Juliette Pov
Pulling the duvet up to my chin, I snuggled more into the soft pillow but then slowly my eyes fluttered opened and they roamed around to find myself in the familiar room. I stifled a yawn and closed my eyes shut wanting to sleep a little longer but then they automatically fluttered open when I remembered about the last night. Throwing the duvet off me, I got up and sat leaning against the headboard and touched my temple which was literally throbbing.
“What happened last night?” I groaned as I tried to get and in the process felt a headache. Leaning against the headboard, I held my temples rubbing it to ease the throbbing pain. My eyes fell on the clothes I was wearing to find myself in the same dress from last night.
“How did I even reach here?” I thought as I got up from the and kept my feet on the cold floor. As I walked I stumbled and fell on the bed.
“Jeez!” clicking my tongue I looked at the thing for which I stumbled to find out, it was my heels. I kicked those shoes and they fell near to the wall. Again, getting up from the bed I made my way towards the bathroom.
In the bathroom, I took my dress off and took a shower all the while feeling my head throbbing. As I was towel drying my hair, I walked up to the mirror in the bathroom and stood before it. As I took my brush and paste ready to clean my teeth when my eyes on the reflection of me in the mirror.
“What the hell?” a scream escaped my mouth and the brush in my hand fell on the counter as I stared at my naked body filled with hickeys. My chest and neck region was filled with love bites and I touched them in shock, images of last night came flooding into my mind.
“Oh no!” I yelled pulling my hair and looked here and there before picking up the bathrobe and putting it on.
I paced around and whined seeing those marks on my skin. As I leaned against the counter and thought what happened my face began to heat up and I saw my cheeks turning into deeper shades of red when I remembered some parts of the night. The only thing that I remembered was pulling Zachary to me, hugging him from his back, pulling him into a kiss.
“Oh, What have you done? You- You idiot!” I exclaimed pointing a finger at my own reflection in the mirror.
I can’t believe that I literally mauled him into doing something which he would never ever imagine. I remember his words ‘No! Let me go!’, ‘No, this is not good’.
“Argh! What have I done?” I exclaimed pulling my hair.
“How will I show him my face?” I thought as I paced around faster and stopped when the pelvic region of my body hit the counter.
“Ow! Ow!” I hissed in pain and rubbed the spot but then began to hit my head on the counter.
“I am finished!” I looked up at myself in the mirror and then burst into tears bawling and crying my eyes out.
Wandering around the hall, I thought what to do. I was standing right before his study room’s door and I knew he was in there. Why has he not shown up to me since morning? Oh no! Is he ashamed, insulted, embarrassed because of me?
“Argh!”
“Okay! You know what? You can do this Juliette. Go up to him and observe him. If he shouts or insults you then just listen and apologize this would decrease the tension between us and if he did- oh! Just go inside and listen to him! Go! C’mon you can do it!” I mustered up courage and reached to turn the door knob but then I gave up and clicking my tongue and moved back and jumped in aggravation.
“No! No! I can’t do that!” I exclaimed and stomped my feet on the floor. As I carried on complaining and pacing around muttering to myself my eyes fell on the two maids who stood in the corner, one was holding a bucket filled with water and a mop in another hand, while the other maid stood there looking at me as if I were some insane woman. I stood straight and cleared my throat. I smiled up at them and as they saw me looking their way, hurrying they moved away from my sight
“Jeez!” I exclaimed.
“Okay!” I nodded and took in a deep breath before knocking and turning the knob. I peeked up inside and saw him wearing his reading glasses as he sat on his usual chair doing his work. So, not wanting to disturb him, I walked in slowly and stood before him before his desk. All the while, I tried to act cool but in inside I was screaming. My heart pounded and I felt my palms sweating as I rubbed them against my cardigan.
“Zachary,” I tried to gain his attention and he looked up at me through his glasses and signaled me to take a seat on the chair which I did and thought what to say next.
As I sat down, my cardigan flared up towards the side which caused showcasing of my hickeys. I saw him looking at those marks and embarrassed, I pulled the cardigan back to myself not wanting to give him an idea that I was showcasing or doing it on purpose or anything. Then I cleared my throat to gain his attention and he looked back at me which made me even more nervous. Instead of saying the things that I planned and made a list in my mind, like a fool I said: “My head hurts!” and to keep my words I held my head as if it was really pained meEven though, after taking the medicines it was not throbbing like beforehand still like a Chameleon I changed my colour and was bound to act because of my stupid mouth. But as the sarcastic person he is, he had to give me a sarcastic reply. I just told him that my head hurts but he had to say that he was a not a doctor and all.
