Chapter 5

Rinaiane’s POV

”Ahhh...”

I sighed. I just finished bathing and just the freshness that comes with it is just relaxing. We just finished eating dinner and me and Lili are both in our own rooms. I looked at the mirror while trying to reach out for my hair dryer. When I got hold of it, I plugged it and started drying my hair. It took me 10 minutes drying my hair and went out of my ensuite bathroom. I changed to my favorite mustard yellow pajamas with a cute cloud prints on it. I sat on my vanity table and starte dmy night skin care routine.

While doing my skincare, I accidentally knocked off the bottle of my moisturizer so I bent down and reached for it. When I sat straight and looked at the mirror, I saw a guy standing behind me so I immediately turned around and found no one. I stood up and scanned my whole room when I noticed my curtain swaying with the colld night breeze from my opened window. I hurriedly went to close it and went to the corner of my room. I rub my shoulders while scanning my room for the secind time as I felt goosebumps all over my body. 

Minutes passed and I’m still standing in the corner while my whole body is trembling with fear. Who wouldn’t, right? I just saw an unfamiliar guy behind me and I couldn’t think rationally. Where did he came from? How did he entered my room? And how did he disappear in just a second? I am deep in my thoughts when I heard three knocks and upon hearing it, my whole body jumped, startled.

”Na?” I heard Lili said. “Can I come in?” 

I tried to calm myself by jnhaling and exhaling. I closed my eyes and took one last deep breathe and released it then answered.

”Yeah, come in.” 

I cleared my throat when I felt like my voice is trembling and I almost stutter. Lili then came in and looked at me weirdly when she found me just standing in the corner of my room.

”What are you doing there?”

”Oh, I-uhh.. I-I was just... looking for my...” come on, Rinaiane, think! “my ring! Yes, my ring. I accidentally dropped it when I-uh-I tried wearing it.” I reasoned out.

”Then why are you stuttering?”

”I am just out of breath. Cause I’ve been looking for the ring for like 10 minutes.” I said.

”Okay...” she said while nodding but I can clearly hear in her tone that she’s not completely convinced with my excuse but that’s better than not buying it at all.

”Well, is there anything I can do for you?” I said while trying to change the topic. She then walked straight to my bed and just dropped her whole body on ut. 

“I need your help.” I can see that she’s really problematic. So I sat next beside her.

”Let’s hear it.”

”Well, we’re on our third year in college and we’re getting busier each day with a lot of drawings, right?” she said.

”And?”

”Someone came to me yesterday, and offered me a oart time job.”

”Really? That’s great! Well? Did you accept the offer?”

”Well...uh...”

She rested her face on one of my pillow while she’s gathering her thoughts together. Honestly, I already know what this is all about but of course, I want her to verbally tell me. She might freak out when I tell her that I already know what she’s about to tell and might find it scary. 

“I declined it.”

”What?! Why? Is it illegal or not appropriate? And what did that person offer you by the way?” I bombarded her withquestions that she looked at me withdead eyes.

”Calm down, okay? Justlet me finish.” she said.

”Okay, okay.”

”Mr. Richard, the guy who offered me the job, wanted me to be a model.” 

“Model?”

”Yeah, he told me that what I’m modelling are dresses, pants, skirts, blouses and such. And that I can decide how many hours every week I can spare for the job.”

”Really? That’s amazing. But why did you declined his offer? I mean, I’m pretty sure they can pay you enough for your job.”

”I was hust worried that it may affect my studies. As I said, we’re already thrid year college so more plates to draw and more things to do.”

”Why are you so worried? I mean, of all people I know, I know that yoh have a great sense when it comes to time management and hey,” I said and patted her head. “I’m here. I can help you with anything.”

”Really?” she said and looked at me with her tear ryes and a pouty lips.

”Yeah, always.” She then sat beside me and laid her head on my shoulder. “But did your father and brother know about this?”

”No.” 

Woah, that was fast.

”Why not? I’m pretty sure your dad don’t mind as long as you give himd passing grades.” I said as I was trying to comfort her.

”Yeah, my dad wouldn’t mind but my brother will.” she groaned upon mentioning her brother and buried her face on my soft pillow.

”Oh,right...”

I forgot to mentione that Lili has an older brother, Bill, and he’s very strict when it comes to Lili that whenever he comes home for the holidays, he never let Lili wear anything above the knee dresses, skirts, even pants and shorts and she can’t wear sleeveless tops and croptops. He also tell me not to wear revealing clothes like he’s also my plder brother. Now I know why Lili looks so bothered.

”Now what? Will you just forget about the offer?” 

“Well, I have no choice but to disregard it.” I giggled at how she pouted her lips while looking so pissed. “Oh, I almost forgot.”

She continued. She then sat up and faced me with a serious face. 

“What?”

”Who’s the guy who visited us last week? And he even left a note and black rose in front of our door.” she said.

”Guy? What do you mean?”

”Well, I don’t know. I don’t have anyone courting me so I’m pretty sure the note and black rose is for me.” she then continued. “So, where’s the note and rose?”

”What are you talking about? I never received any rose and note.”

I said while my forehead creased, as well as Lili’s. It’s true. I never received any note and rose these past few weeks, so why would she ask me that?

”I mean, I picked up the note and rose and put it on your desk here in your room when you were out to buy our lunch last weekend. So, I thought that you had already read the note and received the flower.”

”I didn’t read any note nor received a flower.”

”Really? I’m certain that I really put it on your desk.”

I was about to deny it when the image of the guy in my room a while ago entered mg mind. Did he stole the note and rose? Or is he the same guy who left the note and rose infrong of our door? Who is he? 

“Hey!”

I was pulled out of my thiughts when Lili snapped in front of me while looking at me, questionably.

”Yeah? You were saying?”

”I said, I also heard something in your room a while ago and heard some footsteps. I thought it was you but then I heard your hair dryer working, so I thought someone’s is here with you.”

Shoot! 

“Uhm...no one. I mean, its just the teo of us here and we also promised to each other that we should never let anyone in here except our families, so why would you think I brought someone in?”

”Really? Hmmm...” she said then looked somewhere. “You’re right. Maybe I was just hallucinating or something.” 

“Its because we’ve been lacking of sleep because of our drawings.”

She groaned and rolled back and forth on my bed. I laughed at her reaction and hit her back lightly.

”You should go and sleep. We really need it right now.” 

She immediately stood up and ran out of my room. I laughed at that and shook my head. I then turned off my bedroom lights then went to bed. I covered my whole body with my very comfortable and fluffy comforter and closed my eyes to sleep. 

Minutes passed and I can’t sleep, so i irritatingly satbup and raffled my messy hair. I kept on thinking about what happened ratlier that i keep on checking my windows if its going to open and someone entering it and even checking every corner of my room if any suspicious figure appears but so far, none. But it necver let me sleep a single bit. I stood up and went to the kitchen. I git my favorite nordic mug made of white clay with a wooden handle and pour myself some milk. I finished two mugs of milk before going back to my room. 

I laid down and tried closing my eyes but seconds later I found myself getting up again and went to open my room lights. I went to the living room and turned on the TV. I opened a website and scrolled through the videos intil I found an ASMR video and clicked on it. Minutes passed and I found myself getting sleepy so I laid down on the couch and it doesn’t take long before I lost myself to sleep.