I don’t like this quiet. Dinner is an empty experience without her chatter and that radiant, dimpled smile. The days are bland, and I have nothing to look forward to when I come home from work.
And constantly, I’m thinking about that kiss. The kiss was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. The one that stole my breath and silenced my mind. How did she have that effect on me?
One morning, sitting alone at the breakfast table, my food is growing cold in front of me. I push it around the plate with a fork. The scrambled egg has turned rubbery, but it doesn’t matter because I’m not hungry. I’m feeling miserable.
I’ve lost count of how many times she’s drifted into my thoughts, and she’s there again now, and in this moment of unaccustomed loneliness, I realize my mistake.
She had every right to do whatever it took to try and escape. Including manipulating me. It wasn’t a betrayal exactly; it was an attempt to gain her freedom. I am the one in the wrong here. Holding her captive for her brother’s choices and actions. She did nothing wrong other than have the same name as them. She didn’t even know what they did to Bardil.
My entire plan is to punish them, to make them suffer in their pain and worry, not knowing where she is. But it’s not fair of me to punish her too.
Sighing, I push my food away and lean my face into my hands, rubbing my eyes.
I can’t be angry with her for trying to escape. She’s in prison for crimes she didn’t commit.
Moving my chair back, I stand up and leave the dining room to find her.
After walking around the library and checking her room, I stop at the gym. Nothing. I stand staring out the window in the gym with my brow furrowed. It’s a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining hot against the surface of the pool, glittering with a million points of light.
That’s when I spot her, just her feet actually, visible from beneath a tall umbrella, angled so the rest of her is hidden from my view.
I hurry downstairs and out into the garden. I walk around the pool and toward her sun lounger.
Standing in front of where she’s stretched out like a lazy cat in her bikini, my eyes trace greedily over her toned, tight little body.
I clear my throat, and she hardly reacts at all. Her mouth pulls tighter, but she says nothing.
“It’s a gorgeous day to get some sun,” I say awkwardly.
“Mm,” she huffs, making her disinterest in talking to me abundantly clear.
“Do you have sunblock? If you stay in the shade of the umbrella, you’ll get burnt quickly. I can get some…”
“What do you want, Marlen?” she sighs.
An awkward nervousness shivers through me, another new sensation I’m not accustomed it. This girl is doing strange things to me.
“I wanted to check on you, see if you were ok?” I say.
She shrugs, lifting her sunglasses to the top of her head and narrowing her eyes at me. “To check on me? Interesting,” she sighs again, her face is bland, void of emotion. In fact, she looks bored as hell as she slowly traces her fingers over the edge of the sun lounger and stares at nothing in particular.
An idea strikes me—a way for me to apologize without making a scene.
“I need you to pack a bag for a few days,” I tell her, finally sparking a flicker of interest in her expression.
“We’re going somewhere?” she asks, trying not to sound excited.
“Yes, it’ll be hot, so bring your swimsuit and pack accordingly. Three or four days. Be ready in an hour.”
She sits up, giving me her full attention. “Where are we going?”
I smirk, instantly enjoying the moment with her, no longer ignoring me. “You’ll like it,” is all I say, keeping it mysterious to pique her curiosity.
“Marlen…” she calls out after me as I walk away, but I keep going, only glancing over my shoulder to shout, “You better hurry. Adventure waits for no man.”
Chapter 10 - Stefania
“Adventure?” I mutter to myself, with Marlen already out of earshot. “What in the world is he talking about?”
