Chapter 14
‘You are precious to me…’
Yaya opened her eyes to what felt like a new life that next morning. Just thinking about Nadech’s words gave her the courage to face the new day fearlessly. She sprang out of bed, and when Kat came in to hand her some clean laundry, she pulled the lady in by her hands and danced with her around the room.
“What has gotten into you?” Kat asked as she was whirled by Yaya.
“Today is a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
Kat was mercifully released and she replied, “Indeed, and what’s even better is that it’ your day off.”
Yaya looked at her, confused, “What do you mean?”
“Nee is downstairs right now and wants to meet with you. She said you are not to go to work.”
Rushing to dress, Yaya suddenly worried that something had happened. Or possibly, she wasn’t wanted anymore?
“I want to hold a party in Yaya’s honor.”
More confused than ever, Yaya shrunk low in her chair. “But why...?”
“As a thank you for everything you’ve done in my household,” Nee said.
“Oh no! That’s not necessary. I’m just doing my job.”
“Of course it is. You saved my son,” Nee said. “I don’t know what would have happened to him without you. I want to thank you. Please allow me to do this for you Yaya.”
Yaya looked for help from Mother, who felt it would be rude to object to the idea. “How wonderful. In fact, it would be the perfect opportunity for me to introduce Yaya as a member of our family. We’ve waited far too long to show off my daughter.” Mother was quite aware that Yaya might become her daughter in another meaning also, having seen the shift in the way Nadech and Yaya looked at and talked to one another. But until the two children confirmed it to her, it was enough for Mother to see the two happy.
“You really don’t have to. Really, I don’t want it. It’s not even my birthday or anything special. We don’t have to do this.”
“Well when it IS your birthday, I’ll make it extra special. But we can’t refuse Nee’s good intentions, so even if you don’t want it, I must insist that we hold this party in honor of you, dear.”
Yaya continued insisting that they shouldn’t bother, but neither of the ladies would agree to let this opportunity go, so plans were put into place.
“How exciting!” Kat exclaimed. “It will be such a memorable event for you Yaya. I can’t wait for the day of the party. And Mother said we are all to dress up, so I must go look for a mask.”
Somehow, through the discussions, Nee had come up with the idea of a masquerade theme for the party, which added to the weight of Yaya’s anxiety. The more she heard of the planning, the more she feared that she’d end up embarrassing everyone.
When Nadech was informed, his eyes lit up. “Good thing it won’t be held a day later.”
“Why’s that?” Yaya asked, leaning against a tree.
“I was requested for a meeting out of town. I’ll be leaving for a few days right after the party.”
The book in her hand slipped. “You’ll be gone?” she asked, picking up the book. She had not gone twenty four hours without seeing his face before, so the idea that he would be away for a few days startled her.
Nadech’s hand landed on top of hers, and he gently guided her back up. “Just for a few days. You’ll have plenty to keep you company.”
Someone cleared his throat. Seeing Om, Yaya quickly took her hand back. Not having been around the house much, this was the first time Om had noticed the development in their relationship. He smiled.
“Uh…I heard about the party.”
“It was a good idea huh?” Nadech said, teasing Yaya with his eyes.
“It’s a marvelous idea,” Om declared. “It’ll be great to introduce Yaya to everyone.” He noticed her distressed face and laughed. “Don’t be nervous, I’ll look out for you. I’ll see you two later.”
“Wait Om, shouldn’t you be resting today?” Nadech asked.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” he replied and left swiftly.
She sighed. “I hope they aren’t planning to make it too big.”
“Of course we have to make it fit for the new daughter of our family,” he said with a playful smile, swinging her hand in his as he led her around the tree to the bench. He laid her book down and grasped her other hand too and lifted them to his lips, making her glow with pleasure. “You have nothing to fear. I’ll be with you, remember?”
She nodded.
“I think mom is getting suspicious.”
Yaya blinked away shyly. “What should we do?”
“Shall I announce at the party what we are?”
“No!” she gasped, making him chuckle.
