Lucian stood still, with his back to her as if he was rooted to the spot. His ears kept ringing with her voice, calling out his name again and again.
But he quickly reined in his excitement and turned around with a brilliant smile which stumped Violette for a moment. She decided to speak while looking away because she didn't think she could keep her composure under his gaze at that moment.
"My room…" she began with a mutter and cringed at her tone. She took another deep breath and continued. "I only booked it for a week, and it ends tonight."
"Oh…" Lucian didn't understand it at first but as it clicked, he exclaimed in shock and surprise. "Ah!"
Violette didn't dare look at him and kept her gaze to the side as she spoke. "So… for the next few days, can I-"
"Stay with me!" Lucian couldn't wait to speak those words and finally felt free after he spoke his mind. But when he saw the stunned expression on Violette's face, he calmed himself with a fake cough.
"I mean, yes. You can stay with me." He tried to play it cool but the faint smirk hanging from Violette's lips said that she saw through him. But he was too happy to care and gave her a sheepish grin. "Shall I help you pack your bags?"
Violette couldn't help roll her eyes and shook her head. "I can still stay tonight."
"Oh…" Lucian scratched the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. "In the morning then."
With a curt nod, Violette stepped back into her room and held the door as she bid him farewell. "Good night."
Lucian gave her a small wave and turned around with a joyous smile as he walked down the long corridor while Violette closed the door behind her and covered her face with her hands.
Could he not be so obvious all the time? Dummy.
- -
In the living room of quiet and desolate mansion, Jake stood under the large window overlooking the back garden where he used to sneak away to find 'her'. And together they would together indulge in dreams of childish grandeur yet full of hope.
That house was once their safe haven, the only place they could call home. It was the one place where everything seemed better and the one place he could return to when everything was worse.
But now, it only served as a memento of a time long gone, with all the happy memories that only reminded him more of what he had and lost.
"If you get this message…" Jake spoke into the phone by his ear, his usual cheerful voice dulled down to a hoarse whisper as he looked away from the window.
Because no matter how long the dream, we have to wake up sooner or later.
He let out a dejected sigh and pinched the space between his brows before he got the words out of his mouth again.
"Please, come and pay your respects." He concluded the call and dropped his head back with another heavy sigh that seemed to drain his never-ending energy.
"Still couldn't reach her?" He heard a solemn voice and turned around to find Gina standing at the door with a thoughtful look on her face.
Jake tried to mask his expression with a weak smile but it was so forced and painful that the sight nearly ripped her heart. He was enveloped in a gloomy aura, while his usual cheerful self was nowhere to be found.
She couldn't stand watching him like that and immediately rushed inside and pulled him into her embrace before he could even realize what was happening.
Taken aback by her sudden gesture, he stood still for a moment with a blank face. But as he felt comforted by her body heat, he slowly wrapped his arms around her. His eyes closed with tiredness and his face drooped down to rest on her shoulder as he felt exhausted, both physically and mentally.
"It's okay…" Gina's voice was soft and low as she cooed by his ear. Her heart ached to see him like that and it hurt more that she couldn't do anything to ease his burden.
"I'm sure she will make it to the funeral. After all, she is his daughter." She added as if trying to console him but that statement instead woke him up from his momentary daze.
He quickly pulled away from her as if it was a mistake in the first place and looked away when he saw the flash of hurt in Gina's eyes.
"I'm fine, Gina." He muttered helplessly and began massaging his forehead as he walked to the large couch and plopped down with yet another heavy sigh.
Gina was a stubborn women as well, as she refused to let him push her away and followed him to the couch. She quietly sat down beside him and fixed her gaze on him until he relented.
Knowing that he couldn't win against her, Jake let out dry chuckle. "You know, for as long as I can remember, he was always there in my life, through every step of the way."
"But now…" He sniffed back his tears and turned to the woman beside him with a big grin, as if he wanted to prove something.
"I'm not sad, Gina." He spoke in a hoarse voice as tears began streaming down his cheeks even though he tried hard to hold them back. "Just… lost."
Even though she herself felt like crying, Gina put on a brave face and hugged him tightly in her embrace. And as if he couldn't hold on anymore, Jake finally broke down into a loud sob and began bawling his eyes out.
In the quiet, lonely mansion, his cries were especially heart breaking. And it didn't take long for Gina to be reduced to the same state as both of them held onto each other and let their grief out.
- -
The next morning, Lucian was in front of door 423 before the hotel's attendants came to check her out. If it wasn't because he was being mindful of her condition, he couldn't wait to drag her out of her room.
He took her suitcase into his hand while Violette carried her laptop bag across her shoulders as they made their way down the long corridor towards the elevator. They got into it without much delay and Lucian quickly pressed the button to his room floor.
But Violette soon began to frown as the elevator went past 4th, 5th and 6th floors without any sign of slowing down. And as it crossed 7th and 8th, she turned to Lucian with a questioning look.
The man simply gave her a grin and didn't bother explaining as the elevator finally came to a halt on the 9th floor. They stepped out the elevator and walked to the large dark wooden oak door at a distance on the other side.
It was one of the only two doors on this floor at opposite ends, signifying two suite rooms. Lucian pulled out his key card and swiped it to open the door before standing aside and gesturing for Violette to enter first.
Violette gave a faint smile and stepped into the large hall with light grey walls and white ceiling. A four chair dining table was placed to the side, directly in front of the open kitchen. And right below the large window at the back was a three seater sofa with a coffee table.
Lucian let her look around as he walked past her and opened a door on the left leading to a bedroom.
"You can use this room." He said as he turned back to her with a smile. "It has an attached bathroom and a closet for you to use."
And as if to ease her, he gestured to the other door on the opposite side and added. "I'll be in there."
Violette nodded awkwardly and went into her room to set her things and freshen up, as she wasn't even given the time before being evicted from her room and dragged here by her overenthusiastic husband.
- -
Although Violette was hesitant and doubtful about moving into his room – or his suite to be precise, she had to admit, the perks she was enjoying now were worth everything.
She had a very long and relaxing hot bath, courtesy of the large tub in the bathroom and relieved her body of all the pent up tensions and aches. She was filled with renewed vigor and felt refreshed, in both mind and body.
With a towel wrapped around her torso, she exited the bathroom and walked towards the suitcase by the bedside. She didn't have any intention of wasting her time by putting her clothes in the closet when it was much faster to just grab them from the suitcase.
She plugged in the hair dryer she found in the bathroom and sat down leisurely on the bed as she pointed it towards her honey-blonde hair. The small gadget was rather noisy but she felt a certain calm as she blew the hair away from her face for once.
Perhaps that was the reason she didn't hear the door open behind her.
"Violette, do you want to-" Lucian halted in mid-speech as he stood stunned by the door, mesmerized by the sight of his wife's peaceful presence. He subconsciously held his breath afraid to disturb her and ruin the moment.
It felt like a rare sight in nature, a carefully constructed dream that would shatter at the slightest hint of outside interference.
But she wasn't a sleeping beauty and she woke up to find her prince watching her with a stupefied look. Her lips twitched into faint smirk as she turned off the hair dryer, plunging the room into sudden silence that pulled the grey eyed stranger out of his daze.
"I… That…" he was lost for words and found it hard to stay composed under her indifferent gaze and that smirk which seemed to be teasing him.
As he failed to construct a proper sentence even after a few tries, he gave up and turned around, directly closing the door instead.
The view was just too much for him, and he was thankful he didn't have a nosebleed. But her casual attitude made him feel like he was taking undue advantage of her. He didn't know how to deal with the situation when she acted so calmly and he was the one becoming flustered.
Aren't our roles… reversed?