Kian chuckled as he leaned his arm on the roof of the car. 

“They didn’t kick you out. So, I’ll take that as a win?” 

“Haha, yes. I’m not used to being on my toes.” 

“Who would dare to disrespect the King of the biggest power of the world? The infamous King of the Bazahian Kingdom,” Malak theatrically answered. 

Kian rolled his eyes. “Only you dare to.” He leaned in for a kiss. 

From the corner of their eyes, they noticed the curtain moving. They quickly let go of each other and awkwardly occupied themselves with something else. 

“I’m going to go,” Kian said. 

“Yes, I-I will see you later,” Malak waved at his boyfriend as he climbed into his car before driving away. Malak watched on the sidewalk until the vehicle wasn’t visible anymore.

Back inside, he went back to the living room, where his parents and sister were waiting. He nervously sat down and waited for his parents to say something. However, they were all silent as they digested not only the food but also the idea of Malak dating a guy who looked a lot older than him. 

“He’s very handsome,” Lesley forced a smile. 

“Yes, he is,” the twins’ mother agreed. “But how old is he?” 

In the span of a few seconds, Malak’s brain worked at full speed. He couldn’t tell them the truth and reveal that he was around four hundred years old. 

“He’s twenty-four,” Malak answered, as the news took aback his mom. 

“What?” Lucy gasped as she realized their age difference. 

“It’s not that surprising. He graduated from university and is currently helping his family’s business. Can’t do all that at twenty,” Frank explained as his wife stared at him wide-eyed. “I’m actually surprised he’s this young.” 

“The age gap is still enormous.” 

“I know,” Frank answered as he looked conflicted. “Did you two do it?” 

Malak blushed and hid his face behind his hands. In this life, they didn’t go all the way yet. However, they had sexual activities. 

“No,” Malak answered, as he couldn’t believe he was talking about his sex life with his parents.

“Is this the truth?” his dad asked.

“You have to use condoms for protection. This is very important even if you can’t get pregnant,” his mother added. “This goes for you too, young lady.” 

“Mom!” the twins exclaimed in embarrassment. 

“I’m serious. Better to make it clear now before you regret it later on.” 

The twins nodded as they listened to their parents’ speeches, and it lasted for almost an hour. By the end, they were both tired and numb from it. 

“Does it mean, I have your permission to date Kian?” Malak asked nervously as he played with his fingers. 

The married couple looked at each other for a brief moment. But it seemed like an eternity for the young man. 

“For now,” his dad answered, as Malak smiled brightly.