AS A SLEEPING FRIEND

14. Not free

"I can't, Elin."

The answer from Brother Javier made my shoulders decay. Is he not interested in me?

"Why, Brother?"

Instead of answering the reason for his refusal, Javier actually asked me a question.

"What do you need money for?"

I took the edge of the shirt I was wearing. "For my mother's medical expenses," I said frankly.

"Don't you say your brother paid for it? Because that's why he forced you to work at Aro's Casino, which in the end you just found out if you actually sold it there?"

That cold face looked flushed red, he seemed to be very angry with this reality. I don't know why he should be emotional about what Liam did to me, but this proves that behind Javier's rigid attitude, he cares about me.

Ah, what am I thinking? We've only known him for a while, why does he care about me?

"I don't know, Brother. What's clear is that my mother's medical deposit at the Hospital is up and I'll have to pay her administrative fee immediately if I want my mother's life support equipment installed."

Javier's brother fell silent, I just heard him sigh long. Until I finally heard his voice.

"Okay, let this be my business" he said calmly.

I put my face on the man. Javier's raut looked very serious when he said it and I saw the seriousness there.

"Already, right. Now I'm gonna take a shower." The man galloped towards the room, while I stared at his wide back which slowly passed from before me.

I still can't believe that he would help me just like that, and refuse my offer. Why is he so good? I'm afraid I owe him too much.

That night, I accompanied Brother Javier to dinner. The cuisine I made was devoured to the toilet. Not once did his mouth protest about the taste of the food.

"Sister?"

"Hmm?" He did not look at me, instead poured water into a glass with his gelagat always calm.

"Why is my brother good to me?"

Now his eyes were shining right in my eyes, making me nervous but unobtrusive to throw off my eyes. I returned his gaze undaunted as if challenging him to answer my question this time. He must not shun or divert this conversation. I demand an answer from his mouth.

"What did you say? Me, okay?" He even laughed discordantly, disperse the seriousness that radiated in the look of my eyes.

"I'm serious, brother!" my insistence.

"You think I'm good at what? Because I redeemed you from Aro's place? Or because I want to help with your mother's medical expenses?"

"Both," I replied steadily. "Why would you do all that for me?" my pedicabs.

He drank the water first before answering.

"Listen, Elin. Don't ever think I did all that for you. Because your thinking is too far away."

"So?"

"I do that for myself, because I still need you."

"Do you need me as a bedmate?"

"Yes, you're right!"

"just that? You didn't even touch me!" my ketus.

"Don't say as if you want me to touch you, Elin!" hisses.

"Yes, even though I didn't expect that, but everything you did to me wasn't worth what I gave you. I'm just with you to sleep and nothing more. Isn't that so weird!" nyolot.

The man was silent, he seemed unwilling to argue with me who had nagged at length. Javier's brother got up from his seat after being completely finished with his dinner session.

"Sister!" I feel like there's something he's holding back and he's hiding. Whether it's about himself, or about me. Why did he do all this for me, just because it needed me to accompany him to sleep. Why does it feel unbalanced?

"If you demand my answer, then I have no answer. But, if you insist on assuming all this is unbalanced and strange, then you can pay for everything I gave you. You don't want to take my help for free, do you?"

He's thinning his lips. "Of course, it's not free, Elin. One day you'll have to pay for it. But you know what, if I don't need money as payment from you?"

"Then what do I have to pay for it, brother?"

"Someday, you'll know what the pay is."

The man left after giving an ambiguous answer for me to interpret. I don't know why I got a little creepy because of what he said.

Actually, what does he want me to pay him? He doesn't want my body, he doesn't need my money either. Thenwhat?

He was like a man full of mystery. I can't figure out what happened to him exactly. Even from the beginning, I didn't understand why he made me a bedmate who really only accompanied him when he fell asleep.

...***...

This morning, I received a call from the Hospital, they said that I could already take a note of repayment for the mother's medical expenses. This proves that if Javier's brother has proven his point, he really helped me pay for my mother.

Honestly, I am grateful for this. The problem of the money I need is done in Javier's hands. But something inside me seemed unsatisfied before I knew what Javier really wanted as a payment from me for everything he gave me.

"Grad ..."

Deheman's voice, managed to make me turn, Javier's brother was sitting in the stool bar and sipping green tea that I had served there.

"Sister, is it okay if I go to the hospital again today? The hospital asked me to take a note of repayment. Thank you, sis. You're actually financing my mother's treatment."

"Hmmm..."

"So, can?"

"Go with Jack."

"Thank you's. May all your business be made easy, brother."

Javier's brother smiled thinly without looking at me.

"It's breakfast. Please eat it." I served a meat sandwich in front of him and the man grabbed it without further ado.

"You're not having breakfast?" Now he looks at me standing in front of him. Only the bar table was the barrier between us.

"Later on, I'll have breakfast after brother."

He nodded faintly without forcing me. I grabbed a cup to make hot chocolate for my own consumption. Until the moment I was stirring my drink, Javier's voice came back.

"As for your brother, don't you intend to repay all his treatment to you?" suddenly tanyanya.

I stopped my movements, turned to him.

"I mean Brother?"

"I think he's gone too far with you. Don't you want to teach him a lesson?"

"Can't you?" I asked for an enthusiastic direct. The determination to avenge Liam, from the beginning had appeared in my heart so where might I say no to Javier's question.

"Of course you can, there's me who supports you doing that."

"Why would you support me to get back at him?" manya curious.

"Because I want to. I thought, I shouldn't have any reason to support you in replying to Liam's actions."

I kept quiet, but somehow I saw the hateful look on Brother Javier when he mentioned my half-brother's name. Wait a minute, how does he know if my brother's name is Liam.

"You know him?" my guess.

Brother Javier chuckles cynically. "Not really. You were the one who told me about your brother."

I have to admit if I did have a glimpse of Javier's brother about my fate that Liam sold to the Casino, also about Liam who did not finance the cost of maternal medicine. But, I never mentioned Liam's name so blatantly to the man. Did he find out about my background? But, for what?

...Connect ......