Chapter 21 Written Notes II
Raphael's POV
I walked into the dining room that morning and pulled out my chair, settling down at the large table where I always ate my meals. Even though it was still breakfast time, my mind was already wandering ahead to later in the day.
"What are we having for dinner?" I called out to the head chef, who was busy working in the kitchen nearby.
She paused what she was doing and turned to face me, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Miss Vivienne instructed us to make something different from the usual," she answered, her tone respectful and firm.
I blinked in surprise, sitting up a little straighter in my chair. That caught me completely off guard. Vivienne had never shown any interest in what happened in the kitchen before. She'd never asked about the menu or requested specific dishes. The idea of her giving instructions to the cooking staff seemed strange and unexpected. It just wasn't something I would have expected from her.
My curiosity grew stronger. "So what is it?" I asked, leaning forward slightly. "What did she ask you to make?"
The chef smiled warmly. "It's pancakes mixed with syrup," she explained.
I nodded, feeling my mouth water a little at the thought. "Okay, pancakes are good," I said, already imagining the sweet, fluffy breakfast. Then another thought crossed my mind. "But can I have it with a cup of coffee?" I added quickly.
I always preferred having coffee with my breakfast, it helped me wake up properly and start the day right.
The chef's smile widened. "Yes, you can," she responded kindly, nodding her head before turning back to continue her work in the kitchen.
I sat back in my chair, wondering what had prompted Vivienne to suddenly take an interest in the meals we'd be eating.
It was noon, the meeting with the board had been postponed to the next day, so I sat on my patio working on my laptop when Vivienne walked in, smiling when she saw me.
“Hey you.”
“Is that what we are doing now?” I asked.
“How was your night?”
“It went well,” she looks so beautiful and I just couldn't stop looking at her. “I woke up and didn't see you by my side, where did you go?”
She sat comfortably beside me. “I quickly went to run some errands. I am looking for a job,” she said.
“A job?” I asked, surprisingly.
“Yes, I have been job hunting even before I met you. Even though my family's connection could actually get me a job, I just want to do it all by myself without any help.”
I just couldn't stop looking at her, she's job hunting and I didn't know anything about it. I saw the zeal in her to make a living without using her family’s connection, it's commendable.
“I saw the note you dropped and the instructions you gave the chef to change the breakfast menu, all I can say is that thank you for coming into this house.”
“You know, I have never seen you so vulnerable the way you were last night, it makes me realise that you're human after all,” she said, her eyes held mine.
“And in that vulnerability, I realised how strong you're and I want to let you know that being vulnerable doesn't mean you're weak, it only shows that you're human after all.”
Her little speech touched something deep inside me, and I found myself unable to look away. My eyes stayed fixed on her, taking in everything about that moment.
As the weeks passed by, the two of us grew closer and closer. I started paying attention to all the small things about her, the kind of details most people would never notice. I watched how her whole face changed when something made her happy, the way her eyes lit up and her smile spread wide. I noticed the gentle movement of her throat when she swallowed her water or coffee.
She had this habit of always letting me know before she went anywhere. She never just disappeared without a word. Sometimes she would write these sweet little notes in her neat, tiny handwriting and stick them on my door so I'd see them when I came out of my room. Other times, if I was taking a shower or brushing my teeth, she'd quietly slip into my room and leave the notes on my bed for me to find later.
These were such small things, really. To anyone else, they might have seemed like nothing special, just ordinary everyday moments. But to me, they meant everything. I held onto each one of these moments like they were precious treasures, replaying them in my mind when I was alone.
Then one particular day arrived that stood out from all the others. She left me a note, but this one was different. This time, she was asking me to do something I had never done before in my whole life, something completely new and outside my comfort zone.
The note said: "Hey, what do you say to clubbing tonight? Let's go release some steam."
I stared at those words, my heart beating faster. Going to a club? Me? That wasn't something I'd ever done.