The mute's forbidden love

Chapter one

I roll over on my left side, half asleep and shut my eyes instantly as rays of light fall right onto them. After a moment I slowly open them and look at the window. My eyes widen and I sit up abruptly as I notice the intensity of the sun rays. It's past 7:30 am, I can guarantee.

I swiftly get up from the bed and put on my robe. Rushing inside the en suite I hang my hair in a ponytail. I brush my teeth and finish the rest of my morning business. I shuffle into my closet and throw on the nearest dress I can find. After looking presentable I pace to the kitchen downstairs.

While doing so I look down the hall and do not see his door open. He isn't awake yet. I sigh and run to the kitchen. Without wasting any time, I start making breakfast. I look at the digital clock on the refrigerator, 7:50 am. I've 20 minutes to make breakfast, so I decide on scrambled eggs with bacon on toast.

I hurry and keep glancing at the clock. When I'm finished, I place the food on the dining table. I hear footsteps descending and run to bring his black coffee. Just when I place the coffee beside his plate, he enters the kitchen.

I exhale a breath and wait for him to come and sit on the chair. He has his suit jacket on his arm as he adjusts his crisp white shirt. His brows are slightly knitted and lips are pursed. That’s how he always is, stressed and concentrated.

He finally looks at me and nods, “Good morning."

I give him a small smile, “Good morning."

He settles down and starts eating his breakfast. I fiddle with my hands and look down at the floor. This is my daily routine except I wake up at 7. I get ready and come downstairs to make breakfast. I try not to repeat the same thing in a week. I get everything ready by 8 and wait for him to come. He arrives exactly at 8: 15 am. The 14 months I've spent with him there's not been a single day that he hasn't, except the Sundays.

Today was a near miss for me.

"Are you not going to have breakfast?" I look up at him when he questions me.

I bite my lip and nod, “I’ll get my plate."

Guess it's one of those days where he wants to love me.

I walk to the cabinets and pull out a plate. Assembling the contents on my plate. I walk over to the dining table. I go to sit two chairs away from him but one look from him and I quickly sit beside him.

"You look really pretty today." He states and continues eating.

I smile at him and sign, “Thank you."

11 days, 11 days since he last complimented me.

I always get happy when someone compliments me. I haven't had much luck on it while growing up. Either people made fun of me or they were scared that they would say something wrong. They used to walk on egg shells around me. I hated that, I wanted to feel normal. I did not wanted to be treated special or different, just normal.

I was five when I was diagnosed with Anarthria. I was devasted. Suddenly not being able to speak was hard to grasp onto. I was a kid, a kid who was just starting to hold onto a language. It f****d me up pretty bad. I grew severe anxiety in the coming years. All my middle school was a s**t show, I wanted to give up.

I was also regularly sick. It was another one of my problems. With all that anxiety, stress, overthinking it was getting hard for me to put on weight or fat. I tried eating more than I can but it was still useless. This gave the bullies more advantage.

But then Jeremy came into my life, my brother. The moment I saw him I was in love. Before him, my family consisted of my parents, me and my older sister. It did not feel like home though. I felt like I didn't belong. My sister never liked me, she never wanted to be seen with me in school. Who would, I was just a mute with anxiety issues?

I started getting therapy and it genuinely helped me. I was so much more comfortable talking about my issues to a stranger. I know people say that it’s illogical to be sharing our personal life with a stranger but for me it was the most logical thing. The fear of being judged for the way I feel, for the rest of my life was what restricted me from talking to my parents about my mental state. And after all, they already had done so much for me and I did not wanted to seem ungrateful, or inconsiderate.

That’s what I thought.

My parents, well that's a whole different story. When Jeremy arrived, I was excited, I would be able to adore someone, I would be able to care for someone. I wanted to be the best sister for him. I wanted him to see me as more than just a mute when he grows up. So, I strengthened myself, I wanted to be better than my past self. I was on the right path until-

"I'm done." I'm pulled out of thoughts by his voice.

He gets up from his seat and I do the same. “Have a great day."

He smiles, one that is becoming rare each passing day, “You too sweetheart."

He leans in and pecks me on my lips. “If you’re going out, be careful. Don’t let strangers come closer. Alright?”

I shake my head and look down at his chest. “I am not going out today. Don’t worry about me.”

He gives me a satisfied smile. “I love you.”

He puts on his suit jacket and walks away without another glance. Only when I hear the sound of the elevator door open and close do, I give a sigh of relief. I look down at my half-eaten plate and decide to finish eating. I do not like wasting food, I've went through worst times before this luxurious penthouse.

After finishing my breakfast and cleaning up, I walk out in the living room. I make my way to the sliding doors and open them to step out on the huge deck. I take a seat on the couch placed in front of the pool and soak in the morning sun.

I'm alone, like everyday. Once he leaves in the morning I'm alone in the penthouse for the whole day. It's a pretty big house right in the middle of the city. It is the part of one of the tallest residential building in the city. The penthouse consists of a total of four bedrooms, two on the lower floor and two on the upper.

The upper floor has a study, a movie room and additional living area. The lower floor has a huge living area interconnected with the kitchen and the cellar. Every bedroom has an en suite and

one separate restroom downstairs. The whole penthouse is adorned with floor to ceiling windows. The deck even consists of an infinity pool.

This house probably is so many people's dream but trust me, it's lonely, very lonely. I've been lonely for the past year. I don't even remember the last time I had some fun. I kind of do, that day when I went to the amusement park with Jeremy. Just me and him, we had so much fun. But when I came home....