Sometime after finishing her sandwich she must have dozed off because the next thing she knew was that Feanor was gently shaking her awake. She opened her eyes groggily, weariness weighing her down. Even opening the car door and climbing out was an effort. As she leaned against the bonnet for support she was struck by the silence around her. She focused on her surroundings.
"Wh- where am I?"
Feanor was watching her from a distance. He raised his eyebrows at her. "You were here only twenty four hours ago. Surely you can recognize the house?"
"Yes, but why am I back here?"
"Where did you want to go?"
"I thought you were taking me to a hotel or something."
"Did you?" His tone was sardonic. "Didn't want to return to the scene of crime?"
She was so tired; it was becoming difficult for her to keep her eyes open, let alone trying to understand what he meant by that quip. She mumbled sleepily, "What are you talking about?" and started off towards the main door without bothering to wait for him. Once she reached it, though, she realized that the door needed to be unlocked and stood swaying there waiting for him.
Feanor looked at her exasperated, a small smile playing on his lips. In one breath she claims that she wanted to be taken to a hotel and in another she stalks towards his house as if she belonged there. Belonged there? He frowned, what an odd choice of words.
He unlocked the door and Idril staggered inside. And then without further ado, she started towards the sofa and keeled over it and lay there unmoving. Feanor looked at her still form and started smiling again. There again. She has made herself comfortable. He went outside to get her luggage from the car. It sure had been an eventful day.
She awoke a few hours later, thirsty but refreshed by the sleep. Without opening her eyes, she laid still for some time, listening to the small noises in the room, the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen, the crackle of the logs in the fireplace and the soft whistling of the wind in the window cracks. She stretched, feeling the soft fabric of the duvet and loving the warmth surrounding her body against the chill of the night air. She opened her eyes with a jerk. Where was she again? Oh, Feanor's house, she remembered. But where? Last she remembered, she had been force fed a tasteless sandwich and had fallen asleep in the car.
It was pitch black in the room. She stretched her hands tentatively and understood that she was in a bed. After a while as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw an oblong in the far side of the room. Cautiously stepping down from the bed, she inched towards it. It seemed to be a door. She fumbled in the dark until she found the handles and pushed it open and found herself in a balcony.
Cold air hit her in the face so fiercely that she immediately stepped in and the doors closed with a thud that reverberated through the house. Feeling shaken, she retreated to the bed in speed and pulled the duvet over herself again. She was back in the room she had spent her first night in. She sat there unmoving for a while, trying to remember where the light switch was. Right of the door.
Padding softly down the stairs to the kitchen, with the intention of finding something to drink, she was relieved to find that the hall leading to the kitchen was lit with a night bulb. Reaching, she opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of orange juice and a fished out a jar of cookie from the cupboard. She was hungry as well, but it will have to do till breakfast. Returning to the dining table with her glass of juice, she almost had a heart attack when the saw a shadow, standing right in front of her.
The shadow flicked a switch and she found herself blinking up to see Feanor standing with his hands folded across chest. He was dressed in his pajamas, his hair tousled that gave him a 'oh, so sexy' look. Clearly, he had just got up from bed. But he seemed fully awake and was looking down at her, expressionless. Even with the stubble and the lines of weariness around his eyes he looked drop dead gorgeous.
He didn't speak for about half a minute. Then he said softly, with a sardonic tilt to his head, "A little snack before running away again?"
Idril flushed. Here it was, the thing she was dreading. With her chin up, she answered with dignity, "I wasn't running away."
"No?" His gaze roamed from her head to toe, taking in her fully clothed body with the shoes in place, which she had put on because of the biting cold, he raised his eyebrows.
"I don't remember putting you in bed with your shoes on."
She blushed; the image of him putting her to bed last night came to her mind unbidden. And on the heel of that, a vision of him putting her to bed tonight followed. Her face on fire, she ignored him and sat down at the table, taking a sip from her glass, ignoring his quip.
