She's My Sleeping Pill

Noticing the faint movement beside him and that quick stolen kiss, Stefan's eyes fluttered open and found his wife hugging him tight. It was like she was seeking comfort from him but because he was asleep, she could only hug him.

"What's the matter?" Stefan asked with his groggy voice while kissing the top of her head. "You can tell me anything that bothers you."

"I'm not really bothered by it but you might be." Cayenne drew circles on his back with her fingers while recounting the message that she got from Cole. When she's done talking, Stefan inhaled deeply and exhaled abruptly to relax himself. Just by listening to her, he couldn't stop himself from being angry.

"He's really insane." He muttered as he caressed his wife's head. "We need to be extra careful now. Since his plans were busted, he might take some drastic measure just to get you away from me. Also, we need to thank that person who tells the police about this."

"I don't know who gave the tip to the police."

"That's easy. I'll check on it later." The two cuddled together for a little while before deciding to get out of bed and shower together. They'll be having a road trip the whole day and this time, it will be just the two of them.

Last night, he discussed with the other men the places which were good for wedding venues. Of course, they didn't ask the girl for opinions because they would know who it was for and Cayenne might know about it. And Stefan trusted their words, after all, those men were just like him – a wife-doting husband, a wife slave.

Last night, they also received the wedding invitation from Savannah and Hawk which will be held next month. On that day, he will ask for her opinion about the wedding and note of them for her. He's planned for everything. If nothing goes wrong, before the end of the year, they can have their own wedding, too.

"Are you guys not having breakfast here?" Erwin asked when he saw that the two of them were planning to go out once again. He just finished watering the plants at the back and was about to prepare some food for breakfast.

"We will be leaving early today." Cayenne answered him while grabbing some apples for her and for Stefan. "Why don't you eat breakfast in the nearest restaurant. It saves you the time from cooking."

"Nah. I'd rather stay here and cook. You both take care."

"Thanks. We'll be heading out now. Look after the house and don't just play with your computer games. It's bad for your eyes." Cayenne reminded him while walking out of the house.

Erwin was left with a faint smile on his lips. It's obvious that he was older than her but she nags at him like she was the older sister. Perhaps it was because she's used to taking care of her younger brothers, and Erwin actually likes the treatment. It made him feel that he belongs to a family.

Although Cayenne told him not to play computer games that much, he couldn't just follow her words. It was the only source of entertainment he knew and whenever he sits in front of his computer to play, he'll end up playing for hours.

Back to the couple, they traversed the road from one city to another, to see beautiful landmarks and tourist spots. Aside from the tourist spots, Stefan made sure to let her see the possible venues of her wedding.

"We'll be sight seeing only, right? We won't end up booking a room in a hotel here and spend the night?" Cayenne asked Stefan when the two of them reached San Bernardo Beach. It was a beautiful place with a white sand beach and a clear enticing water of the sea.

"Nope. I still want to spend the night with you at home." Stefan commented while they watched the place. They walked at the bay, watched people swim and do other water sports, and left after almost half an hour. "We're only here to enjoy the tourist spots that we haven't visited." Stefan commented, not leaving any space for her to start doubting his intention.

They visited three beaches in the morning and stopped when he noticed Cayenne's face was turning red. They didn't really go for a swim but she still got sunburns even after applying sunscreen and he was worried for her.

They arrived in City C were old yet magnificent churches can be found for weddings. Before visiting the churches, Stefan looked for a restaurant first to have lunch with Cayenne and to rest for the mean time. He didn't want to be in haste or Cayenne might start to suspect him.

They found a restaurant that offers buffet meal of various dishes from different countries which delighted Cayenne so much. Food was always another source of comfort for her and seeing lots of cuisine in front of her, she was really happy.

The two of them ate a hearty meal and only decided to leave the place after one and half hour.

"Do you like old churches?" Stefan asked Cayenne while they strode inside the cathedral that was first on his list.

"Not just old churches but the new ones as well. I like their design and the stained glasses that they use. I don't know. There's just something mesmerizing about them."

"I'm glad that I brought you here." Stefan held her hand and pulled her to take a seat on one of the benches inside the church. "The last time I visited a church was the day I graduated high school. I was so lost that time, I don't know what I should do after graduation. I didn't have enough money for college and the scholarships that I applied for didn't call me whether I passed or failed. I felt so hopeless. When I came to the church, I didn't even know what to pray for. I just sat on the bench for god-knows-how-long before telling Him 'I'll leave everything to you.'" Cayenne listened to Stefan without saying anything. It's rare for Stefan to recall this kind of events in the past to her and she was happy that he's telling her about it.

"The plans I have for myself didn't work but His plans for me work." Stefan added. "And I bet, you are one of the events He planned for me to have in this life."

"So, you didn't pray to have me in your life?"

"Will you be angry if I say no?"

"I won't. What's there to be angry? So, you didn't?"

"No. When I was in high school, suffering from insomnia, I prayed that I'll be cured that I'll find relief in this world. And I waited for fifteen years before you came. In those fifteen years, I don't know how many times Travis had to bring me to hospital or to the school infirmary because I kept collapsing from exhaustion. And you might think I'm weird but before, I feel happy when I fainted because I can get a wink of sleep."

"Aren't we an answer to each other's prayers?" Cayenne said with a smile hanging on her lips. She intertwined their fingers and kissed the back of his hand. "I wasn't sitting inside the church when I prayed for it and I even mistook a person."

"What did you pray for?"

"You know that we're poor, right? When my stepfather was sent to jail, life became even harder and my classmate knew of this news as well. They often bullied me at school and although I didn't retaliate, it didn't mean I wasn't hurt. It was when my clothes got soaked in the bathroom that I prayed to find someone who wouldn't bully me and discriminate me for being poor. And there's Arthur. All those years, he always stayed by my side. He defended me from everyone. There's Seiji and Marian, too. They were good friends of mine but they disappeared at a certain point in my life. Now, I realized that they weren't the person that was given to me as an answer to my prayer but it's you. I waited for so many years to find you."

"So, it's proven that you are really made for me." Stefan stated with a wide grin on his face. 

"I believe so. You complete what's missing in me and I give what you needed." Cayenne retorted, gentleness reflected on her face as she looked at him with love and care in her eyes. "Do you want to pray something together, this time?"

"Sure."

The two of them separated their hands for a moment to pray inside the cathedral.

'I pray that my husband will always be safe, free from harm and danger. I pray that he will change his mind soon and that we'll have a baby in the near future.'

'I pray that my dear Ayen will always be safe. I'd rather exchange my life for her if she's to suffer something bad and painful. Also, I don't really have a problem with having children but can you bless us a kid after two years? She's still very young and I'm afraid she'll be in a lot of pain. If ever you give us a baby soon, can you not let her suffer when giving birth? I want nothing else but the safety of my wife.'

Cayenne's prayer was short and simple- direct to the point. After saying her prayers for her family, she opened her eyes and found Stefan still praying. 'This guy, he's not praying for me not to have a baby soon, is he?'