“I know. One step at a time,” though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t eager to let the world know she was his. But they would have plenty of time to let everyone know. He would have his whole life to protect her.
Birds chirped in the distance as Yaya let her head rest on his shoulder.
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The date rolled around much quicker than Yaya had expected.
“Are you sure about this?” Yaya asked, peeking at herself in the mirror, a small protest bubbling inside of her when she saw her reflection.
But Nee replied, “Of course dear. You look fabulous. You’ll be the envy of every woman in the room. See? No one will be able to take their eyes off of you.”
Finally, Yaya allowed both eyes to take in her full appearance. The long dress that loosely hugged her body all the way to her feet was of gold thread. Yaya had never worn anything so conspicuously eye-catching before and would have refused Nee flat out because of the low cut front, if it wasn’t for the translucent neckline that assured her the dress would not be falling down easily.
“Nee,” she pleaded, “Can’t I have a jacket to cover my shoulders?”
Nee pursed her lips but consented and produced a little black jacket for Yaya. “There, and don’t forget your most fun accessory.” She held out a white feather fan, which Yaya held and claimed ready for the party.
“But shouldn’t I have a mask also?” Yaya asked, feeling that she would be less shy if something was covering her face.
“No,” Nee shook her head, “You are the guest of honor. We must make sure everyone knows who you are. We will not cover up your pretty face with a mask tonight.”
Arriving at the top of the stairs, Yaya felt her heart speed up. There were so many people she didn’t know downstairs and she would feel terrible to make a fool of herself. But she had to trust Nee’s judgment and so she descended with a gracefulness that successfully hid her anxiety. She easily drew the eyes of the guests, as a transformed beauty, who could hardly be recognized from her usual girlish simple clothes. Here was a full grown woman with a halo of soft wavy hair that seemed to suggest she had come to be the heart of the party and indeed the relatives that she feared so much were more than happy to be acquainted with her.
She stayed by Mother’s side as the lady introduced her for everyone to know as the daughter of the Theerada family. There were people to be greeted and small talk to made as well as plenty of compliments. Finally, Mother excused herself to go check on something, leaving Yaya very self-conscious. Just then, she spotted Om standing before her, looking at her with a transfixed expression as if he were almost dreaming. He wore a black tuxedo with a silver mask that hid the upper half of his face.
His lips moved, “…raya…”
“What was that?” she asked, confused.
Om blinked behind his mask and shook his head. “Oh, it’s just…Yaya, you look beautiful.”
She brushed back her hair. “Thanks. I feel…I’m not sure, this is the first time I’ve attended a party like this.”
He nodded. “You’re doing fine. Here, I’ll get you a beverage.”
“Have you seen…” she didn’t get the chance to ask him about Nadech when he was gone, but almost instantly replaced by Nee.
“Here hon,” Nee gave her a glass, “It’s punch. And I just saw Mother. She said she’d like for you to go meet her by the pool.”
Wondering why Mother would want to meet her out there, Yaya accepted the glass and slipped through the crowd of masqueraders; she was quite overwhelmed at this point by the friends and extended relatives in the house and kept sipping her drink as an excuse to not have to talk to people, who were sending her curious glances, even the ones she’d met already.
By the time she reached the pool, her glass was empty and a strange lightness was flushing through her veins.
By the pool was a man wearing a black jacket like Om, so she asked, “Om? Have you seen Mother—“
Suddenly the man turned to her and jerked her towards him by her wrist. “What are you doing?” she gasped, instantly trying to free herself from him. But for some reason, her muscles felt loose; her feet were dizzily unstable. She wasn’t aware of the man holding her by her waist until all of a sudden, he was gone and a great splash turned her attention to the pool.
“Get out of here,” a voice demanded coldly.
The drenched person quickly escaped. All of this was happening too fast for Yaya to comprehend, for she was still floating in her own cloud.
“Yaya—“
“Oh,” she gasped she nearly stumbled into the pool but was caught by a man—a gentleman, her hazy mind thought. He dragged her away to the side of the house that was much more secluded and hidden.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, pulling her steady and eyeing her in concern.
