CHAPTER 4

No interruptions.

No facial changes.

Just occasional clipped questions.

And then...

2 whole minutes–120 seconds of dead silence terrorizes the house. By now, Mike manages to conjure Sarah a cup of milk. Her index finger dents and glides around the rim of the cup in infinite circles, staring down into the white liquid; God’s best creation. Her mind is vacant. Not needing any response from Mike. Purging THE NIGHT from her system and not being judged for it is good enough, enlightening even.

              Instead of the usual response from society such as ‘It’s your fault; You dress is too provocative; You seduced a man; You were too careless’– Mike didn’t rush to any conclusion. He let out a sigh and said “OK” and then pause again, searching for the correct word.

“OK! I know this is unusual for you, but a kiss is harmless. Plus, he didn’t take anything from you, did he?” he is an Italian hunk with a career in the medical field or in other words 'hot cake' in the dating market. Of course, it is harmless, even delightful for him

“Of course, he did!!!” Sarah's sharp eyes lock at Mike.

“He took away my freedom and comfort. Now every single large-sized man looks like him to me. I can’t spend a moment outdoor without worrying. And when I come back home, I am not comfortable here too. It’s like walking down hell’s thorn–path every single day” Sarah let out a slightly nervous chuckle

“What if his intention was to rape me and somehow or something abrupt that?” Mike nods with his eyes on the counter

“Even you look like him, although he might be a tad stronger and bigger than you” her fingers wiggle an inch away from his skin, measuring him.

“Hello mademoiselle, I am 6 feet 2 inches, 120kg of pure muscle. He is NOT stronger than me. He might have looked big for you because you are tiny” a flick land on her forehead. Sarah rubs her forehead with an irritable frown and scrunchy face.

                Her insecurities were carefully stacked as a card tower on the marble tabletop. Now, it’s his burden. His eyes skit along with the table and ponder for a moment

“Alright... In that case, I need a place to rent. Would you mind renting me a room here?”

“What???NO” she slips down her chair with a screech across the floor.

“Fine, let me put it this way. Sweetheart, you have 2 options. 1– I stay here in another room or 2– I chain you up and drag you to my house where we can share a room. Your choice. I’m fine with both” his weight shifts to relax against the chair, hands across his chest. He is serious and his head–weight against her putty nature? Might as well save the fight.

“Alright” she answered with a mocking, down curl lips face. Still, it is acceptable to him and he goes on with his terms.

“Oh, I don’t stay at places without surveillance cameras,” he said calmly although his intention is to make sure she will be safe in the future, when he is not around.

“Already ordered two days ago” mumbling down at her feet with a long face. He is impressed that she thought, pushing through her fear.

“OK, it’s settled then. That would be $150 as consultation fees, thank you!” Mike stood up from his chair with hands thrust into his pocket.

                Sarah looks up with wide eyes and a gaping smile. She shook her head “I’m not paying!!! You are a lousy psychiatrist”. Taken back, he stretch out one hand, points his index finger at Sarah, and with a calm eye

 “I’m going to sue you, young lady”

“Yeah right!!! Get out” with a wave, he is dismissed.

               They have been friends since 7 years old and understood each other pretty well. He needs to see in her eyes that she is going to be fine and she is now. He would definitely not leave without that surety.

                He is a millionaire’s son who has this own duplex in the city center that represent his collection of likes, dislikes, and taste. The one that will facilitate him being himself or maybe even bringing in his lady friends for the night. Sarah is a grown woman with weird habits, such as leaving the bedroom door and bathroom door open when she is inhabiting it. Her taste is more cottage-like and he is more urban. Plus, his father might not be happy with him renting a ROOM in his friend’s house. Although she agreed reluctantly, an air of doubt circles her.

                Oblivian of Sarah’s internal torment, Mike upheld his word and move in the very next day into a room next to Sarah’s. Since he is already here, his comfort is her priority, beginning with allocating the second biggest room in the house. Moreover, Sarah isn't confident enough that having a surveillance camera is 100% safety guaranteed. What’s the point of looking at the footage after a disaster? So, she took advantage of the situation and kept him as close as possible.

                  Each room comes with an attached bathroom. Mostly furnished with high-grade wood and neutral calming colors, walls accentuate with dark brown borders. Sarah’s and Mike’s room ends with front-facing balconies. A narrow hallway extends outside the rooms, about 4 feet in width. The wall opposite of their bedroom doors is filled with various wall clocks, one of Sarah’s obsessions, probably genetic inheritance of her father, who loved to collect antique watches. She refuges all his collection and adds some of her personal choices. He left behind a huge fortune for his single daughter, about 15 houses around the country. Her mom and Sarah are now living peacefully on the rental money they receive every month. If there is one thing Mike hates about the house, it will be this WALL OF CLOCKS. Why? Because if he is ever late, he gets 68 reminders, and big grandpa-stand-alone clock dings into his head right at the moment he steps out of the room.

