Chapter 22: The Job

Rakiza was sweating in the cold night in Saint Ann Dormitory's living room because she was in the middle of two men in her life. Theo stood at the door, while Nikolas sat quietly in the center of the living room on the couch. The men locked their gazes on each other.
"Here's your flower for our project show tomorrow," Theo said as he dropped a bouquet of fresh flowers onto the middle table of the couch and walked away without saying goodbye. Rakiza was taken aback by Theo's outpouring of rage toward Nikolas. She was hurt by Theo's rudeness.
"Who was he?" Nikolas inquired quietly. "His gaze was fixed on Rakiza. His tone indicated that he disliked Theo as well. And Rakiza was at a loss for words to respond to his inquiry. Can we go to the veranda at the back?”
The night was cold, and the moon was in its first quarter, illuminating them at half the brightness most people preferred. Rakiza was worried about something she couldn't figure out. She didn't even hear Nikolas' initial question regarding Theo.
"Are you feeling well?" Nikolas inquired, as he stood at Rakiza’s side.
"I'm sorry, but it was our project that irritated me a little." She lied.
Nikolas stated, "He didn't like me. He was irritated to see me."
Rakiza murmured, "Don't take him seriously." Rakiza expressed her displeasure with Theo's demeanor and added, "Theo was some kind of jerk who wanted to do whatever he wanted, regardless of what other people thought or felt."
It was Rakiza's first time at a visitor-suitor session. And Nikolas felt at ease conversing with Rakiza. But he was continuously asking her out of the blue questions.
"Is it okay with your mother for you to leave so far away from her?" Nikolas inquired.
"Well, this is just what she desired. Attending this school was her unmet dream, which she wanted me to appreciate during my time. And I consider myself fortunate to have a mother like my mother.” Rakiza grinned at Nikolas and said, "She loved me more than her life."
The wind had blown on their faces, and Nikolas' gaze was drawn to a dark area of the woods. "There was something in the dark," he explained.
"Where?" Rakiza said, "I didn't see anything."
"Your friend with those project flowers," Nikolas said, “He was outside those woods."
"Are you sure? What made you think that? It was too dark in those trees from here. " Rakiza tried to follow Nikolas' gaze but saw nothing. "It's pretty dark over there."
"I've gained this ability to sense human smells from a distance," Nikolas said with a smile. "Don't mind me," he said as he turned to face Rakiza. "You're the most gorgeous creature I've ever seen," his voice was so husky that it pierced Rakiza's heart.
"Thank you," she exclaimed, her heart racing at the warm touch of Nikolas' palms on hers. His hands were as chilly as the night wind. But what mattered to her was Nikolas's affections for her. Rakiza could feel a different atmosphere when Nikolas was around, everything went smooth, unlike when Theo was closer, and she could feel the heat between the two of them.
"Thank you for always wearing the necklace I gave you. It will keep you safe from any harm. My mother once told me that a talisman will help you in times of trouble and that it's better to be safe than sorry, "Nikolas smiled gratefully.
"Didn't I promise you I'd keep it close at all times? And to ensure that this is never lost, it should always be in my neck." Rakiza smiled and then sighed.
"Is there something bothering you?" Nikolas was concerned.
"Nothing, I just don't understand something that happened in my life."
"Like what? Tell me, Rakiza. If you tell me what's on your mind, I might be able to be a good analyst tonight."
Rakiza embraced herself as the night grew colder, saying, "I lost a painting that was so important to me. It actually occurred at school. It simply vanished one day in our art class's student corner. And I couldn't find a single suspect. It was taken so casually that even the school staff didn't notice."
"Perhaps some students became interested in it and did it after class."
"It was a little bigger than a typical student's backpack," she sighed, "and I was just upset thinking that I couldn't replicate it."
"What kind of painting was it? What I mean was the reference. What was your inspiration for creating that painting? " Nikolas stared at Rakiza, waiting for her reaction, but Rakiza’s response was a bit off and odd. "I took it from a dream."
"From a dream?" Nikolas had his gas locked to Rakiza."Do you mean your reference came from a dream?"
Rakiza responded, "You took me into the castle in the middle of a desert."
Nikolas didn’t move a bit. "Me?"
"It was you who took me into that castle in my dream," she said clearly, in every word, adding, "And a painting of a woman warrior was hanging on the wall above the grandiose stairs. And it was you who told me that the woman in the painting was Queen Maruja, the queen of the east.
Nikolas' expressions didn't change as Rakiza told him her dream. She mentioned the beautiful garden under the moon. And that they danced and swayed in every corner of the garden. Rakiza's face was dreamlike as she narrated, as if her heart had soured up in the sky. While Nikolas was staring at her with sadness in his eyes. And then Rakiza ended her happy beautiful tale about her dream.
And then she remembered her nightmare: "But I got a nightmare in that castle of my dream."
"What nightmare? How did it go? "
"I was in a desert and a dark shadow was chasing me." Rakiza's mood shifted to panic, "And I ran into the castle to hide, and it did open the door, and to my surprise, the painting was already missing on the wall, and so I ran upstairs to check the garden, only to see it decayed and ruined. And suddenly, the shadow of a man walked towards me, but suddenly the dark fog that had formed like a dog enveloped the first shadow, and they collided as though they were fighting. And then... " Rakiza gasped as she paused to take a breath. "And then I awoke."
"Enough," Nikolas said softly and comfortingly, and he took her into his arms.
Rakiza felt the comfort she was longing to feel. It was a wonderful feeling to be secure from any harm. Rakiza's head was pressed into his chest while her heart was pumping hard, and she was wondering if they had the same speed of heart that would produce the same feeling that she had. But there was something missing. Nikolas's heartbeat wasn't audible, as if his heart had stopped functioning. And then she whispered, "I can't hear your heartbeat, Nikolas. Why?"
Nikolas pushed Rakiza away from her halfway through her statement, causing her to fall to the floor.
Rakiza was shocked at Nikolas's sudden shift in mood and asked, "What happened, Nikolas?" She felt guilt, "Have I said something bad to you?"
And then suddenly, they heard a howling.
"What's that howl?" Rakiza trembled, remembering something.
Nikolas pulled her up to her feet and said, "Please, get inside. My time has come to an end. It was already nine thirty in the evening. It's not good to break house rules, "he then led Rakiza back to the living room. "I'll be back some other night."
"You can come back tomorrow morning, if you like. I can cook you breakfast, "Rakiza couldn't control her feelings of keeping Nikolas closer to her.
"I'm sorry, but tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me. I have some meetings to attend and some engagements to make. Maybe tomorrow night, "he then motioned Rakiza to go to her room. And like a good girl kid, she followed Nikolas's every word and went inside her room and closed the door with a happy heart. And she forgot about the heartbeat, which she wanted to hear in Nikolas' chest a while ago.

The next morning, Rakiza had a hazy memory of what happened the previous night. Her mind was again on Theo’s bad demeanor. Suddenly, her phone rang and she answered. "Hello?"
A female voice was on the other line, "Is this Rakiza Zanier?"
"Yeah, it’s me. Who’s this please? "
"This is Lyra Brinson, from Reign-Bridge Book Publishing. I just called to congratulate you; you're hired. "
Rakizas’ eyes widened her heart jumped for so much joy. She got the job.
“I got the job!” She laughed aloud.