Edward woke up with a slight jump. His eyes wide open, the first thing he did was to take a quick look at his surroundings. Recognizing it to be his suite, he was glad that Nick had done as he had asked him to. The sense of urgency still present within him, he reached to his nightstand for his phone but, it was not where he had expected it to be. He got up from the bed to check his suit's pockets and pants, but still no luck. Then the most likely suspect popped in his head, Nick.
Just as he thought of the person, he could hear his voice coming from the seating area of the suite. It sounded like he was on a call with someone. Not bothering to hear more of the conversation taking place, he opened his bedroom's door to see Nick on a video call on HIS phone with Mr. William Huxley, his grandfather. He instantly regretted not waiting out for Nick's conversation to finish before making his appearance.
Nick turned to see the wide-awake Edward and was a bit shocked to see that he had only slept for 12 hours this time around after having met that woman. He had come to the conclusion that last night along with the time before that, the presence of the green-eyed woman had some type of significance to Edward's sleeping condition. That could be the only explanation as her presence according to his observation could not simply be a matter of coincidence.
Mr. Huxley immediately noticed the presence of his grandson, Edward, and immediately asked him how he was. Nick noticing the shift in the conversation, handed the phone over to Edward.
Mr. Huxley observing his grandson with a tad bit of excitement stated, "Is it just me or do you look a healthier color than you ever have? The circles remain nonetheless, but there is a glow. Don't you think so, Nick?" Though Nick could no longer be seen by Mr. Huxley thorough the video call, he could be heard replying loudly, "I agree, Mr. Huxley." Edward gave a quick glare to Nick who always agreed to everything his influential grandfather ever said.
Mr. Huxley continued on, "The news of you blanking out last night reached my ears first thing in the morning, Edward. I have already made the headquarters' PR team handle it. The CEO of the hotel blanking out during an event is a bit messy."
"I fell asleep", Edward corrected him unconsciously.
A smile played on Mr. Huxley's aged but well-kept face as he heard his grandson state the facts as such. "Nick has told me so as well. That woman might as well be your soulmate but do keep in mind the status of your fiancé, Edward. Though as you should already know, I'm always on your side, Edward." He said with great energy.
However, realizing he had just taken sides which would be unacceptable to his daughter if found out, he added, "Keep it a secret from your Aunt Velma."
The last line made him chuckle a bit as his grandfather has always been scared of his only daughter, Velma Huxley-Wagner, who always accused him of favoring and spoiling Edward. Furthermore, despite her claim being very true, he always argued it to not be as such.
The mention of his 'soulmate' brought back his sense of urgency in finding his waltz partner and so he hurried to end the video call.
"I will send an apology to all those that were present at the event and do more events to lessen the effect of my mistake from last night. Will contact you as soon as I can, for now, I bid you a good day, Mr. Huxley." Noticing that Edward had shifted to his ever business attitude toward him, Mr. Huxley, sighed but the smile on his face remained as he concluded the video call, "I will look forward to your further progress, Mr. Edward."
The video call ended on that note. Immediately, Edward looked straight at Nick and held out his hand as he demanded, "Her contact number and tell me everything that you've come to conclude."
Nick was in a teasing mood, but seeing Edward's piercing grey eyes revitalized, after being dull for many years, looking straight at his, he could not help giving in. He reached inside his pocket and handed him the card that the woman from last night had handed him to clear up the situation at a better time and condition.
Reading the card, he had been given, Edward read it over and over again, "Nor Cares Daycare, Leah Norwood" He felt the name of the daycare to be somewhat familiar to his ears. However, before he could recall from where, Nick interrupted his thoughts as he asked, "Are you ready to hear what I have to share with you about my observation on your headaches and overall worsening condition?" Edward put the card into his pocket with care.
He then sat down on the sofa behind him. Nick sat across him. Then with a wave of Edward's hand to show that he was ready, Nick started his detailed explanation. He re-explained what he had already shared with Mr. Huxley though he elaborated further this time around with more details for Edward.
After hearing what Nick had to say, the meeting with Ms. Norwood became ever more urgent to Edward, as a sense of fear over her disappearing before he got to properly meet her settled within him.
He left directly for the hotel's garage, leaving Nick behind in the suite. Nick thought over if he should follow Edward to further observe, but he had a feeling there would be another chance to do so. He got out his phone and noticed he had no texts or calls from Melany. "She must be really mad", thought Nick to himself as he dialed her phone number hoping to fix their night that had been interrupted by the Edward situation last night. There was only one ring before Melany picked up the phone to answer, "I wasn't waiting." Her action and words did not match as always, making Nick grin.
