I am the Queen

In the usual morning sky, amidst the vast field of flowers and greeneries, two silhouettes were laying under a cherry blossom tree in comfort.

A young man was resting his head on the lap of a young woman, who was humming him a lullaby.

Closing his eyes, the man had a peaceful, contented smile on his lips as he listened to the soothing sound of the woman\'s humming tunes while the latter was looking at the former with affectionate eyes. Her soft long hair was falling in each side of her face, and humming tunes echoed in her lips, which made the man smile even more.

"Hey . . . ," he said after a while.

She stopped, and stared at him on her lap, whose eyes were still closed. "Hmm . . . ?"

He held her eyes, a soft smile on his face as his brown eyes captivated her in a spell. Unable to look away.

Pausing for a moment, he continued with a serious voice. He reached out and held her cheeks in all gentleness. "After you graduate . . . let\'s get married."

". . ."

". . ."

She couldn\'t speak from the sudden surprised. Needless to say, she was stunned from the explosive \'out of the blue\' proposal.

When she recovered, he continued, "By then, I\'m sure I\'m already a worldwide renowned actor." He then smiled, beaming a boyish grin. "I\'ll definitely be able to take care of you for the rest of your life by then," he said as he flipped his thumb in a confident pose.

She blinked before she laughed and giggled, which made him frowned as he rose from her lap.

"What\'s with that laugh? Don\'t you believe me?! I\'ll have you know I\'m very popular! My popularity is flourishing and limitless. Sponsors, movies, dramas, and different advertising companies are luring me in, you know! That\'s how famous your boyfriend is!"

He continued boosting while she giggled. He got angry and pushed her beneath him, pinning her on the ground with nowhere to retreat.

The giggles and laughter gradually stopped. She stared at him with adoring eyes while his expression turned solemn. Their eyes were reflecting each other\'s faces, flickering with different emotions of love. He held her cheek as he leaned in closer while she couldn\'t break away from his heated gaze.

"I\'m serious . . . After you graduate . . . Let\'s get married," he repeated, tone softer and gruff.

Her eyes moistened, shining more than usual. Her happiness was radiating as she replied, a low, "Mmm . . ."

Little by little, their breaths turned faster, synchronizing with one another while their lips touch in a soft kiss. Her eyes closed, letting him kiss her. She was drowning in so much happiness and contentment she almost sobbed in joy.

"I love you . . ."

"I love you too . . ."

Bit by bit, they were lost in each other\'s kiss while his hand slowly traveled on her body.

"Don\'t worry. I\'ll make sure it will hurt."

GASP!

Her eyes flung open, feeling the air was so tight. The hands which were caressing her were rougher and bigger. The gentle lips which were kissing her were savage and domineering while the kind brown eyes she dearly loves turned dark, ruthless –– sharp.

AaahhHH!!

Satele rose from her bed, gasping for air. Beads of sweat coated her face while her clothes were damp from sweat. Her breathing was forced and labored, desperate in each inhale for air.

*pant *pant

*huff

Eventually, she realized that she was having a nightmare, and her stiff shoulders gradually relaxed. But she didn\'t loosen her hold on the quilt, which she was so tightly grasping between her fingers –– clutching it closer to her body while the sheets twisted around her limbs. Her dark terror-stricken eyes glimmered as her breathing stabilized.

A nightmare.

It\'s just a nightmare . . .

. . . A nightmare . . .

She continued to comfort herself. But deep down, she knew it wasn\'t just a nightmare.

For almost two years, she dreamed the exact dream that always ended in a nightmare. Only to be awakened with the reality that the ordeal was both real and very much worse than the fragmented memory her brain was showing her.

Instead of relief of waking from the horrible delusion, she was pained as the trauma made fresh and new once more –– day after day after day . . .

However, even so, no matter how many times the nightmare came, she welcomed it the next –– hoping for it even. Because the beginning was the only time that she could be with him. Seeing his loving eyes and warm smile. Hearing those tender words and feeling those warm caresses that she was still having a hard time believing that he was no longer part of her world –– part of his world.

Her tears, which she didn\'t know were already falling on her cheeks, continued to drift freely. Her hand covered her eyes while the other continued to grasp the quilt against her body. If she didn\'t cling to any fabric, she felt naked underneath the blanket. A feeling which brought unfathomable disgust to herself and bile boiled from her stomach and rose to her throat. She swallowed the salty lump back down.

Still a bit shaken, she went out of bed and walked towards the bathroom to clean herself –– cleaning the filthy lingering images of that night out from her mind.

----

Eric came home late as usual from the hard days of work. It was a Sunday. Thus his whole day was occupied with work though he requested some time off since he had to do his and Evangeline\'s projects and assignments.

