Part 21.


    Days passed by. Almost every day, Joe apanied ra to school. They grew closer and shared their worries and joys.


    Every night, Joe also made time to apany ra while she studied. At first, Mrs. Linn didn’t mind. However, she gradually became suspicious of how close ra and Joe were getting. A mother’s intuition is never wrong.


    Tonight, the clock showed 8:30 PM WIB. Kimmy was already asleep in her room. It was just ra and Joe in the living room. There were books in front of ra, and Joe was looking at his tablet screen while checking his schedule for tomorrow morning.


    Mrs. Linn observed them from a distance. Then she decided to approach them.


    “ra, what are you doing?” the woman asked. If observed closely, ra was indeed beautiful. A cute face with dimples, fair skin, long hair, and a sweet demeanor! Surely many of her school friends liked her.


    “I’m studying, ma’am,” ra replied, looking up at the source of the voice.


    “Study in your room! Or in the library!” Mrs. Linn pointed to a room next to Joe’s. “There are plenty of knowledge books for you to read there!” she added.


    “Yes, I will study in the library!” ra quickly replied. She stood up from her seat and took the two books that had been in front of her. Then, she headed towards the library.


    Now there were only Joe and his mother in the living room.


    “Are you lonely?” Mrs. Linn inquired.


    “What do you mean?” Joe asked, putting down his tablet and meeting his mother’s gaze. There was an unusual expression on her face.


    “Lately, Mama sees you and ra getting closer and closer. Do I need to find you a wife?” Mrs. Linn suggested. She thought Joe’s closeness with ra was because he was lonely after his divorce.


    “No need, Ma. I’m a widower and right now, I’m focused on work, not looking for a wife!” Joe refused. The disappointment in his heart was still not healed. It was impossible for him to open his heart to romance.


    “What’s wrong with being a widower? You’re still handsome and smart, even that 17-year-old girl seems to be crazy about you!” Mrs. Linn used.


    “What do you mean, Ma, ra?” Joe asked, raising an eyebrow.


    “Yes, don’t think Mama doesn’t know!” Mrs. Linn said.


    Joe was startled. What did his mother know?


    “How does Mama know?” Joe inquired.


    “Mama is a woman, and Mama is the one who gave birth to you, so Mama knows who likes my son. I hope you can keep your distance from ra!” the middle-aged woman requested.


    “ra, I already see her as my little sister, Ma! I also believe I can control my feelings, so don’t worry, Ma!” Joe reassured.


    “No! Mama won’t be calm!” Mrs. Linn retorted.


    “Alright, from now on, I will try to keep my distance from ra, Ma, so don’t worry!” he persuaded to calm his mother. Joe could sense that Mrs. Linn didn’t like his closeness to ra.


    “Mama trusts you, Joe!” his mother said. “Well, Mama will rest now!” she bid farewell.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    “Yes, Ma!” Joe pulled the corners of his lips into a smile.


    Mrs. Linn stood up from her seat and walked towards her room.


    Joe closed his tablet screen. His gaze fell on the library door where ra was. It was almost nine in the evening and the rain didn’t stop. He felt he needed to talk to ra about something.


    ==?==


    ra entered the library. The room was spacious with towering bookshelves reaching the ceiling. There were so many books.


    In the middle of the room, there was a pair of desks with a sofa. ra sat there. The room was eerie but the small study desk was morefortable.


    ra ced her books on the table. Then, she noticed a book, specifically a photo album, in the corner of the table.


    The girl opened the photo album. There was a picture of Joe on the front page. ra flipped through the pages, all the photos of Joe when he was studying in Ennd. ra finally arrived at a photo where Joe was posing with his parents.


    ra looked at the photo and tears began to fall from her cheeks.


    “Mama …,” she murmured. The tears continued to fall.


    Slowly, ra sat down and hugged the photo of her parents. She missed them, longing for them, and it was impossible to meet them again.


    Cklek.


    Tap..


    Tap..


    Tap..


    Footsteps approached. Joe stood up and found ra crying.


