Fourth and fifth

Melody did not just pass the first competition, she passed the second and the third one. She was among the fifty people that were remaining and would move to do the last competition before three winners would be picked.

Just a day before the competition, it was announced that they would be picking five winners and not three. Melody, who has been anxious from the beginning, was still anxious even after the news.

Her anxiety even seems to have increased with the news, and she couldn't sleep the night before the competition day. Her mind keeps clouding with thoughts about the different things that could go wrong and what she would do if she did not come out among the top five.

She rolled from one side of her bed to the side and when she just couldn't take it anymore, she pushed the bed covers aside, threw her feet off the bed and walked out of her room.

She walked slowly, trying not to make any noises to arouse everyone. She went down and walked across the living room. The light was turned off and everywhere was dark, but she was able to locate the door without hitting any couch on the way out.

She inhaled deeply and shivered when the cool night air blew, grazing her milky white skin and ruffling her hair. Melody pushed her hair behind her ear before wrapping her arms around herself and walking to the pool area. She stared at the crystal clear water before dropping to sit on the floor.

She has been assured throughout that she did not have to pass the competition. In fact, Hunter's grandmother had gone ahead to purchase a form for Rebecca's culinary school and told her that she would still attend if she fails. They won't be holding it over her head because she was not a professional chef, she just started learning how to cook a real meal recently.

What they did not know was that what gave her the most anxiety was the fact that they won't be angry if she fails. With everything they have done for her, she owed them to be one of the winner's. She shivered as she thought about how she would look them in the eyes should she fail. What would they think? Most importantly, what would Hunter think?

He might feel that he has wasted his money and his family, their efforts for helping her. Like most girls, she would die of shame if she had to fail in front of her crush.

This was a big breakthrough for her. She won't have to work for money for years to go to school. Instead, she would move directly to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef, then move into working in a high-end restaurant and paying Hunter back for everything he has helped her with, especially money.

“Can't sleep?”

Melody jumped, and a loud scream tore from her throat, but it never made it out of her mouth as she turned, and her eyes fell on Hunter. He was standing behind her, wearing a black sweater and dark faded jeans. His hands were shoved in his pocket and his hair was scattered all over his face from the night breeze. Melody slammed her mouth and eyes shut as she took in a deep shuddering breath to calm her racing heart.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to make you scared”. Hunter quickly apologized as he pulled his hands from his jeans pocket and walked over to her. He went to the kitchen to have a glass of water when he saw her pass by and walk outside the house. He decided to follow her. Hunter had been standing beside her for some minutes, but she didn't notice.

Melody nodded. She was shocked and turned to look at him with wide eyes when he dropped and sat on the floor beside her. What would people say when they saw the CEO of Winthrop cooperation sitting on the floor by the poolside when he was not taking a dip in the pool? She couldn't possibly tell him to stand up.

“What's on your mind? Is it the competition?” Hunter asked.

“ Yeah, I am scared. What if I fail” Melody admitted her fears before she could stop herself.

“ I already told you that you don't have to be scared. All you have to do is give it your best shot. Even if it doesn't work out, you would still attend the school. Grandma has already gotten you the form”

Hunter could not understand the reason why, even after she had been assured so many times, she was still anxious. He had asked himself so many times if she was ever pressured by anyone to win, but she wasn't.

Maybe it was because she felt like she had to win because of them. She did not want to let them down, especially Rebecca and her friends. It was good for her to push herself to emerge as one of the winners, but he did not like seeing her anxious.

He wanted to make things easy for her, that was why he went ahead to meet the committee of the school. He'd offered to pay for two students; the fourth and fifth, so they had to pick five winners. If she could not come out as top three, he was sure that she would come out as fourth or fifth. He was sure of it. He had eaten her food countless times, and she had good chefs teaching her, all she needed was to believe in herself.

“You just have to believe in yourself the way we do and you will be fine”

If only it was that easy but, still Melody nodded. The both of them sat there in silence and soon, Melody felt her eyes dropping.

Hunter noticed it almost immediately. He was about to ask her to go to bed when her head began to drop to the side. He quickly moved and placed his shoulder in a way that her head would land on it.

He thought that she would wake up, but she didn't. She moved her head slowly on his shoulder before finally going still.

Hunter looked down to peer at her face. She looked so peaceful and innocent, but at that moment he wished her eyes were open. He so much loved her green eyes and loved the look in them anytime she blushed, which was something she did regularly.

As he continued to look at her, he wondered how someone could be so cruel to her, especially her father. It was a good thing that the man was now locked up. Melody could live her life to the fullest without any problems.

When he felt her shiver, he gently maneuvered her until she was in his lap. He got up with her and carried her back to her room, his heart began to pound in his chest when she curled into him with a contented sigh. He never wanted to drop her.

He always wanted her in his arms, but he couldn't always have her. This was a rare opportunity as the only time he had carried her was when she was asleep or to rush her to the hospital. He sat down on her bed with her still curled into him, breathing in her feminine scent. Tomorrow was the competition, and he offered a silent prayer to the moon goddess that she would be among the five winners. He didn't want to see her sad.