Moonlight Lovers

Twenty-seven

SELENE’S first day as Godric’s second assistant came without a hitch. In fact, the day went smoothly, which is far from what she was expecting at all.

After submitting her resignation letter to Dahlia the other day, Silas came to her apartment the following day to pick up her stuff to help her move to the Octavius estate.

The house looked even more breathtaking than the last time she saw it, which was only a couple of days ago. Maybe that’s the thing about beautiful things, sometimes you see things often, and they never lose the beauty they hold, they just seem to flourish before your eyes.

Godric was the one who picked her room. He insisted that she stay in the room closest to him because he wants to make sure he could attend to her right away if she ever needs anything. Not that he actually needs to have her in close proximity, of course, because of his amazing vampire agility. But Selene did not contest what her new boss wanted. She was just happy for this wonderful change in her life and looked forward to what the days in the sprawling estate hold for her.

The home office where Godric and Silas worked has been fully renovated and it has been expanded to allow for another desk to occupy the room, which is what she will use. Silas was hands-on training her, and for her first day, gave her some very light tasks.

“So, that’s it,” Silas announced shortly after giving her some instructions. “I don’t want to burden you with a lot of work and too much to remember, so for now, just take care of emails. And if there is anything unclear to you, let me know.”

Selene smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

When Silas returned to his desk and started working, Selene turned her attention to another man in the room with them. Godric Octavius looked very handsome in his corporate suit, luxury watch, and neatly fixed hair. Even though he’s mostly staying at home to work, he gets a lot of video conference calls from The Orchid, so dressing up was very important. He was staring seriously at his computer screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard. He looks cool and very attractive. Selene remembered someone telling her before that a busy man is an attractive man. And they were right. She could feel her heart skipping a beat as she stared at the beautiful piece of living art breathing the same air with her.

Godric must have sensed she was staring at him because he quickly looked up in her direction which forced her to lower her head in front of her computer and start working on the task Silas gave her. She just wished the computer screen was bright enough to hide the blushing of her face.

That’s embarrassing, she thought, biting the side of her lips.

She didn’t see the amused smile that drew across Godric’s lips when he noticed her quickly dropping out of the staring games she unconsciously started, before going back to work again.

At lunch, Godric stayed behind while Silas drove her to the main district to grab some food. Silas asked how her first day was and she happily said she was enjoying it. After half an hour, they returned to the estate and continued the rest of their work until the last working hours of the day.

SELENE pressed the enter button on the keyboard with satisfaction as she sent her last email for that day. She looked up and found Silas and Godric still immersed in their job. She glanced at the digital clock on the computer screen, working hours are done.

She thought to herself, maybe an assistant’s job is flexible and extends beyond regular working hours? She wasn’t expecting that on her first day. But then again, it’s not like her job is the most difficult task she could think of anyway. For now, that is.

They probably just forgot the time. She stood away from her desk, walked in front of the two men, and happily invited them out.

Silas and Godric stared at her, and then at each other, and then back at her again.

“You mean, dinner?” Silas asked.

“No,” Selene shook her head. “It’s my first day at work, we should celebrate.”

She couldn’t be wrong. Every corporate employee in the district gets treated to a dinner hosted by the department they are working for. It’s kind of customary to show your seniors support in your employment journey in the company. Even though she has only worked waiting tables in a café, she’s heard of that from all of her friends and some clients at the café. It was one of the things she looked forward to when offered to work for The Orchid.

Don’t they know about it?

Godric looked at Silas as if asking for help. Silas snapped his fingers and nodded knowingly. “I know, I should get a cake, and maybe some champagne. For the celebration?”

Selene sighed. They clearly don’t know. “I have another idea.”

THE downtown streets of Clairhill were lined with red tents, each a stall or shop of food and beverages, that most of the lower-middle-class community in town go to eat or have a drink.

Selene pulled two well-dressed men inside a rice wine stall, holding on to their arms. “You’ll like this,” she told them, excitement evident in her voice.

Godric and Silas kept their footing as they stepped inside the tent, looking around uneasily, like some preschoolers going to the zoo for the first time. Selene chuckled adorably at them. An elderly woman greeted their lot and asked how many people they needed a table for.

“Three, ma’am,” Selene chirped, holding up her fingers.

The woman pointed to a table on the corner of the tent with a small fan near it.

Selene gasped a little, hooked his arms on the two men’s shoulders, and pulled their faces close to her. “The table closest to the ventilation is always the best table. This is the VIP spot, gentlemen, so act properly.”

