Chapter 5 - COME GET IT

𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑜~

It started drizzling and the windows were naked with the parted curtains. I remember shutting everything before leaving for work today. I wonder when this man moved in, was it immediately I left for work? Or…..it slipped my mind to ask him that. I shut the windows to prevent the drizzles from intruding and who knows it might start pouring soon. I get this is monsoon season but the rain was becoming intolerable and I could feel the cold taking over my body too.

I walked back to the sitting room to close the windows since banging on his bedroom door-- my parent's bedroom door to open up didn't work. Out of all the rooms here, why that one? I have a lot of questions to ask and explanations for them as well.

To be honest, this man was getting on my sleeve. First, he barged into my house claiming it as his, he cooked in my kitchen and he has taken over my parent's bedroom as his and some of my clothes are stored in there. Tomorrow I'm getting this over with, sincerely speaking I'm not liking his aura.

I climbed the side stool, lost in my thoughts as I reached out my hands to close the window adjoining the dining area. It was a little higher than the others, I stood on the tip of my toes to reach it but my right foot mistakenly stepped on the left one causing me to lose my balance.

I landed on my butt but a scream escaped my lips when the wooden heavy stool fell on my leg just as I dreaded. Just as the pain registered in my head, I saw him walk briskly towards me with the same indifferent look on his face. My scream must have led him out of his room.

He was still without a shirt covering his upper body and I couldn't help gawking at the fine planes of his chest and that almost stirred up something inside me. I averted my eyes to something else in the sitting room. He crouched down beside me and lifted the stool. It felt as if a burden had been lifted from my leg but it didn't stop the pain that came afterwards.

"Owww," I whined, pulling my leg close. I dragged my leg close to me to massage the pain away but his hands came down instantly on my leg, slightly brushing mine. I promptly withdrew my hand and looked up to meet his eyes but his gaze was fixed on my bruised leg. I didn't know why my heart palpitated with just a brush of his hand.

My pulse revved when his fingers kneaded the pain in my leg and I let out another bitter cry. I don't know who this man is or where he came from but whatever he is doing to my leg was so pacifying. I watched the wary look on his face as he continued doing what he was doing.

"How's that?" He asked, kneading off the pain in my leg. "Does this help?"

'𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑,' I moaned absentmindedly, taking in the way his fingers felt on my leg. I bit my lower lip when I realized what had just flown out of my mouth. He lifted his eyes to me, prolly surprised at my response. His hazel-piercing eyes seemed to be so strenuous.

𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑜 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢? I scolded myself with the embarrassment riding in. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟. Conscious of his hands on my leg and the proximity between us, I snatched my leg from him.

"Thanks, I'm fine, I will take it from here," I stood to my feet. I shuddered when the pain I felt a little while ago came back but I maintained my stance and trudged on one foot up to my room and shut the door behind me.

I let out a deep breath and hit my chest to calm the harsh racing of my heart. A sound reverberated in the sky. I almost jerked at the sound. I walked lamely to my windows to close them. I limped to my bed and slumped down, turning on the heater on my nightstand. I let out another sigh and turned on my back, nuzzling on the softness of my bed.

I peered at the ceiling, watching the light emitting from the chandelier illuminate the room, I traced my eyes down to my wardrobe and almost everything that made up my room. I can't give up these things, they matter to me. I can't let some strange man take what was rightfully mine.

How do I pay off the debt my parents own Mr Warren? Even if I save from now till the next six months, it wouldn't be enough. Why would my parents borrow such an amount for an animation? As if that wasn't enough, they mortgaged our home.

And the company wasn't doing fine either, where do I go from here if I let this man have my house? God, please I need a miracle, I silently prayed and shut my eyes.

I flew my eyes open when I heard a buzzing sound, I limped to where I tossed my bag and fetched out my phone. I grimaced at the name of the person written on the screen.

I ignored the call and limped back to my bed, I lay on my back listening to my phone ringtone go on forever. Why can't he get that I don't want to speak to him anymore? I might not know the girl he cheated on me with and I don't wish to know. I wonder how long I have been living a lie.

My goal now is to restore my parent's house and the company's lost glory. I'm not in the mood for any love drama whatsoever. My phone rang more than three times when he decided to quit. A single tear rolled down my eye as my mind raced back to that night, that night my existence would've been wiped out because of him.

The pain I felt that night was thrice intolerable when I lost my parents. He was my existence, he was everything to me…..no I won't cry over him anymore. I'm done crying.

I shook off the thoughts of him and stood up from my bed to my bathroom, I climbed into the tub and lay down, switching on the water. Letting the water cascade down my body. I closed my eyes, taking in the warmness of the water as it magically calmed my nerves.

