“You seem like you’re about to drop dead,” I commented, and he chuckled.
“I assure you that I have more than enough stamina to keep me all night long, sweetheart, so just go on. I promise to stay awake until you fall asleep.” I could only sigh to that. Men.
“So, favorite food then?”
“Anything eatable. You?” how the heck can he like everything? Like even the insides of an animal? I hated those. Eww.
“That’s hard…Lasagna, I guess. I used to eat it a lot when I was younger.” Dad would always make me one for dinner even if the whole family was eating something else. I smiled remembering those times.
“Color?”
“Cliché, light green. Just like your eyes.” He winked at me once again, and I blushed. I never knew when the playful Blake was going to jump out from serious, business Blake.
“Kaley? I’m sorry to hear that your parents died…I think I just assumed that your relationship with them wasn’t good, or I don’t know, maybe I did realize it, but I just ignored it because it was easier to assume that, but…I’m sorry,” he suddenly said, and I shook my head. I hated that theme.
“It’s alright. I never really talked about them.” No one ever asked, so I never had a need to talk about them, anyway.
“Can I ask how it happened?”
Should I tell him? No, I don’t have a reason to…
“Car accident…It…It…It was all my fault.” Before I had noticed it, my lips moved on their own accord. I knew it was my fault. If only…if only I had listened to them instead of arguing.
“How do you mean your fault—I mean, if you don’t mind telling me?”
I…I needed to get rid of those feelings.
“It was my sixteenth birthday…My friends have prepared a party for me, but my parents wanted us to go to a family dinner.” Tears started forming in my eyes just from remembering that event. I could do this, I told myself. I could talk about it.
“We–we were in the car. They were sitting in the front seats while Ayden and I were in the back…I started arguing since I wanted to go to that damn party, and they told me that I was childish.” I could still hear their voices from that night. Blake pulled me into his arms, letting me sob on his chest.
“Dad turned around to tell me how I can go to the party once we’re done with dinner, and…he–he lost sight of the road just for a few seconds, and the other driver was drunk. He came out of the left track, but Dad tried to turn cars but…but…but we got hit anyway, and they–they died in an instant.” I was crying my heart out on Blake’s chest, but he didn’t seem to mind.
I should have stayed calm in that situation, not argued with them. That way, they might have survived. If only I didn’t act like a spoiled brat, they might’ve survived, and we could’ve had a normal family life. Maybe Ayden wouldn’t have gotten sick, and we could have had normal lives, ordinary lives.
“It’s not your fault,” Blake said gently, but I shook my head. He wouldn’t understand the guilt eating me.
“It is…I was so stubborn and stupid!” I argued back, but he only kissed my forehead.
“Trust me, I know the feeling, and it isn’t. Even if your father didn’t turn around, nothing says that the drunk man wouldn’t have hit you. If it’s someone’s fault, then it’s the fault of that drunk man.”
But…but!
“Still…still…” I don’t know what I was looking for. It seemed to me like it was for the best if I were the one to blame.
“There’s nothing to think anymore. Don’t blame yourself.” He gently caressed my cheeks, wiping my tears away. “It’s in the past. Nothing’s your fault. That guilt you feel only means that you care, not that it was really your fault.” And then he kissed my head again.
“You see, that happens when we lose people because of some actions we were not too proud for having done. Then we start questioning our choices, begin to ask ourselves if we could’ve done something differently, if we could’ve changed what we did. Regret is too big to handle. It eats us alive, and then we embrace numbness because we don’t know what else to do. Some of us prefer pain and solitude, but the truth is that we can’t deal with them on our own. Trust me, I know. Which is why I have to thank you,” he added, and I looked at him, confused.
“Thank you,” he said, “for telling me about yourself so that I could help and for not asking me about Marine,” he said. The name was unknown to me. I tilted my head to the side.
“Marine?” Who was that?
“The girl on my laptop. I saw that it concerned you, but you still didn’t ask.” It was never my business to start with.
“One day, I will be able to tell you about her, but not now. Just not now while I’m in the same house as him.” He? For a second, I thought he said to George something about not coming here again if he’s here…Lucas?
“Can you tell me who she is? You don’t have to if you don’t want.” I warily approached him. And what he said left me stunned for a few moments.
“She…she was my deceased sister.”
Curiosity was the way of young. We want to know more, to understand more because there is no other way for us to come to realize the world of grownups.
But sometimes we learn some answers way too earlier than we should have.
And because of that, we learn to regret our choice to grow up.
Chapter 17
Third Time Lucky
Until all the words are said and all conflicts solved, peace cannot occur. Because it’s not in human nature to simply stop a war nor forget it without reason.
Morning would always follow after night, no matter how far it seemed to be. I usually embraced those mornings, the one that made my nightmares instantly disappear with a single ray of the early sun, but that day is another story.
If it weren’t for the annoying ringing of Blake’s phone and those relentless rays of the light that couldn’t find a better place to fall on but my eyes, I probably wouldn’t have woken up this early. I waited and waited, able to deal with the sun rays, but the ringing of his phone that had really started going on my nerves was just unavoidable. I wanted to move and crush it.