Silas just laughed at her. Godric, however, looked so confused.

The elderly woman who greeted them attended their table and placed three bottles of rice wine, and three shot glasses. “Do you want something else with that?” The woman asked.

“Yes, please. Three bowls of blood soup,” Selene requested, grinning. It was the stall’s famous food on the menu, made of pork blood sausage, tofu, and chili stew.

Godric’s eyes grew wide at what she said. Silas calmed him down and whispered something to him, likely explaining what the dish was. “Have you been here before?” He asked.

Silas nodded coyly. “I may have a couple of times.”

The woman left their table and Selene started uncapping the rice wine. Silas helped her. She saw Godric just carefully watching them. Selene grinned, propping her chin on her palm. “What’s the matter, Mr. Octavius, are you not used to women refusing to be brought to a fancy restaurant and instead take you here? In the heart of downtown Clairhill?”

Godric chuckled. “Yes, I must say you always surprise me, Selene.”

“I go here every weekend. The owner’s really nice.” She leaned over the table and covered the side of her mouth. “She always puts extra tofu in my blood soup,” she added in a fake whisper.

Silas beamed at her. “You’re very charming, Miss Roseburn.”

“Selene,” she corrected. “You don’t need to be so formal to me.”

Silas just nodded in agreement.

Selene poured rice wine onto the shot glass and politely handed it to Godric. “You get the first shot of the evening, Mr. Octavius.”

“Godric,” he corrected. “You don’t need to be so formal to me.”

Selene laughed when Godric mimicked what she said.

She watched Godric push his head back as he drank the rice wine in one go, before slamming the glass on the table. He grimaced, grunting. “That was…some wine!”

Selene and Silas chuckled. Selene offered the next glass to Silas who reasonably refused to drink. “I’m driving,” he said.

“Oh.” She nodded and drank the rice wine instead. “I’ll take yours, then.” Selene drank the rice wine, shutting her eyes and pressing her lips together as she put the glass down the table. “Ah, I missed this!”

A little while later, the owner of the stall returned to their table with three steaming bowls of blood soup.

Selene and Silas started eating while Godric just watched on. Selene furrowed her brows. “It’s made of pig’s blood,” she said quietly. “You can’t eat it?”

Godric shook his head. “But I’m okay. I quite like this…rice wine thing.”

“Why did you take us here, by the way?” Silas asked.

Selene shrugged. “I missed downtown. Besides what better way to celebrate my first day at work than having the best local food and drinks at Clairhill?”

“I have quite a different idea of the best,” Godric admitted. “But, this is alright. I liked that I’m here with you.”

Silas cleared his throat.

“Silas thinks so, too,” Godric continued, patting his assistant’s shoulder.

Selene turned to Silas. “By the way, Silas, you told Godric just a few minutes ago that you’ve been here a couple of times before,” she said. “Did you grow up here?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I’m not like Mr. Big Shot here. My grandfather was the one who raised me and usually servant families do not have a lot of money. When I was growing up, I remember that my grandpa and I always bond over a steaming bowl of udon or pig feet stew every year on my birthday. Now, I still sometimes come here to have a bowl of udon or pig feet stew, and when I am much older, have a couple of drinks.”

Selene smiled, appreciating that he shared that story. “You never thought to bring Godric here?”

“I didn’t think he’d like it here.”

“You don’t?” She asked Godric.

Godric’s brows creased. “Hey, that’s not true. I’d have gone here but I was always busy,” he said instead, nodding towards Silas. “I couldn’t help it, you know that.”

Silas laughed. “Oh, right. Too busy making trouble.”

“I never called you a troublemaker even when you were a rebellious teenager,” Godric added.

Silas laughed even more. “I wasn’t rebellious. I reacted the same way as other fifteen year olds would have reacted around the situation I was in. I didn’t understand much of what was happening then, and you always talk in riddles. How did you think I should respond to that?”

“So, you think he’s a little difficult, huh?” Selene asked no one in particular.

The ambiguity in her question makes both Silas and Godric answer yes to her at the same time.

Selene chuckled. “You two are so adorable.”

Silas caught on and laughed. Godric was smiling, too.

“This is fun, huh?” She commented, looking outside the plastic window of the tent.

“I agree,” said Godric. “Let’s do this again in your first month.”

Selene’s eyes lit up, she raised her rice wine to the two men at her table and tipped her head slightly. “I look forward to that.”