His Nineteenth Secretary [✔]

Forty

It started getting dark as we walked further down the hallway and I was beginning to wonder if there was a problem with the lights until I saw ahead of us the entrance to a room, I guess, generously lined with lighted candles. The red candles were arranged in a neat row on both sides, and due to the light of the reddish orange flames of the candles, I could see the red rose petals sprinkled all over the black sparkling floor. As we neared the entrance, it looked like the candles were never ending.

Once we reached the entrance, what I saw in the beautifully decorated room made me feel like I wanted to cry.

At a corner was a musical procession. There was a piano set with an aged pianist seated before it whose hands played smoothly on the keys with great dexterity, a calm, melodious tone being produced from it. There were other instrumentalists such as the hypists, saxophonists, violinists, and the cymbalist whose shiny bronze cymbal was also letting out a cool, melodious tone.

A table was set for two in the middle of the room with a larger candle on it and a bouquet of red roses. Red rose petals were all over the floor, and at the back of the room, the rose petals were made to form a large solid heart shape. This was surrounded by red lighted candles. The glass wall on both sides of the not too large room was reflecting everything in the room, thereby making the place look even more surreal.

He drew a chair back for me to sit before making for his.

"Wow..." My eyes continued to scan the place with so much awe.

A covered trolley was rolled in by someone dressed in a mickey mouse mascot costume. It gave a bow before uncovering the trolley and setting covered dishes on the table. Another trolley was rolled in by a different person who was dressed in a Dora mascot costume. The first one in the mickey mouse costume left after it finished setting all the dishes on the table. The second one in the Dora costume uncovered its trolley, too, to reveal a rich dark chocolate cake with fresh fruits, waffles, chips, and coconut flakes on top.

It also left after setting the cake down at the middle of the table.

The owner of the hotel, through his introduction, who was a friend of Brian's, came to wish me a happy birthday and presented me with a special wine as he said it was before leaving.

The melodious tone was still going on, and I could feel myself drowning in its sweet melody. We set to eat. After we were done eating, the two individuals in costume returned back with empty trolleys to take away the empty dishes.

Before leaving, the one in the mickey mouse costume helped in lighting the candles on the cake.

"Happy twenty-eighth birthday, Ruby." Brian said with a smile.

"Thank you, and thanks for this."

"No more thank you for tonight."

"Okay." I threw my hands up in the air in surrender.

"Want to make a wish?"

"I'll love to." I closed my eyes to make a wish before opening them back.

"Blow out the candles." He prompted. I snuffed them out with a wheeze of air from my mouth. He picked up the wine, uncorked it, and poured out some for both of us. The two individuals returned again, but this time around with no trolley. They created a position for themselves in the free area a little away from where we were.

Just then, the slow melodious tone came to a halt and was replaced with a quicker tone. The two in costume started displaying a funny dance along with the tone. By the time they were done, my side was hurting from too much laughter. Also, there was something a little familiar about the dancing steps of the one in the mickey mouse costume, but I shrugged it off. They left after the display, and I could swear I saw the same one in the mickey mouse costume shot its bum secretly at me when Brian wasn't looking as they exited the hall.

After they were gone, Brian rose from his seat and walked over to my side.

"Let's dance." He stretched an open palm towards me.

"Alright." I placed my palm in his and rose up from my seat as he led the way to the same free area where the two in costume just finished performing. It was the former calming tone that was going on now. With his hand on my waist and his other hand engaged with mine, I had my other hand on his neck as we swirl gently to the tone.

We danced in silence as we allowed only our eyes to do the talking.

He led me back to my seat after the music stopped before making his own way to the piano set at the corner.

The aged man who was seated before the piano stood up for him to sit, and then he sat on the vacant seat. He sent his fingers playing on the piano, and a beautiful tone was produced as his hands moved about. As he continued to play on the piano, a song came into my mind, it was the tone for the song 'My heart beats only for you'. He opened his mouth to sing, and from his lips came the most sonorous voice ever. I had never heard him sing before. I didn't even have an idea that he could sing, not to talk of playing a piano. The words of the song came out flawlessly, and I couldn't help but watch on with much admiration.

I want to tell you just how I feel
I just go crazy anytime you're near
No other girl has caught my eyes
The things you do baby
I can't deny

His gaze was on me the whole time as he continued to look profoundly at me. Though some of the words were deliberately altered, he sang it so well.

The look in his eyes carried so much emotion so that I could see clearly through them.

Even after he finished singing, I couldn't get myself to get over the song he sang

The aged pianist took his position back before the piano after he stood up.

"How was that?" Brian asked.

"Wonderful! I had no idea you could sing or even play a piano so well."

"It was something I learnt when I was still very young, and for the singing part, I got that from my dad."

"Wow."

"And I meant every word of that song." He said.

"Aw... I'm really trying hard not to blush right now?"

"Oh really?"

I nodded.

As we ate the cake and sipped from our wine-filled glasses, the two individuals in costume returned again. I thought they came back for another display, and they really did come back for another one. After the display, the one in the mickey mouse costume took its head off.

"Alicia?" I was quite astonished. That explained why she couldn't make it to my place. It was to plan this for me. She made her way towards us.

"Man, I'm so dehydrated." She wiped off the sweat on her forehead before grabbing my wine glass and gurgling down the content. Not satisfied with that, she gurgled down the glass of water that was before me.

"More more before someone faints here." I poured her more water, and I grimaced at the way she gurgled down the content almost immediately.

"Okay, now, I'm good. Happy birthday, Ruby." She screamed happily, leaping up and down. However, finding myself in the same mood as she was, I rose up from my seat to hug her.