"Will you meet me in my clinic in an hour, Mel?", Nick asked with a suggestive tone.
Hearing him call her Mel made her heart skip a beat. "This player", she thought to herself as she replied in her most stern voice, "I'll see about it."
Hearing her trying to act still angry though he knew that she, as understanding of him and his priorities that she was, had already long forgiven him, he mischievously put on a dejected voice as he replied, "Oh okay, but I hope we get to though, Mel."
TWO in a row and all of Melany's defenses had fallen against Nick's sweet calling of her. There were a few seconds of silence before she abruptly hung up as she hurriedly stated, "Okay"
Hearing her say okay, Nick knew that Melany would be there, his coaxing of her had worked marvelously as always. He internally applauded himself as he headed to his clinic where Melany would be joining him.
***
Leah Norwood greeted the children one by one as they entered the daycare for another day of fun as their parents went on their way blowing kisses as they waved their byes. The scene always made her remember her beloved parents. She had lost them too young in an accident.
As she reminisced about her happy childhood fondly, she noticed Sean, age 5, walking past her as he took a big yawn. He rubbed his sleepy eyes as he walked into the playroom joining the rest. "He must have stayed up watching cartoons", Leah thought to herself.
Sean had working parents and his care was undertaken by the helper hired by his mother. Every day, it was the helper that would drop him off and pick him up from the daycare. From what Leah could assume, the helper would put Sean to sleep and then leave before his parents have gotten off work. Sean probably wakes up after the helper has left and watches his cartoons until his parents come back. She took a mental note that she should bring up her concern over Sean's bad sleeping routine when it was home time.
Leah observed Sean as she joined the children's tea party in the play room. Sean was playing with blocks as he tried to build the tallest structure, he possibly could with the limited number of blocks that he had been able to scavenger for his own play. He looked tired and struggled to keep his eyes open as the construction went on. The few times he had dozed off, some of the children had taken a few blocks off his structure. He would look at his shrinking structure with confusion and wonder.
From her observation, it looked like Sean had stayed up even longer than he usually did. She excused herself from the tea party as she took one last sip from the empty teacup while complimenting the host, Bella, on her plateful of imaginary sweets. She sat down next to the drowsy Sean and watched him slowly continue his play.
She talked to him in a low voice, "Want to nap, Sean?" Sean looked a bit energized at the idea of getting some sleep, but then he took a look at the clock and his shoulders slumped in realization as he said, "It's not time." Leah was proud that one of her children already had a good grasp of clocks and replied, "We can go for a secret nap."
The concept of a secret anything amazes most children and Sean was no different.
He got up and left his unfinished structure as Leah accompanied him to the nap room by the corner. Since it was still a long way till naptime, the pillows and blankets were not laid out yet. Leah went to the cabinets to grab his pillow and blanket. She had left for only a minute, but once she had turned to face him, she found Sean already fast asleep on the floor. She smiled to herself as she laid out a sleeping spot for him and gently tucked him in. He breathed evenly and gently as he dreamt about building the tallest building. Leah looked at his peaceful sleeping face and wondered who she should assign to watch over him. She got up and was about to leave the nap room when a man appeared in the doorway blocking her path.
The man looked familiar to her and then remembering Sean's sleeping face, she remembered this was the man from last night and that other night.
She had been worried the first time he had fainted but having been told that he was sleeping, though slightly unbelieving, she had no time to be nosy in other people's matters.
Last night for the Children Charity Waltz, one of the instructors in the daycare had signed her up for the waltz auction. Having only learned of it that very night, she had no means to avoid it and had somehow made it to the event. When she had been won for the waltz at the price of 100,000 dollars, she was incredibly shocked though at the same time unconsciously a bit flattered as well. Though the man had looked familiar to her when he had placed his bet, she was still not quite sure. But then when she had walked up to her partner's table and had seen the same man from that night standing next to a seemingly sleeping man, she had recognized them to be the same pair from the wedding night at the garden. She had handed the man her card so that it could be passed on to the sleeping man. She expected him to pay her a visit of some sort, but she had no idea that it was to be so soon.
Her shock at seeing him standing right in front of her amused Edward. Looking past her and spotting the sleeping kid by the corner of the room, Edward had the urge to sleep as well. Then before thinking twice about what he was about to say, he uttered, "Sleep with me."
Hearing the first words this man had ever said to her directly be 'Sleep with me', made Leah's heart drop. She knew that the man in front of her was no ordinary man from the places he had popped up. Then she remembered the very first words she had heard this man utter at the garden, 'If this keeps up, I'll die.' Thinking back, she replied with a sarcastic tone, "Excuse me, but what if I don't? Will you die?" Without even the slightest pause, Edward immediately replied in a serious tone, "I will."
