I'll Be Here

"Wow, this is the best breakfast I ever had!" Lix exclaimed while stuffing his face with their breakfast.

Rhan stared at him with a straight face, "Stop exaggerating, this is just bacon and egg."

Lix laughs, "I mean, not the breakfast food. What I mean is that, this breakfast. You cooked for me, you eat with me. I never had anyone cook for me before or eat with anyone."

His smiling face betrays his tone.

Rhan isn't that stupid to know that he is sad.

"Why? You're famous, anyone would die to make breakfast for you and eat with you."

Lix looks at Rhan, she's right.

"Yeah, but, you see. You're the only one who won't die for that and that makes you someone who I would die to have breakfast with and to make me breakfast."

Rhan raised her eyebrow, "That is so cheesy. I'm done, just leave the dishes. I'll do them later."

Rhan stands up and put her dishes in the sink.

"Are you going to do me later too?" Lix smirks.

Rhan looks at her with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me? You're eating!"

"Then, I'll eat you too later."

Rhan looks at him in disbelief.

"Let me clear things," Rhan put her hands on her hips, "First, we did that because it's your birthday. And... yeah, what I mean is that it won't happen again. Ever."

"Why not? How about my next birthday? Maybe I can change my birthdate and move it every week." Lix licks his lips and bites it while staring seductively at Rhan.

Rhan facepalms, "Lix, I am not your fan. My ovaries won't burst with that look okay?"

Lix stared at her then let out a loud laugh.

"You're really something, Rhan."

He stands up and took his dishes on the sink while pinning Rhan with his hand on her side, "See you later. Don't cheat on me," he kissed her forehead and immediately ran away.

Rhan sighs.

"This is getting out of hand. I shouldn't have let him do it last night. I don't have any plan to stay married to him, but if I divorce him, surely his father will get angry."

She woke up with the house cleaned up.

There's no sign that they had a party last night.

Even though the party even started without them, Rhian must've cleaned it or asked the others to clean it.

She went upstairs to her space and as her phone rings.

"Hayn, what?"

"Wow, you sound irritated. You guys had fun last night but you still sound like an old single lady that was never laid."

"What?"

Rhan woke up with back pain and headache.

It's enough to make someone irritated.

She sighs as she opens her laptop.

"Okay, okay," Hayn chuckles, "I sent you the guy's novel. Read it before starting the comic."

"I know."

She opened her email and saw the link to the novel.

"Okay, do you want me to come over?"

"Would you? I'm alone."

Rhan smiles since she sounded like a wife who is cheating on his husband.

"Oh, I don't want you to commit adultery, hon. But Justine wouldn't mind doing that," Hayn laughs.

"Then call him," Rhan tries not to laugh as well.

If Lix is here, he might've choked her.

"Stop that. I'll bring food, what do you want?"

"Hm, what about fruits? I miss eating fruits."

"Okay. I'll see you, bye."

Rhan puts her phone down and started reading the story.

But her mind can't concentrate whenever she remembers what happened last night.

'I love you so bad,' she remembered Lix said.

She was enjoying so much last night that she didn't realize what he said.

She knows that she's lucky to be married to someone who she thinks likes her but she can't put her guard down.

What if he ends up being a douche bag? He's a celebrity! Anyone can attract him. Pageant Queens, models, artists, singer, anyone with glamorous beauty.

She sighs and leans on the backrest.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about the painting. I should give him this later," she said while looking at the covered canvass.

She stands up, bored from the story she's reading.

"How did that story had a comic adaption? It's so boring! I can't sense the thrill," she said as she went outside.

She saw his space again, but it's locked.

She's getting curious what's inside every time she sees it.

What is in that room that he has to lock it from his wife?

She clicked her tongue and went to their bedroom to stay at the balcony to unwind.

But as she passes by their bed, she saw keys on the floor.

A smirk forms on her face and picks it up.

She immediately went to Lix's space and tried every key.

