by S. S. Sahoo
The car came to a halt and I watched as Zachary got out of the car. Following him, I stepped down the car and saw the white cream coated mansion shining because of the lights that reflected on it. The white colored mansion towered over me as if trying to intimidate me. I gaped at it for a few seconds before I looked at the sidewalks where varieties of plants were planted alongside the sidewalk. The place was two times huge than the previous one and only thinking about it made me sad. I would feel even more lonely in here.
II looked back towards the lawn to see a marble fountain sitting in the middle of the lawn. It had a lion in its center and water spurted out of its mouth, the water fell gently towards the crystal blue pool which had lights under it which made it shine and the water fell beneath it, causing ripples to form and wave out until they were no more. Beautiful piece of an architecture. I heard the door opening and saw two women dressed in classy maid outfits walking out to us.
“Doamnă!” both of them bowed their head to me.
Umm...
“Call the other workers and ask them to bring our bags to our room!” I heard Zachary and I looked at him when he spoke to them.
Without giving me a glance, he walked in and I followed after him, not knowing what to do. We walked inside and I found myself flabbergasted looking at the work done inside the house. Marbled floor, classy, expensive and elegant interior.
I was so busy in gaping at everything that I didn’t even notice when he stopped in his tracks which cause me to bump into him on his back.
“Watch where you walk!” he said slowly in a scolding tone. I nodded and hurriedly, took the loose curls of my hair that fell on my face and moved it behind my ear.
“Straight from this way and the first left. Take the stairs and the second room is the one!” he said and without letting me speak he walked away.
“Zach-” I stopped in mid-sentence when I saw his retreating back.
Sighing, I walked reminding myself of the instructions that he gave and soon enough stood before a door. I opened the huge door only to come into a huge room.
“Wow!” I heard my own voice.
A big room with partitions which made it another room inside it. Both of the room in my view had a king sized bed. First, there was a small hall where table and lounges were placed and then the rooms with partition. Only one attached bathroom and I saw curtains flying in one part of the room and assumed the door to the balcony. The room didn’t have walk-in-closet but a huge wardrobe and I saw a huge wooden panel folding screen at the corner for changing clothes, I guessed.
Expensive artistic classy paintings on the wall and the room had dark navy color paint on its wall with some parts splashed white like the roof, the beam. The room was indeed dark yet modern. I call the mansion modern because I saw a pool inside the mansion when I walked up the stairs previously. Classy yet modern. Mirror everywhere. Next to the bed, on the pillar, next to the wardrobe. I gasped when I saw something next to the door of the balcony. The same recliner chair, that I selected back in that furniture shop. It was there. So, Zachary was talking about this house.
I assumed the partition of the room for us to sleep away from each other. Nobody was here so, I assumed Zachary wouldn’t like to put on the act of showing us as if we were a couple. I chose the bed and went directly to it. It was what I could see. I was tired. As I was about to sit on the bed, my eyes fell on my own reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a white v neck lace dress and what my eyes specifically saw was the necklace.
I still had that necklace on me. I walked to the mirror and looked at the necklace. It was beautiful but I knew I couldn’t keep it.
“It would be better if I handed it over to Zachary” I spoke to myself and took it out of my neck.
I walked out of the room and to the place where I had last seen Zachary. I walked towards the direction where he went a few minutes ago. It leads me in front of a single door. I took in a deep breath before knocking on the door few times and I opened the door.
It was a study room. Shelves filled with books, trophies, and medals. Paintings hanging on the navy blue wall, pictures some family pictures, achievements, certificates in frames hanging on the wall. The room was bigger than Zachary’s last study room in that house. A large table in the middle and there he sat working on his laptop. A large window screen behind him where I marked the rain again pouring heavily.
“What do you want?” he asked not even glancing my way.
He had his white shirt undone from the top and his black coat was thrown on the couch next to his table. For the first time ever, I saw him wearing glasses as he worked on his laptop.
“How did you know that it was me?” I asked as I walked up to him. Still, he didn’t even look up at me.
He seemed to ignore me as he continued working on his laptop punching the keyboard furiously.
I sighed at his behavior and then placed the necklace before him on the table before him which instantly stopped him from typing further on his laptop. He looked at the necklace but didn’t even look up at me.
“What is this?” he asked still not even looking up at me.
