III.

DURING my stay in Bright's condominium, I have gotten used to many interactions throughout the place. I guess it was inevitable for me to think that I could avoid encountering Sam when he was just a few feet away from where I was. 

During those times I saw him in the hallway, we would only have short conversations, and if not, we would just plainly ignore each other. 

It's not like we're friends or anything, anyway. Plus, the two of us have no topics to talk about. 

Amanda continues to deliver food through the door every other day, and, most of the time, she asks the same man to bring it to my doorstep. 

"Here's the freshly baked macarons, my grandma baked." Those were the immediate words I heard the moment I opened the door to the sound of his knock. 

"Yes, thank you," I shortly commented, and then grabbed the bag of pastry.

"You like sweets, don't you?" Sam immediately adds, which makes me raise one of my eyebrows. 

"And?" I ask, crossing my arms in front of her. I probably got used to his looks and voice the more I interacted with him, which is why I don't find him as dazzling as I used to. 

"Nothing," the man says. "You just look childish, that's all," he adds, which makes my cheeks flush red immediately. 

"What the hell?" I retaliate by lightly punching him on the arm. "Fuck you!" I add, and then slam the door in his face again. 

That was the normal routine I had with the so-called man living not too far from my place. 

Once I put the pastry on top of the kitchen counter, I cleaned the floor as usual. 

By the afternoon, just like Ma'am Bright has mentioned, she said that she'd be coming home to take me out. I'm not actually looking forward to it much, but it's not even something I can argue about. 

After an hour of just snacking on the pastries Amanda brought, I received a phone call from my employer. 

"Hey, are you ready? I did mention before that we'll be going out today, right?" she asked on the other side of the phone. 

I involuntarily nodded my head. "Yes, Ma'am," I reply. 

"Good! Have you dressed up already? Meet me at the ground floor," she said, which made me perplexed. 

Where could we be going? 

After I finished the cleaning in the whole room, I started checking the locks on the door. I only brought a small backpack that I had kept since she took me in, and I wore a regular tee shirt and jogging pants to my slippers.

Once I closed the door to the room, I hurried towards the elevator only to meet him again. 

"Going somewhere, I presume?" Sam asks, which makes me crease my forehead. 

"Yes," I say, rummaging through my belongings as if looking for something.

"Where?" 

I glanced at him for a second before giving him a dumbfounded look. "What do you need to know for?" 

"Nothing?" the man answers, as though he is unsure of himself. Afterwards, he scratches the back of his head. 

"Whatever," I say, and then immediately, when the door clicks open, I quickly go out. "Bye," I say before walking away.

The first thing that welcomed me at the exit of the building was the scorching heat that slowly reminded me of my past. Buds of sweat immediately run down my forehead as I walk towards the entrance of the condominium. 

There were a lot of cars moving back and forth and busy people walking down the streets. However, what caught my eyes the most was a luxurious red vehicle with a passenger sitting in the driver's seat. 

"Hey, over here, Queen!" Bright exclaims while waving her hand into the thin air. She wore her hair in a high ponytail with a bit of makeup that made her face stand out more. She looks like a model from the magazines I see. 

I walk in her direction only to be welcomed by the car's door automatically opening. 

"Get inside and we're going," she commands, and I quickly follow suit. 

When compared to how she dresses, I look like her maid. I felt a little silly and embarrassed. 

"It seems like you've dressed your best today. I'm happy!" Bright comments and then looks at me for a second. She has her lips curled up into a sincere smile, which makes me feel confused. "But anyway, I wanted to take you out shopping. Is that alright?" she asks. 

"Y-Yes, you don't hmm . . .  have to ask for my permission, Ma'am," I reply, and then lower my head in embarrassment.

"What? Why would I not ask for your permission? If I take you shopping and you don't enjoy it, then what's the point, right?" she points out, and then, before she starts the engine of her vehicle, she looks at me again. "Also, drop the formalities. Call me Bright."

My eyes widened for a second, followed by my head shaking with my hands waving. 

"N-No way! I would never–"

"Ugh, fine," she comments and then rolls her eyes on the other side. I shut my mouth tightly. "Anyway, let's forget all about this boundary and such. Treat me as a friend of yours and let's enjoy ourselves!"

And with that, she starts the engine of her car and proceeds to roam around the city of New Yorkin. 

Throughout the whole trip inside the car, I remained silent. I didn't know how to interact with her despite her efforts to make short conversations. 

I mean . . . how am I supposed to treat her? She says I should act comfortable around her, but she's my employer. If I say something offensive, she might kick me out immediately, or worse, she could have to ask me to bring back all the money she would have spent on me. 

