Chapter six

The stupid party finally started with Shane’s mother’s friends bombarding him with questions which were what he hated. He had done so as a child, as a teenager and still does as an adult, why do they want to know so much about him?

To add salt to his wounds, their sluts of daughters won’t even let him be, they are even asking about his private life. Just what is it with them?

After managing to have dinner with them and enduring for a few more hours, he excused himself to make a phone call and escaped to the garden but he regretted it immediately he did so. The garden held memories, especially those he shared with his father and little Lilly. He smiled at his father’s nickname for her but he never called her that, he hardly addressed her by her name.

He stood watching the white lilies growing in the garden, they looked so beautiful with the moonlight on them that he was tempted to pluck them. As he thought, he did. He plucked a single lily and brought it to his nose to smell its enchanting fragrance. He had always loved lilies more than roses; he doesn’t know if it was because of something or someone.

As a young boy, he never bothered about flowers, he always saw it as girl’s fantasy but after seeing the little girl playing with his father once when he had returned from school and learning that her name was Lilly, he had taken a preference to lilies without him even knowing.

He turned then and left the garden. Walking on the terrace, he sighted his father’s old drawing house. At first he was surprised that his mother still left it and made a mental note to ask for the removal in the morning but something got the best of him and he decided to check it out one last time. It was after all, his best place in the house when he was a boy.

Getting there, he saw someone leaning on the window, desperately trying to see what was inside. He furrowed his brows and unknowingly, he increased his pace. When he got closer and saw the deep brown hair and the loose fitting maid attire, his pace slowed and his heartbeat increased. What the hell?

As if sensing his presence, the person in question turned and he saw the adult version of the little face he had just been thinking about. Her eyes were twinkling under the moonlight but she soon bowed her head, removing those eyes from his sight. “I’m sorry sir; I wasn’t trying to steal or anything. I was just trying to have a look of what’s inside,” her soft velvet voice flowed into his ears. It seemed to be giving the night a soft enticing song.

“Why don’t you just enter?” He asked, his voice appeared even softer to his own ears.

“Ma’am kept it locked up, no one is allowed entry. It’s what I was told.”

“I see,” Shane looked at the old looking glass windows. The little hut looked dusty like it hadn’t been cleaned in years, confirming her claim. “Do you really want to see the inside so bad?”

Lilly looked up at him briefly, taking a second pause to contemplate her answer, “no sir. It’s just some random desire. I promise I will not return here again.”

Shane smiled. He could see through her lies. “You and I know you are not going to keep to that, right Flower?” He said before he could stop himself.

Lilly’s head jerked up at the nickname. It has been so long someone called her that, and only one person calls her that; him. So if he addressed her like that, does it mean he remembers her? Her fast beating heart increased at its beating rate. She didn’t know what to say. He, calling her that name erased her mind from all the defenses she had mustered up.

Shane looked at her wide eyed expression, the name had fallen out of his mouth and he couldn’t take it back. Moreover, her looking at him like that shows that she remembers, she remembers him calling her that. And of course she remembers his father which was why she was here fighting to see the studio while others were inside. He sighed, for the moment speechless on what to say. His eyes rested on the old hut and he whispered, “you miss him, don’t you?”

Lilly was surprised at his question and why it came out of the blue. She looked behind her at the hut and heaved a deep sigh, knowing she can’t lie to him anymore. “Yes,” and I miss you too, she wanted to add but didn’t.

Shane nodded. He knew it, if not, why would she be here? He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, wanting so badly to ask if she missed him too but he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget their statues now, she was his maid and he was her master. Some questions are not meant to be exchanged between the both of them regardless of their history. He cleared his throat before saying, “you shouldn’t be here, I’m sure you are needed inside by now.”

Lilly glanced at the big house which she could see from the window people moving about like tiny dolls. Indeed, there were guests in the house and Mrs. Paulina would be really angry with her if she doesn’t see her soon. “Then sir, if there is nothing else, I will leave first.” She curtsied with her head bowed and turned to leave.

Shane watched her take the first step, the second, third, fourth and fifth and he let his mouth loose. “Why did you do it?” He has to know, he doubts if he would have another chance like that with her.

Lilly paused on her step and looked back at him. “Sir?”

Shane gulped before asking, “why did you choose to be a maid here?” He looked at her, his eyes burning into hers.

Not able to hold his gaze anymore, Lilly looked away. He asked a question, but can she tell him the answer? She herself doesn’t know anymore. First she suggested to work there to her mother in order to be able to raise money for her school but now, she wants to raise money for her mother’s surgery. Although she doesn’t know how long it would take her but she knew she would get it. All she asks is for her mother to be alive.

