Moonlight Lovers

Eleven

SELENE stared outside the window when the car stopped in front of an enormous house. The mechanically operated gates slowly opened and the car moved forward, exposing the more elegant exterior of the house.

Selene could not help but put her hands over her mouth as she looked around the whole place. It was beyond anything she had ever seen in her life. The only times she gets to see luxurious houses is when they are featured in some of the magazines that are offered for free reading in the café.

When Godric picked her up from the bus stop and asked if they could talk, she felt like she couldn’t say no to him and agreed. She had no idea that he’s taking her to his house because they were almost quiet during the whole drive. She was also too focused on the loud beating of her heart to bother asking.

She had not noticed that the car had already stopped. Godric stepped out of the car and opened the door for her, extending his hand and taking the bag from her lap. She shyly took his hands and got out of the car, too. She looked up at the grandiose property in front of her. Suddenly, she felt so out of place there.

She looked over at Godric who just smiled and politely gestured for her to walk ahead of him.

“Is this part of your elaborate plan to convince me to take your job offer?” She joked.

Godric let out a small chuckle and shook his head. “Who knows? I’m liking my chances right now, actually.”

She playfully placed her hands on her waist and lifted her chin as he looked at his face. “You must be mistaking me as a poor country girl working in the city who gets easily distracted when someone flashes their riches at her.”

Godric grinned. “I know you’re more than that, Selene. That’s why you immediately captured my interest.”

Selene quickly dropped the act and was blushing really hard. Even when Silas had already told her yesterday that Dahlia was not the reason Godric was visiting the café recently, she did not want to assume that it was because of her. But now that Godric is the one saying it, she still is having a hard time believing it’s true. How can someone like her catch a prominent man’s interest like this? She must have done something good in her past life to be this lucky in this lifetime.

When Godric put his hand on the small of her back, Selene’s face was burning even more. They started walking up the marbled short staircase going up to the main entrance of the house.

A servant opened the door for them and greeted them. Selene stared in awe at the beautiful interior of the house. The walls were painted in immaculate white and adapted a combination of contemporary and renaissance architectural styles. Huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling and classical paintings graced the house’s walls. The grand staircase leading up to the second floor of the house was made of polished stone, covered in an elegant maroon carpet. And at the top of the stairs, a painting of a family hangs. The men are gathered around a woman sitting on a victorian chair, their clothing evidently from a different era, and one of the men looked like Godric.

She looked over at Godric.

“He’s my grandfather,” he said as if he knew what was on her mind. He was probably watching her looking around the entire house and saw that she was staring at the painting at the top of the staircase.

She wondered how many people had come to his house and asked the same question because it sounded like a prepared response.

“Let’s go upstairs, shall we?” Godric invited. “I’d like to show you the home office where you’ll be spending most of your time once you start working for me but it’s under renovation right now.”

Selene stopped walking up the stairs. “I’ll be working here? In your house?”

Godric stopped, too, and looked back at her. He shrugged. “Yes. As I am and Silas.”

“I thought you’re offering me a job at The Orchid,” she said, perplexed.

“That’s right. But you will work here, not at the office.”

“Is…there a special reason for that?”

“I work remotely. And I want to see you everyday.”

Godric smiled then resumed walking up the stairs and opened the doors to the second floor parlour. The room had huge windows that overlooked the remarkable landscape outside the house. The furniture is inspired by Victorian architecture and she wondered if Godric is the one who picked the décor of this room.

“This was my mother’s favorite room, so the décor was more her style,” he said.

Another prepared response, she thought. Or could he actually read my mind?

Selene immediately shook the thought. That would be impossible.

“Fancy a drink?”

She looked over in Godric’s direction. He was standing in front of a small table on one side of the room, filled with different bottles and a couple of glasses. Godric had rolled the sleeves of his white shirt up to his elbows and Selene could not help but stare at his attractive veiny arm and large hands.

She has never met a man with such beautiful hands.

“Selene?” He called again.

She blinked, as if pulled away from a trance. “Coffee’s fine.”

“Good choice. I’ll ask someone to get you coffee, then.”

He walked to another side of the room where a telephone was sitting on a small table next to an empty shelf. “I need a cup of coffee here, please.”

Selene looked around the room again. Weird, from the first floor to the hallways they walked by, and even in this room, she could not find a single photograph except the painting by the top of the stairs.

“Do you live alone in this house?” She asked, curiously.

Godric placed the phone back on the receiver and looked up at her. “No. Silas stays here, too. And we have a few staff taking care of the house. Why do you ask?”

