Chapter 5. Vanish

I followed the broom with my gaze that had now disappeared from my hand and was now held by Roy, who continued sweeping. Since this morning, he had been taking over my tasks, even washing dishes, which he hadn't done before. The only thing he didn't touch was cooking. He had been like this earlier, and I had been worried since then. 

I just stared at him in disbelief when he took away the plates we were eating from. 

"Take a rest, I'll handle it," he said. 

I just gave him a stern look. "What are you doing? You've been taking over my tasks all morning. Why don't you focus on your issues instead of getting closer to me?" 

"Huh?" he replied. 

"Didn't we talk yesterday about this? What are you doing, Roy?"

"I'm doing it. You told me to do it the way I know so I can get over my infatuation for you," he said. 

"How are you doing it? You're getting even closer to me!" 

"This is it, Ina," he said. "This is the way I know to make my infatuation for you disappear. Maybe this way, it will truly vanish. Maybe if I continue doing this, my feelings for you will eventually fade away. I mean, I got this from here, so maybe it will disappear here," he explained. 

"Are you serious?" I asked with a furrowed brow. 

He just smirked and nodded at me, then led me to the sink to wash my hands. "Do I look like I'm always joking, that you don't believe me anymore?" he chuckled. 

While he might be amused, I certainly wasn't. 

"There, all clean," he said, raising my hands. 

My eyebrows were still furrowed as I withdrew my hands from him. "Do you think Auntie Anne will be happy if she found out that you're acting like this? Do you think everything will be fine if you continue this, even when Auntie Anne is around? If your answer is yes, think again. I'm not belittling your education, and even though I didn't go to school, I know how to act in certain situations, Roy. Even so, I have no right to question that. But... Roy, you graduated and I know that you are aware of what is right from wrong." 

"It is different from academics, Ina. You don't learn in school how to handle an infatuation for someone. You're taught how to handle yourself in life and not your feelings," he said. 

I was even more irritated now, feeling like he was insinuating that I knew nothing about education and what they learned. 

"For now, just let me handle it. Trust me, Ina. I won't put you in a bad spot, okay? I'll do my best to get rid of these feelings I have for you. Just trust me," he smiled at me before helping me sit in a chair like I was an injured person. 

"I have hands," I said, as he even started to touch my food. 

I thought he wouldn't let go, but he just smiled at me again before placing the utensils in my hands. 

"Do you want anything else?" he asked. I just shrugged, so he turned around and sat in front of me. 

I felt uneasy when, after he had taken a bite, he just smiled at me while chewing his food. 

"Stop acting weirdly," I scolded him. 

"What's wrong now?" he laughed. 

"Stop staring at me. We're here to eat," I said. 

"But you're in front of me, so I can't help myself," he retorted. 

Instead of engaging in conversation, I ate in silence. 

We finished eating, and I had nothing else to do. He had done everything and even told me to rest. Half a day went by, and I was just resting. Everything I needed to do was done by the man who kept taking over my chores. 

"Ugh, I felt tired!" He sighed. 

I stayed in my seat and leaned back when he knelt beside me. The TV was on because he had turned it on. He suggested I watch something, and since I had nothing else to do, I obliged. 

"Roy," I called his name while he gently pushed me forward. 

I stiffened in my seat when he lay down with his head on my lap. I thought it would end there, but what took my breath away was when he hugged my waist and pressed his head against my stomach. 

"R-Roy," I called his name again. 

"Let me take a nap. Your job is tiring," he said, as he held me even tighter. 

I felt my heart pounding, filled with fear and anxiety. I was afraid that someone would see what he was doing, even though there was no one else here but us. I held my breath and looked down at his head on my lap. 

"Wake me up at five in the afternoon," he said abruptly, lifting his head from my lap. 

Left with no choice, I let him be and pretended to be engrossed in watching TV. I ignored when he took my hands and placed them on his waist. I looked at him again when I felt him bury his head against my stomach. I exhaled slowly, feeling the air rush out of my lungs. My hands were trembling as I removed them from his waist and crossed them over my chest before continuing to watch the television.

Hours passed, and I switched between different shows. I had already finished two when I felt his movement between my legs. 

"What time is it?" he asked with closed eyes. 

"I don't know. I don't have a watch," I replied. 

Right as he opened his eyes, a smile curved on his lips. 

"The Ina I know is back," he said with a playful tone as if teasing me. 

"She'll come back more if you don't get up from there. My legs have been cramping," I threatened. 

The thing was that... No matter how much I wanted to move my numb legs, I couldn't as he was lying there. 

"Then, I won't get up for now," he said. 

I gave him a stern look, making him laugh and slowly get up from his lying position. 

"You look so beautiful when you're angry," he teased. "Usually, people get uglier when they're angry, but why do you look even more beautiful?" 

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling. Was it wrong to be happy about a simple compliment from someone, even when you knew they were just flattering you? 

I hadn't seen myself as beautiful for a long time. I didn't pay much attention to my appearance, as my life was busy, and I focused more on sustaining myself. 

"You're blushing," he pointed out while poking my cheek. 

"Of course not! Don't be too full of yourself," I retorted. 

He just nodded, as if forced to agree. 

"Get dressed; we're going somewhere," he said as he stood up. 

"Where?" I asked. 

"You will find out later. Just get dressed, and I'll take a quick shower. I still smell like sweat," he said. 

Noticing I had no intention of getting up, he pulled me gently and pushed me into the maid's quarter room. 

"I'll wait for you. Hurry up. I'll be quick!" 

Even though I had no plans to go out, I went inside to change. I also wanted to go out because I didn't get to leave the house much. My life was just work and sleep, so I was always ecstatic whenever Auntie Anne announced that we were going on vacation because that meant I'd be going with them.