LOVING A MANNEQUIN

Chapter 8: Odd Feeling

After Melanie stepped out from my room, I immediately took a cold shower. Since I was alone inside, I decided not to close the bathroom door.

I slowly undressed myself, starting from my pink sleeve, then my jeans and lastly my bra and underwear. I wore off everything and left my body naked. Then I let my whole body be soaked in the dripping water. 

While rubbing my body with soap, my skin consciously  shivered not because of the water but because of the feeling that someone has been watching me. 

Well, I knew it was impossible to have p*****t climbed on this strictly and securely closed house. 

I looked around and found no one. Only the Mannequin which was straight facing in my direction. I felt odd with his eyes on me. I even tested myself. I went to different corners and it seemed his sight was following me. 

"I am paranoid." I mumbled. 

Uncomfortable with his deep look, I grabbed my laundry jeans and covered the Mannequin's head with it, then I continued bathing. 

I was done in just 10 minutes, wrapping my body with a towel. I turned to face the doorway but in my surprise it was already close. I constantly blinked my eyes, trying to remember if I did close the door but no matter how I racked my head, my brain was still telling me I left it open. 

This made me too shocked. 

Same feeling occured to me again as I put a plain set of pajamas on. No matter how I discard, I really felt someone was around and observing me closely. 

I sighed. I might have really gone paranoid. As I was done to dress myself, I went back to the bathroom to hang the towel and as I turned around after, inadvertently, my eyes nailed on the Mannequin which grew wider as I found that the dirty jeans were no longer on his head but laid on his hand.

As my eyes met on his deep closed set blue eyes, my soul was seemingly being swallowed by him and hauled me into his own world. I was completely hypnotised by his non-blinking stare. I was unable to divert my sight off from him. 

"Barbie, are you done? Let's eat." Melanie's sweet lively voice brought me back to my senses. Throwing one more glance to the Mannequin, I shook my head calling myself insane.

********

My mouth was wide open to see so many dishes on the dining table. Each of them was mouth-watering, causing me to gulp loudly so easily. 

Melanie walked around and pulled me down on my hand to sit opposite of her. She smiled, amused at me and motioned on me to scoop food for my plate. 

"Then I won't be polite anymore." I said and began filling different dishes on my plate.

I moaned. "Hmmmm. So yummy. Melanie, did you all cook this?" 

Melanie chuckled. "How could I? I don't even know how to cook noodles, how can I cook dishes?" 

"Seriously?" I was surprised. 

Melanie hummed. "Uhhm!" 

While chewing I managed to speak, "By the way Melanie, did you return to the room after you left?" 

Melanie stopped chewing the food and stared at me mysteriously. "I didn't. What happened?"

"Then it is not right." I tilted my head, thinking back about the possibility that all of those things I felt and saw earlier were just all because of my wishful thinking. "I may just be thinking too much."

"What really happened? Tell it to me."

I breathed an audible sigh. "Nothing serious. I just felt that someone was in my room."

"How was that possible? My house is so close, how can someone get inside here." 

"Yeah. That is what I thought too." I put an assuring smile on my lips.

Melanie swayed her hair going on her back  "Hey, Do you want to work right?" 

"Of course. I can't just sit here and be a freeloader." I feigned to smile. 

"Then this is great because it happens that I am looking for a sales assistant for my boutique. You can work there." 

"Seriously? You also run a boutique? Wow, Melanie, you're amazing. I salute you." 

She giggled. "Don't exaggerate it. This was actually nothing to praise about."

"How could it be nothing? For me this is already a big achievement for you." I reached out her hand. "Melanie, thank you for all of this. In the future, I will definitely pay your kindness."

The two of us looked at each other jolly and then set a smile on our lips. 

***********

I didn't know if everything I saw after closing my eyes for an hour were all real. Well, the feeling I got from it was far beyond one's dream or hallucination. Though blurry, I saw and felt that someone walked over on my bed and sat carefully next to me. He stared at me intently and traced the back of his palm around my face. 

The warmth in his hand made me feel funny things in my stomach. I gulped. 

Suddenly, he moved backing off as he realised something going on with me. He felt my forehead. "Oh no. You are having a fever." He said. 

Instantly, he went inside the bathroom and took clean water and placed it in a basin and a face towel. He wiped my face with the towel first before putting a wet cloth on my forehead. Again, he stared at me fixedly."You are so beautiful." He uttered, caressing my hand again. 

I tried to open my eyes to have a careful watch on him but I was unable to. I could only hear his last sentence before I fell into a deep and sound slumber. "I'm sorry. You have suffered a lot. And I'm sorry for breaking my word. But don't worry I will take good care of you from now on. I will make up on you this way." 

As I woke up in the morning, I found no one beside me. Only a piece of towel on my forehead. "So it was real that I got a fever last night. This might probably be Melanie who took good care of me last night" I murmured. 

I revolved my eyes around because it seemed everything I had for now was just a dream. Inadvertently, my eyes set on the spot where the Mannequin was standing and I got up in haste as I discovered that the Mannequin went missing. "Where did he go?"