“Your family didn’t stay here?”

Godric looked surprised at the question. “They did. A long time ago.”

Selene nodded. “It feels empty.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like no one had lived here for a very long time.”

Godric smiled poignantly. “That’s a very interesting observation,” he said in a very low voice.

Selene waved her hands in the air. “I don’t mean to be offensive or anything. I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re fine.” He pointed towards the sofas. “You may sit down. Feel right at home.”

She followed and warily sat on one of the single-seater sofas.

Shortly, a servant knocked on the door of the parlour bringing a cup of coffee. Godric took the tray and placed the coffee on the table in front of her. He then sat on the opposite sofa holding a glass of alcohol in his hands.

“So, do you like working at the café?”

Selene opened her mouth to talk but she hesitated on her answer. “Well, I like it because I have a great friend there, my boss is really nice and I guess I like the smell of coffee.” She then took the coffee and placed it under her nose.

“So, you see yourself working there for a long time?’

Selene looked at Godric, he was looking back at her, holding the glass in the middle of both of his hands, while his elbows rested on his knees. Oh, so this is an interview, she thought. She replaced the cup on the saucer and sat up straight.

“I have no reason to leave right now even though I can certainly use a bigger hourly rate.”

“Why not?”

“Because I have made great relationships in that place, something no amount of money can buy.”

Godric squinted his eyes. “You’re willing to turn down a great job opportunity for personal connection?”

“It sounds stupid, I know that. There was a moment when I went home after I talked to Mr. Asmington when I thought about calling him back and taking your offer because I’m not gonna lie, I need the money. But even before I could, I would immediately think about how I am not the perfect person to work for you, and I may not be able to keep that kind of job for a very long time anyway even if I want to, so why take the risk?”

“No one gets sacked at The Orchid. I’m pro-people. My employees who leave the company do so of their own volition. I’m just lucky that I never had a single bad employee. And I am confident that you will work hard for the company when you’re hired, too.”

She looked straight at him. “Will you please honestly tell me why you want to hire me so badly? I’m just a café waitress. I don’t have a qualification. No experience working in a corporate job. I will surely just fail you.”

“I’m sure you won’t, Selene. You have something else in you, and you just don’t know it yet.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“You will know soon.”

Selene felt frustrated. It was the same thing Silas told her yesterday. And she’s getting so upset by the mystery they are both trying to keep from her about the whole thing.

“This conversation may be a deal breaker, Godric. If you continue telling me riddles, then I will consider your offer as a really great opportunity that I’d let slip because I know it wasn’t for me. Unless you can tell me honestly why you chose me, because it doesn’t make sense.”

He smirked. “I didn’t know you were good at negotiating.”

“I’m a very honest person, Godric. And I expect the people around me to be the same.”

“Fine, I’ll be honest with you, too.” Godric stared at her eyes. “You probably don’t remember it now, but I first saw you when my car was passing by the bus stop near the café where you work. It was a very brief moment but something I remember clearly. When I looked into your eyes, something I couldn’t explain happened to me. I wanted to know what it was, I wanted to find out why. But I had to find you first to know the answers, and I don’t even know who you were.

“Have you ever wanted to meet somebody so badly in your whole life? Maybe a celebrity, a long-lost relative, a friend you’ve always wanted to have—that’s what I felt when I saw you. I know I’ve got to start somewhere to find you, but I had no idea where or even how. And then, one day, I found you when I visited a new café. And I knew that I was meant to see you again. But how could I tell you right away what I wanted? I knew that if I had told you this the first time I came to the café, you’d brush me off and think that I was just trying to hook up with you. And I’d miss my chance to get to know you. You keep saying you formed great relationships while working in the café since last year, and I look forward to it, too. I want to create the same connection with you when you start working for me.”

Selene could not find her voice when Godric finished talking. She felt his honesty as he was saying those words and it was too overwhelming. She has never received such genuineness before.

“How long have you practiced that?” She said sheepishly.

Godric laughed. “I didn’t. It’s just how I feel, Selene.”

Her phone suddenly buzzed and Godric allowed her to check it. It was a reminder she set an hour before her friendly movie date with Caleb. She looked at Godric who stood up on the sofa to replenish his glass of alcohol.

She wanted to know him, too. She wanted to give him a chance. It doesn’t hurt to be a little selfish sometimes, too, right? She pulled up the messaging app on her phone and crafted a message to Caleb.

Sorry, Caleb. I ran into Godric and he said he wants to talk to me. I’ll pay you back for the tickets. I’m sorry. ☹