Chapter 9 – Jiminie Spends the Night

One afternoon, I returned home to find a pair of shoes laying haphazardly at the front door. I could hear the TV playing. Knowing that it was Jiminie since he was the only one who had my passcode, I shut the door and took off my shoes. Walking towards the living room, I noticed the boy sleeping on the sofa.

He must be exhausted from school.

Shutting off the television, I gathered the boy in my arms and carried him up the stairs. He moved a little, snuggling into my embrace as I brought him up to the second floor. He lets out a sigh, as if he knew it was me carrying him and I laid him down on the bed gently, bringing the covers over him so he could sleep comfortably.

Leaving him be, I went to the table to put down my bag and took off the blazer to hang it back in the closet. Pulling out my pyjamas, I headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. I went back down to the kitchen to fix myself a cup of coffee – I had developed a likeness to the bitter drink and switched off the lights before heading back upstairs.

Setting the cup down on the table, I opened my laptop and checked through my emails. I was switching back and forth from replying emails to watching movies when I hear a groan coming from the bed behind me. I turned around to see Jiminie stretching his long limbs, as he lets out another groan.

"Rise and shine, sweet thing," I said as I sipped the coffee.

"What time is it?" His voice was husky.

"It's eleven o'clock."

He shot up in surprise. "Shit, it's late!"

"Don't worry I told your mum where you were," I said. "She knows you'd be sleeping over."

Jiminie laid back down in relief when he heard my explanation. He was lucky his mum trusted me enough to allow him to sleepover at my place. Taking care of him since he was a kid has its privileges. I looked at the boy. He hadn't stirred. He was still staring intently at the ceiling. I wonder what he was thinking.

"What do you want to eat?" I asked.

"Do you have ramen?" he asked next.

The only reason I have instant ramen in stock is because of this boy. "Yes."

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. "Do you want one?" he asked.

"No, thanks," I said. "You know where they are right?"

"Yup."

The only human food I couldn't tolerate was instant ramen. I still could not phantom how one could eat such a strange meal but since Jiminie liked it, I tend to stock his favourite flavours and pretend that I didn't know that I knew his favourite flavours and brands. It's been an ongoing thing since he was a child, and most of the food stocked in the fridge consisted of his favourites.

He came back up a few minutes later, carrying the bowl of noodles carefully and set the bowl next to me before plopping down on a chair. "What are you working on?" he asked curiously. "Are you still working, Alice? Isn't it over your working hours?"

"I'll be done in awhile," I said. "I had a few important emails to clear or my assistant will be complaining about it tomorrow."

"You should take it easy," he said.

I smiled as I looked over at the young one. "You should take it easy too, little one," I said softly as I went to ruffle his hair. "You're getting dark circles."

"It's the second semester of University only," he mumbled.

I nod. "It's gonna get tougher," I said. "But that doesn't mean that you don't take care of yourself. You are a dancer. Your body is important. Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water and eat your fruits."

He whined. "I don't like fruits," he said softly, a pout on his lips as he frowned at the instant ramen bowl in front of him. "You can't make me eat them."

I laughed. "Okay."

"Also, I slept on the sofa, didn't I?" he asked as he peeled open the cover to mix his noodles with the chopsticks and he began slurping them up. "Did you carry me up to the bed?"

I hesitated. "Yes."

"Aren't I heavy?" he asked. "I must've weighed like a sack of potatoes."

"A sack of potatoes weighs fifty kilos," I pointed out. "I doubt you're fifty, little one."

"What? How did you even know the weight of a sack of potatoes?" He was surprised. He stared at me like I was strange to know such a fact. "And I'm sixty-three. It's close."

"Don't worry, you're light."

"Just how strong are you?"

"Strong enough to carry you, little one."

"Stop calling me that. I'm not little anymore."

Granted he's twenty now. He's growing into a man. I ought to stop calling him that if he feels uncomfortable by it. I stared at him for a few seconds, thinking of a new nickname for him but not finding one. "Then what should I call you?" I asked as I logged out of the account and closed the laptop to face him.

"A – anything other than that," he grumbled faintly.

His face was turning red with embarrassment and I ruffled his hair again as I got up from the chair, bringing my cup with me as I climbed down the stairs so I could wash it. Humming a little as I kept the cup on the rack, I climbed back up the stairs and retrieved my mobile from the table. Seeing that Jiminie was still eating, I went to the bed, pulled the covers aside so I could shimmy inside, propping the pillows against the bed frame to lean on it.

"What time is your class tomorrow?" I asked.

"Ten."

"That's good," I said. "You can sleep in."

"Erm … where should I sleep?" he asked hesitatingly. "Should I sleep downstairs?"

"I bought a king – sized bed for a reason, boba," I said.

"Are you serious, Alice?"

I sighed. "I'm not allowing you to sleep on the sofa," I said flatly, raising my head to glare at the young boy. He looked like a deer caught at headlights. He was holding onto the instant ramen bowl with both hands. "It's too cold below. And your mother will decapitate me if she knew I let her precious son sleep on the sofa."

"She … she won't!"

I burst into laughter at his answer. "I'm messing with you, bubz," I said.

"You're so mean!"

I laughed again. "Come on, let's go to sleep."

We were lying side by side, both staring up at the ceiling and I could sense that Jiminie was not comfortable at all. He was stiff. I turned to face him. I could barely see him in the darkness.

"Is this too uncomfortable for you, boba?" I asked softly. "Should I get you another mattress?"

"No, it's fine," he whispered.

"Are you sure?" I asked. I wanted to know if he was sure and not lying about it. Making him feel uncomfortable was the last thing I wanted to do. I needed to make that point across to him. His comfort was my top priority. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Yes, it's fine," he repeated.

"Okay then," I answered, deciding to let it drop and I turned around to my right side, making myself comfortable as I closed my eyes. "Goodnight, my love."

As an immortal, I do not age, I do not eat, and I certainly do not sleep. I might close my eyes for a few hours but that does not mean I need it. My sustenance has never been for sleep and as I pretended to sleep, I worry more of the fact that Jiminie would realise that I was indeed not a human. My little secret may be found out faster than I planned it to be, I mused.

As the sun broke to the horizon, I opened my eyes and realised that Jiminie had closed the distance during the night. He has his arms around me with his face pressed against my neck – he was almost lying on top of me with his leg draped across my waist. It was a position that he used to do when he was a child, and I squeezed my arm past his body to wrap it around his back.

If my secret was found out, then so be it.

This was bliss.

"Are you cold, Alice?" he asked, his voice was low and husky from sleep. His mouth was moving against my neck. "You're so cold through the night and you're not getting warmer. Are you cold-blooded?"

Ah, my secret is about to be found out!

"You might say that," I mumbled as I patted and rubbed his back. "Go back to sleep, it's still early."

He snuggled closer, nuzzling his face against the crook of my neck before letting out a sigh – his hot breath billowing against my skin. "Okay," he whispered and then he fell silent once more, so I knew he fell asleep again.

I let out a sigh of relief.

This is not easy to hide anymore.

.