    “What’s wrong?” Joe asked, walking towards ra.


    Joe saw the photo ra was holding. He knew why the girl was crying.


    “Don’t cry anymore!” Joe pleaded. He cupped ra’s cheeks with his hands, wiping away the tears that wet the 17-year-old girl’s cheeks.


    ra nodded, biting her lip to hold back her tears. For a moment, her defenses crumbled again.


    “I miss Mama and Papa, Uncle!” she whispered.


    Joe embraced ra, giving her a hug. Trying tofort ra who was crying.


    “Hush! Don’t cry anymore!” Joe persuaded.


    Slowly, ra stopped crying. Sometimes she still sobbed.


    “Go to sleep, it’ste!” he ordered. Seeing ra crying, he abandoned his intention to tell ra about Mrs. Linn’s growing suspicions.


    ra and Joe let go of each other. Joe felt embarrassed, caught up in the moment.


    “Thank you, Uncle,” ra expressed.


    “For what?” Joe asked, putting on his usual cool demeanor.


    “Thanks for calming me down,” ra replied.


    “Yeah, you’re wee.”


    “Goodnight, Uncle, sleep well!”


    “Yeah, ra, goodnight!”


    ra exited the library and walked towards her room.


    Joe sat for a moment, looking at the photo album ra had just held. He closed the pages after reminiscing about ra’s parents’ kindness.


    “Ugh, typical!” Joe muttered when he noticed the two books ra left behind.


    Joe left the library and headed to ra’s room.


    Knock..


    Knock..


    Knock..


    Joe gently knocked on ra’s door. He was sure the girl hadn’t slept yet since she had just entered her room less than five minutes ago.


    ra opened the door.


    “You left your book!” Joe stepped forward, standing at the doorway, then handed the book to ra.


    ra took the book. “Thank you, Uncle,” she said.


    Silence.


    Footsteps were heard from more than one person in the hallway near ra’s room.


    “Dad, thiste and you’re hungry, all the servants are already asleep!” Mrs. Linn grumbled.


    “Dad forgot to have dinner, Ma!” defended Mr. Bond.


    “Alright, Dad, wait there!” Mrs. Linn pointed to the living room. The ce where she and Joe had just talked. “I’ll get snacks and warm tea for Dad!” she added.


    Joe, surprised by her voice, entered ra’s room. Now he had to wait until his parents went back to sleep before leaving the girl’s room.


    Mrs. Linn went down to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Mr. Bond sat in the living room between Joe’s and ra’s rooms.


    Inside the room.


    “Sshhh!” Joe put his index finger to his lips, signaling ra to be quiet. “Quiet!” he whispered emphatically. “Mom and Dad are outside!” Joe exined, then slowly lowered his finger.


    “Who’s there, Uncle?” ra whispered.


    “Mom and Dad are outside!” Joe repeated in a softer voice.


    ra nodded, hiding her confusion. Her heart was beating faster, realizing she and Joe were in the same room.


    Joe nced around the room. ra’s room wasn’t as spacious as his. There was one medium-sized bed, one study desk, a set of cabs, and a vanity table.


    ra straightened her messy bed. “Please, have a seat, Uncle!” she offered.


    Joe sat on the edge of the bed, trying to reconcile with the atmosphere.


    “You should go to sleep, ra!” the handsome man ordered softly.


    “Yes, Uncle!” ra replied. She walked around, theny down on the opposite side of Joe.


    ra’s room didn’t have a bathroom. She had already put on thin pajamas with shorts. It didn’t ur to Joe that he was trapped in her room.


    It would be a lie if ra could sleep. What she felt was strange, and she couldn’t focus because the handsome man she admired was sitting on the same bed as her.


    ra tapped her chest, trying to control her erratic heartbeat.


    “Sigh!” ra sighed.


    And…


    tter…


    She identally dropped a ss on the bedside table next to her bed.


    Joe and ra looked at each other.


    “Are you okay?” Joe asked in a whisper.


    ra shook her head, feeling guilty.


    Knock..


