“YOU’RE NOT KIDDING ME?” He raised his voice a little, still couldn’t believe what I just said. He still looks pale and although the air conditioner was working, he was sweating.
“I am not. We are the only ones here and you say my great great grandmother. Don’t worry, she doesn’t mean harm. You should have talked to her,” I joked.
“I am grateful I did not talk to her and disturb her.”
I laughed at his expression. “Good thing. My grandmother takes good care of this house. She’s harmless.”
“Are you kidding me? I don’t even believe in ghosts and spirits or whatever. Do you see her, too?”
I wagged my head. “I wish, but she seems to appear to visitors. Might be her way of welcoming them because she was the one who built this whole place,” I explained.
“I won’t be able to sleep alone,” he said, hugging me from behind. “Please, let me be with you.”
“You need to get permission from my grandmother.”
“I am not kidding,” he frowned. “Please…”
“Are you afraid of ghosts or you’re just taking advantage of me?”
“Í’ll choose both.” He grinned.
“C’mon. Let’s just sleep at the library.”
I pulled him upstairs since we are already done eating. He enjoyed eating the dish I prepared, although he was really trying to believe that he just saw a ghost. It’s not new to me. A lot of my friends who visited our house usually told me the same thing about my great great grandmother. I’ve never met her, but I used to see her, too, when I was a kid. I think there are memories where I talked to her and she just smiled at me. I lost the ability to see her when I realized she’s a ghost, but I could still feel her. I could still feel the spirits of my ancestors roaming around this place.
He clung to my shoulder like a kid, really scared of a ghost. I laughed at myself. We walked slowly to the hallway until the end of it where the library was located.
“Damn! The interior is exquisite.” He commented as he ran his fingers to the wall.
I searched for my keys and opened our library. The lights automatically shone as soon as we stepped inside.
“Damn!” He cursed. “You gotta be kidding me!” He clicked his tongue while his eyes moved around the place.
The library was also built by my great great grandmother who loves reading. She collected ancient and vintage books and built a huge library in our house. It was really huge and I am not exaggerating it. I never got to count it, but my father told me, there are more than ten thousand books inside the library. It’s not even accurate, so it must be more than that. You even need stairs in the sky because the shelves are 10 feet high and are already meeting the ceiling.
“Can I get a book as a remembrance?” He asked. “Really, wow!”
“Well, you’ll be more amazed by this.” I pressed the button on the side of the shelves and it slowly moved, revealing a secret door.
“Damn! Can I have this kind of thing in our house that you are going to design?”
“Consider it done, Engr.” I replied, opened the door.
There was a stair going up the attic with lanterns of blue lights hanging on the wall.
“Holy crap!” Gray licked his lips and cursed. “This is such a paradise.”
He walked on the wooden floor as he ran his fingers through the wall. My sketches of different structures, buildings, and houses were hanging on the wall. At the center was my architectural drafting glass table. The position of the table overlooks the window where you could see the sky. There was also a couch beside the window where I spent my time reading whenever I am home.
“This is my safe haven,” I happily told Gray. “And, you know what?”
“What?” He looked at me for a second before sitting on the couch beside the window.
“You are the first person who went in here,” I honestly told him.
He raised his brow. “Not even Dave?”
“Yeah. What? Still jealous of Dave?”
He happily smirked and comfortably leaned his back on the couch, gazing outside the window where you can see thousands of stars.
“I’m no longer jealous of him because I can tell him that I’ve been to your safe haven,” he grinned. “But, why? You’re close, right and childhood best friend, why not allow him here?”
I sat in front of the architectural drafting glass table and opened the closet underneath it, revealing a set of pens and drafting paper. I arranged the roll of tracing paper at the table and chose a pencil to start on my dream house that my dream guy wants to build. Well, I am living the fantasies and I just can’t get over it.
“This is my space,” I told him. “And, I told myself I will only allow the person to enter this place if…” I paused.
“What?” He asked, waiting for me to say it.
“Nothing. Just read books while I draw.” I changed the topic.
“If he’s the one?” He raised his brow. “Is that it? Am I the one?”
“Close enough, but it’s not really it.” I stuck my tongue out.
“What is it, then?” He pouted. “C’mon, tell me!”
“I’ll tell you, soon. Okay? For now, let me draw. You told me you want to--”
“Wait, if this is your safe haven it means you draw all of this?” He stood up when he realized that. He unbelievably stared at me. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“What would it be?” I replied, not looking at him, as I started to draw.
“Tell me something that would make me fall much deeper.”
I thought about relevant things that could actually make him fall for me deeper. “Uhm. I can sing, but I’ll do that some time. So, how about you sit and watch me draw the house you’re gonna build for us someday?”
“I’d love that.” He pulled one of the chairs on the side and sat beside me, watching me draw every line.
After minutes of watching me, he said, “Babe! You’re wasting your talent. Go, be an architect and build homes.” He urged me.
“Let me enjoy life as an instructor,” I answered. “Soon, you’ll be an architect.”
“I am looking forward to that, babe!” He breathed on my shoulder and I chuckled as the air tickled my ears.
“Don’t disturb me, okay? I am busy…” He hugged me from behind.
“Babe! Look outside,” He ordered. I lifted my head and saw the crescent moon hanging up in the sky with some
“How do you intend to do that?”
“Look…” He pointed at the moon.
“What--” He opened his palm and from then fell a necklace with a crescent moon pendant and a star on its center.
“Oh, so that is how you get the moon for me, huh?” I chuckled.
“This is the closest I can get and you know I am willing to do anything for you,” he smiled as he put the necklace around my neck.
“Does that include sleeping alone in the next room?” I teased.
“Don’t do this to me, babe!” He pouted.
I laughed. “Thank you, babe!”
He kissed the top of my head and whispered, “Happy Monthsary, babe!”