She's My Sleeping Pill

“This tank top is a lot comfier since it is hot outside. You’ll get some tan lines though, but I think you will look sexier in them.”

“Sexier in front of you is troublesome. I’m afraid we’d end up doing something at the stable.”

In response, Stefan winked at her which was already a sign that she should do something. In the end, she paired her tank top with denim shorts which would be difficult for Stefan to pull down. And he snorted at the sight of her choices. Since he won’t be able to make a move on her later, Stefan pulled her back to the couch and made love to her. By the time they finished, it was already dark outside.

“I guess we’ll have to cancel our horseback riding?”

“Cancel our nghkdifj” Cayenne said with incomprehensible words at the end. She was really looking forward to getting on a horse with him.

To make it up to her, Stefan called his house manager to bring back the dogs which were still under his care for training. It was a sudden change of plans but the manager felt happy since the dogs will be able to forge a relationship with their new owner. The earlier, the better.

.....

“Are we really keeping them?” Cayenne asked happily when she saw the four puppies in front of them. Two of them were Tibetan Mastiffs and the other two were German Shepherds. She was really thrilled at the sight of them. “Did you give them a name already?”

“I want you to give them names.”

“Are they all males?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the manager said politely, “since you are busy, sir Stefan wanted to make sure that you won’t have any problems when it comes to taking care of them. Male dogs are less hassle compared to females, in our opinion.”

“Oh! I don’t really mind whatever the gender is. I’m just so glad I have dogs now since we left our first dog under Stefan’s grandparents’ care.”

It was a night full of fun for Cayenne since she finally met the dogs that Stefan wanted to give her. She named them after the seasons of the year – summer, spring, autumn, and winter. Since they were still small, it would be easier for her to establish trust and loyalty between them.

The next morning, the two of them woke up early to have a morning exercise which includes walking their dogs outside. This time, Cayenne finally got the chance to see the whole property which stumped her speechless. She couldn’t see any side of other people around 2 kilometers in diameter. All her eyes could see was the majestic mansion and the green forestry.

“Did you buy the whole mountain?” Cayenne blurted while keeping her pace with Stefan or probably, it was Stefan who kept his pace with her.

“I wanted us to have a home where we can have peace of mind and I know you like the view of forest, flowers, and lake. I tried putting them together in one place.”

“There’s also a lake around here?”

Stefan explained to her the discovery of the construction workers which saved him a lot of money. If there was no natural spring in this mountain, he would have sourced some water from the nearest village and paid a hefty amount of money to make Cayenne’s wish come true. Thankfully, God was on his side.

Cayenne suddenly turned around and wiped her face. She didn’t want him to think she was a crybaby yet right now; she just couldn’t stop her tears. She felt so grateful for meeting him and she couldn’t think of any way to repay him.

“If you are that happy, just kiss me. There’s no need to cry over it.” Stefan commented while pulling her into his arms. “I never thought I’d be able to do this and I couldn’t thank God enough for lending me strength and intelligence to make your wishes come true.”

Their morning walk turned dramatic but it was something that strengthened their bond even more. Cayenne and Stefan held two dogs in each hand as they walked side by side and talked about their future. They were just starting their own family and with the support of all those people who cared for them, Stefan has nothing to worry about.

When they returned to their house, Stefan went to the kitchen and washed his hands before going upstairs to get his phone while Cayenne stayed outside because she wanted to play a little more with the dogs. Stefan thought he won’t have anything to worry about, but there he was, reading a piece of worrying news shared by Thomas Aizenberg, his friend.

[Monet Lhuillier, an internationally known fashion designer who recently attended the grand wedding of her friends, Stefan and Cayenne Dumrique, came back with shocking news. The fashion designer and entrepreneur decided to withdraw from the public view because of some issues. It was not stipulated what really caused this sudden withdrawal but she said she will continue to work on the pending designs that customers entrusted her.]

Stefan pinched his nose bridge and sighed heavily. Monet never said anything during the wedding or even the days before that. She acted normal and he didn’t notice that something was wrong with her. The only thing that changed was her avoidance of Thomas. Thomas was also avoiding her.

