My Beloved

Chapter One

     Kaira started walking towards her house. Her legs were killing her, yet she kept going. She was exhausted from juggling multiple part-time jobs, maintaining a smile  on her face all day, enduring the challenges of her life, and facing them alone each time. Kaira was an orphan with no guardian; that was what she believed. Until this night, she had no idea that her guardian angel was just around the corner, lurking in the shadows.

      The night's cool breeze touched Kaira's face, pushing  loose strands of hair back and revealing her face to the world. But no one was present to witness it. It was past midnight, and although the walk back home was a routine for Kaira after her last job of the day, something felt different  to her today. As if the breezes were whispering something, touching her gently, reassuring her that she was not alone. Unknowingly, Kaira's mood started changing for the better after  a bad day; the slight bounce in her steps  now was unexpected. A small smile spread across her lips as she released her hair  from the messy bun. It felt good to allow them to relax after being tied up the whole day. The moonlight was brighter, illuminating everything around her and making the shadows seem darker than usual. Kaira was so focused on enjoying the cool breeze that she overlooked the moment when she  changed directions and found herself heading towards the lake. It was her safe place, where her mind and body could find consolation after the day. 

      The last time Kaira was there, she had taken a dip in the water to cool off her anger towards her boss. At that moment, she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings when suddenly she heard the sound of wings flapping. She couldn't see anything among the trees in the dark, yet she was certain from the sound that the wings had to be enormous. However, it was dark, and she concluded that staying underwater might have affected her hearing, and it was probably just an owl. That was weeks ago, so she set those thoughts aside and resumed enjoying the cool breeze.

      A tall man stood among the trees, gazing at the shimmering lake water. The dazzling moonlight seemed to outline his slender frame. The light cast a soft glow on his handsome face, as if God had put  a lot of effort into creating him. One can guess that he would turn heads  in a crowded place. His aura would demand your instant attention if he were to enter a room.

      Kalil, the man,  stood there deep in thought. This was his fifth visit to the lake this week. For several weeks, he kept coming here almost every day, hoping to see the alluring beauty he saw that night. What confused Kalil the most was how he was drawn to her.

       That night, he barely managed to control himself from going and scaring the life out of her. If it weren't for the fact that  a man was lecherously staring at her from the shadows while she was skinny-dipping, his otherworldly physical appearance would have surely frightened her. Hence, Kalil chose to wait for the right moment. He hurriedly left at that time, fearing he might lose control and do something foolish. But that decision was always questioned by him whenever he returned, as there was no sign of her.

       Today was no different. He kept replaying the night's events in his head while he waited for her. Kalil had been waiting for her for a long time, longer than the weeks leading up to that night. He had been waiting for centuries, and when she arrived, she brought a fresh glow and light into his world. Kalil was accustomed to bright, shiny places, yet the glow she emanated was unusual to him. He heard the crunching of the leaves and footsteps approaching. She was coming towards him, lost in her thoughts. He turned back, facing the lake, so it was up to her now to approach him or to leave.

       As Kaira reached the lake, she had a bad habit of not paying attention to her surroundings. Consequently, she was startled when she saw a figure standing by the lake. It didn't stop her, though, as everyone in this world was a stranger to her; there were only a few things that would scare her off, such as cockroaches. It is funny how she compared a creepy unknown man to itty-bitty cockroaches in her mind before approaching him.

"Hello?" She said, hoping that he was not a serial killer holding a knife, ready to turn and stab someone, most likely her. Kalil turned around, hiding the smile that was starting to form on his lips as he heard her address him.

"Hey, I was waiting for you!" Great, now here goes my chance of having a normal conversation, you idiot," thought Kalil.

“You were?” Now Kaira was starting to question her decision to approach this man.

"Oh, no, not in that way; I meant I was waiting for someone to guide me. I'm new here and got lost in the dark. Somehow, I found myself at this lake and decided to wait for someone. If you hadn't come, I would have spent the whole night here by myself," said Kalil.

"Good that I had a bad day today," Kaira replied.

"Uhh?" "I come here whenever I'm having a bad day, like today."

"Oh, I'm glad you have one then. I mean, I'm not happy about your suffering, of course. It's what led you here today, so I'm thankful for it. But sorry, no, I don't wish for you to have a bad day. I mean…" Her melodious giggles cut off his idiotic rambling.

      He rubbed his neck, grinning back. His grin made Kaira halt and take in how handsome he was; the moonlight on the water beside him accentuated his features and mysterious aura. Those jet-black hair contrasting with the light pink and oh so kissable lips of his... While she was busy checking him out, he was lost in thought, admiring how beautiful she looked  up close and how he enjoyed the way her black eyes seemed to be studying him. Kalil's grin turned sly, and when Kaira's eyes caught up to his lips again, that grin seemed to have brought some sense to her, bringing her back to reality.

     She turned toward the water, contemplating whether she should jump in or not. Suddenly, Kaira started feeling hot,  her ears  turning red. To make matters worse, she was now receiving a piercing stare from the handsome stranger standing beside her.

“So you are having a bad day?” Kalil said.

“Yeah,” Kaira couldn't risk saying more than one word at the moment as she tried to slow her breathing back to normal.

“Why, I may ask?”

“It's nothing major; a customer tried to grope me again today at the nightclub where I work. I do many part-time jobs, but this place pays the highest. Hence, I can't resign either. I know people cherish their self-respect the most, but I can't bear to be one of them. It's a harsh reality I learned to accept at a very young age. I did what I could; that is, I spiked his drink, causing him to pass out instantly. Which earned me a serious scolding from my manager, and that's that.” Kaira nonchalantly told him.

       Kalil stood there with his hands fisted at his sides, trying to control his anger towards the man and thinking of a proper reply to the situation. So he said the first thing that came to his mind. "If this is not big enough for you, what will you consider serious or major?”

“Oh, you know, if someone tried to kill or kidnap me. If you had turned with a knife in your hand, ready to kill, that would be something I'd be scared of. As long as you are not here to kill me, I'm cool with anything.” Kaira replied, turning her gaze towards Kalil at the end.

"Anything?" he asked, a small flirtatious smile playing on his lips.