~

𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑜~

I thrusted the kitchen door open and walked in but the lights were off? I groped in the enveloping darkness to where the switches are. But I noticed something off with the temperature of the room, that's when I heard low shaky breathing even though whoever was in here tried hard to hold their breath and I also heard a low sob. I wonder who is in here and why they switched off the whole lights?

I precipitously and frantically searched the inside pocket of my blazer and pulled out my phone. I switched on the light and channeled it on the walls to make out where the switches are. I saw a glimpse of a shadow on the wall, who could that be and from the shadow's stance. I felt he or she was hiding from something.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" My voice came out low but steady. Whoever was in here made a creaking sound but then went silent again.

My curiosity was getting the better of me as my eyes landed on the switch. I switched on the lights and my eyes darted all around the kitchen. "Hello?" I called out again, hoping whoever was in there would show him or herself.

I pulled off my blazer and unhurriedly marched towards the refrigerator. "Hello?" I skimmed the corners of the kitchen counters, walking slowly to the refrigerator. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

"Mom?" My eyes went wide with wonder and curiosity. She curled herself to the fridge and in her hand was a frying pan. Her eyes were filled with terror, tightening her grip on the pan.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"Stay away from me!" Her squeaky voice startled me, and why was she looking at me with so much horror in her eyes? "I swear to God if you come near me, I will whack your head with this."

She motioned to the pan in her grip and curled out from where she hid beside the fridge, pointing the pan at me. "Stay away." She traced her footsteps backwards.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" I moved towards her, flustered at her behavior. She was fretting while moving backwards, I mean the look she gave me as though she had seen a beast.

"You son of a bi*ch, don't come near me!"

"I'm your son..."

"You are not!" She squealed, crashing on the kitchen's counter. She stumbled and when I reached out to stop her from falling, the pan came in between me and her. I was still puzzled at her behavior, what's up with her? Why does she have so much trepidation in her at the sight of me?

My mother had never looked at me with so much dread in her eyes. Sweats dripped down her face, soaking the leopard skin gown she wore. She shook vigorously clutching her only source of defense.

Has she gone nuts? "Mom?" I prompted and moved towards her but the pan won't let me near me. "I'm Toro, your son. What's all this all about?"

"You demon, don't take another step towards me." I was caught off guard at her curse word. 𝐷𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛! I let out a wary chuckle and rubbed my forehead, trying to make out the whole situation.

I ignored her threats and steadily moved towards her. I tried to grab her to calm her down in case she had a terrible dream but before I could retaliate, the pan came in contact with my head. I stumbled away from her and shut my eyes as the pain rode in.

I flew my eyes open when I heard a loud thud beside me, I looked over my shoulders and saw her beside me and she was clothed in her nightdress. She sat beside me and I could tell she didn't notice my presence until I spoke up.

"What are you doing?" She jumped off the couch at the sound of my voice.

"Sweet lord!" she sprinted to where the switches were and switched on the lights. "You almost gave me a heart attack," she yelled and pointed at me with the TV remote.

"How dare you sneak up on me like that?" She questioned, sending me an accusing stare. "This is my house, you've no..."

"I didn't sneak up on you," I stood to my feet and tucked my hands into my pant pockets. "I was here before you and I think you must be skipping something, I already bought this house and technically I'm the legal owner."

"You bought it over without my authorization," the remote was still pointing at me. "Whatever you and Mr Warren did were all false..." She looked around the sitting room as if she was looking for something.

"And what are you doing here in the dark?" She took two steps close to me. "All alone?"

I pretended I didn't hear her question and settled back on the couch, closing my eyes once again. "And switch off the TV." I prompted when I heard a sound from the TV.

"𝐸𝑥𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑒?" She kinda singsang. "Hey mister, I don't know who you are but you can't order me around in my house…."

"And you must be forgetting again," I opened my eyes and turned to face her. "I need some quietness and you are not allowed to switch on the TV."

Her eyes were filled with shock , she gave me a brief surprise look before averting her eyes to something else. She let out a sarcastic smile, biting her lower lip.

"You must be funny," she piped her attention to the TV and started scanning through the channels. I tried to ignore it and act that the noise from the TV wasn't getting to me but then she stopped at some channel, showing paranormal stuff.

Some old haggard creature with no shape, its hands were sticking out of its belly. God, some writers and film directors do have weird imaginations but that awful creature triggered something in me. Didn't know what it was though, I reached out to grab the remote from her but she was too quick to keep it away from me.

"Come get it if you can," she hurried away from the couch when I tried to grab it again. She snickered and kept moving backwards until she slammed the back of her foot on the next couch. She stumbled and fell….just as I was about to grab the remote from her.

I toppled and landed on my back as her weight came crushing my organs.