The next morning
Blue Bells Villa
Sara grunted in her sleep. She tried to get rid of something that stuck on her back like a koala to a tree. It was like a giant heater giving warmth for getting rid of some early morning blues. She finally opened her eyes groggily and found herself somewhere she least expected to be. She thought that she had fallen asleep on the sofa last night when the new wall TV came alive for the first time. All thanks to Riley. Well, how did she end up sleeping in Riley's room? Sara's brows were raised to its highest point.
She tried to turn her head to take a look. But the koala on her back was hugging her tight with his head ducked on the nape of her neck. His messy hair was tickling her. She could not help but let out a sigh. He really did have a siesta, akin to a baby. He was sleeping like a child as she found it adorable and annoying at the same time. She tried to pry his hands open, but it ended up tightening further. Riley squeaked like a baby pitbull beside her. Sara frantically bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing out loud. He was really behaving in childish ways, especially in his sleep.
She had to admit that she had a sound sleep in billion days. She slept well, devoid of any dreams or nightmares. But, that necessarily did not mean that she had to sleep here all day. She had work to do.
"Riley?" she wriggled, in order to loosen his embrace. He grunted again, not letting her go.
"Riley!" she was running off her patience. In the end, she applied some force and Riley sat up with a jump.
"What? Thief! Where?" he began jumping on the bed, like a fool.
"Hey! Hey! Calm down! Calm down", she grabbed his hands and forced him to sit. She was alarmed to see the way he reacted. Does that mean he was cuddling a thief in his dream? The thought made her squint.
"Oh?" he rubbed his eyes self-consciously, "Where am I? Yeah, I was sleeping at your home last night, right? Right, I remember."
She just smiled and lowered her head when she saw his stubborn state. But this made Riley more self-conscious and he began racking his nerves as to what he should do and what not.
Sara heaved a sigh and tightened her grip around his hands. She leaned a bit closer to look at him carefully as he avoiding eye contact.
"Listen", she said softly, "Don't get so worked up, alright? I understand. You were having a good night's sleep. I just wonder if you were hugging a 'thief' in your dream."
"A thief?" he looked up as if he had a loss of some nerves. Then, he raised his brows as if he had suddenly remembered something, "Ah! A thief? Yeah, a thief. I was hugging a thief in my sleep."
Sara raised her eyebrows at his words.
"That thief…", he continued, "Last night, she had fallen asleep in my lap. When I tried to wake her up, she refused to let go and stuck to me like a baby koala. So, I had to carry her in my arms and hug her to sleep. That thief, you know? She stole my heart."
"Yeah", Sara nodded in a nonchalant way, "I see that."
"Well", Riley chuckled, "Sorry about that."
"Sorry about what?"
"I brought you here without your permission. You must be mad at me, now."
"Not really. But you could have asked, right? There is no harm in asking", she let go of his hands and fidgeted with her fingers.
"As I said, you refused to let go. When I asked you about your room, you slurred something inaudible. I am sorry. My IQ is very down to earth. What could I do? You take me where your room is."
"Yeah, we will think about that", she squinted, "Later."
"Don't overthink it", he raised his brows, "I was just asking."
Sara rolled her eyes and turned away to smile. Then, she said, "I better go make some breakfast. You said that you have some family matters to attend, right?"
"Mm", he nodded and got off the bed after Sara. Then, he said in a whisper, "Or else Papa-gorgon will be furious."
"Seriously?" Sara shook her head at the way he was addressing his father. He nodded a very serious yes.
Riley stayed behind to brush and clean up while Sara hurried to go to her room.
When Sara left the room, she found the maids cleaning and walking around the villa. Sara was least used to them being around because she hardly came back.
"Good morning, Miss", the maids bowed and greeted her. Sara grunted an approval, before saying, "Make something heavy and wholesome for breakfast."
They hardly saw her around and some of them had never seen her in person. They had only heard people speaking about the legendary Empress. Though she appeared a bit disheveled because she had just woken up, she still carried the aura of elegance, the aura of a Queen. She was Crème de la crème. They lifted their heads only upon realizing that she had made her way upstairs.
They fully understood what being intimidated by a person meant. Nonetheless, they started doing the works they were intended to do.
…
Meanwhile, Riley had finished washing up and found that his clothes from the previous night were not fully dried. So, he resorted to wearing the same blue V-necked t-shirt and pajamas. In any way, he was not planning to stay here. And if he does, he would pack a huge suitcase before arriving. That would be great!
So, he just brushed his hair before stepping out of his room. He grumbled when he saw the legion of maids, walking around. They were not here the previous night. Why did they appear here out of nowhere?! To disrupt his 'quality time' with Sara!
He walked out in a proud manner, completely ignoring the brazen glances shot at him. Once he walked into the living room, warning bells started ringing over his head. Sh*t! He was unsure of where to go, to escape the brooding gazes around. How strange would it be to say that he had been to the Empress's Villa but didn't know his way around? But, the echoing sounds of footsteps descending from the stairs, saved his grace! God was willing to help him!