The Maid And The Young Master

Chapter 7: Clingy Best Friend

I haven’t had any run-ins with the young master again, and I always made sure to knock and check if he was in his room before I started cleaning it. I would see him around the mansion a few times, but I make sure that he doesn’t see me.

One time, I saw the young master swimming in the pool. For some reason, I couldn’t look away, and I watched as he did multiple laps. I can’t stop looking at his broad shoulders, well-defined biceps, and pectoral muscles. I inadvertently bit my lip as I kept watching.

When someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind, I jumped before turning around. I saw that it was Lucas. He looked behind me and saw what I was watching before saying, “What are you doing?”

I stuttered as I said, “N-nothing. I was just on my way back to the kitchen.”

Lucas seemed suspicious as he said, “This is not the way back to the kitchen.”

“I-I got lost. I’m going now.” I walked fast, hoping that Lucas would not ask me any more questions. Getting caught watching the almost naked boss as he swam in the pool is embarrassing and hard to explain. The truth is, I’ve finally realized that I am very attracted to the young master and even have a crush on him. He’s very good-looking, and I can’t help it.

I resumed working in the kitchen but was a little distracted, and I cut myself twice. When we went home that day, Lucas noticed the bandage on my hands and asked, “What happened to your hands?”

“Uhm, I wasn’t paying attention and got cut while I was dicing the potatoes,” I told him the truth since there’s no reason for me to hide it.

Lucas held my hand and stroked it while saying, “You have to be careful. Your hands are too pretty. It will be a shame if you get scars on them.”

I felt uncomfortable, so I pulled my hand away from him and said, “I will be careful next time. This rarely happens, but it’s inevitable for those working in the kitchen. Did you know that Juanita only has half of her pinky finger on the left hand?”

Lucas chuckled and said, “Really? I never noticed. I noticed, though, that she usually has her left hand in her pocket whenever I see her.”

“Yeah, she’s ashamed of it and has been trying to hide it. It’s pretty hard to hide it from us, though, since she can’t cook with one hand in her pocket.” I smiled as I continued my story.

Lucas walked me to our house like he usually does, but before I got inside, he held my arm and asked, “Can I ask you a question, Sarah? I hope you can be honest with me.”

I knitted my brows as I said, “Of course, you can ask me anything. You know I won’t lie to you.”

Lucas let out a sigh before saying, “Do you have a crush on the young master?”

I stopped for a moment and said, “Why would you ask me that?”

Lucas bowed his head before continuing and saying, “Almost every maid has a crush on him. I just want to ask if you’re one of them.”

I looked at Lucas, trying to decide if I should tell him the truth. I didn’t want to lie to my best friend, but I was embarrassed to admit the truth. I decided to go with the half-truth and say, “I must admit, he’s very good-looking. But given a choice, I’d rather be with someone who’s kind even if he’s not very good looking.”

I didn’t directly answer his question, but I hope that Lucas is satisfied with what he heard.

I could tell that he wanted to say something else, but he let go of my arm and said, “Go inside and get some rest now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I smiled and replied, “Okay. Good night.”

He smiled and waved goodbye before he turned around and headed to his home. I wonder what it was that he actually wanted to say.

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Classes are about to start next week, and today is my last day working on the current schedule I have. Lucas said that he’d wake up early so we could still go to work together and wait so we could go home together. I refused since It would mean that he’d spend six extra hours in the mansion doing nothing just to wait for me. He’s persistent, though, and said he doesn’t mind. I just shook my head and couldn’t believe how clingy he was.

On Monday morning, Lucas arrived at half-past five and waited until I was ready to leave to go to the mansion. While traveling, Lucas said that he was able to convince the lead gardener to let him work from 6 am to 2 pm so that he could still come to work with me. I was relieved because I was about to tell him not to come early the next day and was ready to get mad just to convince him. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do that.

When we arrived at the palace, I headed to the kitchen and helped out with breakfast preparation. We were serving the food on the table when Mrs. Santiago noticed me and said, “Good morning, Sarah. Are you ready for the first day of school?”

I replied, “Yes, ma’am. I’m excited.”

“That’s good. I hope everyone is as excited for the first day of school just like you.” She turned her head and looked at the young master.

The young master kept looking at his food and replied, “I’ve been going to school for more than ten years. What’s there to be excited about? There’s nothing different about the first day as the rest of the school year.”

I glanced at the young master momentarily and was about to go back to the kitchen when Mrs. Santiago called me and said, “Wait, Sarah. You can ride with Zachary to school later.”

I looked at the young master, and he looked at his mother and then at me before saying, “No.”

I was stunned momentarily before addressing Mrs. Santiago. I said, “It’s okay, ma’am. I’m used to commuting to school. It’s not very far anyway.”

She just smiled at me, and I smiled back as I made my way back to the kitchen. I couldn’t stop thinking how the young master didn’t even think twice and just said, “No.” It’s not like I wanted to get a ride with him anyway. I commuted to school every day the previous school year. I worked the same schedule as I have this school year, so it’s really no big deal.

I got ready for school as soon as my morning work was done, and when I was ready, I went to say goodbye to Lucas and headed out of the mansion. 

I was wearing my school uniform and walking towards the jeepney terminal when I heard a car honking beside me. I turned to look and saw the young master driving. He lowered the car window on the passenger side, and I heard him say, “Get in.”