“This necklace is given to me by your mother!” I said and frowned when he still didn’t look up at me.
What is his problem?
“So?” he questioned.
“It is from your ancestors. Your family has this tradition to pass down this necklace to their generations!” I said.
“I know that!” he stated and continued with his typing.
“I am giving this back to you. I do not belong to your family” when I said this he stopped his typing but didn’t look up.
“So, I assumed it would be better if stayed with you and you hand it over to the right person. I am not th-” I was rudely cut off him by him.
“Yeah! Okay! Now leave me alone!” he said and continued with his typing. More furiously this time.
“Okay?” I said more like a question.
“I am going back to the room,” I said and shook my head at him before turning around and leaving.
“Did I expect an act of chivalry from him? What is wrong with me?” I thought as I closed the door behind me.
“So rude!” I said out loud and walked towards the room.
36
When I got back inside the room I went directly to my suitcase and got my sleep wears out of it. After changing into my blue shirt and full pants. I lied down on the bed and waited for sleep to overtake me. Moments from the morning came flooded into my mind. I tossed around in the bed hoping that if I slept I would no longer have to bear the pain that I was suffering but unfortunately nothing seemed to be working because I wasn’t feeling sleepy at all. So, I got up and sat on the bed for some minutes. I didn’t even have a phone to pass some time.
My eyes fell on the clock that was on the opposite wall. Half past one in the midnight. I sighed and thought about walking inside the room for some while till I feel sleepy. Getting up from the bed, I went to the other side of the partition only to notice the door. Then I thought about getting some fresh air from the balcony.
I went there and opened the door to the balcony. As soon as I did that my hair blew backward because of the cold breeze that hit me on my face. I felt relieved and took in a deep breath to control my nerves. The scenery was beautiful from the balcony. We were away from the main city but still, I could see lights from where I stood. The mansion was surrounded by trees as if an attempt to remain hidden.
There was a small table with two chairs on the side of the balcony. I went there and took a seat on the chair and sat for some minutes feeling the cold air relaxing my tense nerves until I felt sleepy. A yawn escaped my mouth as I stretched my arms in the air and got up from the chair. Making sure, that I closed the balcony’s door I went back to the other partition of the room and lied down on the middle of the king sized bed sprawling my hands and legs in all direction before drifting off to sleep.
I tossed around but couldn’t, I felt as if I was caged or being stop
ped from tossing around. It somehow made me suffocated. Moaning and groaning in irritation and my eyes blinked several times adjusting to the light. Stretching my arms in the air, I tried to get up when I realized something on my torso.
“What the-” I said and looked at what it was.
“An arm?” I thought and looked at the owner of the owner sleeping next to me.
“Zachary” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I know that you are awake! What do you think that you are doing?” I asked with my hoarse voice and tried to push him away.
“And why are you shirtless?” I groaned and tried to push him but to no avail did he even budge.
“Zachary!” he didn’t even open his eyes. I stopped wiggling and looked at his face. He was sleeping on his belly with the side of his face on the pillow, his hair messy and falling on his forehead, mouth slightly open and anyone in my place would have thought he might be deep in sleep but I knew the truth. He was awake. He is the type of person who wakes up early in the morning without any reason. I looked to the side and read the clock to be eight in the morning.
“What is he still doing in the bed?” I thought.
“Zachary! Hey! Wake up!” I tried to get myself free from his grip but it looked as if he was tightening his grip knowingly.
“What the hell! Ow! Zach- oh my goodness! Okay, I can’t breath!” and I smacked on his back using my left free hand.
“Zachary!” I pinched on his side.
“Ow!” he flinched this time and opened his eyes glaring at me.
“Good Morning to you” I smirked and bat my eyelashes sweetly at him.
“Will you remove your arms around me? Why are you even in this bed? Do you not own a shirt?” I pushed him but all he did was glaring at me.
“What?” I snapped.
“Who told you to sleep in the middle of the bed? You could have slept on your side!” he said in his morning husky voice that made me umm.
“Well I- Excuse me? You could have taken the other bed!” I stated the obvious.
“Oh just shut up and let me sleep. I am tired” he said and closed his eyes.
“Well duh sleep who is even denying you not to sleep? Just let me go. Remove your arm from me” I said crossing my arms across my chest.
“Zachary!” I snapped when he didn’t respond.
