When they got out of the room, Dylan heard a voice that seemed to be from an old lady.
"I didn't know you have a boyfriend." she said.
"No, Sonia. He's not my boyfriend. He's my boss." she clarified.
"Oh, what a handsome young man he is." Sonia complimented.
Dylan smiled.
"Yeah, I agree, and guess what? He's also very naughty." Rose added.
He turned his head to her and scowled.
"Oh, I like naughty boys. Visit me sometime, my dear. I'll cook you an apple pie. It's the best pie you'll ever taste." Sonia asserted. She sounded a bit seducing.
Dylan felt uncomfortable. He showed the old lady an unrelaxed smile, then he secretly pulled Rose's hand.
She looked at him and chuckled at his stiff face. "Okay, Sonia. We have to go now. He's a very shy guy, but I'll try to convince him." she told her, then they left.
"I don't like apple pies." Dylan said as they were walking down the stairs.
"I think I know now what I will do to you if I find you being horny again." she threatened.
"I would rather fuck myself than to have sex with an old woman." he blurted. He wasn't joking, but Rose laughed.
"You said you don't want to be in a relationship temporarily, but I think you're not okay without a girlfriend." she told him.
"And who do you think would want to have a crippled boyfriend?" he asked in a bitter tone.
"I'm not an expert when it comes to love, but I think... if you find someone who can accept you despite your imperfection, I'm pretty sure she's the one who will stay with you your whole life." she said. She sounded casual, but Dylan was intrigued.
"Do you think I can find someone like that?" he asked.
"I can't tell that. Only God knows." she answered.
He felt hopeless. Rose noticed it.
"What type of girl do you like?" she asked as they were walking in the hallway of the ground floor.
He turned his head to her. "Why'd you ask?"
"Well, maybe I can help you find a nice girlfriend." she answered.
He was not sure of her offer, but he answered anyway. "I like girls I can brag."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" she replied in a confused tone.
"You know... attractive, sexy, knows how to dress up, likes partying and drinking and... a little naughty." he specified.
"So you're really looking for a hooker." she told him.
"No, not like that." he disagreed, showing her a sour face.
"But you just described a hooker." she insisted.
"No, you don't get it. I mean, like a super model, or a famous influencer, or maybe if I get lucky, a very hot actress. I want someone with class. Someone who can carry herself well. " he specified.
"You have very high standards." she commented.
"I may be blind right now, but don't forget, I have good looks and I'm from a wealthy family. I have the right to demand." he claimed, sounding very prideful.
"Well, that means I can't help you. I think you're not looking for love yet." she said.
He was about to protest against what she said, but she pulled him down and guided him to the cab.
While on the ride, he thought of what she told him last.
Rose noticed he was unusually quiet. "Hey, you okay?"
"Why did you say... I'm not yet looking for love?" he asked in a serious tone.
"Oh, did I offend you?" she asked.
"Just answer my question." he said impatiently.
"Okay, but don't get mad at me if you really want to hear my opinion... Well, I think... instead of love, what you want is a toy... A toy you can play with and show off." she answered frankly.
"W-What? ...A toy? I didn't treat Patricia like a toy. I loved her." he protested.
"Will you please keep your voice down? We're in a car. I can hear you without yelling." she told him.
"I wasn't yelling. I was just... I was just trying to explain myself because you got me all wrong again." he reasoned in an upset tone.
She faced him. "Tell me... Are you really sure it was love you felt for your ex-girlfriend... not lust?"
"Yeah, I'm... I'm su..." He paused. His memories with Patricia suddenly returned to him. He tried to prove in his mind that it was real love he felt for her, but then, he realized they never did something special for each other. All they did to show their affection was through sex and nothing more.
Because of that abrupt realization, he became depressed. He leaned against his seat and bowed his head.
Rose noticed the heavy look on his face. She decided not to argue with him about it anymore.
☆••••••○○●○○••••••☆
Until they got to the house, Dylan was still quiet. Rose took him to his room.
"You can... go back home now. I just want to stay in my room today." he told her in a low voice.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yeah" he answered, sounding tired and sad.