[Did something happen between those two?] Then he remembered something that Thomas asked him. [Did he lay his hands on her?!]

How could Thomas verify that? He was confused if something really happened between him and Monet; and to know the truth, he needed to ask her. But how can he ask something so shameful to that woman he cared about?

At the end of the day, Stefan cannot really butt into this issue and all he could do was contact Monet. Unfortunately, even he was also blocked from contacting her. [Now, what?] Stefan thought but no matter what he did, he could not get in touch with her.

“You go and find her, or you will regret this for the rest of your life!” He told Thomas via voice recording and sent it. His angry voice was what greeted Cayenne when she opened the door and flinched in shock. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.”

“Did something happen?”

Since Cayenne didn’t know what happened, Stefan filled her with the information and hoped that she could help. Since she was a woman, she might feel something that men can’t. He just didn’t want to be like Marian and Cayenne who reunited after a long time and the other was already dying from an illness. He was afraid that Monet was also suffering from something and just refused to share it with them.

“Did something happen between her and Thomas?” she asked and a deep frown appeared on her face “I thought something was strange between them. During the photoshoot, they only talked about the work they were doing and they maintained a great distance between themselves. During the reception, I never saw them converse with each other.”

“They must have fought.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know.”

While they worry about this issue, Monet already arrived at her townhouse in Baguio City, Philippines. She looked free and energetic as if she didn’t cause a storm in the fashion world. Her things have been delivered a few days before her arrival and all she needed to do was unpack them. Her assistant was already waiting for her inside the house since she arrived earlier to do some cleaning.

“Jess?”

“Ms. Monet. You are finally here. How was your flight? Did you feel nauseous or dizzy?”

“I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about. Have you been doing well here?”

“Oh! Yes. I made friends with some of our neighbors and they were very hospitable. I learned some of their specialty dishes and I can’t wait for you to try them. Ah! I have to leave to buy groceries. I was supposed to go out this morning but the sun was shining beautifully so, I decided to trim the plants. Will you be alright if I leave now?”

“Sure. Can you buy me strawberries?”

“Got it.”

The moment her assistant left; Monet sat on the carpet and looked outside the window. The tall pines and the cold weather suddenly pulled her to a distant memory and it was something she treasured the most. It was a memory before Stefan came into her life.

Fifteen years ago.

Sitting on a bench under the maple tree was Monet who had her hair done in braided pigtails. She was wearing a brown trench coat, black jeans, and her favorite black leather boots which her grandmother gifted her on her 11th birthday. Beside her was the son of her grandparents’ neighbor, Thomas Aizenberg. “You really like drawing these trees,” Thomas said as he watched Monet draw a silhouette of pine trees under the veil of moonlight. “Do you like to live surrounded by these trees?”

She was from the Pearl of the Orient Seas but since it was summer vacation in the Philippines, her parents allowed her to visit her grandparents who live in Tuscany. “Yeah. In the Philippines, I always dreamed of living in Baguio because Cebu City is really hot. One day, I will buy a land and build my home there.”

“You can surely do that after you become a famous designer. Hmm. I will do my best to become a famous photographer, too. Then, I will buy a lot next to yours and live there. Or maybe I’ll just live with you.”

“No way! You have to marry me if you do that or my parents will kill you.”

“How much dowry do you think I need to save in order to marry you?”

It was probably just a joke between them because Monet never knew that she would fall in love with him. The hardest part was the fact that she was different from the women that Thomas likes. She tried to change herself; act and look like those people he fancied. And then, she felt tired. She didn’t want to lose herself because she wanted to be somebody else in order to attract him. Sad to say, she could not give up her love for him. She fell deeper and deeper into this sinkhole of love until she could no longer see the light. She lost her reasons and failed her logical brain. In the end, she suffers.

“Ms. Monet?” Jess called when she returned home and found Monet crying silently on the floor. “Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell? Wait. Let me get you a glass of water.”