In the past, he had no problem balancing his study and job, but now that Evangeline came into the picture, he had to cut some time off to accommodate her.

It had been two days since that event with her. At the memory, his down curved lips kicked up a smile.

That\'s right. I\'m going to fetch her tomorrow to buy ingredients. His smile progressively turned playful as a mischievous idea kept playing in his head. He couldn\'t wait to see her reaction when she saw what he had planned for her tomorrow.

He kept his happy and eager thoughts throughout the night. Even after he took a bath, his brain was still formulating plans. Images of her different expressions at seeing what he had in store for her dominated his entire mind. He even went as far as to ready his clothes for tomorrow.

Though he tried to conceal it, he was looking forward for morning to come.

Riiinngg~!

Riiinngg~!

And his happy thoughts shattered like broken glass upon hearing that ringing sounds. If it were maybe in the past, he wouldn\'t waste a second to answer the phone. But now, he was even contemplating whether to answer the call or not.

However, he knew that not answering was never an option for him since the other party would know.

They always knew what he was up to.

With heavy steps and heavy sighs, he walked towards the hallway and answered the call with a concealed, unwilling tone.

"Hello . . ."

"Eric."

Eric\'s spine straightened, eyes shutting close upon hearing that deep, pleasant voice that couldn\'t deny authority and power.

"Congratulations on finishing your contract with me. I proudly say you pass with flying colors based on the report and your performance."

Inwardly controlling his breathing, Eric answered, "Thank you."

The man on the other line didn\'t seem to be affected by Eric\'s somewhat distant voice as he continued, "Judging by the pace that you\'re going; I say you can accumulate your quota two years earlier from your remaining four years\' time limit. And with your performance, I\'m sure you will pass these trials as we have done so in the past."

The other line rumbled on and on, but Eric didn\'t hear any of his words. His mind drifted once more to the images of Evangeline\'s expressions for tomorrow.

What time would he wake up? Where would he take her? What dishes would he cook for her?

"Eric."

Eric blinked, snapping out from his thoughts. "Yes?"

". . ."

". . ."

The man on the other line sighed. Finally gotten the clue that Eric was not in the mood as his mind was elsewhere.

"Did you hear what I said?" the man asked.

". . ."

Eric didn\'t answer, and the man on the other line only sighed once more.

"Are you still working in that convenience store?"

Eric\'s eyebrows twitched. That convenience store was that precise store where he saw Evangeline saved the puppy. And the park near that store was where she frequented to every weekend, walking her pets in the morning and doing her jogging in the afternoon.

Sensing he was not about to say anything, the other line continued, "I\'m not against you working in that store since as per rule you can do whatever you want as long as it abides within the rules. But Eric . . . that store is not affiliated in any way in our family\'s business. You know that, right? No matter how much you work there, what you earned will not be counted."

"What are you trying to say?"

Eric snapped. Without knowing it, he used a tone of voice that was disrespectful for the first time.

The man on the other line was shocked as he didn\'t answer right away.

Realizing he was discourteous, Eric followed up, "My apologies . . ."

". . . It\'s fine . . . *sigh . . . I won\'t stop you from working there since it doesn\'t conflict your schedule with me. However, I had reports that your performance gradually lessened these past few days. If you keep this kind of routine, not minding about your performance reports, the greatest hurdle will be your quota. You might not make it within the remaining four years of your time limit."

The man paused before he continued, "Besides . . . it\'s her turn now."

Eric\'s lower lip numbed between the confines of his teeth. His brows were creasing in one line. He didn\'t even know he was already holding the phone tightly against his fingers that were gradually turning pale while his other hand balled into fist. He wanted to punch something to let out whatever emotions he was restraining at the moment.

"I emailed you the summary of work she prepared for you since she was busy to do it herself. And I have to say this to you in advance . . . The job she had for you requires your full attention every weekend. That means you have no choice but to resign at that convenience store and all other part-time jobs you have, which conflicts with your new schedule."

". . ."

". . ."

"Eric . . . don\'t let your emotions ruin what you have been working your entire life."

That single line pierced Eric\'s heart. His gaze steadily dropped in defeat while all strength was drained from his limbs. His eyes, which were shining brightly just moments ago, reverted to its usual dim and dull state. His distress face steadily turned still, devoid of any expression.

"Finish your quota first . . . Then you can do whatever you want to do after."

". . ."

". . ."

When Eric remained silent, the other person sighed before he released an exasperated breath.

"We\'ll give you a month to sort all your works. After that, you\'ll start working for her. Remember, finish your quota first. The other things can wait," he said and ended the call.

Tut . . . Tut . . .

It was a while that the call ended, yet Eric remained standing, unmoving like a statue. No one knew what thoughts were running inside his head nor what emotions he was showing on his face as the dim lights only illuminated the shadows of his dark silhouette.