He went inside his room and closed the door. Then, he walked to his bed and lay down. There, he recalled more of his seven months relationship with Patricia.
She never gave him anything aside from her kisses and touches. No meaningful gifts and no special surprises. She never even cooked for him, not even a fried egg.
He gave her everything she asked for. In return, she would throw herself at him, and he admitted he got allured by it.
At that moment, he finally understood it was really not love that she showed to him in those long months. It was only because of his lust that he thought she was being true to him. As he was thinking about it, he felt foolish. He buried his face under his palms and let himself get drowned by his own stupidity.
"Damn it" he muttered.
☆••••••○○●○○••••••☆
After Dylan spent more than three hours doing nothing in his room, he finally went out. He felt hungry, so he walked to the dining room with his cane. There, he called a maid to assist him at the table.
"Sir, would you like me to call Rose for you?" the maid asked.
"She will not work today." he answered in a lazy tone.
"She's in the living room sleeping, sir." the maid told him.
He turned his head to her. "What? ...I told her to go home. You mean she stayed?"
"She didn't leave, sir. She told me she would stay, and..." The maid hesitated to continue. "Um... she wanted to make sure you wouldn't kill yourself."
"Why does she always think I will kill myself?" he asked in a confused tone.
"I have no idea, sir. Should I wake her up?" the maid asked.
"No, let her take a nap. She didn't sleep well last night because of me." he answered.
The maid was a bit shocked. She gave a different meaning to what her boss just said. After eating, he told her to take him to the living room.
Rose was still sleeping on the couch. He sat in the single chair and patiently waited for her until she wakes up. After more than half an hour, she finally got up.
"Oh, you're still alive. Thank goodness." she said.
"I told you to go home. Don't worry. I will not cut this day in your salary." he told her.
"I know that. I just thought you might want a company once you're done sulking. You look miserable when we got here. I felt guilty. I know it's because of what I told you." she reasoned.
"You don't have to be guilty. I just realized... you're actually right. Patricia and I didn't share real love with each other. We crossed path only because I desired sex and she needed money." he replied heavily.
"Wait here" she told him.
"Where're you going?" he asked.
She didn't answer.
After a few minutes, she came back. "Here" she said, handing him something.
He took it and figured out it was a flower. "What is this for?" he asked in a confused tone.
"I stole it from your neighbour. I've been seeing their garden since I started working here. One friend of mine once gave me a white daisy when I was feeling down. She said flowers can absorb sadness." she told him.
He chuckled. "So you're giving me a stolen flower now, huh? Ha ha! This is very strange to me, but thanks. This is the first time I received a flower for as long as I can remember, and I never expected it would come from my helper. My ex never gave me anything."
"Let's not talk about her." she replied.
"Yeah, you're right. Do you drink?" he asked.
She perceived his thoughts. "Um... Yeah, I do."
"All right. Tell the maids to prepare drinks for us. They know what to do." he told her.
"Can we do it in your room? I don't want to carry you if you get drunk and wasted." she requested.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'll make an exception today." she answered.
In his room, the maids set up a small table for them. Dylan sat on his bed while Rose stayed in a chair. She doesn't really drink, so she would sneak to the bathroom and pour her canned beer in the sink. She stayed and let him talk and drink all he wanted.
He told her stories about his life before he got into an accident and lost his sight. She learned he was an auto racer and a college student at Kornells University. While he was highly intoxicated, he also told her about the unborn child who died in the accident. She felt his regrets and fears as he was telling her about it.
"I think this is my punishment." he whimpered in a drunken voice. Then, he finally passed out on his bed.
Rose got up and fixed his position. She put a pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket. Then, she turned off the lights, closed the door, and left. When she got out of the house, she stretched her arms to the sky and looked up.
"Finally, babysitting is over for today. Time to go home." she said excitedly.
*
*
*
To be continued....
Please don't forget to tap the STAR/VOTE icon after you read, might as well leave a COMMENT of your reactions, questions, suggestions, corrections, or compliments about this part of the story.
Thank you for reading!