She bit her lower lip, not knowing whether to answer him or not

“I’m still waiting for your answer, Flower.” There, he said it again, why? He has to stop calling her that if he doesn’t want his mother and the rest of the servants thinking something was going on between them when in fact, nothing was going on. But can he really stop calling her that? He has known her with it that sometimes he forgets her real name. And if not for the fact that the nickname he calls her reminds him of her name, he wouldn’t be able to.

Lilly couldn’t stop the feelings that surge through her veins whenever he calls her that but she knew that whatever she might be feeling now was wrong. So damned wrong, just what is wrong with her? She has never felt like that when thinking about him before, why does she suddenly wants to be closer to him? She slowly looked up at his beautiful face that looked like a painting under the moonlight. Her breath constricted and she looked down immediately, not wanting to witness such beauty anymore. “Will be deemed disrespectful if I don’t want to answer sir?”

Shane smiled faintly. “No. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I just really want to know. But it’s okay. I hope you will tell me at your own given time.” His gaze never le her petite figure. He frowned, seeming to notice her thin figure for the first time. “Why are you so thin?”

Lilly froze. Why would he ask such all of a sudden? Curiously, she looked at herself. The gown she was putting on was the maid’s attire; it was quite big on her and also Nora. It was only Gina that looked good in it because of her plump figure. “I’m sorry sir but I’m not thin, it’s the gown that it’s too big,” she answered with a tinge of stubbornness on her beautiful delicate face. Why in the world would he say that I’m thin?

Shane wanted to laugh at the look on her face. Indeed, she was still his little flower, never hesitating to show her displeasure when annoyed. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to annoy you.”

Shocked at his apology, Lilly looked at him. Their eyes met and locked. For a moment, she didn’t want to look away, she wanted to keep looking at him, at his beautiful gray eyes that seemed to pull at her soul, urging her to get closer to him and caress his sweet, sweet face.

Shane wasn’t better on the other hand, he as well wanted to take two giant strides and get to her. He wanted to trace her face like he often did when she was little. Ever since learning from her mother this afternoon that she was the sweet girl that made him long for a sister, he had wanted to pull her into his arms and give a sweet hug. He wanted to ruffle her wavy deep brown hair like he often did when he offered her chocolates. He wanted to place a gentle kiss on her forehead for his lips are itching to feel her delicate looking skin. However, things that he casually did when she was still a child can’t be done anymore by him without her misinterpreting the innocent thoughts at the gesture.

He had always been the type to do what he thinks but now, for the sake of his reputation in her memories, he didn’t take a single step closer to her. Rather, to burn his urge, his hand holding the beautiful delicate lily flower tightened, crushing the sweet thing in it.

“Lilly!” Someone shouted far from them, freeing them both from their thoughts and spiritual entanglement.

Lilly looked away first, she recognized the voice as Nora’s and from her understanding of Nora, if she doesn’t answer her soon enough or appear before her, she would come looking for her. And what she wouldn’t want in this world would be for her to come now and see her talking to Shane, hell no, even if she was her friend, she wouldn’t want such to happen.

She glanced at Shane to see that he was looking at the tiny figure standing near the big house, far away from them. His gaze slowly returned to her and she gasped, looking down immediately. “I will have to go now sir, it seems I’m needed.”

“Indeed,” Shane nodded. “Alright, I will let you go do your duties.”

“Thank you, sir. I will be leaving now,” she curtsied. With a nod from Shane, she turned and ran back to the house.

Shane watched her run. His mind played a vision for him as he remembered standing in his room balcony and watching her as she ran to her mother with her tiny feet. He smiled at the memory; she was so young then, beautiful and chubby. He was often drawn to pinch her chubby looking cheeks and she would always look up at him in smiles. He compared his memory Lilly to the present one and he realized that the memory one always looked up at him and smiles while the present one always withdrew her face from him.

He thinks he preferred the memory one but she was just a child while the present one was a full grown legal adult. Not that he wants to do anything with her, but he would love it if she would treat him like an older brother like she did then than how she was treating him like her master now.

He sighed, watching as she interacts with whomever that was calling her before they both entered the house. He looked back at his father’s studio which was what brought him there in the first place and suddenly; he didn’t have the urge to remove it again. He let out a deep breath, not knowing what was wrong with him but he ended up smiling to himself and bringing the crushed lily in his hand to his face. He smelled the petals and even though already crushed and lost its beauty, it’s still smelled enchanting. He looked back at the house, thinking that the flower was just like the real Lilly. Even though already a maid and so thin, she hasn’t lost her charm.

“God Shane, what are you thinking?” He muttered to himself before shoving the damaged lily into his pants pocket and walking back to the house.