After eating their lunch, Cayenne and her siblings talked for a few more minutes before they finally went home.
"Now, let's talk." Cayenne looked at him with a smile, the kind of smile that he didn't want to see because she seemed a little scary with her eyes spitting fires.
Stefan pursed his lips and just walked to the living room while holding her waist and hand to support her. The moment that the two of them had taken a seat, Stefan immediately started to explain.
"I didn't mean to make that sort of excuse but Ayen, that was the last solution I could think of. When I met your brothers earlier, I felt like I robbed someone off. If I told them that I was paying you to help me with my sleeping disorder, they would think differently. It would be better if they would think badly of me but, they would think badly of you as well.
Telling them that I am your boyfriend was the last option and the safest one, too."
"We will only act like couple in front of my siblings but behind close doors and in front of other people, we will still act like how we used to be."
"And how we were acting before?" Stefan questioned her with a raised brow. "We are fine with how we are now. There's no need to change. We will just adjust according to events and situation, as well as the people we're with."
"You have really made a thorough plan for this."
"Of course." Stefan responded with a sly grin on his face. "It would be bad if you'd run away from me."
Cayenne rolled her eyes at him. As the days passed, they were getting closer and the employer-employee relationship was starting to change to something you can call as friendship.
Stefan asked manager Kim to approve Cayenne's leave due to health issue. She needed to rest for few more days to make sure that her swollen ankle won't get worse. She was given three days off and in these three days, she was staying in the house that Stefan bought for the two of them.
He made sure that he didn't have any appointment for lunch in order to come home and eat lunch with her. And since she was told not to walk so much or stand for so long, Stefan would always bring food for lunch. He would come home early in the evening to cook for their dinner, too.
His recent actions and gestures made Cayenne felt so happy at the same time afraid. She didn't want to get used to this kind of treatment because she will be having a hard time when everything comes to an end. Even so, she wanted to bask in his care.
"Do you want to visit your mother tomorrow? Maybe you should talk to her about your plans. I mean, we'll be leaving after getting your passport done. You should at least inform her about us."
"About us?! You want me to tell my mother about us?! No way! There's no way I'd do that." Cayenne firmly refused his suggestion. "I have lied to my brothers already. There's no way I'd lie to my mother."
"Sorry for asking you do something so irresponsible. I just thought that your brothers would probably tell her about us and maybe you need to talk to her about us."
"Oh god! You are right." Cayenne responded helplessly.
The two of them were having their dinner and it was the last day of her leave as well. The swell on her ankle was already gone and the doctor that Stefan called for her also confirmed that she can start going back to work again. Tomorrow, she would be going back to work in the hotel.
"Wait. You said that I can go home tomorrow? I mean, I have work in the morning so, the only time I can visit my mother and talk to her would be after work, which means, I can't come here on time."
"It's fine if you can't come here on time, just make sure that you'll come. I'll be waiting."
"Thank you, Stefan." Cayenne responded with a faint smile. "You've done so much for me but I'm only helping you with one thing."
Stefan chuckled and reached out his hand to rub her head. "You have helped me a lot. I can do many things because I'm able to replenish my energy properly. If it's not because of you, I would have fainted several times like what happened in the past. Anyway, you are risking your dignity and reputation for me. The things I have done for you are too small to compare to your efforts."
"Let's drop this topic. You are making me cry."
Another hearty laughter escaped his lips and he rubbed her head for one last time before they continued to eat. Another thing which made him so happy that night was because he can finally hug her again. In the past few days, he had been holding her hand to sleep. And he missed hugging her so much. He wanted to feel her warmth once again.
After dinner, Cayenne washed their used utensils and Stefan was wiping them dry before putting them back to their respective places. He was very quick to his actions since he wanted to go to sleep as soon as possible. Cayenne didn't know what was going on with his mind, she was just doing her job as properly.
The moment they finished cleaning their things, Stefan went upstairs to take a shower. Cayenne took a shower earlier already so she was just waiting for him on their bed. When she looked at the time, it was still very early – five minutes after eight. Usually, they would sleep around nine or ten in the evening but tonight, for some reason, she just wanted to sleep as soon as possible.
Stefan came out from the bathroom while wiping his hair. "Come over here. I'll help you dry your hair."