Ranita wanted to keep her distance from Brendon, but also wanted him to be by her side.
This conflicting feeling made her heart ache and eventually led to a strange situation where they sat on opposite ends of the couch, not speaking while financial news played on the TV.
“After a while, when the rain eases up, you should leave,” Ranita finally breathed out as the sound of thunder faded away.
Brendon remained cold-faced. “You’re just going to use me and kick me out? Do you have no conscience?”
“Forget it! I need some rest. It’s not appropriate for my ex-husband to stay here,” Ranita retorted.
“Fine! I’ll leave!” Brendon sneered before storming off.
After taking a hot shower, Ranita heard the sound of Brendon entering with his password again. “What… what are you doing back?” she asked breathlessly as she stepped out with damp hair and steam still rising from her skin.
Her delicate face looked even fairer against her dark hair that was now slicked back with water droplets. The steam had turned her skin pinkish which made her look cute and charming at once. The scent of body wash still lingered in the air around them.
Brendon’s Adam’s apple bobbed as his eyes trailed down Ranita’s slender neck and shoulders that were exposed by her V-neck sleep dress revealing a hint of collarbone that looked so fragile yet alluringly beautiful.
Some thoughts couldn’t be suppressed any longer in Brendon’s mind as he spoke up hoarsely, “It’s raining heavily outside; I didn’t bring an umbrella.”
“Call Caleb then; let him come pick you up,” replied Ranita squinting at him through half-closed eyes.
“Caleb is off work already!” countered Brendon who had initially planned on leaving but now he didn’t want to go anymore. Even if it meant doing nothing but staying there just so, he could see more of Ranita.
“I have an umbrella; borrow mine.” As she handed over an umbrella, Brendon grabbed hold of Ranita’s wrist pulling it towards himself. Their bodies collided together chest-to-chest unexpectedly.
“Ranita,” said Brendon in a husky voice “the rain is too heavy outside along with lightning strikes happening frequently…if something happens, how will your conscience handle it?”
He was being unreasonable about everything!
Ranita didn’t pull open the curtains, but from the sound, it seemed like the rain outside was quite heavy. Through the gaps in the curtain, faint flashes of light could be seen; that should be lightning.
“So what?” quipped Ranita raising an eyebrow. “Are you planning on spending tonight here or something?”
Brendon looked at her.
Those deep eyes, like a tranquil night sky, tempered with mysterious starlight, seemed to cast a sudden beam of light into her heart.
And just like that… Ranita’s heart began racing wildly!
“No way! I don’t agree! We’re divorced, what are you doing staying here overnight? I don’t want people talking!”
Upon hearing this, Brendon regretted even more. He shouldn’t have impulsively agreed to help Ranita with the divorce papers.
Now look, he lost such a great wife!
“Okay, can I stay here for a bit until the rain stops and then leave?” Brendon backed down.
Ranita checked the time and saw that it was already past 10 pm.
What was the point of him leaving now when it was so windy and rainy outside? As he said earlier, if something happened to him outside, she would feel guilty.
“Fine! You can stay for a bit but I’m going to bed!” Ranita said as she went back into her room and opened the materials sent by her lawyer. She read through them one by one before replying.
An hour later, Ranita was too tired so she fell asleep while listening to the sound of raindrops hitting against the window. She kept wondering whether or not Brendon had left yet but eventually succumbed to sleep.
In the middle of the night, she suddenly felt like someone was holding onto her tightly…