“No..”
I jolted awake at the faint moans I heard in the distance. Slowly, I opened my eyes, greeted by the darkness of the room. Only the lampshade provided some light; I wasn’t used to sleeping in the dark.
I got up and put on my slippers, then stepped out of the room. I was looking for where the faint moans, sounding like someone in distress, were coming from. As I was about to descend the stairs, I noticed that Grayson’s room door wasn’t closed properly. I approached slowly, intending to close it, when I heard something from inside.
“No, please, no,” I froze. Did those soft moans come from him, as if he were in pain? Instead of closing the door, I slowly pushed it open. The room was dimly lit, with only the moonlight streaming in through the open sliding window.
“Grayson?” I called softly as I approached his bed. He wasn’t responding. Only half of his face was visible, so I couldn’t tell if he was asleep or awake, but he seemed to be asleep.
I switched on his bedside lamp, revealing his face and body, drenched in sweat. Both of his hands were tightly gripping the bedsheets. “Grayson?” I called again. I reached out and tapped his cheek gently, trying to wake him up. “Hey,” I wiped his face and neck, soaked with sweat. After I finished, he still wasn’t waking up, but his expression returned to normal.
I smiled and adjusted his blanket, then sat back down beside him. It was the first time I had seen him up close like this, and I must say, he’s a handsome man – defined jawline, thick lashes, perfect lips. I didn’t know such faces existed.
Oh wait! Damn! What am I thinking? Get a grip, Elina! I’m leaving. Maybe he just had a bad dream. I got up, but I paused when I felt his hand holding mine tightly.
“Please stay, don’t leave me here,” he whispered, but it was enough for me to hear. “Please.”
—-
“Eli?” I woke up to soft knocks on the door. I slowly opened my eyes, greeted by the unfamiliar room. “Come down, dear, it’s time to eat,” I heard Nana Jo say from outside the room. I was about to respond when I realized something. Wait, did the room change?
“Please stay, don’t leave me here,” he whispered, but it was enough for me to hear. “Please.”
I quickly got up, feeling relieved to see that there was no one beside me. The scarf I used to wipe his face earlier was placed neatly on Grayson’s bedside table. I couldn’t remember if it was last night or this morning.
I brushed off what happened last night and made the bed we shared. Then I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror before finally leaving Grayson’s room. When I went downstairs, Grayson was nowhere to be found.
“Nana Jo, where’s Grayson?” I asked, surprised that he wasn’t there yet. It was only seven in the morning, so I didn’t expect him to be gone already. Maybe he just went to eat first.
“Oh, dear, he left early. He said he had some work to finish at the office, so he couldn’t be late. He’ll come back this afternoon. Have your breakfast first,” she replied as she ladled soup into a bowl for me.
“What about you? Have you eaten?” I asked because I hadn’t seen them eating. I wasn’t sure if they had eaten already, maybe they had skipped it.
“Don’t worry about us. Just eat, dear, you might have other things to do,” she insisted.
“Just join me,” I said.
“We can’t, dear. Grayson is very strict about this. You know how he is – grumpy but kind. I know him well,” she replied as she ushered me to the table.
“But I’m not used to eating alone. It makes me sad, so join me, there’s so much food!” I said, so we started eating.
My morning turned out to be enjoyable as I got to know the people in the house. Maybe because I didn’t grow up being served, I wasn’t comfortable having someone do things for me.
I’d grab the dishes to wash or the laundry to put in the machine, although they’d insist on taking care of it. But the important things like suits and clothes for occasions, they’d insist on dry cleaning them. Of course, that’s important.
Until I invited them to watch Netflix, and even Nana Jo, who cried because it was her favorite Filipino love story. She said she could relate to her youth, which we all laughed at. She didn’t notice because she was so engrossed in what she was watching.
We were in the middle of that scenario when we heard a series of doorbell rings followed by loud banging on the gate. All seven of us looked at each other before getting up and heading outside.
We saw a slender woman standing in front of the gate, her hair impeccably styled, as if it were built-in and couldn’t be moved. She was wearing a body-hugging dress that emphasized her curves, and I almost gagged at the sight of her towering black heels.
“Grayson! COME OUT!” she shouted as she banged on the gate. Nana Jo was about to approach, but I stopped her and said I would handle it.
“Could you not make a scene here? We’re busy watching something, and besides, you’re disturbing the neighbors,” I said as I opened the gate.
She didn’t hesitate to enter the yard, brushing past me, and scoffed at me. So I raised an eyebrow at her. “I don’t care who gets disturbed. Do you not know me?”
“Well, obviously not,” I heard soft chuckles behind me, “And you, a woman, should keep quiet if you don’t want me to shut you up, barging in here like that and then showing attitude? Who are you anyway? Are you a king’s daughter? President? Even if you’re Lucifer’s daughter, and for your information, you’re trespassing,” I countered.
I saw her nostrils flare in anger. “Bring Grayson out!”
“With the small body I have, do you think I have him in my pocket? Why are you looking for someone who’s not here, huh?”
“I’m pregnant, and Grayson is the father!” she yelled, followed by a loud thud of her clutch hitting me.