Saturday morning crept in gently, sunlight streaming through the curtains of Mirabel's room. She stirred under her sheets, twisting and turning, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.
"Oh my…" Mirabel murmured as she slowly opened her eyes. Turning her neck to the left, she froze — Vicky was sitting right beside her bed.
"Good lord… what is this? Mirabel, shake it off…" she whispered, convinced it was a dream or her imagination. She blinked rapidly, then lightly slapped herself.
Still there.
He smiled softly. "You know, you look beautiful when you're asleep."
"He talks…" Mirabel muttered in confusion.
"Definitely… every human talks, don't they?" Vicky replied with a grin.
Mirabel stared at him in utter shock. "Vicky… is this really you?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes it is… you can touch my hand if you want," Vicky said, stretching out his right hand.
Mirabel hesitated, then reached out and touched him. It was really him.
"Vicky!" she exclaimed, suddenly overwhelmed. She quickly pulled the sheet up to cover herself completely, adjusted her hair, then demanded, "Oh my goodness, what are you doing in my house? In my room? How did you get in here?"
Vicky chuckled. "I'm flattered… it's good to know you dream about me."
"Vicky, that's not the answer to my question! What the hell are you doing here?" Mirabel pressed.
Before he could answer, the door creaked open. Nanny walked in casually, carrying folded clothes.
"Good morning, lovebirds," she said with a teasing smile. "Looks like someone had an unexpected visitor.."
" Nanny why did you let him in .." Mirabel asked " Well I was shocked too... but I just couldn't refuse him," Nanny said with a smirk. "He said he wanted to help around…"
Mirabel looked between the two, stunned. "Help around? This isn't some field project, Nanny! And by the way, why did you let him in here?" she asked.
"Just felt it would be nice to have someone help with some chores," Nanny replied, dropping the clothes on Mirabel's bed.
"What do you mean, Nanny? Don't I assist you? And even if you needed someone, why does it have to be him?" Mirabel pressed.
"Why not? He's a human being, isn't he? Anyways, Vicky, come on, I'll show you what you'll be assisting me with," Nanny said as she walked out of the room.
Vicky stood up, but Mirabel held him back. "Vicky, you have to leave…" she said, gripping her blanket tightly.
"But why?" Vicky asked.
"Because I said so… don't forget I'm still your boss."
"At work, yes. But around here, it seems she's the boss and she needs my help, so I have to obey," Vicky replied.
"Vicky, what do you want to gain by doing all this?" Mirabel asked.
"It's the sixth day, and I want to make every minute count, Mirabel… I can't afford to lose you," he said.
At those words, Mirabel's eyes sparked, and they locked gazes in a tense stare.
"Vicky!" Nanny called out, "The chores won't do themselves…"
"I know, I'll be right there," Vicky said, his eyes still fixed on Mirabel. He rolled up his sleeves and left her room.
"What do I do with this guy…" Mirabel muttered, stepping down from her bed, intending to follow him. Then she glanced at the clothes she was wearing and sighed. "First, I have to get changed," she said, rushing into the bathroom after grabbing something from her wardrobe.
To Mirabel's utter disbelief, Vicky began doing chores — willingly. He swept the floors, helped Nanny prepare breakfast, and even tried fixing a broken cabinet handle. Mirabel watched from behind corners, occasionally smiling at his awkward but determined efforts, quickly wiping the smile away whenever he caught her looking. Nanny, on the other hand, made him do extra work — a punishment for keeping Mirabel waiting and his other "crimes."
Vicky served Mirabel breakfast, but she refused to eat at first. It was only after Nanny's persistent encouragement that she finally dug in. Mirabel felt a little uncomfortable with Vicky watching her eat, but Vicky looked delighted.
As the day wore on, Vicky finished his chores, and Nanny finally gave him a break. He settled gently onto the couch in the sitting room. Mirabel noticed him there and decided to keep him company. She sat down beside him. Silence hung between them for a few moments until she finally broke it.
"Although everything you did was against my will, I still want to thank you for helping Nanny out with a few things," Mirabel said.
"The pleasure is all mine," Vicky replied.
"Oh, and please don't ever try this again. You really gave me a fright. I mean, why would you enter my room like that?"
"Sorry about that… I just wanted to check in on you," Vicky said softly.
"It's cool, as long as it doesn't happen again. And I'm pretty sure it won't."
"Well… maybe, maybe not," Vicky said with a teasing smile.
"It better not…" Mirabel replied firmly. Silence settled between them again before Mirabel finally spoke, "Erm… I'll leave you to rest now." She stood up, but Vicky hesitated, then stopped her.
"Wait… I want to talk to you about something," he said.
"Okay…" Mirabel sat back down.
"First… I want to apologize for the other night. I—"
"Here we go again…" Mirabel interrupted, "Vicky, I—"
"Please, just listen," Vicky pleaded. "It wasn't intentional. Rose had a major crisis and called me for help. I couldn't say no. Rufus tried to attack her, she was terrified…"
"Vicky, listen," Mirabel cut in again. "This is exactly what I don't want—constant disappointments. I've made up my mind. I'm done with relationships and all the problems that come with them. I'm sorry, but there's no hope for us. And don't think it's your fault—it's not. I'm just tired. It's toxic."
"You gave me eight days, Mirabel," Vicky said quietly. "The eight days aren't over yet. There are still two left."
"Are you planning something else tomorrow? Because if I see you—"
"No, no, not at all. Excluding Sunday, and the eight days are linked to the ad launch on Tuesday. So I still have Monday to prove my point."
"Vicky…"
"Trust me, I'll respect whatever decision you make in the end. Just let me try."
"Alright, if you say so…"
"Thank you."
"Well… you must be hungry. Let me make you something," Mirabel offered.
"No, it's fine…"
"No excuses. I'll be right back," she said and left for the kitchen.
Vicky rested back on the couch, quietly telling himself, Monday has to count.