The black and white stranger before her looked familiar. The arms that encircled her echoed with belonging. His dark eyes shone through a butterfly mask, searching over her, eyes trailing from her crown of flowered hair, to the little jacket that toned down her gold dress but which also drew the eyes straight to her beautiful waist and chest. Her downcast eyes showed him creamy blue lids that finally lifted and looked back at him, mirthful and unfocused.
“Are you drunk?” he asked.
“No way. I only had punch,” Yaya replied, giggling at how silly the idea was. “Um, who are you?” She couldn’t remember the reason why she had come out in the first place.
His sigh was cut in half when she glanced skyward and laughed a bell-like laugh, squeezing his shoulder. She had already forgotten her own question. “Stars! I never thought I’d be able to see so many in the city. I wonder which one is the one I came from, and who is the person that walked to earth with me.” She pouted. “Nadech said that if I never find my soulmate, Nadech would walk me back to the stars. I hope he keeps his promise. I…” She leaned in close confidentially, and her breath felt like a delicious breeze on his cheek. “I’m afraid I’ll get lost along the path, otherwise.”
How he yearned to tell her that she had no fear of being alone, just as he had told her from the start. Nadech tightened his hold around her, instinctively wanting to make sure no other man but he would walk by her side. He drew her close and whispered, “I promise,” and sealed that promise with a kiss.
If Yaya had felt light-headed before, it was nothing compared to the commotion the lips of this stranger stirred in her heart. His mouth was warm and molded to hers softly, inviting her to pucker in response, which encouraged him to sweep her mouth open to taste her fully, never losing that gentleness. Both attentively let their souls intertwine at their lips until they felt that they had traveled light-years to their destined star in heaven.
Nee paced in anger in the bathroom, after leading a group of Mother’s friends outside to witness a scandal, but found the pool area empty. Where had that girl sneaked off to and why had her worker not reported back to her?
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His lips kissed her over and over.
Yaya sat up in bed. Her hand lifted to cover her mouth in shock as she realized the dream she had had, was not a dream at all. “Oh my gosh. What was I doing last night?” Her breathing was coming heavily now, not unlike in her dream, and her face felt as warm as the color maroon. Suddenly, a horrible thought struck her as memories of Nee’s last words to her came back. What had happened?
Kat came in to find a very distraught Yaya all rolled up under her blanket. “What’s wrong Yaya?”
“Kat!” Yaya swallowed hard and forced herself to ask, “How did I get back to my room?”
“Nadech helped me bring you up.”
Yaya’s mouth opened in horror. Nadech had been there? What if he had seen…? “The party…when did it end?”
“Oh well into the night. Mother said you fell ill though so she told Nadech to send you promptly back. The party went on just fine though, so don’t you worry. I heard many of the relatives say that they really liked you and wanted to meet with you again.”
Yaya sighed with relief. But then she panicked again at the very scandalous idea of kissing someone she didn’t know. The feeling was coupled with yet more confusion at the vivid memory of feeling that he had NOT felt like a stranger at all. But how could that be? Just the thought of him, Yaya could feel the feathery pressure of his lips again, and her heart pumped violently with glee.
“Is she awake?”
Yaya’s eyes widened and it took all of her will power not to dive under her bed and hide.
“How are you feeling?” Om asked as Kat passed him to go out.
“B-better. Um…you were there too? Did you…see me with anyone?”
“No,” he answered. “Nadech said he saw you fall asleep in one of the chairs by the pool.” He shook a finger at her, “Eh, who told you you could drink?”
She spluttered an explanation that she had thought the drink was just punch but Om just chuckled.
“I guess it was just a mistake. Be more careful next time. You were gone all of a sudden and…” he trailed off in silent memories before directing his attention back at her.
She restlessly nodded. “Y-you’re sure though, that no one was with me, or…or saw me?”
“It’s okay, I don’t think anyone saw you. Nadech sent you back home. He already left for his meeting though.”
