“What’re doing here?”
“Why is everyone asking me this? Is my presence here that surprising?”
“Probably because you have no business here. And your presence is not desired as well.”
“I have business with Juliet. So you can leave.”
“I’m not going to leave until you do.” Ethan shot back.
“Just let us be, man,” Vince sounded annoyed.
“I can clearly see that Juliet doesn’t want you here so I suggest you leave.”
“Okay,” Vince said, grabbing my arm. “Yes, we are leaving. We have a dinner date.”
I peeled his arm off of me. “No we don’t. I clearly told you I don’t want to see your face again.”
“You heard her,” Ethan said and gestured towards the door. “Show yourself out before I have to call someone to do that for you.”
Vince glared at Ethan and gave me a look. “We’re not done talking, Juliet.”
I ignored him as he shuffled awkwardly around us and was finally out the door.
“You okay?” Ethan asked as he walked closer to me.
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“So, uh you going somewhere?” I asked, noticing he was well dressed.
“Yeah, something important came up and I’ve to go take care of it.”
I nodded again. “Okay, bye.” I turned around to go upstairs but stopped when he called me.
“Yeah?” I turned to face him.
“Are you free after twelve?”
“No, I’m planning on sleeping. Who the hell stays up till twelve unless it’s not a party.”
“Do you think you can make time for me around twelve?” He had his hands in his pant pockets and was looking up at me as I stood on the steps.
“Why? Don’t you want to sleep?”
He shrugged. “This kind of thing can only be done at night.”
“Um… okay? What is it?”
He shook his head. “You’ll see for yourself. Just don’t fall asleep.”
I wondered what he wanted do this late in the night but coming up with nothing, I just shrugged it off. I guess I’d know it when the time comes.
***
When dinner time rolled around, I found that I was the only one at the dinner table tonight.
When I asked Samara, she told me that Charlotte and Alistair had gone out to dinner. It was odd how they didn’t think of informing me. But Samara told me that they didn’t want to disturb me so they just left after instructing the maids to look after me like I was a baby.
So there I was, alone at a big dinner table. I felt lonely. Everyone was out with someone, having more fun than me and I was stuck here to eat dinner with myself for company.
Olivia still hadn’t returned from her date and Charlotte and Alistair left about half an hour ago, as told by Samara. Ethan had been gone for almost two hours but he still hadn’t returned so I assumed he would dine out today. He was probably with Heather. Although I wasn’t sure and he was dressed in his work attire, I still had a nagging suspicion that he was with Heather.
I know I shouldn’t mind it, after all they are dating and they are supposed to be together but I couldn’t help but let my thoughts wander to him.
I walked into the kitchen with my plate piled with food where Keith was scrubbing the counter.
He looked up and frowned at me. “Do you not like what I’ve made? Should I cook something else for you?” I was craving Chinese and the noodles he made looked delectable.
I shook my head and looked down at the food. “The food looks delicious.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t want to eat alone. Have you eaten yet?” I asked, looking up for his answer.
“No,” he said hesitantly.
I smiled at him. “Good. Get yourself some food and come sit with me. We’ll eat together.” Keith looked unsure. I rolled my eyes. “Stop thinking so much and come have dinner with me.”
“Juliet, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He said uneasily.
I frowned at him. “Why not?”
“I’m just a cook here. I’m not allowed to be friends with you. I don’t want to lose my job because it means I still get to see you sometimes. If someone saw us being friendly, I might lose my job. And even though Ethan doesn’t own this place, he has the power to fire me from this job.”
“Keith, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Ethan will never fire you. I’ll make sure of that, I promise. And it doesn’t matter if you are a cook here or not. You are my friend and I don’t care if anyone says or tells me to not talk to you because I won’t listen to them.”
I walked towards him and grabbed his arm. “Now get your food and come eat with me.”
Keith was still hesitant and I had to pull him out of the kitchen with his food and force him to sit down with me.
I could see that he was extremely uncomfortable and kept looking around as if expecting something scary to pop out of nowhere and scare him off. In this situation, he was probably expecting Ethan to arrive and kick him out of here.
I put a hand on his to calm down his nerves. “Can you please relax?”
“I’m sorry,” Keith said, placing a forkful of noodles in his mouth.
“These noodles are amazing. I wish you’d make Chinese more often.”
He nodded. “Your wish is my command.”
I smiled. He seemed to relax after a few minutes and then we got talking like we normally did.
After we were done eating, I helped him with the dishes. Of course he didn’t want to let me do the dishes with him but he finally gave up when I threatened to not talk to him ever again. He actually believed me.
After that we went our separate ways. He had to call his family to check up on them and I just retreated to my room. It was just ten-thirty and Ethan said he’d be here around twelve.
I had an hour and a half to kill so what better way to pass that time other than sleeping? So I set up an alarm for twelve in the night and decided to take a one and a half hour nap.
Not a minute had passed after I fell asleep when I felt the covers lift off of my face. I turned around and buried my face in a pillow which was too long to be considered a pillow but I didn’t mind it.
I squeezed the pillow closer to me and I felt something move next to me but I dismissed it thinking it was Plowy.
Something brushed through my hair a few times and then I heard the loud ringing of my alarm. Groaning, I extended a hand to shut the thing up but it stopped before I could get to it. Weird.
I felt for it but something caught my hand and placed it on the pillow. Becoming alert of someone’s presence in my room, my eyes shot open and I turned my head from the pillow to see Ethan looking down at me.
He was sat next to me on my bed and our entwined hands were resting on his thigh. I realized that I had pressed my face earlier not in a pillow, but to his thigh.
I sat up and straightened my clothes up, embarrassed.
“I thought you were going to be back by twelve.”
“It is twelve,” he said, gesturing to the clock on my nightstand.
My eyes widened. Didn’t I fall asleep a minute ago and then it was just ten-thirty? And now it was twelve? Why the hell did one and half hour feel like a minute?
“Did you have dinner?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.
“Yeah, you?”
“I did.”
“I think I told you not to fall asleep.”
“I just decided to take a nap. Don’t you want to sleep now? What on earth do you want from me at twelve?”
“I was going to take you somewhere interesting but I think you prefer sleep more.”
“Take me where?”
“That you would know if you go with me.”
I groaned. “It’s true that I prefer sleep and food over everything but I’m kind of curious so I think I’ll go with you. Besides I’m already awake now.”
“Good.”
“Are we like going outside or where you want to take me is in the mansion itself?”
“Outside. Dress casually. A little too casually.”
“Okay, now get out. I’ve to change.”
Ethan was still in his business clothes that I saw him leaving in.
Once he was out of the door, I rummaged through my gigantic walk in closet to search for something simple.
I found the hoodie I bought with Ethan that night in Paris. A smile played on my lips as I remembered that day. I discovered a new part of Ethan that I never knew existed. I thought there was just business, money and jerk-ness to him but there was more to him than that.?
So I slipped into the light blue hoodie and dark blue jeans with a pair of black converse. I brushed my hair and let it loose on my back. Then I brushed my teeth and was finally ready to go wherever the hell he wanted to take me.
A knock sounded on my door and I got up to get it. It was Ethan in his light blue hoodie too and black jeans.
He looked over at me and then to the hoodie I wore and a smile graced his lips which mirrored mine. We smiled at each other in realization for a few seconds before Ethan took my hand.
“Let’s go.”