Move…
I couldn’t move.
Only when I opened my eyes completely did I realize the situation I was thrown in, or better, entangled with. Somehow, unbeknown to me, I had managed to fall asleep with Blake in bed, which wasn’t really that confusing as the fact that he was literally hugging the life out of me so tight that I couldn’t even move at all!
His leg that weighed a ton held mine in place. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t escape from him. His right arm hugged from behind and trapped my own next to my chest, which I also couldn’t move even for an inch as I was left to wonder how the hell did we manage to get in that position.
I tried to recall what happened last night. Christmas was just as I saw it happen: a complete disaster. And at the end of it all, I didn’t even get to spend it with Ayden as I had promised him. I could only think that he was really disappointed because he was really looking forward to it. It had been two years since we got to celebrate it properly, and after all that happened with Maria…Oh God! What if he thought that I left with her? He didn’t see us arguing to the end. What if he came to believe that I have abandoned him?
I needed to find him.
I swung my head back, mentally cursing when I realized how strong Blake’s jaw was when I started to feel pain from the impact. Fuck! Why was I even surprised? He had a defined jaw, so it’s only normal that hitting that thing would result in me feeling pain instead. He grumbled, and I smiled. At least, one thing went right.
“Blake! Wake up. I need to stand up,” I said, and he only mumbled some incoherent words before snuggling his face in my neck, making the hairs on my arms rise. That fucking tickled, especially with his breath on my skin!
“Blake, I’ll bite off your nose if you don’t let me go right this moment!” I tried again.
“Nope.”
<
br /> Did he just nope me?
Slowly, not giving away anything that would give him time to prepare ahead, I moved my head forward, pretending to just run from him before taking a deep breath. Knowing all too well the consequences I’d feel with my skin, I decided to sacrifice my head for the greater good. And with all strength I had, I swung it back, hearing a satisfying curse from him indicating that he was in pain, which almost made me forgot my own. Immediately after that, he removed his hand to inspect the damage on his face as I enjoyed my first traces of freedom.
“Victory!” I yelled, already forgetting about Blake as I waited for the words of complaint that would most definitely follow.
“I will murder you,” was all he said with his voice still groggy from the sleep. I only chuckled, moving myself to a sitting position and slowly taking my legs one after the other from his. Freedom.
“I don’t care. I have to find Ayden. Kill me later,” I replied as I got away from his bed, turning my head to see him holding his nose.
Oops.
“Huh?” he asked, moving his arm to see bits of blood on it. That…was not supposed to make that much of a damage.
“Sorry. You wouldn’t move,” I apologized and gulped.
“Really? Few words would’ve worked just fine,” he said as he grabbed his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.
“Well…The alarm didn’t work, and…why do you even have an alarm set on Christmas?” I asked, and he shrugged.
“I forgot to turn it off. No reason in particular,” he dismissed the subject, waving his free hand and nodded understandingly.
“Forget that. I need to find Ayden. I forgot about him the last night. I have to find him and apologize for leaving him alone. And explain that I was here all the time,” I rambled nervously, and as I was about to exit Blake’s room, his strong arm landed on the doors passing just barely next to my face, making me gasp. I immediately turn to face him. Holy…His nose looked much worse now that I’ve gotten a closer look to it.
When did he even get up?
“Don’t you dare go out like this,” he said, his face just an inch from mine as my back came in contact with the cold door frame. He had that smile I came to like so much. I could never get tired of playful Blake.
I concentrated on his words instead of those lips as I tried to understand what he meant by “like that?” Then my eyes slowly moved from them toward my own body as I slowly came to realize that I wore nothing but his shirt and my underwear.
“Oh,” was all that left my mouth.
“Yes, oh,” he repeated and knowingly grinned.
I gave him my own version of I-might-have-forgotten-just-a-little-bit-about-that-unimportant-fact smile. “Oh my god! Sorry. I’ll get something to wear right this second,” I immediately exclaimed as I snuck under his arm and started to search through his old wardrobe.
I could swear that he gave me some shorts of his. How did I forget to put them? As I came to the last drawer, I found about four or five of them, so I leaned down to take the black one, trying to match to the color of his shirt.
“Tease,” Blake mumbled as I straightened my back before turning to look at him confused by his words.
“What? Did you say something?” Maybe I misheard him or something. He only shook his head before bringing his fingers back to his nose only to see that it was still bleeding.
“I’ll do something about this,” he said, staring at his own blood, and even with his nose broken, he was still as good-looking as always. Can’t really blame me; I’m a girl after all. Hormonal girl. Bad girl!
“Ade comes first,” I mumbled to myself before putting those shorts on; for the first time in my life, I was grateful for having such a petite figure that his shirt covered enough.
“Alright, I’ll join you once I’ve dealt with my nose. Do you know where you should—”
At that moment, I exited his room and started running around the hall. I came to the huge stairs leading to that room we were in yesterday.
Yesterday. Maria and our conversation…I shook my head. Conversation with Blake. My parents, his sister…I shook my head again. I should stop thinking about those things now. I was okay. I was not the one to blame, Blake said so.
