Thirty-three

Maeluthe seemed to ride the Ferris wheel ten times, waking up the next morning due to severe abdominal distortion.

It was confusing to run to the bathroom before I finally vomited.

It wasn’t a great day, Maeluthe thought. Reluctantly it took tissue aside and gently cleaned itself.

Unlike usual, Ashley was gone this morning because she was ahead of the return. This is because it is necessary for the shoot of the new cosmetics that they will release this month.

Ashley didn’t take Maeluthe with her even though she insisted because there was no one to watch over her when she got home.

Now then, she hardly knew what to do. The pain she feels every morning changes. There were frequent headaches and tingling but occasionally body aches and severe numbness of her feet.

She was about to try to stand up when he suddenly heard the door open at the same time as Isiaah running towards him quickly.

The man was terrified when he saw Maeluthe sitting on the bathroom floor, almost fainting from vomiting.

Isiaah immediately helped the woman, laid her back on the bed without hesitation before taking hot water and a small basin.

He does not know what to do. It was funny, but he wanted to lift the woman and take her to the hospital with great concern.

“W-What. . . are you doing?”

Isiaah failed to answer Maeluthe. Ind, he hastened to get up and sat right across from the woman and gently rubbed her arm.

Maeluthe was so shocked by that. She touched her chest as if there was a crazy giant inside.

It was harder to bear not to hug Isiaah, she said to herself.

As she watched the man gently caress her arm with the wet towel with moderate heat, she seemed to be flying with joy.

If I could only be selfish and put myself first this time, I would choose the man even if I could just ruin his life.

She always reminds herself that Isiaah’s just too good for her. He has a stable life. He can do everything he wants, and there is something to be proud of and to fight for.

Although she did not tend to feel sorry for herself, she often compared herself to the young man. But she always loses, she always has no fight at all.

To him, Isiaah was like a moon. Everyone looks up at him, glowing. If viewed from afar, he is just small, but he will not be able to call her. He will not be able to reach.

She shook her head slightly. Her dream is rising too much again. She just laughed to herself.

“I am fine now,” Maeluthe said, even though she could still feel the numbness in her legs.

She doesn’t want any physical contact from the man. It is discouraging. It is like she wants to retract everything she said.

“Let me do this for you,” Isiaah calmly said. He continued wiping the woman’s arm and leg, occasionally, and squeezing it.

“No need–”

“I can do this,” he continued to bark, causing Maeluthe’s forehead to furrow even more.

“Please, let me do this. I want to take care of you.”

“But I can take good care of myself,” the woman replied.

She needs to do this. If there was anything she had to avoid, it was to start clinging to the man again.

“You don’t deserve a man who will hurt you, be mad at you, make you leave. You deserve a man who can keep you, at any type of day — dark days, and even happy days.”, those words came from the man himself, but she couldn’t help but blame herself for everything.

She didn’t even know what to do. Sh doesn’t know which one is right but then regretting things that is done will cost her no good. Even now, her life is not the only thing she needs to take care of.

“I want to rest–”

“Maeluthe, let’s talk.”

She looked at the man with cold eyes. . it was for the two of them, including the life in her womb.

“I want to rest, Isiaah. I am not feeling well-”

“I should bring you to the hospital.”

“I. . . I can take care of myself!”

The woman’s sudden cry immediately silenced Isiaah. He just nodded. It looks like he’s no longer at the right timing.

“O-Of course, you can,” he answered.

Silently, the woman went back to bed and covered herself with a blanket. Isiaah tapped his own shoulder for a moment before going out, “You have all the chances in the world to be sorry, Isai. This isn’t just a good moment for that.”

Maeluthe slept all morning. It looks like she’s okay today, regaining sleep that she hasn’t done in the past — obviously a pregnancy effect.

It was noon when she stood up, her stomach growling violently. She didn’t have to bother with the food already on the table.

She thought it would have Ashley’s doing, but she didn’t see anything on the table this morning.

She had just thought that perhaps Isiaah had made it when she saw a note attached to the cover used there.

Kairus and Baste also left. I have no other assistant to prepare for your food. You know how awful I am at cooking, but I also don’t want to buy since we have enough food. I tried my best. You’re a good judge, after all. Chew your food well.

Isiaah

Maeluthe struggled to suppress a smile. She looks like a high school that is thrilled with her crush. She couldn’t help but quickly sit down and taste them.

“Sweet porridge? Wait. . . Is it porridge, or. . .” Those complaints must have come out of Maeluthe’s mouth, but her smile was still obvious while she took a good sip of the soup. She also took some vegetables that he could not understand the taste.

It was as if that’s the most amazing lunch she had. Her brain was stuck in the fact that Isiaah had tried to cook before. She could only imagine what kind of suffering the man had experienced.

“Maeluthe!” She slightly restrained himself. “Get a hold of yourself. Do you know what the effect of what you are doing will be? That’s enough, okay? Stop!”

A few minutes after she ate, it was as if she had lost her mind walking back and forth on the bed. Gone is the numbness of her feet and body aches.

She became better, but it made her tired of being restless, so she just fell asleep again.

Maeluthe saw the moon when she woke up next, so she quickly turned over to lie down. She even said that shehe would go for a walk and watch the sunset, but he did nothing but drown in sleep.

She came out quickly, hoping she might still see what was there or even see the moon again from afar.

Wearing a thick sweatshirt, he immediately opened the door, causing the unconscious Isiaah, who was sitting right outside the door, to fall down.

“What are you doing there?”

“Well. . . uh, I’m waiting for you to come out so we can go for a walk. Did you just wake up?”

Those freaking smiles, Maeluthe pointed out to herself. She didn’t want to see those smiles because it still throbbing in her heart. In what way is he able to fall over and over again with just his smiles?

Maeluthe just ignored what she said and went straight on walking. Just down the corridor of the rooms, she can already see the shining moon in the sky. It’s round now but far away to look at.

She was momentarily stunned, remembering the man he could call the moon.

She was about to step forward again when Isiaah’s serious voice stopped him. “The moon. . . you’re like a moon to me, Mae.”

“You’re just so small, cute, short, I always look up to you, but I can never call you mine. I will never get you. . . reach you.”

Maeluthe stiffened to her stand.

But you’re a moon to me, too. If we want to own each other, why not be able to remove the barriers between the two of us?