And luckily, the first try opens the door.

She lets out a maniac laugh as she slowly peeks inside.

"What do we have here?" she whispers and enters the room.

All she saw are display cases.

It somehow looks like a mini-museum with all the display cases full of awards, trophy, medals, and certificates.

But what caught her eyes, is the display case in the middle of the room.

She opened the lights and every display case has their lights which will turn on with a single switch.

She looks closer and one of the photos is her's during her high school days.

She's smiling at someone which looks like Rick, but he's blurred and his face wasn't caught in, making her the subject of the photo.

"What is this? Have we met at this time?" She whispers and saw the date.

It's the same date when Lix became a guest on an event in their school.

"Rhian must've given him this," she laughs.

Then she looks at the other pictures.

Lix looks sad even though he's smiling in those awards.

Like it's not yet enough.

Like he's still not awarded.

Then she saw their photo during their wedding.

Two photos are put into one frame.

The left photo was Rhan looking at Lix with amazement.

The right one was Lix looking at her like she's the most beautiful girl he ever saw.

"This looks ridiculous," she said.

Then she saw a display case which has a name on top: Rhan's Awards, it said.

She suddenly felt shocked since all of her awards starting from high school until she's a comic artist are there.

She didn't want her parent to know that she's into drawing before so she hides it somewhere but she always forgets where she puts them until she found out that Rhian had them all.

Rhian kept them since Rhan doesn't really care for awards she can't boast to her parents, but now, it's all in Lix's display case.

It's not as much as Lix but seeing all her award moved her to tears.

Someone aside from Rhian appreciates her.

Someone sees her award as his award as well.

Yet there's still this thorn that makes her heart bleed, what if he also hurts her?

She wipes her tears away and locked the door.

She went back to their bedroom and put the keys on their bed.

She sat down and sighed, "When will Hayn arrive?"

The longer she's alone, the more she'll think about Lix and their relationship.

She closed her eyes and let herself fall on the bed, "Rhan... Rhan..." she whispers her own name, "You can't let yourself stay, you must run."

She opened her phone and connected it with the house's stereo downstairs and played 'Someone to Stay by Vancouver Sleep Clinic.

"Ah~ Whatever, I'll paint then," she exclaimed and stretched her arms and went to her space.

While humming with the music, she felt the lyrics piercing through her.

"Hear you, falling and lonely, cry out:

Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?

At the end of the day, you were helpless

Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?"

She stopped stroking her brush on the canvass and pursed her lips, "Lix... I'm so sorry," she thought, "I can't."

She heard Hayn open the door downstairs and immediately, she ran.

"Hey, Rhan what's up---"

Hayn was cut off by Rhan's lips, the fruits he was carrying fell on the floor as her hands climb up to his neck.

"Mmm, Rhan.." Hayn tries to pull her away, but she's clinging to him too much, her sweet lips, her soft hands, he will miss this.

'Sorry, Lix. I can't lose. I can't get hurt,' Rhan thought behind her closed eyes.

Hayn then slowly surrenders, his hands made its way to her waist.

Rhan slowly pulls Hayn to the living room while her lips are still dancing with Hayn's.

"Hayn..." she called his name as she sits on his lap while sitting on the couch, "Help me..."

Hayn paused, "What?" he then pushes Rhan away, "Did he do something to you?" His voice was enraged and worried.

Rhan started crying as she moves towards the couch and seated down, "I can't... I can't give into him, Hayn. I don't want to be hurt."

Hayn frowns, he can't bear to see her crying face, "Don't worry, I'll... help you," he whispers as he lunges himself to her, he kissed her passionately.

"I'll be here," he said and pulls Rhan to sit back on his lap as his lips wonder their way to her neck then to her chest.

'If only you chose me, Rhan. I'll make you choose me in the future, I won't lose to Lix,' he thought as Rhan lets out her sweet soft moans while their clothes are on the floor.