“What are you doing here?” asked Eloisa's father.
“I’m getting bored at home, Papa!” Eloisa replied as she slowly sat down on the small sofa in her father’s office.
“Where is Jayson?”
“He's busy, he's working in his office,” Eloisa answered again.
“Why is he working? You just got married, you should be spending time with each other.” Eloisa's father said.
Suddenly, he called Jayson. “Jayson! Where are you?” Eloisa's eyes widened.
She didn’t expect her father to call her husband. She was really surprised and wanted to tell her father to stop calling Jayson. But Jayson had already answered the call from her father.
“I’m out in the field.” Eloisa heard Jayson’s voice; apparently, the call was on speaker.
Eloisa could clearly hear Jayson’s every response to her father’s questions. “You’re newlyweds, but how can you stand leaving your wife at home? I agreed that you wouldn’t go on a honeymoon abroad. But why is this happening? Eloisa is here begging to start working because she’s getting bored at home.”
“Sorry, there was an emergency at the office earlier. Then I thought I’d take a quick round before heading home. I didn’t realize she was bored at home. I’m sorry, Papa, just give me a moment, and I’ll pick her up now.” Jayson said, explaining to Eloisa’s father.
“Tell Eloisa, Papa. I’ll go pick her up. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.” Jayson said again.
“Okay, fine. You’re the man; you should adjust more for your wife. Because I don’t trust my daughter to do that as your wife. She might just give me a headache if I force that upon her.” Eloisa's father said.
“Papa!” Eloisa exclaimed, countering her father’s words.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“I am your daughter, but why are you treating me this way?” Eloisa asked.
“You are my child, but it feels like I don’t know you. You’re so stubborn; you’ve only brought me headaches. Now that you’re married, I hope you’ll change.” Her father replied. “Eloisa, you are my only child. I always hope you’ll change. You’re not getting any younger. You’re aging, and so am I. I’m getting old, and your mother is also getting older. Please give us some grandchildren; it’s the only wish I have before we leave this world.”
Eloisa's father was dramatic, but that’s what he really wanted. He wanted Eloisa to learn to be mature and open to the new opportunities in her life. However, it was hard to achieve because of the attitude she was showing her father.
“Why grandchildren already? I’m still young, Papa. I haven’t even enjoyed my life, and you married me off right away. You’re the only ones pushing me to marry him, even when you know I don’t want to marry that person!”
The discussion between them opened up again. “Let’s talk about that later! That’s already done; you should forget about it. And this really is for you. If it were someone else, you might be doing something much worse than what you’re doing now.”
“Whatever!” Eloisa said.
She leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes for a moment. It felt like her body was pulling her to lean back more deeply against the sofa. “Papa, I’ll take a nap; I’m feeling sleepy,” Eloisa told her father.
“Aren’t you sleeping at your house?”
“I can sleep, but I don’t know, it feels different when I lean back here. I think my body is searching for your sofa,” she said to her father.
She often leaned on her father’s sofa back then. Most of the time, she was in his office to take a break. She really loved that sofa, but her father wouldn’t give it to her. It was a gift from her mother.
The sofa had sentimental value to her father. So no matter how much she hinted or pleaded, he wouldn’t give it to her. Her father wouldn't really give up the sofa, no matter how much she begged. “I’ll just wake you up when Jayson gets here.”
Eloisa heard that before she was completely pulled into sleep.
“Your wife is sleeping. She probably doesn’t sleep at your house.” Eloisa's father said when Jayson arrived and entered the office.
“Sorry, Papa,” Jayson apologized before sitting down and looking at Eloisa’s sleeping face.
Eloisa was in deep sleep. It seemed she had traveled far into her dream because every now and then, she would mumble, which delighted Eloisa's father. “It seems you’re the one in her dreams,” Eloisa's father said.
Jayson smiled.
“She occasionally mentions your name. I think she also has feelings for you that she hasn’t admitted to herself. Just give her time to discover those feelings on her own. It’s better if she acknowledges to herself that she likes you too. Who knows, in time, you might win her heart. Although you’ve already won it, the problem now is her.”
“I’m hoping for that too, Papa, but I don’t want to rush Eloisa. I want to take it slowly; don’t worry, I won’t let your daughter down. I won’t let you say that you made a mistake choosing me to marry your daughter,” Jayson said.
Eloisa's father was walking around, getting something to drink and a little snack in his office. Jayson chose black coffee while Eloisa’s father had coffee with cream and no sugar. But the secretary brought something sweet as well.
“I know that,” said Eloisa's father. “I know I didn’t choose the wrong person for my daughter. I also know that person wouldn’t let my one and only child down, no matter what happens. I know how patient you are with her.” Both of them were now watching over Eloisa, who was still asleep.
Eloisa was deeply asleep; she ended up lying down for about three hours peacefully on her father’s sofa. They let her sleep, so she continued her rest.
Slowly, Eloisa opened her eyes. When she blinked, the first thing she saw was Jayson’s face. He was sitting on the sofa, leaning back, and she was resting her head on his legs.
Eloisa didn’t realize that Jayson was gently lifting her head. He then set it on his legs and closed his eyes to take a short rest himself.
Jayson had woken up early to prepare their breakfast. He cooked the meal that Eloisa ate as well.
Eloisa had no knowledge of cooking; her father had made it clear to Jayson from the start. There was no problem as Jayson was used to cooking for himself when he was alone.
Eloisa now gazed at the handsome face of her husband. It was the first time she had looked at and stared at Jayson’s face so closely and for that long. It was far from the usual playful teasing she often did to annoy him.
A heartbeat resonated deep within Eloisa. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t control or stop it. Unintentionally, she moved slightly, causing a little shift from her position on her husband’s legs.
She felt anxious that her little movement might wake Jayson. So, she tried to close her eyes again, hoping that even if her husband woke up, he wouldn’t notice that she had been awake, watching his face.