30 - Rain

Ellery's POV

The rain pelted against the windows and the thunder rumbled. It has been going at it for the past hour. I don't mind the rain much, I actually quite like it. I find it very soothing and calming. Despite everything that's been happening, this is the most calm I've ever been.

Two weeks have passed and I am still suffering tremendously. Living with your boss was not as easy as you think it would be. After all, it wasn't just anyone, it was Charles Mercuer. I've given up work at the office and picked up some new house chores in addition to my cooking tasks. He only needed to eat three times a day so I had too much time on my hand.

It was slowly becoming unbearable as his remarks were ridiculous. Such as:

"My coffee seems to be missing a few grains of sugar." or "The color of the coffee doesn't normal."

Somehow, I still managed to hold myself back from lashing out and twisting his neck. But things aside, the pay is great, the rent is cheap, I can wear my pajamas when I'm doing my job, and I don't have to go shopping or spend money on new clothes. Not like I would have anywhere to wear them to besides out to shop for groceries.

I could also pay my mom's hospital bills with ease and comfort. There was another pro to working here, I could visit my mom regularly during the day and I don't have to worry about getting in trouble.

It was nearly midnight when Charles got home from work today and I had to wait for him to finish washing the dishes. I dislike the thought of dirty dishes laying there overnight; it's one of my pet peeves.

One of the downsides of working here was you have to wait for Charles to get home from work. He would tell me when he got out of work, then I would start making dinner, that way, it would still be hot when he got home. He could get off at 9:00 PM one day and 1:00 AM the next. Charles worked crazy hours, who knew being a CEO of a company would be so hard.

He said that it would be okay for me to cook, eat, and leave him a plate, but it didn't feel right to me. One of the most rewarding things after a long day at work would be a hot meal. It makes you feel like you are finally able to relax and let go of your stress. So I tried my best to wake up early and stay up late for him to have something warm to start and end his days. It's not like I have anything else to fill my time with.

I could finally let out a yawn that I've been holding back since God knows when. I need my beauty sleep. I know I'm not going to get pretty no matter how many hours I sleep, but sleeping is one of my hobbies besides cooking and eating.

As I finish the last plate and fork, I then put it off to dry so I could put it up tomorrow morning.

~~~~~~

I brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas and had already gotten into bed. I wasn't sleepy as I thought so I decided to play some games, read a few articles and checked out some of my social media accounts on my phone. After a while of sifting through contents, I got sleepy and turned off the lights, pulled up my covers and drifted off to sleep.

Maybe a few minutes had passed when suddenly I felt a surge of warmth wash over me. It felt strange. I only felt this once before, but I would never forget the feeling of having that familiar man sleeping next to me. I immediately opened my eyes, only to find him lying right next to me.

"What the hell? Not again."

"Please..." He sounded weak, scared even.

"No! Sleep in your own bed. This is inappropriate!"

"Please..." He said, shivering next to me. "It-it's raining..."

I turned over and reached for the lamp on my bedside table. I pulled the string and the light switched on.

Charles' face was surrounded by beads of sweat. He didn't look good.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You're not okay." I wanted to know but didn't dare ask. There's always tomorrow.

I pulled the covers back and tried to get up from my bed. Charles held me back. "Please don't go."

I have a problem and I know it. "I'll be right back. I promise." In my whole life, I never knew I could speak so soft and sweet.

I went to my bathroom and got a towel and dampened it. I went back to him and wiped off all of the sweat on his face and neck. After I finished, I put the towel back in the bathroom.

"You came back." He said, smiling softly.

"As I said I would."

I got under the covers once more and turned off the lights. I didn't know what happened, but I found myself pulling him closer to me and hugged him to my chest. He wrapped his arms around me, making me feel small within his arms. It was a strange, yet comforting feeling.

Just like that, we closed our eyes and sleep swept over us.