UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
AMELIA
It was past 3 am when I arrived home. I thanked John, waved goodbye, and went inside the house.
I never liked having stay-in helpers. I may not spend much time in the house these past few weeks but when I do, I liked what little privacy I have too much to allow it to be taken even in the comfort of my own home. Besides, Tessa, my nanny, always dropped by to clean twice a week when I'm off to work, sometimes when I have days off. There was no need to employ another.
I walk the hallway to my room, laid on my bed, and quickly fell asleep, only to wake up disoriented moments later. It was 4:01 am. I settled back on the pillow when I suddenly heard a scream.
Sleep finally left me. I immediately stood up and ran in the direction of the noise.
Ruen!
Her room was just across mine.
I opened the door to find her writhing on her bed. She was having a nightmare.
I tried waking her up to no avail. Hands on her shoulders trying to shake her awake, I was suddenly pulled to an embrace.
"Too late."
"What?"
"... came too late..." She mumbled against my neck.
I pulled back to see if she's awake.
She wasn't.
Trying to extricate myself from her hold, only to find myself on my back, head against the pillow, and with Ruen snuggling close to me.
Ok. Sleep is for the weak anyway.
Resigned, I laid back on her bed. Looking around, I saw that she had the sliding door open with a perfect view of the moon illuminating her room.
Doesn't she know that it's dangerous to leave a door open?
I looked back at her hair-covered face.
Tomorrow, I'll tell you.
I moved the stray strands of hair covering Ruen's face and tucked them behind her ear. Her eyes, no longer hidden behind her glasses, were closed peacefully in her sleep.
"What are you dreaming about now?"
Sighing, sleep finally took me... with the memory of her arm across my stomach and the feel of her as she pulled me closer.
* * *
"Hhhmmm..." contently settled between warm sheets, I stretched. I opened my eyes to find amused brown eyes looking back at me.
It took me a moment to realize where I was and to whom those twinkling brown eyes belonged.
Ruen lay beside me, body facing mine. Her head propped against her elbow.
"Morning." She greeted me with her sleep-raspy voice.
It's a crime to look so beautiful after just waking up.
I quickly shot up and ran to the bathroom.
I looked at myself in the mirror and combed my bed head using my hands. When I went back out, Ruen was drinking a glass of water.
She was wearing matching jammies. Her long black wavy hair down.
"Good morning," returning her greeting earlier.
"Water?" She said handing another glass to me.
I took it and drank.
She sat on her bed looking at me.
"You shouldn't leave your door open," I said, pointing to the glass door. "It's not safe. Anyone could come in while you slept." I started.
"Like you did."
Like I did? Oh?
"But hey, I liked it."
It's friggin' 8 o'clock and she's playing.
"You were having a nightmare. I tried waking you up then..."
"You ended up spending the night on my bed." She said playfully. "Again, no complaints here. Anytime."
Anytime? Yeah, right.
"I was just here to wake you." I put the glass down on the bedside table.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." She said, laughing.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ruen," I said. Turning to the door, I was surprised when it swung open.
"Oh heavens! Did I interrupt?"
"Uhm - what? No, Tessa, nan. I—was just leaving." I explained to the gray-haired woman.
She looked at me, turned her gaze to Ruen, then back at me again.
"Did I interrupt, Ruen, dear?"
Dear? Since when have they been on endearment terms?
"Rest your innocent and ever-loving heart, Tessa. You didn't interrupt anything."
"Exactly." I quipped.
"Amelia was just about to walk the walk of shame."
Walk of shame?
"The what?"
Both started laughing.
"Oh, Lia. She got you good," Tessa said in between laughs.
Shaking my head, I turned to leave. I just got out the door when Tessa said, "Tidy up and come down to join us for breakfast, Lia."
When I came down, I found Ruen, who was still in her jammies, and Tessa sitting at the table.
"Great of you to finally grace us with your presence, Lia," Tessa said, smiling through her coffee.
I kissed her cheek. "Smart mouth, as always."
"No shoot today?" She asked, pushing a plate towards me.
"Not until this afternoon," I said, reaching for scrambled eggs and bacon.
Ruen was enjoying her pancakes and drinking from a cup. Tessa stood and reached for the coffee maker.
"Coffee, Lia?"
"A mug, please."
"Ruen, dear, more hot Choco?"
"I'm good, Tessa. Thanks." She replied, smiling at Tessa. Somehow, today, she smiled differently.
"You have the best pancakes, ever! You're the best." She said as nan gave me my coffee and sat.
"Ah, a girl after my own heart," Nan said, dramatically placing her hand on her chest.
"Hey, if I wasn't married, I'd take you," Ruen said, laughing.
"Oh, you!" Tessa chuckled.
Who are these people? What have they done to my nanny?
And Ruen? What's her deal?
I must have been looking at her for a long time because Ruen, holding a fork close to her mouth, said, "Keep looking at me like that and we'll end up in bed again, Amelia."
In bed?
I choked on my food. Tessa gave me a glass of water and gently rubbed my back.
"Now, dear stop teasing her or she'll choke to death." Tessa half-heartedly chastised her.
"We wouldn't want that on the headlines, wouldn't we?"
Headlines?
She must have read them already.
They laughed. Tessa excused herself and headed for the bathroom.
"It's not what you think, Ruen."
"Ok. Then tell me."
I was silent for a moment.
"You know what? It's none of your business." I snapped.
"I'm not trying to start a fight, Amelia." She said, poking at her pancakes.
"Then let's stop talking about it."
"Talking about it? We haven't even started and you're blowing a gasket."
I ignored her and continued eating.
"Not talking about it won't make it go away. I see those headlines every day and..."
"And what?" I snapped.
"And so will my grandfather."
I clenched my fist and glanced at her.
"I know. I don't dictate how you live your life. You can see who you want." She paused and looked at me, "All I ask is for you to be discreet, Amelia."
I was about to say something when Tessa came back.
"Thank you for the meal, Tessa." She stood up.
Winking at Tessa, "Excuse me. I'll just clean up before Amelia questions her sanity for sleeping with a poorly kept woman like me."
Tessa laughed. "Off you go then." She said shaking her head.
With Ruen gone, I turned to Tessa. "When have you two been so close to each other?"
"Must have been the past few weeks of you gone. What can I do? You're not here and she's charming. My heart strayed." She joked.
Strayed, just like the headlines about me?
"Oh, Lia. That's not what I meant."
I smiled weakly. "I know."
She reached for my hand, "I raised you, Lia. I know you through and through and those bastards masquerading as journalists and those poor excuses for rubbish headlines that they write won't make me love you even less. So, don't—not even for a second, think that I believe them."
I smiled, "I always knew you were too intelligent for them to influence."
"As you should be, too."
I looked at her questioningly.
"Stop looking at Ruen through those tinted glasses. If those pathetic people got you wrong, imagine how right those stories about her could be."
Remembering her enduring a nightmare last night, my mind wandered to her snuggling to me.
Tessa stood lightly tapping my face. "You might end up liking what you'll find."