I gulped. I am overthinking, aren't I?

"Queen, are you hungry?" I was pulled from my own thoughts when I heard her speak. I turned to look at her, only to see her gazing at the rear-view mirror. 

"Kinda?" I answer, a little unsure. Maybe because I was nervous, I didn't even notice my stomach growling. It's already time for lunch. 

"We should probably have our food first before we go to our first destination," she comments, and then maneuvers the car towards the north. "I'm not sure if you'd like this place, but I sure enjoyed this before!" she exclaims until we reach a small building with a cafe written on it. 

"A cafe?" I asked. This is the first time I've seen one and I had to enter and eat inside. 

I grew up to be more than just a simple country bumpkin. I was stripped of all of this privilege. That is why I looked like a tamed lamb with no knowledge at all. 

I bit my lip. I'm embarrassed.

"What are you waiting for? Let's have our lunch!" Bright comes forward and grabs me by the hand. She intertwines her soft and smooth porcelain fingers into mine, which makes me feel ticklish from the inside. 

I bet she feels disgusted by my rough-like hands. 

She pulls me towards the entrance of the building, and immediately, the staff inside greets her. 

They filled the establishment with aesthetic decoration that looks pleasant to the eyes. The paintings were minimalist drawings of different objects, but most likely centered on coffee and pastries. 

The walls and floor of the cafe were painted cream and white. The lights that illuminated the place were just at the right position, and at the counter close to the cashier had decorations of pastries and a menu for their recommendations. 

"This place looks majestic," I murmur as I roam my eyes around the place. 

"I know, right," Bright said, as if she had overheard me talking to myself. "Let's have a seat, shall we?" she says and immediately pulls me towards one of the best spots in the cafe. 

I don't know what's up with her, but she hasn't removed her fingers from mine the whole time. 

"I'm a regular customer here. That's why you won't need to worry about a thing. Plus, I don't plan on charging this on your salary, so eat food as much as you want," she comments and then picks up one menu at the table. 

"B-But, Ma'am—"

She suddenly pulls her hand away from mine and then blocks it in front of me. "What did I tell you earlier?" she asks, which makes me gulp. 

"But . . . Bright, this is too much. We can just split the bill if you'd like," I say, out of courtesy. 

"Af, loosen up, alright? This is your first time. That's why I want you to enjoy it to your heart's content." She gives me one copy of the menu and then, in an instance, when my eyes see the prices per food item, it makes me want to vomit. 

"However, this is—"

Should I add rules to our contract? No buts!" Bright immediately cuts me off and then points at the menu in front of us. "Don't worry about a thing and just enjoy," she tries to reassure me. 

I gulped. That's difficult to do. I'm always the one at the receiving end, and it makes me uncomfortable not being able to do anything. However, just like what she's doing, it's not like I can argue much. 

I only heaved a sigh before I picked up the food that I wanted. Most of them were unfamiliar to me, so I picked the most common one: spaghetti.

"Are you sure about that?" she asks me. It looks like she does not trust my choice. 

"I'm sorry, I don't know most of the food here," I said truthfully, to which she relaxed her shoulders. 

"I see then. Can I pick food for you? Are you allergic to any foods or ingredients?" she asks, one after the other. I shook my head. "Alright." Bright suddenly stands up out of nowhere. 

 

"W-Where are you going?" I asked, a little dumbfounded. 

She confidently says, "To order our food," which made me widen my eyes. 

"N-No, let me do it instead–"

Again, she tries to block me with her hand. "Just let me do this, alright? I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that, she quickly walks toward the cashier and starts ordering the food for the two of us. 

I don't really know why she's doing all of this, but I still ended up dancing in the palm of her hands. 

Once the food was brought to our table, my eyes almost sparkled at the sight of the unfamiliar food. It just made my stomach rumble. 

The whole time I was eating, Bright was explaining the food in front of me. Most of them have the same ingredients but taste so different that I couldn't get enough. 

After our first trip to the cafe, we navigate through the day. She brought me to one of the popular malls and shopped for me with clothes that would make me feel comfortable. 

Of course, I was the type to refuse most of her kindness. I ended up taking them by force. She took me to try out a lot of clothing, from tee-shirts to jeans, skirts, dresses, and sleeveless. 

Once we were done, she also took me to eat snacks and, afterwards, a place called the arcade. 

Our day was especially spent at that place where we try to win prizes by ourselves. 

"I'm glad you ended up enjoying it, Queen," Bright suddenly exclaims, once I won a stuffed animal inside a machine. 

A genuine smile forms on her lips, as if all she wants is for me to feel at ease with her.

"Thank you," I reply.