After their lengthy conversation filled with tears from Lily’s side, Tony showed her to her room, which the maids had already prepared.
“Get some rest, Lily. You need it. Come down whenever you feel hungry, and the maids will prepare something for you immediately, okay?” Tony held her arm and stood outside her room.
He didn’t want to disturb her any further because he could see the tiredness in her eyes. She had been awake all night because of her shift, and since it was her first time, her body wasn’t used to it. The eye bags around her eyes were becoming prominent, and he could see her struggling to keep her eyes open.
“Thank you for today, Dr Martinez. I am grateful for everything you’ve done today.” Lily said truthfully, and Tony slowly pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, taking her by surprise.
“Go to bed, Lily. You can thank me when you wake up.” He said, and she chuckled before nodding and walking into the room. Tony helped her shut her door before leaving for his room.
He also needed a good rest.
Without removing her clothes, Lily jumped on the bed and gave in to the darkness as she couldn’t fight it.
Tony also crashed on his bed but with a smile. It had been a very eventful day for him, but, in the end, it all worked out.
*
*
Lily’s eyes fluttered open, and she was met with a bright light, forcing her to shut her eyes back. A few seconds later, she opened it again, slowly this time, and she was shocked to see an unfamiliar environment. The chandelier above her head told her she wasn’t in her room.
Lily panicked and jolted from the bed to access her environment, wondering if a prince had kidnapped her. It was then the memories of the day flooded her head, and she realized that she was at Tony’s house.
“Oh my God!” She exclaimed with her hands over her mouth as she remembered Tony’s awkward confession.
“How are you going to face him, Lily?” She kicked her legs in frustration and whimpered.
“It’s alright, Lily. You’re alright. You can pretend and act like you didn’t hear anything. Yes! That’s what I’ll do.” She nodded, satisfied with her plan.
Lily had no idea the time, so she reached into her purse and grabbed her phone. She tried to put the screen on but remembered that she had switched off when Louis tried to call her earlier.
So, she switched it on and waited. When the phone came alive, notifications flooded the phone. She had thirty missed calls and seventy-two messages, all from Louis.
Lily panicked and threw the phone away without bothering to reply. She then remembered why she had put the phone on in the first place and picked it up again to check the time.
“Oh crap!” She gasped when she saw that it was three minutes past four. She didn’t know when she got off work, but if she did the calculations in her head, she was sure she got to Tony’s house around 10 am. If her conversation with him lasted at least thirty minutes, she had been asleep for over five hours!
She kicked the covers off her legs and jumped to the bathroom to freshen up. As she got in, she saw a fresh set of skin products, new towels, and three different toothbrushes for her to choose from.
As she brushed her teeth and was about to leave the bathroom, her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t had food since 1 am.
“Do I wear this out?” She wondered if it would be weird to leave her room in the same clothes she came in with. But then, she had no other clothes with her apart from the previous day, so she decided to head out like that.
She got out of the room and walked to the living room, which was the only place in the house she could locate without help.
“Hello, Lily! You’re finally up. I was starting to get worried.” She heard Tony’s sister, Rachael, from behind, and when she turned, she realized that they had gotten out of their rooms simultaneously.
“I guess I was exhausted. I’ve never slept for that long during the day.” Lily confessed.
How could she when she lived with a twenty-seven-year-old child who gave her no peace? The more she remembered how tough her life was while living with Louis, the more she appreciated Tony for letting her stay at his house.
“Come, let’s get you some food.” Rachael smiled warmly and led her to the dining room. “What meal would you like, Lily? It’s your first day here, so take it as a welcome treat.” Rachael seemed more excited than Tony with Lily’s presence in the house.
“O-okay.” Lily blushed. “Some fried rice will do. Any protein will go, too.” Lily said politely, choosing something easy since the chefs would have to make it from scratch.
“While we wait for the food, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself? You already know who I am, so…” Rachael said in a friendly tone. She didn’t want to make Lily uncomfortable, and Tony warned her not to do anything stupid.
“Well, my name is Lily Arnold, like I said earlier. My parents are from Canada, but I moved to Paris a few years ago for school and have lived here since. I am also a nurse at TM Hospital.” Lily introduced, leaving out the part about her situation with her ex-boyfriend, which was why she stayed at Tony’s house.
Rachael understood that she must have her reasons for not telling her why she was at the house and didn’t push it. She was sure that when Lily was comfortable enough around her, she would hear the story directly from her mouth.
“Well, Lily. You must have noticed I am excited to have you around, maybe a little too excited.” Rachael laughed, and Lily nodded calmly.
“Well, I am happy that my brother has found someone. I thought he wouldn’t be capable of being another woman after what happened, but I guess I was wrong.” She said and smiled at Lily, then realized that she might have said too much.
“Pay me no mind, my dear. I talk too much.” She laughed and waved her hand to dismiss the topic, but Lily spoke.
“After his unrequited love with Harriet?” She said softly, and Rachael’s eyes widened in shock.
“H-he told you about that?” She asked, and Lily nodded calmly.
“He did. That was how we met. I cannot go into the details now, but he did say a lot about his life; I understand why you are so excited. He told me about you, too.” Lily revealed, and Rachael’s eyes widened further.
“Oh my goodness! Did Tony open up to you? He opened up to someone! This is a miracle! You are a miracle, Lily Arnold!” The only thing that stopped Rachael from grabbing Lily and throwing her hands over her was the table between them.
Lily couldn’t do anything but smile at Rachael. She didn’t want to make any promises regarding her brother, Tony, because she wasn’t even sure about what they were. All she knew was that Tony had feelings for her, and she was also attracted to the man.
But, with everything going on in Ur life, romance was the last thing on her mind. Maybe when Louis was finally off her back, but at the moment, her heart, mind, and body couldn’t afford romance.
“You’re up, Lily.” She heard Tony’s voice from the door. He was leaning on the wall with a smile on his face. It made her wonder how long he had been standing there and how much of their conversation he had heard.
“Good evening, Dr Martinez.” She greeted, and he shook his head in disapproval.
“It’s Tony, Lily. Call me Tony.” He corrected, and Lily nodded slowly before trying again.
“Good evening, Tony.” The name rolled off her lips smoothly, and Tony smiled in satisfaction.
“I hope you had a nice sleep. You were out for hours. I was this close to rushing in and waking you up myself.” Tony explained with his hands, and Rachael laughed.
“I haven’t slept that good in months. That’s why I slept for so long. It felt unreal to be able to sleep that good.”