    Knock..


    Knock..


    ra’s door made a sound.


    “ra, are you okay?” Mrs. Linn’s loud voice was heard.


    “I’m fine, Mrs.!” ra replied as she got off the bed and identally stepped on the ss shards.


    “Go to sleep, it’ste!” the middle-aged womanmanded from across the door.


    “Yes!” ra replied, enduring the pain in her foot.


    Joe stood up to approach ra. He saw fresh blood dripping from ra’s foot.


    “Don’t move!” Joe observed ra’s pained expression. Then, he lifted the small girl’s body.


    Joe identally nced at ra’s chest. The neckline of her shirt widened, causing Joe to unintentionally nce at ra’s chest. Joe was only human! It was normal for his pants to suddenly feel tight.


    Joe sat ra down on the other side of the bed. “Is there a first aid kit?” Joe asked.


    ra pointed to the vanity table drawer with her head. Her hand was still trembling from being so close to Joe just now.


    “Huff!” ra held her chest. Her foot felt sore, but her rapidly beating heart dominated her.


    Joe knelt in front of ra. He started to take out iodine and sters.


    As Joe poured the red medicine, ra grimaced in pain.


    “Sorry!” Joe whispered as he looked at ra’s face.


    ra nodded.


    Joe folded a piece of gauze, then covered ra’s wound.


    “Go to sleep, I’ll clean up the broken ss!” Joe said.


    “Yes.” raplied!


    Joe started picking up the pieces of ss, while ray down watching the handsome man. When else would she have the chance to be this close and in the same room as Joe?


    “ra, I’ll leave now, maybe Mom and Dad have returned to their room!” Joe said after finishing cleaning the floor of ra’s room.


    “Didn’t Uncle hear? The TV is on?” ra asked, sharpening her hearing senses. Absorbing the source of the sound from outside her room.


    Joe approached the door. The sound of the TV was clearly audible. That meant Mr. Bond and Mrs. Linn hadn’t returned to their room yet.


    Joe’s phone vibrated.


    ra raised her right hand, signaling to Joe that she was the one who sent the message.


    [ Does Uncle Joe want to leave now? ]


    Joe read the message from ra. He shook his head as he walked closer.


    Joe nced around the room again. There was no other ce to lie down except ra’s bed.


    “ra,” Joe whispered.


    “Yes, Uncle,” ra replied softly.


    “May I lie down next to you?” Joe asked. He was tired and sleepy. “I promise not to do anything inappropriate,” he added.


    ra nodded and adjusted her pillow, offering her only sleeping support to Joe.


    Joe took off his shoes andy down next to ra. Both of themy down, staring at the ceiling of the room.


    “Aren’t you sleeping? Aren’t you afraid of oversleeping?” Joe asked.


    “No, Uncle, I can’t sleep if the light is on,” ra replied. Even if the light was turned off, ra couldn’t sleep either. Joe lying next to her wasn’t easy to ignore, especially with his perfume scent filling ra’s senses.


    “I’ll turn off the light so you can sleep quickly,” Joe whispered as he turned off the main light, leaving the bedsidemp on.


    Now theyy down again. This time, Joe turned his back to ra. In the dim light of ra’s room, she looked very beautiful, especially with her wide-necked shirt.


    Once again, Joe was just a normal man! It would be embarrassing if ra knew his pants were getting tighter.


    Slowly, ra’s eyes became droopy. The feeling of drowsiness came along with her eyelids bing heavier, closing. Her breath became regr, and ra fell asleep first.


    Joe changed his sleeping position. He nced at ra, who was already asleep. Unconsciously, he turned to face the girl. He watched her closely.


    Her eyshes were long and curly. A straight nose, smooth cheeks, and small red lips.


    Joe swallowed. His gaze fell to her neck and chest. He covered ra up to her upper body.


    “Enough,” he muttered. Then Joe focused his ears. There was no TV sound anymore. He got up.


    Gently, Joe ced a kiss on ra’s forehead. “Sleep well, ra!” He then left the girl’s room.