                  Being a tree-hugger, Sarah loves gardening and naturally, she would like to wake up into a forest of plants. The balcony houses a line of tropical plants and ferns. A brown swing chair suspends at a corner where she could enjoy her coffee or read a book peacefully. With the addition of bird feeders, the small garden invites lots of feathery friends on regular basis. Not restricted to the balcony, her gravitation towards plants is obvious throughout the house and especially, in her bathroom; a living wall masterpiece. The roof of her bathroom is tempered glass with the furthest end being roofless. The walls beneath the roofless portion harbor a row of living walls with a few feet clearance in the center for her large jet-type shower head. When it rains, it patters on the bathroom floors directly. Being on the second floor, she wasn’t too concerned about privacy. Ferns, calatheas, and mosses thrive in her bathroom with a bird of paradise anchored on the floor in one corner, enviously staring at her naked beauty on daily basis. In a way, having a living, breathing companion makes her less anxious during the nights.

                  The other friends remain oblivion of her confession to Mike. He is indeed professional although his fees are overdue. Jessica boils with jealousy. Just like Mike, she is also their childhood friend and very attached to Sarah. Well, to be frank, she is actually 3 years senior in the friendship department to Mike since he left the country to resume his studies while Jessica and Sarah stuck together through college as well. Obviously, she too wants to move into Sarah’s house but had to wait until her current tenancy agreement expires, for she had paid the whole rental upfront. Still, Sarah had a feeling that Jessica is going to crash at her place quite often. Sooner, a tenancy agreement was signed between Michelle Ricci and Sarah Patel                                                         

                  Cooking is not Sarah’s forte but when she does, her dishes are exceptional and uniquely tangible– of course, Indian flavor. Hence, the following Saturday after Mike’s shift dedicated at home, with Sarah’s cooking, a carton of beer, and some snacks. The plan is to eat like a pig, go to the balcony, have beer all night before passing out. Perfect!!!

                  Sarah despises drinking or smoking. Not due to her culture, but due to her own virtue. The idea of losing self-awareness because of a fizzy drink down her throat doesn’t sit well with her and so, she doesn’t spend a dime on this indulgence and certainly has no related health concerns. The downside is, she is the driver on Saturday nights and responsible for hauling the entire group to their car. Compared to her friends, she is definitely more mature and opinionated. 

                 The 4 friends froze just a foot across the threshold of Sarah's room. This is the first time they are entering her completed room since she moved in. Native arts from different countries she visited fills the white canvas expanding to their left; from beautiful native American women painted into 3 portions, wooden carvings, shell artworks, woven abstract fabric, mandalas, the calm half face of a buddha, and even signature toys – anything that could remind the country except for the dreadful fridge magnets. It just adds that bit of magic to the contemporary theme of the room. Simple furniture scatter around the room with white bedsheets, a small table by her bedside, and a white cushioned sofa bed against the opposite wall of her bed. It wouldn’t be Sarah’s room if there is no overgrown plants with some aerial roots running around the floor. Despite all the different spikes of interest across the room, it is neatly organized and clean that it actually works.

                  Walking across her bed, she opened the glass door to the balcony, letting in a fresh breeze of lemon scent, courtesy of lemon cypress framing the balcony corners. Leaning at the edge of the glass balcony, their eyes fish far, as if they are the king and queens of the world.  Being the thinnest of them all, Laura won the fight of who gets the swing chair by sitting on Robert’s lap. The rest of the gang crashes on the floor with some extra-large pillows Sarah brought out. With no need to go home, this Saturday night lasts pretty long and they all fell asleep on the balcony. Mike, Jessica, and Sarah were the order they laid down. In the mid of the night, unforgiving chilly dewdrops woke them up. One by one, they reshuffle themselves to bed and sofa inside the room. Mike and Sarah were mercilessly left outside.

                One of Sarah's nightmares decides to strike again tonight. She starts to mumble and toss and moan and turn, restless for hours when finally, she manages to stir Mike. Barely lucid, he scoots to Sarah and pulls her closer. His chin rests on her head and in a low, hoarse voice “Shuu…Go to sleep”.

               As if been waiting for instruction, Sarah automatically calms down. The warmth of Mike’s chest swaddles her, as she buries her face deeper and deeper into his embrace and snoozes off like a baby for the rest of the night.

              The sun rises above the muted city. A gentle graze on the outer shell of her ears stirs Sarah in her cozy conch– like a feather softly caressing her ears. It is indeed a feather, though. Swatting it off with her hands, she snoozes back to sleep. Not even a minute, the naughty feather begin harassing her cheeks and she shooed at it one more time. Blackhole swirl to suck her in again when the feather decides to go to her forehead, caressing down to then her nose and finally her soft pink lips. The annoying itch made her purse slightly. She stirs gently, gaining consciousness into a dusky morning. The first thing she met was the (oh so damn) handsome face of Mike with messy hair and a gentle smile.

                  “Morning sweetheart….” His voice, a bit hoarse.

                  A reflexive smile adorns her face “Morning…” part of that ‘morning’ went missing in her throat and starts to doze off again before a tug fell under her neck. She frowns slightly and snaps open her eyes.

“Can you please release me from your prison? I have to go to the bathroom” His hand stuck under her neck.

                 Her eyes widen and she jolts up to a sitting position, placing both her hand on her chest to fist her T-shirt neckline, pulling it up. With another gentle smile, Mike stood up and left. Sarah sit there cross feet, confused, trying to figure out what had happened. Her previous concern about living with men is, apparently, valid.