Andrie let go of her. He turned around quickly, giving her a stern look, but he just smiled and laughed. Maybe the guy in front of her was a bit crazy. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. “I’ll stay here. Anyway, you’ll be the one answering to your master why I got moved to this room.”
Andrie shrugged, reached for the door lock, and turned it. He opened the door swiftly, allowing enough space for him to pass. He glanced at her briefly, grinned, then stepped out. She watched him until he disappeared from sight. She heard the door in the adjacent room open and slam shut abruptly. That’s when she finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly closed the door.
Quiet filled the room. She looked around before deciding to check out the bathroom and the walk-in closet. The bathroom had a simple design and wasn’t too spacious. In the walk-in closet, there weren’t many clothes except for two dresses in green and blue. She smiled at that. It seemed Andrie knew she liked dresses.
She slept on the soft bed and didn’t realize how many hours she had been lying there. When she woke up, the surroundings were dark and cold. Her muscles shivered from the cold. She glanced around the room, but the only light came from the open window with a closed curtain.
She got up, still feeling groggy. She tried to find the light switch on the wall, groping around, but after a few minutes of searching, she couldn’t find the wall switch. Where was the light switch?
Still sleepy, she closed her eyes while groping the wall. Until she felt something hard and warm. She paused and groped the strange thing she was holding. But she was stunned when she smelled alcohol and felt a faint warm breeze on her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes.
At first, all she saw was pitch darkness, but gradually her eyes adjusted. That’s when she saw Andrie’s face. He still had no expression as he stared at her. She opened her mouth and stepped back. She realized she had been groping his chest earlier.
“Is this the way you seduced my brother?”
Her forehead furrowed deeper. What was he talking about?
“Andrie?” she whispered his name. She wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating or not. “Why are you here?” she added in a low voice.
She saw him grimace. She looked away. Since her mind was awake, she searched for a possible light source. She didn’t find the light switch, so she looked at the bedside table. She sighed and walked towards it. There was a lampshade there, so she opened it and it provided a small light there, but she didn’t see the position where Andrie was standing and leaning.
Azora turned to her position and only saw her form. She sighed again. “Why are you here?” she asked again. Her mind and voice were awake.
Andrie stood up properly and approached her. He stopped in front of her so she looked up. She was surprised when she was pushed. She cried for a moment and her body fell on the bed. She grinned and stared at Andrie, whose half-face was enlightened by the light from the open lampshade table. She saw the slight frown on his face and looked at her.
“Hey –”
He cut her off. “You really love to act as weak, huh?”
“What are you saying?” she asked, puzzled. “I don’t understand you.”
“You don’t understand me?” Andrie chuckled cynically and gave her another hostile look. “What did you do to me, Azora?”
“Huh?” She sat up straight, carefully staring into his eyes. “What are you talking –”
“Don’t act clueless!” he shouted and suddenly pushed her back onto the bed.
Her eyes widened as he loomed over her. Andrie’s eyes were fierce, like a lion ready to pounce. Azora’s heart raced suddenly as she stared back wide-eyed at Andrie. “What are you d-doing?” she managed to ask breathlessly.
She couldn’t understand why her heart was racing. Maybe it was because she knew Andrie was drunk and capable of many things. And she could see how furious he was. Could she escape from his grasp if he was like a lion with the intensity of his gaze?
“What did you do to seduce my brother?” he asked in a low voice. His expression softened and was replaced by an inexplicable intensity. He reached for her cheek and gently caressed it. “Did you use your beauty?”
At that moment, she understood what he meant. She furrowed her brow and looked away. “You’re drunk. Go back to your room.”
“Who are you to order me around, hmm?” He leaned closer to her neck. “I still remember the hickey I’ve put in your nape. Do you want me to leave a mark at the front too?”
Azora’s eyes widened and she quickly pushed Andrie away, but he didn’t budge. “No. Stop putting marks on my body. I’m not yours, Andrie!”
But he leaned closer to her neck and she felt his soft, warm lips touch her neck. She froze. Confused. Thousands of scenes flooded her mind.
One night. On the highway. Inside a broken-down car. She was sitting in the passenger seat. When she looked around, she saw an unconscious woman. She was sitting in the driver’s seat, leaning against the headrest, her forehead and neck covered in blood. Despite that, she recognized her face.
“M-Ma…” she whispered hoarsely. Tears filled her eyes. “M-Ma…”
The heaviness weighing on her body disappeared. She sobbed. Closed her eyes. Why? What scene was that? Why was her mother in the driver’s seat? What happened? Did they have an accident? Where was her father?
“Stop crying,” a deep voice said.
She opened her eyes and darkness greeted her. Soon after, she saw Andrie’s furrowed face. He was looking at her. Her sobs gradually lessened.
Andrie didn’t say anything. He just left her and took big strides towards the door to leave the room.