Rowan shook his head implying, No.
"Oh, so you were staying at your weird friend's house then?". Finley asked.
Rowan snickered and answered.
"Yeah".
"Oh, okay". Finley said.
A small drive later and a gray duplex building could be seen.
"Is that your house?". Finley asked curiously.
"Yeah, that's where I live".
"Wow, isn't it too lonely and kind of deserted from people?".
"Yeah, it is but I am ok with it, I bought the areas around it too".
"Oh, that explains a lot". Finley nodded.
Rowan drove smoothly into his house, there was no gate or any barrier, it was just an open space with vegetation around it.
In the front courtyard, there were different types of flowers planted around the house. Although the duplex seemed big, it wasn't big enough to be called a mansion, it just looked big enough for a family of five to ten people.
Rowan parked his car in the garage.
Finley came out of the car and looked around the surroundings of the house. It looked beautiful. There were different types of flowers planted in a pattern.
"Your house is amazing, can't believe you are the only one living in here".
Rowan nodded as he brought out some of Finley's things in the boot of the car.
"Well, you are here with me now, right?". Rowan replied.
"Who knew!". Finley exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.
Rowan and Finley entered the house. It was getting to the evening.
Inside the house was dimly lit and from the atmosphere one could tell that, it is empty of any soul, at least that's what Finley thought.
The design of the house wasn't as extravagantly furnished but didn't look average either.
"But people come to visit, right?". Finley asked as she looked around.
"Yeah, business partners, family members, and my friend".
"Is that guy your only friend?". Finley asked curiously.
Rowan nodded.
Finley walked around looking at and inspecting the interior of the house.
The house had a wooden, brick, and ceramic interior design combination.
There were no brightly-colored things in the house.
Rowan placed Finley's things inside a room before coming back to the sitting room.
He walked to his drink cabinet and brought out a bottle of wine, and two wine glasses, and walked into the kitchen to mix a drink.
He came back again and this time with a filled-up wine glass, that had cherries in it.
"I made my version of an old-fashioned with a twist and it has some cherries in it". He said as he passed her the drink and seats on the black couch.
"That's nice, thanks". Finley said as she collected the drink.
"Umm, do you have wifi?". Finley asked.
"You...".
"There is no service, I have been trying to call Shane for some time now". Finley explained as she interrupted Rowan.
"Oh, sorry, it must have gone out again".Rowan said taking a sip of his drink.
"No problem, I will just try again another time or maybe in the morning before we leave".
Finley continued to walk around as she admired the house.
"Sizing me up?". Rowan asked.
"Oh, yeah and it smells good". Finley said as she inhaled the fragrance from the sandalwood.
"My sister got me that". Rowan said.
"What a lovely sister you have". Finley commented.
Rowan noticed that Finley has not taken a sip from her drink yet but became more alarmed as Finley was about to touch a portrait hung on the side of the sitting room with a weird painting.
Finley noticed a painting that was hung at the deep end of they sitting rooom.
It looked like scraps of skin, it intrigued her, and she wanted to touch it to know what it feels like.
"Notice any interesting flavors in there?". Rowan asked standing behind Finley.
Finley was startled and she turned around with a fright.
"Oh my gosh! Don't sneak up on me like that".
"Haha, you get scared easily". Rowan joked.
"No, I don't! I just didn't hear you walk up to me". Finley denied it and took a sip of her drink.
"Mmm, this is so good, peach?". Finley guessed as she savored the taste of the drink in her mouth.
"No, but that was close". Rowan said as he sat back down on the black couch.
Finley took a sip again as she sat down on the couch opposite him.
"Uhh, Apricot?". She asked.
"No".
"No? What!".
"So close, come on, try again". Rowan urged her.
Finley drank it again and this time she took a big sip, she kept it in her mouth for some seconds before gulping it down.
Rowan took his drink also, staring at Finley.
"Hmm, I will get it this time".
"Okay?".
"Nectarine". Finley said as she pointed her index finger at him.
"Yes, that's correct".
"Really?!".
"Yeah, you got it".
Finley laughed happily and took the last sip of her drink, finishing it.
Rowan nodded his head slowly still staring at her.
"Your house is intimidating". Finley said looking around and then back at Rowan.
"I mean, you are all like fancy cocktails and I am like pancakes out of the bag".
"Well, that's partially true but that's what I like about you". Rowan said.
"What do you mean?". Finley asked.
"No pretending".
Rowan said twirling his drink and looking straight at her like he was waiting for something to happen.
Rowan was greatly surprised that five minutes later Finley wasn't showing any signs of dizziness, he knew that she was different but wasn't expecting it to be this way.
Finley started feeling uneasy in her stomach, it was weird but immediately after she finished the drink that Rowan made for her, she felt a weird sensation in her body she ignored it but every minute it gets worse.
"Did you spike my drink?".
Finley asked with a worried expression on her face as she placed her hands on her stomach.
Rowan was stunned as he wasn't expecting that question at all, she was supposed to be dizzy and lose consciousness not feel pain or even notice it.
"I did".