He stood there for a while before joining her on the other side of the table.
"Did you try jumping out the balcony this time? If so, don't bother. I have the keys to the front door right here. Though, you might want to wait till the morning. You are not going to find any cabs at this time."
She stared stonily back at him.
He continued, seeming unperturbed by her refusal to rise to the bait. "You really should think before jumping, you know. See what happened? You had come back begging to the very man you professed never wanting to see again."
He was referring to her note. She felt her hackles rise. Oh, boy, are you enjoying this. Alright, I know how to wipe that smile right off your face, Idril fumed inside.
She opened her mouth, "Yeah, but that was not in the morning, but in that romantic cabin where you had laid your trap. I really should have checked my facts before jumping into bed with a real lousy two timing rat. Maybe that's what turns on your other lovers but not me."
He narrowed his eyes, all trace of humor gone from his face. Take that, you conceited liar, she thought with satisfaction.
"Oh, I'd say the trap worked all right." He replied smoothly. "But tell me something, is that why you never had a lover before me? Because you generalize all of them lousy rats?"
"My lovers, or the lack of them, are none of your business. But, for your information, they weren't as depraved as you are." She replied with gritted teeth.
"Why do you think so?" he invited her to answer calmly. "I am not as depraved as your other boyfriends, because I chose to ignore your habit of constantly switching between blowing hot and then cold the next second and forced you to abandon your inhibitions?" He mocked her. "If so, let me tell you, I have no regrets. I had an amazing time, and you should thank me too. I seem to remember that you begged me to be depraved on quite a number of occasions, and were very voluble in my appreciation."
Oh, that was below the belt. She remembered those occasions and the stupid words spoken in the heat of passion quite clearly. She hated him for throwing those words back at her. Reddening fiercely, she hissed at him.
"Oh, you are such a gentleman! If only people could see you now. See what a show you put on for them to be the sensitive guy every woman dreams of."
"Oh yes, you did dream of me. For several years, didn't you say?" He countered smoothly. "Your plan worked very well, or trap as you put it, I must say."
She was thrown. Plan? Trap?
"Oh don't act so confused." He said indulgently. "One night with the man of every woman's dream. Take him completely by surprise, pretend to be mesmerized by him, lead him on, seduce him and then go home to sell the story and make some money out of it. It was a very good plan. You totally got me." He finished.
Idril sat there speechless. He thought that she had planned the whole thing? And did he think she was so cheap as to do a kiss and tell? And who had seduced whom, for god's sake?
"So, tell me, have you already managed to sell it or did you find out that you can't make much money out of it? Is that why you pretended to have missed your flight and came back?" he inquired, settling back comfortably in the chair.
Idril frowned. "Tell me Feanor, if you think so, then why did you help me? Why did you bring me back here, where, no doubt I can get much more information about you?" She was proud that her voice was as calm as his.
"Hmm." He pretended to think. "Curiosity, perhaps. And I admired your pluck in calling me. It's not so common an occurrence where the thief calls back to inform that she wants to be back for more stealing."
"You know I didn't really need to be back. I already had the best headlines imagined." She replied. "'Feanor Frazier- the Hero or Villain?' And a subheading underneath- Superstar actor enjoys a wild night before wedding.'" She finished, waiting to see his reaction to the news that she knew his secret. But instead of acting ashamed, he frowned at her, an expression of complete incomprehension on his face.
"Wedding? What are you talking about?"
Oh, so he was planning to play dumb, was he?
"Oh, don't act so surprised. I know it, okay?" she said angrily. "Your fiancée called."
"Who?" he asked, extremely puzzled.
"Playing dumb isn't going to get you out of this, you know." She hissed. "I heard her. Amanda. When I was making you tea, she called to tell you that you have to absolutely attend the dance class, so that your first couple dance is the best ever."
He looked at her. "You mean to say that Amanda called this morning and you eavesdropped on my personal message? And that's why you left, leaving only that stupid note behind, to drive me crazy?