Not expecting this man to be so serious about his obvious advances towards her, she was left speechless. In that second of silence, Edward realized how he might've been misunderstood due to his poor wording. However, before either of them could get say anything more, one of the instructors called from the hall, "Mr. Huxley, Principal Norwood's office is this way. I will call for her, you can wait in the office."
Edward who had not looked away from Leah's eyes even for a moment all this time, shifted his head to address the woman in the corridor who had been guiding him to meet Leah Norwood. He replied back in a flat tone, "Of course." Then as if he had not just been in middle of a conversation with the Ms. Norwood that he had come to meet, he followed the other instructor to await her in her office. Leah stood in the nap room's doorway as she waited to be told of her awaiting guest, Mr. Huxley, all the while wondering what could this very peculiar man be thinking.
She walked into her office, to see Mr. Edward Huxley resting his head on his palm, seemingly dozing off.
She hadn't made him wait for so long for him to fall asleep, had she?
Taking her seat behind the white desk of her office, she wondered to herself if the man in front of her had some sort of sleeping problem, he was always falling asleep at the most improper times.
"It could be narcolepsy", she thought.
With these thoughts circling her head, Mr. Huxley sitting in front of her started speaking, "Thank you for meeting with me, Ms. Norwood. I apologize for my condition last night though it was beyond my control." Leah interjected, "Beyond your control? Do you really suffer from narcolepsy?"
Edward had not expected Ms. Norwood to be interested in a stranger's matter, but it seemed that he had predicted wrongly. He took a moment to clearly take in the woman sitting across him.
She wasn't only green eyes pretty. She had a soft skin tone, not too pale, not too dark. A small straight nose. A charming oval face that was further complemented by her softly waved dark brown hair. And a full set of lips that were tinted a pale pink. The moment running out before he could make any further observations, he shifted his focus elsewhere. He looked out the window behind her desk that overlooked the green backyard of the daycare as he replied to her, "It's not quite narcolepsy. I suffer from insomnia, Ms. Norwood."
"Insomnia? But you fall asleep just fine from what I've seen."
Edward knew that what he was going to tell this woman who was practically a stranger to him would be quite unbelievable to her and so he changed topics for a moment.
"Today's matter is about the waltz you owe me, Ms. Norwood."
Picking up on the fact that he wanted to shift focus, Leah went along with him and said, "Oh yes. I can play a song as we waltz in my office." Hearing what Ms. Norwood had suggested, Edward could not help making an 'Are you serious face?'
Noticing his unbelieving face, Leah nonetheless urged on, "There is plenty of room and I really would not want you to think that I do not want to hold the auction's promise and…."
As Leah went on trying to convince him that they should just dance together now to consider things accounted for, Edward's eyes drifted to the window overlooking the backyard again.
He met the gaze of the still talking Ms. Norwood and she slowly quieted down as if she could meet him eye to eye despite him still having his sunglasses on.
Not understanding what Mr. Huxley wanted to convey to her, in a low voice she asked, "Is something wrong?" He nodded a no and replied, "Waltz with me outside, Ms. Norwood." As he pointed towards the window with his head.
"Oh sure. Fresh air is good as well.", Leah found herself replying instantly.
Once they were outside with grass under their feet and standing right in front of each other in complete silence. Suddenly, it dawned on Leah that they don't have any music.
"But there is no music, I think there is a Bluetooth speaker we could…" Before she could walk away from him to grab a speaker, Edward grabbed her hand and took a waltz form as he said, "Music not necessary." Feeling her body warm-up with his sudden touch, she calmed herself down internally and was able to nod an okay as they started their belated waltz in each other's arms.
From the very first step, they were somehow in perfect sync with each other and Leah found herself enjoying their silent waltz under the shining sun. Edward who had completely been relaxed by her aura from the very beginning and has had to fight his desire to sleep was completely wide awake now as he felt her warmth on his fingertips.
Both of them felt it.
It felt as if this waltz was not their first. It all felt oddly too "Familiar", they had both suddenly uttered out loud at the same time, halting the waltz. Leah blushed slightly as they now just looked at each other as if in a trance. Edward's heart clenched as he saw Leah blush a little and even then it looked not too foreign to him. He let go of his hold on her back and created a bit of space between them as he removed his sunglasses.
Leah was instantly captivated by his familiar grey eyes. But her suspicions remained on why the man in front of her remained to be so familiar to her eyes and mind. Seeing that she was still looking at him questioningly, Edward's heart dropped a little in inexplainable disappointment as his eyebrows knitted together. Leah gasped in recognition as she exclaimed questioningly, "TEDDY!?"