And then I stopped in my tracks, suddenly remembering something very, very important.
I had no idea where the hell I should go to!
“Nor do I have any idea how to get back to Blake!” I exclaimed. I only rushed there on instincts. I was not familiar with the house at all!
“C’mon, Santa. Don’t make this any harder for me. Help me,” I pleaded to no one with a sigh.
“Can I help you?” an elderly voice said behind me. Seriously?
“Wow, Santa. You’re really fast the day after Christmas,” I said and frowned before turning around. I came eye to eye with George who had an amused look on his. I hoped that he hadn’t heard my outburst.
Not Santa, but will do.
“I ensure you that I’m not Santa, my dear,” he said, and I blushed from embarrassment. He had heard me after all. “But if I can, then I’ll be glad to help you,” he said, and I nodded, looking anywhere but in his eyes. After our encounter, I couldn’t stand to look at his eyes. Jesus, why did I have the most complicated meetings with people that would turn out to be important in my life? He was going to be my grandfather-in-law!
“Well, I…am looking for my brother, actually. Little, acting like a superhero and extremely loud. If you have seen him by any chance, can you help me?” I asked, putting a hand behind my head nervously. Knowing Ayden, it was impossible not to spot him in a place where he was surrounded by strangers he could tell his adventures to.
“I’m quite sure that I have indeed seen a kid of that description. It’s hard not to, actually. He’s in the kitchen,” he replied, and I smiled. Damn, Ade, I’m so going to kill you once I get my hold on you.
“Sorry, he’s a bit too cheerful,” I said and smiled shyly.
“Oh, not at all. It was funny around him in the house. I haven’t enjoyed myself since Blake was a kid,” he said and smiled. “Follow me. I’m actually on my way to the kitchen, so I’ll take you there as well,” he said, and I nodded, following after him.
“Thank you,” I said as I followed from behind. I still couldn’t believe that yesterday had really happened.
I sighed. It was pointless to think about it. It would only leave me hurting because I couldn’t brace myself for something I knew was coming. Blake said it himself when he asked me to marry him the first time. We were getting together just because of our child so that he or she won’t have to grow up without both parents by their side. This relationship was supposed to be professional. Was it not then?
“Watch out!” was all I heard, drowning in the sea of my own doubts. Something soft hit my head. It took me down, nonetheless. Only one thought was on my mind at the moment while I fell—my baby. Throwing all rational thoughts aside, I used my arms to shield my belly from the impact of the fall, but the cold ground never came.
“Damn!” someone groaned. I heard a voice from beneath me, and my first thought was that it was the floor talking. “Get off me!” it said again, and I opened my eyes to see a guy under me. He was around Blake’s age.
I realized that I knew him. It was Dylan, the guy who once flirted with me.
And the one who warned me of the attack? I knew that voice as well.
“Oh, sorry,” I said as I got up and turned around. “Max, I’m going to kill you. Very, very painfully!” I slowly said, but Max already knew that my threats were most dangerous when spoken silently. Looking around, I noticed the thing he hit me with, some fluffy toy in the shape of a ball, and I threw it from one hand to another, getting used to it.
“Is there any way you’d give up on your revenge?” he asked as I smiled at him innocently. Or that’s how it seemed to others.
“No way.” And with that, I rushed toward him who immediately started running away.
“Come back here, you
coward! Act like the man you are!” I yelled as he passed by the doors, making me speed up, ignoring both confused George and Dylan. I didn’t recall seeing Dylan the previous day.
It all happened in slow motion. It was like something you’d see in action movies when they show every single movement that occurs in one particular second. I jumped, preparing to throw that fluffy ball already having targeted Max while passing by the same entrance he just did. And by some twisted turn of fate, at the very same moment, Blake chose to coolly stroll past us. I swear I wouldn’t forget the look on his face for a while.
Noticing me, he only parted his lips with a rather bored expression on his face as if he already accepted his fate, as if he truly knew that our impact was unavoidable. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop my mid-air maneuver even if I wanted to, so without much choice, I slammed into him, taking both of us down.
The next thing I knew I was sprawled on top of him who only had his eyes closed and had on his face a really bad grimace indicating that he was in pain. In his nose, he had some toilet paper he probably used to stop the bleeding while I didn’t feel pain at all, having him take all the damage.
That one was most definitely not my fault.
Max. Yes, I’ll blame Max.
“Blake,” I said breathlessly as he opened his eyes.
After that followed his usual smack-Kaley’s-head routine, making me glare at him.
“Damn it, woman. Are you trying to kill me today?” he yelled, and I shook my head. “You could have gotten yourself seriously wounded or even…” He stopped, having that concerned look on his face, and I knew what he meant. “Or even hurt our baby.”
“Sorry,” I sincerely apologized, and he sighed, hugging me once again before sitting up with me on his lap. Was I that light to him? Who the heck manages to rise from the ground with another person on top of them?
“Are you alright? Hurt?” he then asked.
“Yes and no. I’m not hurt,” I replied, playing with my fingers. It’s always him that makes me feel something. That makes me feel like this now.
One Night Stand with a Billionaire Page 15
