Yearning

In the valley guarded by snow-coated greens and high, misty mountains is the White family house, which they only visit during Christmas even though celebrating it isn’t a thing in the family.

They do enjoy the holidays in their style nonetheless; like binge-watching rom-coms or stacking containers of Christmas cookies into the refrigerator.

However, one wouldn’t find a trace of festive decorations or even hear a commentary about it in the mansion.

For as long as Heidi can remember, this is her first time experiencing the White family fully celebrating something.

And there are two large halls prepared for it too.

She heaves a sigh of exhaustion as she stands before the mirror in the servants’ quarters.

Patting her apron and gazing at the bonnet guarding her hair, her hazel eyes are nearly closing under tired lids.

But that is the least of her concerns now.

She needs to discard this wretched apron of woe and put on something proper—one that looks a little bit pleasing to the eyes.

A while back, when Hunter arrived, he hadn’t noticed her.

But, of course, he wouldn’t.

He doesn’t even know she’s here, talk more of being a servant. That last bit makes her feel ashamed too.

She wants to hide from him just as much as she prays for him to see her. So, it just leaves her conflicted on what to do.

“Fuck it!” She mumbles while untying the apron.

She tosses it over her head before removing the bonnet altogether, letting a cascade of autumn-orange wavy hair fall down her back.

As Heidi hurries to the bathroom, she leaves the rest of her garment in her trail.

For the first time, she feels like she needs a good shower. The water is hot, effusing steam, but she can barely even feel its harshness.

All she can think about is Hunter carrying himself with raw elegance and composure.

She can swear that the videos she’s seen don’t do justice to how he looks in reality. Come one, the man is drop-dead handsome.

With the image of his hot smile and a replay of the way he used to stare at her during their video calls lingering in her head, Heidi’s fingers crawl south.

A soft moan would’ve broken free if she hadn’t bit her bottom lip when her middle finger grazed her moisture.

She can’t seem to stop her other hand from fondling her breasts as she tilts her head backward, lips now pulled apart to release restrained gasps.

Damn, she wants the man. She’s waited for too long.

But he feels so close, yet far to reach.

“Fucking hell.” Heidi takes her hands down when her actions dawn on her.

She turns off the shower and faces the sink, placing those hands on the edges to hold her weight. Still, she shivers.

She doesn’t know if it is nervousness or her sexual wants because it certainly isn’t the cold.

This sick feeling dwelling in her gut makes her want to throw up. And for a moment, her head seems to be playing a joke on her when the view before her spins.

The girl ignores her unease minutes later and clothes herself in a maxi, khaki cargo skirt. She wears it with a brown, fitted long-sleeve top and a dark woolen jacket.

They are among the things she had while she was still a boss that the White family didn’t take away from her—yet they make sure she never puts them on.

Today, however, she will not give a frigging shit about them.

She’ll show off her curves and overlook the fact that others mistake it for her being overweight.

That’s their fucking cup of tea after all.

Heidi dashes out of the servants’ quarters and makes haste up the stairs barefoot, her strands sailing behind her as she pushes through crowded hallways until she gets to Saturn’s room.

The latter is at lunch, which means perfect timing to steal a few of her haircare goodies.

Heidi massages some of Saturn’s oils onto her scalp and gathers the mane into a messy bun updo.

Then she does a little retouching on her face by hiding the eyebags and making her siren eyes look less droopy.

As she does so, she hears continuous car honks and crowd cheers outside, making her look through the window facing the mansion’s main entrance.

Dark marks of footprints and tire tracks contrast with the snow that dominates the environment.

Even though the fall isn’t heavy, the parked cars still have speckles of flakes on them.

Watching the chaos outside seems to trigger Heidi’s nervousness.

She can’t help but give heed to the lingering thought that this adrenaline pumping through her veins will wear off once she stands before Hunter.

And that isn’t very good, not at all.

~

The hall looks bright and palatial.

There are steel banquet chairs arranged around each round, laid tables.

So many things would’ve caught Heidi’s attention. But the star of her gaze stands six feet four tall on the podium.

She finds that the man could easily press her average self to the floor with his big hands. And his face… Gods! She can feel herself milking at the appearance of his prominent, cleft chin.

Hunter soon concludes his speech and a round of applause reverberates through the hall when he steps down.

Everyone rises to their feet; some approach him for a handshake before a group of people escort him out of the hall.

Heidi’s eyes are stuck on him.

She can tell that he’s heading to the dining hall and, with that, her mind begins a race for the game plan.

She doesn’t know which to choose between eating with the Whites at the dining table, joining the maids to serve the meals, or just sitting this one out and playing cool until he notices her.

Each option has its negative side though.

The first one is a ballsy move, which may be embarrassing anyway with either Dad Griffin ordering her out or Saturn exaggerating the fact that she’s there and making her presence overly awkward.

The second is a risky move.

Doing that will expose the truth she’s hidden from Hunter since the start of their relationship. Moreover, it’s a bit more embarrassing than the first.

The third option may be the best, but Heidi is losing her patience.

She doesn’t know how long she can wait. And she badly wants to speak with Hunter.

She then decides to go with the second option. After all, even though Hunter notices her at last, the truth about her will still come out so it’s best to take that burden off her shoulders now.

She joins a chain of maids heading to serve the main dish, and as they approach the dining hall, Heidi tries to devise ways to grab Hunter’s attention without making her presence known to the others.

As the line moves further and Heidi nears the table, the realization dawns on her that she has fucking fallen for someone who’d have been her brother—the person they were all eager to meet ever since they heard of him long ago.

Now look at her, yearning for him. 

No one will blame her though, unless they haven’t met Hunter.

He is the sweetest and softest at heart. Yet, on the outside, he looks brutal. And the intricate inks on his neck and the back of his hands aren’t doing much to contradict that either.  

It doesn’t seem like Hunter would raise his head to look at every maid that approaches the dining table, so Heidi feels like she needs to do something to draw his attention—maybe create commotions like sliding a table knife to the floor next to him or pretending to drop the tray of sushi rolls she carries.

The moves are cliché and will most definitely attract Saturn's unwanted attention, but Heidi has no choice.

When it’s her turn to serve, her eyes catch the petite flower vase beside Hunter’s plate as she lays down the tray.

Then she intentionally pushes Hunter’s plate with the vase, making it look like a mistake. 

Surely, anyone who had their food moved from their sight would want to see who did the deed.

But Heidi’s hand doesn’t go far from the vase before another grabs her wrist.

A shudder runs through her at the cold feeling of the hand, her lips parting when it squeezes her wrist softly.

Her eyes flicker to where she connects with the man who now gazes at the leather bracelet she has on; a gift that’s the first of several random ones Hunter had sent her.

Heidi can feel her heart pulsing, threatening to pop from her chest.

Her mind becomes a chaotic mess of joy and nervousness—kicking, screaming, bawling, throwing things excitedly.

She can only think of one thing; that Hunter finally noticed her.

He bloody fucking did!