His and Her Circumstances

Chapter 5 - We are adults 2

Chapter 5 - We are adults 2

“Victoria…Victoria…”

The light tapping and sweet voice made me open my eyes a little. It feels like a deep sound coming out of my dream. A very sweet lullaby. It was the perfect tone that I was fantasizing to hear whenever someone mentioned the word partner or husband.

My frustrating love life might have made its way to my brain as a safety mechanism. This could be my last straw to save my sanity. It was funny enough that I had to think about it right after I opened my eyes.

My body feels lighter than usual but my half-opened eyes closed their lids again. The refreshing smell of freshly cooked meals is circulating in my room, but it is obviously another product of my imagination.

Cooking is not my forte and it is not time efficient to add to my long list of chores and activities.

If I remember correctly, the sun was still up in the sky when I reached the building of my unit. I looked up to the window and saw the still reddish-orange color of the sky. So, it was only right before nighttime. I can’t remember how I reached my unit but the refreshing feeling after taking a nap invigorates me to an extent. I feel like I took a good full sleep after I released all of my resentment.

If today is already Friday, then this must be the lightness that I would feel when I won against Lucas and Marianne. No doubt that I will smile triumphantly when that time happens.

“Victoria. Wake up. I can hear your stomach rumbling.”

This one is different.

My droopy eyes widened after I realized that there was another person in my room and he is right behind me.

The clear voice that I am hearing is totally not in my dream. I hastily jumped out of my bed and saw my young neighbor standing right beside my bed. He is wearing my favorite apron and smiling sweetly like a little boy waiting to be praised.

“It’s already morning so I thought I needed to wake you up. You have to go to work, right? You did not eat last night, so I bet you are famished.”

“What are you doing here?”

I grabbed my digital table clock and saw the screaming 5:30 AM on it. I really took a good night's sleep and not just a nap, but it still doesn’t explain why my neighbor is in my unit and is wearing my apron.

“Why do you have to sound like I’m a criminal now? After how I cared for you last night, I think I deserve to be thanked and praised rather than scowled at. Right?”

I try to calm myself and control my temper. The young man looks like an abandoned puppy, but I can’t let myself be deceived since I am fully aware that he is a temptress in disguise.

I don’t want to be a sugar mommy right after being cheated by my elite ex.

“Just clearly explain everything. I can’t even remember what happened after I got out of my car yesterday.”

My voice and tone are already low, but I’m still on guard since this young man is totally suspicious. The last thing that I want to hear from him is that we did it again while I’m emotionally down.

If I initiated the act since I’m frustrated, then that would only make me a s*x craze maniac. Excuses mean nothing if the effect is already running on our end.

“I saw you crying in the parking lot, then helped you until we reached your unit. I was about to leave but your tight grip on my shirt made me believe that you still needed me, so I stayed the whole night here…”

Sounds possible and impossible at the same time. I was not drunk yesterday, so the only reason that I acted the way I did was because of the overflowing stress that I’m feeling because of Lucas and Marianne. Damn cheaters add more problems to my already weakened state.

That was the first time that I ever experienced something so unimaginable as that.

“...I laid you on your bed and cleaned your make-up. I think I overstepped my boundaries when I changed your clothes, but you look so stiff and uncomfortable and it will only make me feel guilty to leave you like that. After all, it’s not the first time that I ever saw you naked.”

I could feel my face heating a little after his last words. Truly, dressing me up is totally out of line, but I can’t bring myself to object aggressively right now.

I don’t know if I should be thankful or what to this young man. If he did not help me, then I would still be in the parking lot and being eaten by tons of mosquitoes.

But...

Wait…

“How did you know my name? And, why are you still here?”

I don’t want to repay his kindness with doubtful thoughts, but I can’t simply ignore the fact that a man is freely roaming inside my unit while I’m dead asleep. To top it all off, I can’t remember giving him my name, so how come he is confidently saying it now?

People can call me paranoid, but this attitude of mine is what brought me to the safety that I have now.

“Seriously? Ah, no. Sorry. It is a good thing that you are careful like that. Good job! Anyway, how could I leave you alone last night when you looked like a woman whose life earnings were scammed? I read your name on the trophies displayed in your living room. I don’t have a habit of stalking, so don’t even think about it.”

I was bewildered by this young man standing in front of me and saying all those words as if he was giving the best speech of his life. He is talking non-stop but all the words that he is saying are making sense to me.

I could now somehow understand why he had that pack of condoms. He could slay any woman with his stunning look and glib tongue. Those two are the deadliest combination that a man could ever have.

“Let’s stop this. I think I’ve explained enough. I’m hungry as well and the food that I made will turn cold any moment now.”

“Your name…”

“What?”

“What is your name?”

"Nil.”

“Okay, Nil. Thank you for your help last night. I will send a thank you gift later, so please accept it. For now, let’s eat and talk about this when we have extra time.”

“You don’t have to buy me a gift…”

“I insist. Treat it as payment for all the trouble that I caused you. The food will turn bad, so let’s eat now.”

I noticed that the young man’s face turned gloomy after my sharp interjection. The way he looked at me as if asking if I was for real, made me think that I was a heartless jerk. I suddenly felt the inclination to explain my side more, but I kept myself intact to show that I was still the older person in the room.

The gift will settle whatever trouble I caused him last night. He can call me petty and materialistic, but it is better than extending the connection we had with each other. Another gossip with this young man will not do me any good.

“One more thing. Did we do it again?”

I almost forgot the most important thing. My anxiety may cause me to seek another body heat. I need to take precautions if we momentarily forget last night.

“I don’t f**k crying woman.”

His cold words struck me right there. The young man, Nil, removed the apron and walked out of the room. I followed him thinking that he would go straight to the kitchen but he dashed right to my front door.

“Hey…I’m just…..”

Nil did not even give me a chance to finish whatever I was going to say. The door banging right before my face screamed that I had made another mistake again. The only problem now is I can’t figure out the wrong words that I used in my question.

My neighbor is not the innocent type and carrying a box of protection only means to me that he is definitely not on an unexpected pregnancy. If we are on the same page, then I can’t see any problem with my obsession with preventing future complications.

This is for the benefit of the two of us and acting like that only proves that he really is a child.

I am thankful for what he did, but that was all, and it is time to bring myself back to my real problem.

It was only Tuesday and I still needed to face four more discriminatory days with my co-workers. I can’t thank Lucas enough for all the headache that he is causing me today and the best comeback for that is to return it ten-fold.

Just wait, Lucas and Marianne, my love for both of you will be expressed more than you could ever think of.