Promise part 1
'Can I know your name the next time we meet?'
Ayla's crush approached her. The question surprised her, but she still managed to give a "nod" and see him leave the school with his friend.
That was the question that had been on her mind since after her graduation from high school.
Two years after graduation, Ayla got into an accident and had temporary memory loss.
The doctor assured her that she would recover her memory, but it would take a while.
~~~
The clock struck six in the morning when her dream woke her up.
She would like to go back to sleep, but she needed to pack her bags and be ready to move to her new job.
~ flashback yesterday's event~
The day before, she had been thinking of changing jobs, and finally, she found one.
She called the number, and the interviewer asked some personal questions.
She hesitated to tell him, and in the end, the interviewer asked if she was okay with meeting him in person that afternoon.
The interview went perfectly. Her main job would be taking care of the kids and doing the house chores.
The reason she needs to move out is that it would make the commute to work easier.
The interviewer assured her that the job is perfect for her.
~end of flashback of yesterday ~
*DING DONG*
The doorbell rang—pulling her back to reality from her thoughts.
She rushed to the door and saw the guy who interviewed her yesterday.
'Hello, why are you here? I thought you would be waiting at the house. I haven't finished packing. I thought I needed to be there at noon.'
'Just bring the essentials, and the rest will arrive at your place near the house soon. They can't wait to see you after they heard someone has taken the job. Also, he asked me to fetch you and drive you there personally.'
'Well, do you want to wait inside while I get ready?'
'Oh no, I will be waiting in the car; just call me if you are ready. I will carry your bags to the car.'
She nodded and closed the door. She quickly finished packing her bags and headed to the shower.
She took a second look and re-checked the things she needed before heading out to the car.
She opened the front door and saw the man getting out of the car and walking towards her to get her bags into the car.
'Miss Ayla, this way.'
~~~
In the car, Ayla asked the driver his name. The driver answered her, 'My name is Luke.'
'Luke, why did you call me "miss"? I am just the housekeeper; no need to be so formal with me. You could call me Ayla.'
Luke smiled and nodded his head.
'Luke, do mine if I sleep for a while? I woke up too early.'
'Sure, Ayla. It's pretty far from your home, and it will take time to arrive.'
She put on her pod and listened to her Glee playlist. When they arrived, Luke woke her up.
'Welcome to your new workplace and your new home.'
They entered the house, and Luke walked beside her, giving her a little more walkthrough of her job.
Before he could finish his explanations, two little boys came running towards Ayla.
She looked at them and then at Luke. Luke looked straight at the kids.
'Why are you guys here? Haven't I dropped you guys off at school? Why are you out of school?'
'We heard from Dad, who heard from you, that you got us a new nanny, and we can't wait to see her.'
'Leon, Loel, you still haven't answered my questions. Why are you guys out of school?'
'Some students won in this big tournament, and the headmaster is pretty happy about the achievement, so he let the school out early.' Loel answered, still looking at Ayla.
'He told you guys even though I begged him not to tell. Where is your dad now, Leon?'
'Why are you guys so loud early in the morning?'
Ayla stood frozen. It was the voice she had only ever heard in her dreams.
Both Leon and Loel ran toward the man, screaming, 'Dad!' She turned around, and when their eyes met, the man pushed the kids aside and ran to her.
'Hi, we finally meet again. I've looked everywhere for you. I tried to look for you, but I don't even know your name. Since we have met, can you tell me your name now?'
Ayla felt her knees weaken and had a pounding in her head. The next thing she knew, she was lifted by someone.
Before she totally passed out, she heard Luke call out someone else's name she had never heard.
'Logan, where are you bringing her? We need to go to the ...,' and she gave in to the darkness that was slowly creeping into her.
Hours passed after Ayla fainted; she opened her eyes and found herself sleeping on a queen bed in the middle of a room as big as her living room and bedroom combined.
The door opened, and a man walked in. 'You are finally awake. Thank God. The doctor said you would wake up around nighttime, but it has been one whole day.'
'A whole day? I thought it was only a few hours ago I fainted.
'Nope, it was last night. You made the kids worried sick—fainting on the first day of your job.'
Just after he finished talking, three kids dashed into the room. 'Are you okay? Why did you faint yesterday? Did we make you sick yesterday? If so, we are sorry.'
Looking at them closely, Ayla saw a new face. Before she could ask them, the man spoke.
'They are ... my kids. This is Lucas, and over there are Leon and his twin Loel. You met the twins yesterday. And my name is Logan.'
She felt agitated and demanded to see Luke. Hurt flashed across Lucas's face as he turned to call Luke in. Seeing Luke arrive, Ayla scrambled off the bed and bolted straight behind him.
'Luke, who are they? Tell me the truth about why you want me to work here.'
'As you can see, Mr Logan here needs someone to take care of his children and the house. He is quite busy with work, so he sometimes forgets to tend to the kids' needs. So will you stay and help take care of them?'
'What about their nanny? I applied only for the housework.'
'I did tell you that you would be taking care of the kids too. Because of these kids, she quit the job at the end of the day.' Looking at Logan and the kids, he continued, 'Please stay, and I will be one call away if you need me.'
Ayla looked in Logan's and the kids' direction, and she saw a hint of dejection on their faces.
~Three months later~
‘Kids, wake up, or you will be late for school.’ When the children got up, they flew through the shower and raced to get dressed.
Before stepping into the car, they ran back to Ayla, kissed her cheek, then bolted inside the vehicle so Luke could take them to school.
Ayla felt a little uneasy when the kids did that. She was only the housekeeper-cum-nanny.
They should be doing that to their parents.
In those three months, she never saw their mother. 'Ayla, I need to speak with you.'
Mr Logan's voice made Ayla jump in surprise. 'Okay, sir.'
She knocked on the door, announcing her arrival.
'Come in, Ayla.' When she entered the room, Logan went straight to the point.
'Don't you remember me, Ayla? It's me, Logan. Back in our last year of high school, I finally found out that the girl I liked had a crush on me too. But it was all too late. I didn't even know your name when I saw you that last day of school; I only got to say the first thing on my mind: "Can I know your name the next time we meet?" But now that we've met, you seem to have... like... Luke.'
Ayla backed up when she heard the next word Logan spoke. 'I want to make you my wife.'
'Sir, I think you have mistaken me for someone else. We just met three months ago, and as for Luke, he is just a friend, and I just met him three months ago.'
~~~
On her off day, Luke took Ayla into town to shop for a few decorations for her room in the staff house. She only wanted simple decorations—just a few things to make the space feel like it truly belonged to her. After three months living in the main house, the room she was supposed to live in was finally renovated.
It was around noon when Luke dropped Ayla home. 'Ayla, welcome home. Sorry it took so long to finish the renovation. Here is a welcome gift from Mr Logan and the kids. As for me, I am going to tell you a secret about Mr Logan and the kids.'
He winks at her. 'See you tomorrow; we will be having lunch outside while waiting for the kids to finish school.'
