Anya descended the stairs thinking about how she should deal with Aiden. Their final argument in the car ended up making the man angry with her. Aiden asked for something that Anya could not possibly do, but she understood that the man was only thinking about her kindness. The man was innocent; it was the circumstances that made it impossible.
It seemed, she had to apologize to her so that the atmosphere between them didn't go back to being awkward.
Even though they didn't love each other, they were now bound by a marriage that lasted a lifetime. They would live together for a very long time. Even though there was no love between them, they still had to adapt to live side by side. Even though they didn't love each other, they could still live together as friends. Therefore, they had to keep their relationship on good terms.
She must apologize to Aiden!
Anya entered the dining room and saw nobody even though various foods had been served on it. Aiden didn't wait for her at the dining table chair as usual. At this moment, the man was standing facing the window, looking out at the calm lake, outside the window. The man stood with his back to her, but Anya could feel Aiden's mood getting better.
It seemed to her, the anger that the man felt had subsided.
She walked over to him, making sure that she made a sound to indicate her arrival. She didn't want Aiden to be surprised by her sudden arrival because the man couldn't see her. However, even without the need to do that, Aiden actually knew Anya's arrival. He could see the figure of the woman approaching him and the reflection of the window glass in front of him.
Aiden saw that the woman had changed her clothes and was wearing home clothes. Her long hair was flowing down with a pin to make it look neater.
Aiden really liked her. He loved this sight. He liked to see Anya in his house, wearing casual clothes, showing that she was comfortable in this house. All of this made him feel that Anya was his.
Even though the woman didn't remember anything about him.
Anya stood beside Aiden, putting some distance between them so they wouldn't touch. The distance that Aiden didn't like. Anya was standing too far from him. His heart seemed to push him, telling him to take Anya into his arms and bury his face in her hair. He could imagine the fragrance of flowers that wafted from Anya's body. He wanted to feel closeness to that woman, feel her warm body.
"Are you still mad at me?" Anya asked in a low voice. Her eyes stared at Aiden, but the man did not return his gaze. Aiden looked out the window while his hands folded behind his back.
The man didn't need to move to show his good looks. Standing still in front of the window, with the dim light from the moonlight, made Aiden look very handsome to Anya's eyes. When standing next to Aiden, Anya's head could only reach the man's shoulders.
"Do you know why I'm angry with you?" Aiden asked. He kept looking straight ahead, did not look at the woman standing beside him. However, his voice didn't sound angry. There was only calm in his voice, like a clear water that was not wavy.
They stood side by side, gazing at the lake reflecting the moonlight, forgetting the dinner served on the table. Silence enveloped them, but this silence was not as awkward as when they argued.
The silence between them was peaceful and soothing.
"Yes ... I know..." Anya answered.
Anya knew, Aiden was angry because he cared about her. Aiden was angry because he was worried about her. The man always thought about her and helped her. Even though Anya did not love her husband, she was grateful to have someone as reliable as a friend.
Anya leaned her head against Aiden's arm while still looking towards the lake, "Thank you ..." She said.
Aiden could feel Anya's warmth in his arms and decided not to move. Not because he didn't want to, but because he wanted to give Anya the freedom to do whatever she wanted. Aiden didn't want to suddenly touch or hug her and startle her. He didn't want Anya to get away from him.
They were silent in that position for a while before finally Aiden invited Anya to dinner.
"Next week I'm going out of town." Aiden said as they were enjoying their dinner.
"Where are you going?" Anya asked while feeding the food into her mouth. Now that the awkwardness had disappeared between them, they lightly chatted in the middle of dinner.
"I have some work to do." Aiden replied.
"How long?" Anya asked.
"Three days…" He answered, but before Anya could ask anything else, he suddenly asked, "Do you want me to stay at home? I can cancel it."
Anya's hand stopped spooning her food when she heard Aiden's sudden question, "Ah, no, no!" she answered while shaking her head, "How could I prevent you from leaving. Your business must be very important."
Aiden frowned upon hearing that answer. Anya didn't try to stop him from leaving. In fact, the woman seemed delighted to learn that he was leaving the house for a few days.
Anya did feel a little happy because she could be free. Her little heart felt a little guilty because the joy that rose in her heart. She shouldn't have felt this way. Aiden had always been good to her, so she should have done the same for that man too. However, that feeling of joy presented itself. She could not do anything about it.
When she saw the man frown, she decided to say something like a wife used to say to make him a little happy, "I'll wait for you back home." She said softly.
"Hmm…" Just as Anya thought, those words did make Aiden feel good. He was happy when he heard Anya would be waiting for him to return. Before this, he had always lived alone. He would only be greeted by his servants because they worked for and earned some salary from him.
Now, his life had changed. He had a wife awaiting his return at home. Even though his wife didn't love him, it was okay as long as she stayed by his side.
After dinner was over, they returned to the room. Anya immediately took a shower because previously she fell asleep and had not had time to clean her body. She felt her body itchy and was a little uncomfortable.
After she returned from the bathroom, she saw Aiden lying on the side of her bed. The man's eyes were closed, but Anya was not sure whether Aiden was asleep or not. She often saw Aiden close his eyes to rest his eyes when he wasn't working.
Anya immediately got ready to sleep. She walked over to the side of the bed and lay down slowly, trying not to make any noise. She didn't want to disturb Aiden's rest.
They laid on their sides, not touching at all. However, their warmth seemed to radiate from each other, making them feel at ease. They felt comfortable in each other's existence.
She didn't know since when did they start to develop such feelings, especially in her own heart.
Did this feeling arise because Aiden was someone she could rely on?
Or did she start falling for him?
Impossible!
There was no way she could love someone else so easily after...
Anya closed her eyes, letting sleep slowly envelop her and lead her to dreamland.