Always a jerk!
But then also I tried to keep my anger in the other side as I talked to him.
“Umm I am here to ask you something else!” I said as he looked up at me. He looked at me like a way as if he was trying to read me or something but that kind of made felt intimidated for which I looked the other way avoiding his eye contact.
“And what is it?” he asked and I watched he took the paperweight in his hand and held it in his palm
Now how am I supposed to ask him how does he feel after what I did to him the previous night?
“Umm. Wha- What-t” I cursed myself for stammering at a moment like this and the fact that he raised an eyebrow and nodded as if urging me to complete my sentence made it even more uncomfortable.
“What happened y-yesterday?” I said in one go but did stutter in the middle.
What!
What do you mean by ‘what happened yesterday? As if you don’t know! Ask ‘What is he feeling?’
Damn nervousness!
He isn’t going to kill you!
He narrowed his eyes at me and pulled his glasses off before looking straight in my eyes, he asked: “You don’t remember?”
Yeah! Now what?
You don’t remember? my inner-self mocked me and I shifted in my seat, scratching my forehead I replied “No! I don’t!”
To say I was beyond angry would have been an understatement. The man said that he doesn’t know anything and he saved me the night because I was drunk and he brought me home and I slept.
“T-That’s it?” I questioned shocked by his behavior. How does he not remember what happened in between that ‘brought home’ and ‘slept’ part? Well, honestly I remember clearly that the man I was kissing and mauling were no other man by him. Yes, I do remember hugging and cuddling against a man and clearly, I remember his face. It was indeed Zachary. How dare he? Acting as if he doesn’t remember anything. Or was it nothing for him? Was it meant nothing to him? Well, it doesn’t mean anything to me as well. But the thing is when I can come all the way up here and as him about it then how dare he tell me he doesn’t remember? I thought I was the one who was drunk last night. What happened to his brain? And what about all these hickeys and love bites? Don’t tell me I kissed myself. My lips won’t even reach my neck. What the fuck?
He even confirmed that that was all. Fine! then if he doesn’t care then why should I care about it?
“Oh Fine!” I said and got up from the seat. I smiled at him but all the while glared at him and turned around to leave.
“Who does he thinks of himself?”
“He ain’t a model or prince charming”
I looked back at him when I reached the door “Every man is same and stupid!”
I left his room and dashed towards the kitchen where I asked the cook to make me something to eat. I would easily eat Zachary’s head in the moment because I was so hungry. As I waited sitting on the kitchen counter waiting patiently for Hilda who was our cook to finish up, Zachary walked in and looked at me. I crossed my arms across my chest and avoided him.
I have decided. I will never talk to him ever again. He can go to hell if he wants to as if I care. He went to the fridge and took a bottle of water out and gulped it down and then looked at me.
Stop looking at me!
“What are you cooking Hilda?” he asked but all the while looked my way.
Why are you looking at me? Is my name Hilda or am I the one who is cooking?
“Sir, I’m making Ciorba de fasole cu ciolan” (Bean soup with hocks) Hilda looked at me and smiled to which I returned with my own.
“Make sure you don’t serve it hot. Somebody’s brain is already hot today, it would blast” Zachary said and smirked looking my way. There was a cucumber next to me where I was sitting. I took it and threw it at him which he caught easily and took a bite from it and walked out with a smug look out of the kitchen.
“Madam, should I serve it hot or should I cool it?” Hilda asked and I looked at her blinking my eyes thinking should I glare at her or should I throw a cucumber at her too?
As it was the noon time, I fell on the bed like a lioness who likes to rest after having a heavy meal. I could even look at my stomach from my lying position.
“I ate too much!” I laughed and crossed my leg and took my phone as I went through it searching for an online game. I was halfway through the game ‘The Subway Run’ when I heard the bell ringing.
“Who came here?” I thought as I threw the phone on the bed and walked out of the bedroom, down the stair and watched as a maid opened the door.
“Juliette!” I gasped when I heard the voice and when the maid stood out of my sight, I found myself running to my family who stood there looking towards my direction with happiness in their eyes.
“Mom!” I jumped and pulled her into a hug and she returned it pulling me up to her.