She's My Sleeping Pill

Stefan looked at her swollen eyes and listened to her nasal tone voice. She looked very haggard. Cayenne was also staring back at him with a little doubt and confusion. She couldn't understand why looked tired and exhausted.

"Would you like to get some coffee?"  she asked, opening up to him a little since this would be the last time that the two of them will be together or start a life towards the future while holding each other's hands.

Stefan nodded his head in silence. The two of them walked downstairs with one following the other. Stefan was following her closely, fighting the urge to hold her hand that he had been used to holding in the past.

When the two of them got inside the kitchen, Stefan checked the cupboard and found the refrigerator full of groceries just like his request. There was a bottle of instant coffee powder that they can use and several cartons of fresh milk. Instead of making coffee for himself, he took out one piece of cucumber and sliced them neatly on the chopping board. He placed them inside a small bowl and pushed it over to Cayenne who was sitting on a chair at the counter with a dazed expression.

"Ayen, soothe your eyes with these. It will help your swollen eyes feel a little bit better."

"Thank you." She mumbled softly and picked two piece and went out of the kitchen, forgetting the coffee that she talked about earlier. Since it was early in the morning and the sun had just risen, there were still morning dews sticking on the leaves of the plants and other things around the house.

The bamboo chair that was situated in the living room felt cold even without any aircon. There was a potted fortune plant beside the bamboo chair and it looked very healthy. It made her remember the tulip flower that Stefan gave her. The bamboo chairs had soft throw pillows and cushion covers to make sure that you'd be able to sit comfortably instead of sitting on hard bamboo strips.

Cayenne had wanted to sit but she felt that the sliced of cucumbers would always slide down on her face. She dusted of a throw pillow and place it on the arm rest of the bamboo chair so that she could lie down in a comfy position. She closed her eyes and placed the sliced of cucumbers on top of her eyelids and felt the cool sensation, soothing her extremely tired eyes.

Stefan didn't say anything, the less he speaks, the less mistakes he'd commit. He just focused in preparing their breakfast. Even though they had a little of argument or dispute last night, the house felt serene this time and his heart felt light. He was happy that he was able to tell her his feelings, although he was still on edge because he hadn't received her response yet.

After fifteen minutes, Stefan stopped chopping the vegetables and went out to check on her. He was bringing the bowl of sliced cucumbers so that she can change them with fresher ones. He placed the bowl on the table and crouched low to check her breathing. 'She's asleep.' Stefan told himself and decided to change her eye therapy items for her. After making sure that she was fine, he leaned closer and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry for giving you endless troubled."  He murmured and went back to the kitchen.

The rest house that Stefan rented was near the beautiful white-sand beach which was a private property, exclusive for everyone who stays in the rest house. Many people like them were having vacation during this Christmas season which made the beach extremely lively. However, there was a fence that separated them from other people who were having vacation in the same province as them.

Behind the house, there were mango trees with so many green mangoes. There were lots of coconut trees which were short but had had a lot of coconut fruits already. If you want to get one, you can easily pick them even if you are just standing on the ground. One kilometer away from the big and beautiful rest house was a normal sized house. That was were the caretaker of the house lived.

The rest house had a little rustic beauty in it despite the modern architectural style. It was a two-storey house with tiled floor. The first floor was made of cement with marbled walls. Most of the furniture were made of woods and a handful of them were made of glass or other materials. There was a huge flat screen TV mounted on one of the walls and a cable was installed for better view and signal. There was also a WiFi so, you don't need to worry about internet reception.

The second floor of the house had a mahogany wood flooring. It was coated with varnish to make it look shinier and won't be eaten with termites that easily. The bed, the wardrobe, the bedside table, the lampshade, and other things inside the room was made of wood. Even the guest room that Stefan stayed, it was also made of wood. There was a verandah in each of the rooms on the second floor and the one with the best view in the morning was the master's bedroom. You will be able to see the beautiful beach and the appearance of the slowly rising sun. Sadly, Cayenne was too preoccupied to appreciate the nature's beauty.

In the whole house, only the kitchen looked very modern with the modern appliances and other things. And around the house were different kinds of blooming flowers. The place looked very marvelous during day time.

Stefan continued to cook their food while making sure to replace the cucumber slices on Cayenne's eyes every fifteen minutes. After one hour and half, he was done cooking their food and the smell of the food wafted through the whole house, and Cayenne's stomach grumbled at the scent of the food.

She woke up and realized that she fell asleep. She wiped the side of her mouth, worried and embarrassed with the thought of drool at the side of her mouth. Feeling her dry skin, she felt a surge of relief. She had no idea that Stefan wiped her drool earlier.

Stefan came out of the kitchen with the intention of waking her up but found her silly and embarrassed expression while trying to feel her face. "Come here. I've prepared our breakfast. Let's eat."

Cayenne stood and bend down to pick up the cucumber pieces on the floor. Because she panicked earlier, she had completely forgotten that there were cucumbers on her eyes. They all fell on the floor. When she straightened up her body, she found the bowl of sliced cucumbers and the used ones which was places in a small plastic.

"You changed them for me?" It was a question and also a statement since there was no one else in the house who can do it for her aside from him. "Thank you."

"Sure. It wasn't really a big problem. Come over for breakfast after you're done disposing them." He reminded her again before disappearing into the dining area. He was untying his apron from his waist and grabbed a glass of milk for her and a cup of coffee for her.

Cayenne didn't know what to do in front of him. Before, she was his employee and she got used to eating breakfast, lunch or dinner with him. This time, she had no idea what her identity when it comes to dining with him.

"Why are you still standing there like stupid?" Stefan unceremoniously questioned as he placed the glass of milk beside her plate. "Sit and eat with me. We still need to talk about something later and having food in your stomach will give you energy to find things to refute me later."

Cayenne didn't speak. She just pulled the chair and sat across him. Her heart was heavy and seeing his handsome face made her feel an endless pain and agony. She never wanted to love him from the start but here she was, ended up in this most fragile state after wearing her heart out on her sleeves.

Stefan, although they previously engaged in a painful dispute, he was still very attentive to her needs. He placed a good amount of rice, stir-fried veggies, bacon and hot dog on her plate. "Eat up. I have a place that I wanted to show you later."

"Okay." Cayenne took hold of her spoon and fork and started eating. 'How I wish this wouldn't end. How I wish that he meant what he said last night. How I wish that we don't have this huge gap in social status. How I wish that you are just a normal man whom I can love normally, too.'

He was observing her from his peripheral vision and her light sighs never escaped from him. He needed to work faster because the moment Cayenne leave him after their conversation, there won't be a next time for them to build a relationship. This were his exact thoughts on their current situation.

At the same time, when you're fated to someone, no matter what happens that person will always be yours. But even though you're fated to be in each other's arms, it is not impossible for your fate to slightly deviate. They will still experience a lot of things before getting the so-called 'happily ever' after kind of ending.