“Oh.” She’d completely forgotten that Nadech had to leave. What she felt most guilty about was that she was relieved she wouldn’t have to face him after what had happened last night. How could this happen to her, Yaya groaned inside. She had unintentionally betrayed Nadech. She looked up at Om and just then noticed how haggard he appeared. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Me? I’m fine. Why?”
She got out of bed and lifted her hand to feel his forehead. “You feel kind of warm. Have you not been resting like Mother asked you to?”
For a moment, he simply looked at her, then quickly turned away. “I’m fine. Thanks for your concern.” He left Yaya anxious as she recalled Nadech telling her that it was nearing Araya’s death anniversary. Would he continue being like this until it passed?
Yaya let her cell phone ring until the tension inside her snapped and she answered. “Hello?”
“Hey.”
She gulped. “How are the meetings?”
“They’re going well. How are you doing? Hungover?” Nadech teased.
She replied without humor, “No…”
He exaggeratedly sighed. “I never would have expected this from you Yaya. Imagine my surprise when I went out to look for you and discovered you unconscious. Tsk, I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed.”
“…I’m sorry,” she hung her head in shame.
Nadech chuckled, “I was kidding. Do you really think I’d be mad because of something like that? But seriously, next time, don’t drink unless I’m around. Okay?”
“Okay.”
His brow puckered. “Are you alright? You sound tired. Go to bed early tonight and don’t go to work if you’re not feeling well. Yaya?” he asked when she remained silent. “I really was joking. Don’t feel bad.”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Yaya burst out, “What would you say if I did something really bad b-but it wasn’t intentional and I never wanted it to happen?’
So it was this. Of course, Nadech thought, she didn’t have a clear memory of last night. A smile appeared as his own vivid recollection of their kiss touched his lips. Currently, he was imagining how Yaya would react when he revealed who the stranger that was eating at her guilt was. She would be shocked, be shy, she would pout, then, while she had her senses about her this time, he would convince her to let him kiss her senseless all over again.
Biting back a grin, he gently assured her. “If you didn’t do it on purpose and you feel remorse, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be forgiven.”
She held her breath. “Really?”
“Really. Hey, I didn’t get to tell you this but, you looked lovely last night.”
Still slightly pensive, she let her guilt subside for the moment. “How come you showed up so late?” Yaya quickly added, “But good thing you came at the right time. I don’t know what I would have done if all your relatives saw me like that.”
“They love you already, I can tell.” This got a small giggle out of her. “Don’t worry about whatever it is for now.”
“Okay.” She was pleased enough to hear his voice and the gentle tone he always spoke with, so tentative to her feelings like he knew everything about her. “Nadech…I miss you a lot.”
His chest fluttered with affection from her words. “Soon I’ll be back home and you won’t be able to get rid of me. Oh, Yaya. Can you do me a favor?”
“Guess what?” Boy said, coming in to see Nadech.
“Yes?”
“Interestingly, while you’re here close to Yaya’s hometown, I heard from an assistant that Pope Surongtakul is doing business near our town.”
Nadech looked up briefly. “I’m sure he won’t be stopping by for a visit any time soon.”
Boy scoffed, “I’m still sore over the lost lawsuit. At least he doesn’t gloat over his victories….”
“We’ll just have to let it go,” Nadech said.
“Yeah, easy for you to say. You got the girl.” This earned Boy a questioning look, making him roll his eyes. “Just couldn’t help noticing a change of attitude in you lately.”
“How so?”
“Oh I dunno, like how happy you are, like how when we’re out, you look at the food like it can’t be compared to the food made by someone else, and do I have to mention the cheesy smiles?”
Nadech laughed. “Seriously?”
“The question is, how did it happen?” Boy quirked a brow.
Nadech got up and straightened his jacket, shrugging. “Maybe, just maybe, the stars wrote it.”
“Okay, stuff like that should only be said by people who read scripts for a living,” Boy followed him out of the office.
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Hey guys! Thanks for reading, I always look forward to seeing your comments. Gosh I miss you all, and hope you're having a great weekend!
THE MASQUERADE PARTY WAS INSPIRED BY KIKI AND THESE:
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