“Zachary I’m telling you! Remove your arm this instant or I will-”
“Or what Juliette?” he mocked me and tightened his grip even more.
“O-r-r-r I-I-I will you please remove your arm? I will sleep on my side from next time. I will make sure okay?” I sighed.
“Juliette,” he said slowly and I looked back at him. His eyes were still closed and he was inhaling and exhaling softly. This was the first time he called my name so softly. Other times he would just scold or snap at me. I felt my heart beat rising instantly. What is happening to me? How does any of this make my heart beat rise?
“Uh?” I waited for him to speak.
“You are an idiot” he completed.
I looked at him with a stoic expression.
“What?” I thought.
“Zachary!” I snapped and I was ready to kill this asshole of a man this instant.
“Get ready!” he said as I watched him buttoning his blue shirt up.
“Why?” I asked still laying on the bed holding the pillow close to my chest.
“Do what I say Idiot!” he said and went to the wardrobe and got his suit out of it.
“Stop calling me an Idiot!” I snapped as I threw the pillow at him which hit him on his back and fell on the floor. I marched up to him and pushed him to the side and took my suitcase which was next to the wardrobe and walked into the bathroom all the way glaring at him while he put on his suit and looked at me weirdly.
I took a good shower and brushed my teeth. After I was done I went to my suitcase and pulled out a brown high neck midi length bodycon dress and my black coat out of it. Putting my dress on, I looked at myself in the mirror when I fully ready. I had put on a nude brown colored lipstick with some eyeliner and mascara and I had done my hair into a side fishtail braid. As I got out of the bathroom I saw him ready sitting on a chair in the hall scrolling through his phone.
He was wearing a black suit with navy blue button up shirt underneath and black pants, shiny black shoes and his hair as usually sleeked back perfectly.
I went to the wardrobe where I recalled putting my beige boots last night. I wore it and threw my braid to the side and looked back at Zachary to find him already looking up at me. He looked up and down before his eyes fell on my braid and he narrowed his eyes at me.
“What?” I asked slowly feeling intimidated by his gaze.
“Nothing,” he said and got up and shoved his phone into his pant pockets.
“Let’s go then,” he said and I nodded removing the curls of hair that fell on my cheeks behind my ear.
He stood on his place and bit down on his lips before nodding and walking towards the door where I followed him and we both walked out of the house.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we sat inside the car while putting on the seat belts. Zachary just looked up at me while he put his seat belts on and then looked straight before he started the engine and we rode off.
I looked out of the window to find us driving out the mansion and then on the main road. I looked back at Zachary and saw him concentrating on the road. Biting down on my lips, I looked out of the window for the silence was disturbing me.
“What is he up to?” I couldn’t help but think.
My thoughts wandered off to Emmett. I hissed at it, I should really start calling him by his real name. Nicholas. Nicholas, it is. I wondered where I would have been, where my life would have taken me if I had never met Nicholas in my life. Would I have ever met Zachary then? Coming to think about it, I came across Zachary only because Nicholas was his enemy. Would we ever turn up friends if we hadn’t met under those circumstances?
I looked back at Zachary. He had his one hand on the steering wheel while other was on his forehead. He looked as if something was irritating him. It was still morning but he looked tired as if he hadn’t taken rest from a long time. I wonder what had been causing him distress.
“I can’t do this!” I heard him and all of a sudden the car stopped with a screeching sound coming from the wheels as I felt myself jerking forward due to the sudden stop but thankfully the seat belts saved me.
“Oh my goodness! Zachary?” I asked confused as I watched him wiping his face using his handkerchief. The air conditioner was on but still, he was sweating.
“Wh-What happened?” I asked slowly.
He looked at me and then put the handkerchief back inside his pocket.
“Nothing,” he whispered and he drove the car again.
The whole way I kept on looking at his weird behavior.
“What is wrong with him?” I wondered. He would occasionally turn up to me but he remained tight-lipped. His behavior was giving me odd assumptions and all of a sudden my mind kept on nagging about where he was taking me.
Is he taking me somewhere to hurt me?
No, can he hurt me?
Will he hurt me?
I clutched the fabric of my dress and bite down on my lips. My fingers kept on twitching and unwantedly my eyes stung because of tears that threatened to fall off any moment. Was I scared?