Hey. Stop that.
Is someone shaking me-?
"Sweetheart!" The Someone hisses in my ear.
"Wake up!" Carol-san's wide violet eyes swallow up my entire field of vision. What? Why is she here? I'm surprisingly pissed. Why'd she have to come and ruin everything? Ryoshi's arms were so—
Hold on. I'm not where I was. Ryoshi's fireplace has been replaced by my tiny twin bed and the white walls of my room. I sit up.
"Huh?" I mutter.
"You are very late for work, Sweetheart. Get up get up get up." Carol swats me into a drowsy standing position and literally throws my maid uniform at my face.
"But—but I was…!"
Carol-san glares at me, chastising. "Listen, kid, I don't know how sick you were the other night but you haven't got a fever now. Morino-sama is expecting you to be cleaning." I'm confused. How did I get back to my room? I know I didn't dream all that stuff…
"Jeez, okay! I can change in my own, Carol-san. You're free to go, I guess." She rolls her eyes at me.
"Well, you already missed breakfast." With that, she exits, shutting the door behind her. I stare at the maid costume in my arms. I should put it on, but my brain feels like it's still loading. You may be experiencing connection issues. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later.
That was all real last night. I know it was. I'm gonna find a way to get to Ryoshi. He's got some explaining to do. And so do I, come to think of it…
The matter addressed, my body submits to the task at hand. I sigh and strip out of my gross pajamas. The maid uniform, for once, is a welcome change. The wig is still annoying.
The halls are eerily quiet, which weirds me out initially. Then I remember why, as I pass by Jared on my way upstairs. Dark, baggy smudges rest under his eyes. Silence= total staff hangover.
"Heeeey, big boy!" I smirk teasingly. "Did you have a good time last night?"
He glares at me, bottom lip stuck out slightly. His shaggy black hair is a mess. His glasses lenses badly need to be cleaned. It's nauseating how much I notice cleaning stuff since I became a fake maid.
"Aw, give me a break, will ya, Sweetheart?" he groans and rubs his temples wearily. I grin, letting him get used to the unassuming silence for a second before delivering the final blow.
"So, was it a lap dance, or is the pole more your style?"
"Argh! Shut up shut up!" Jared whines and covers his ears as he dashes down the hall. I cackle at his retreating shadow, and continue up the stairs.
Cleaning is easy and repetitive. My mind refuses to stay on task and instead stubbornly clings to Ryoshi. I need to tell him how I feel. I promised myself last night that I would, but I didn't think it through enough. It didn't occur to me that I would wake up alone. And anyways, something realized inside your head is easy to believe when you're not awake and when Ryoshi isn't standing in front of you. The task that I blew off in my dreams is scarier in reality. Much.
But I promised all the same. If I can just keep a lid on it and hold onto my courage, everything will work out. I'll tell him. I just need to stop freaking out. Yeah, that's it. I just need to take some deep breaths.
I exhale, and brush my broom across the bathroom floor. I glance at my reflection. The mirrors need wiping down.
Man, I really hate being a maid. Cleaning up other people's messes is not my top career choice. Not that I really have a top career choice. Boxing is a great thing, but I know it's not my life's destiny or whatever.
I wonder if the guys at the gym ever thought I was gonna go pro. I didn't really want to, but Boss kept bothering me about it. I bet if any of them could see me now, spraying some boy's bathroom counters with Windex, I'd never hear the end of it.
The play was last night. I wonder how it went. Probably really, really, really bad. They should have just cancelled production when the producer started going crazy over Layla. I hope it didn't damage the Bank reputation too much.
Knock knock!
Morino-sama stands by the open bathroom door. I jump.
"Morino-sama, you startled me!" I bow.
"Hm." She looks at me for a moment, almost amused. However, I catch a hint of something else hidden in the set of her mouth, the shape of her eyes.
"Capulet-san, may I ask you a question?" Ryoshi's mother suddenly takes on a threatening posture, looming over me. Her stare makes me want to cringe. Now I know what it feels like to be in Ryoshi's shoes.
"Yes, Morino-sama?"
"Is there anything going on between you and my son?" Her voice darkens. My heart plummets into my shoes.
"Of course not," I reply. "Why would you think such a thing?"
"He watches you."
I blink.
"And I can't be quite sure… but I do believe I heard someone climbing the stairs in the young hours of the morning last night, stopping just near my bedroom. You wouldn't know who that was…would you, Capulet-san?" Thump-thump. Thump-thump. My heart dances a jig beneath my breast plate. I struggle to remember the tips of a good liar. Keep eyes contact. Keep breathing steadily. Keep your voice even and clear. Don't blink too much or not enough. Don't move nervously. Keep your face innocent and expressionless.
"Pardon?" I ask. Ryoshi's mother looks at me momentarily. My gut twists uncomfortably.
Suddenly she laughs at me, the clouds clearing from her face.
"Well…I didn't really think there was a problem," she says lightly. I relax and smile at her, putting on the act of the Airhead Teenage Maid girl. Then Morino-sama snaps back.
"Because you know, that would be very, very stupid of you. I think if there were something between you two, you would probably be fired. And that would be very bad for you. But I knew you weren't that stupid." She's smiling, but her eyes stare into mine, lingering. I swallow.
"No ma'am. I know better than that." The tension heightens—and snaps. Morino-sama's gaze jumps from mine. Her smile relaxes with ease. She pats my head softly, her air of condescension irritating beyond belief.
"Good, dear. I'll leave you to your work." She glides from the doorway, a trace of her sweet body spray lingering in the air. I exhale, squeezing every ounce of air out of my lungs. What the heck just happened?!
She's so onto me, that's what happened. I lean against the counter. I've been here over a week and haven't made nearly any progress with… what I came here for. And something tells me things just got much more complicated for me.