Loving You

Chapter 16 | The Surprise

William was sitting in the living room. He could feel the Christmas spirit in the air. The muffled voice of the church bells and the choir did not fail to reach his ears. He was waiting eagerly for his package to arrive. He decided to read the newspaper while waiting for it.

He had a bad habit of pleasing people. He would shower them with gifts and stuff even if they did not ask for it. He was thinking about Cathy's reaction when he would her the gift. Her smile would be priceless. Suddenly, his mind shifted to the incident at the dress shop. He didn't know what has got into him. He just wanted to find some answers to her erratic behaviour. The feel of her dry yet soft cheeks made his palms tingle with the sensation he had earlier. They way his hand moulded into her waist, the warmth of her hands on his cheeks, the closeness they had shared... his mind buzzed with her thoughts.

He slapped himself internally. It was inappropriate. He should not think like that. Afterall, she was a respectable lady. But his body thought otherwise. His body had already heaten up from the thoughts, his face all red, his hand craving to touch her cheeks and look into her eyes and ask her why she was so strange, so mysterious.

He did not want to associate his feeling of curiosity to love. Yes, he had affection for her, maybe a bit more than affection, but he could not go beyond that. He wanted her to be happy and wanted to make their friendship stronger. He wanted her to enjoy her life, rather than sulk in the monotony of it. He had been through it. He didn't want others to go through it as well.

He removed the curtains to let the light in the living room. He always felt like a mouse in his house. It was so big, but alas, he lived alone with no one. The stable boy would visit him once or twice a week, but only to get his paycheck. Other than that, he would hold meeting with the government officials or his colleagues. Or else, his house remained empty, him being stashed at one corner while the heart of the house echoed back nothing but the emptiness, to him.

At times, he wished he had company, someone to share his thoughts with. When he had moved to the countryside, he just wanted to be alone, away from the hustle of the chaotic world. After a few weeks, he regretted it. The emptiness amplified the hollowness in his heart. That would scare him and make him want to return to Italy. But he had swore upon his life that it would the end of his life if he returned back to where his life went downhill. He worked hard to achieve the success he had today. But the tediousness in his life would always find a way to resurface back into his heart.

People might get him wrong but the major reason for pleasing people was to calm his heart and fight this monotony...to distract him from his worries. They kept him too busy to even be sad. That is not good but that was the only way to escape it without indulging in scandals.

He was pulled back to reality when he heard the bell being rung outside. It must be the mailman. It wasn't him. You might think that it disappointed him, but it was quite the opposite. Standing in front of him was Cathy dressed in a white nightgown, donned with a deep red robe. She was accompanied by her sister Henrietta.

"Merry Christmas," she said, producing a box of cookies.
"Uhh, Merry Christmas," he stuttered. It was clear that he was unprepared for their sudden appearance. She apologized and handed the box to him. He accepted it like a child.

"Merry Christmas Mr Benwick," said Henrietta. "I hope this year Jesus bestows you with his blessings."
"So do I," he replied. He saw that she was holding a back full of boxes. She said something to Cathy, to which she nodded and went to the other houses nearby.

Cathy was about to go but he stopped her. It wasn't a bad decision to talk to her, right? Especially after yesterday's incident. Before he could dismiss her, it was too late. She was already facing him. He cursed internally. Her innocent face was enough to make him even more embarassed. His mind was muddled up with yesterday's incident. He couldn't help but think of the close proximity between them. The way her hands felt on his stubby yet clean shaved face.