Ava showered and tied the bath towel round her smooth body and walked out of the bathroom to look for the clothes that Philip had bought for her. Just as she was about to open the suitcase, she heard a knock on her door. Not sure of who it was, she walked to the door and looked into the peep hole only to see that it was Philip, whom she was expecting.
She exhaled and opened the door for him, their eyes locked to each other for some seconds before she looked away and opened the door wide for him to enter, “I…uhm, I don’t want to disturb you. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go out for a ride today?” he asked.
“I d-don’t feel like going out t-today,” she replied with her hand still on the door knob, “Thanks for a-asking.” She didn’t bother to look at him while replying.
He simply nodded, “No problem. Just tell me if you need anything.” She didn’t know how hard it was for him to say those words after she rejected his kind offer but it felt like something in her tore apart when Philip walked away.
Anxious, she closed the door and sat down on the bed. They had not spoken for over a week since he brought them there but he always made sure that her breakfast, lunch and dinner were brought to her, the bedsheets she used were changed every two days and he didn’t give her any reason to worry over the hotel bills. Ava placed her hand over her chest trying to toss away the feeling she had been harboring inside; That attraction she felt towards Philip even though she believed that he had betrayed her.
Even though she believed what Zane had told her about Philip relating to what had happened that night, it didn’t settle well in her heart that she hadn’t asked Philip about that night, what he did or where he had gone. She knew it wasn’t fair on him. So with those thoughts, she stood up, wore her trousers and a light shirt then she left her room for Philip’s, praying that he hadn’t gone out.
As soon as she got to his door, her heart raced fast. Never had a guy made her so restless and hankering. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door and waited for some seconds, unsure of his availability but when the door opened, her heart raced again and she couldn’t help looking at him.
“I…. want some fresh air,” she said, “So I-I would like to go on a r-ride.”
Philip opened the door for her to come in, “Forgive my manners.” He said, closing the door behind her. That was the first time she had been to his room since they stayed in the hotel; as always, he was clean and orderly. She tucked her hands into her back pockets and walked to his window. It was slightly opened and she guessed he did it that way because the room was cold enough but natural air was needed.
The outside view looked new and beautiful, maybe because she hadn’t gone outside for over a week and she also didn’t want to see Philip. The view from her room wasn’t as delightful as she wanted it to be but for some reason, it was different in his, “W-where did you go that night?” she spat the question out in a gentle tone.
It took some seconds before he replied, “I went to your house, to find anything that could answer my questions concerning your father’s death.”
Ava’s heart raced faster and she turned to look at Philip, “You told me to give you m-more time and to me, it was e-evident that you were going to come b-back late.” She wasn’t thinking straight because she needed her questions answered as she was standing on the edge of despising Philip forever.
“I needed more time and just when I hung up, a Hunter attacked me,” he replied.
“And how am I s-spposed to b-believe you, when you left me to b-burn in that fire?!” She raised her voice in rage.
There was silence between them for some seconds before he replied, “You haven’t noticed the bandage around my palm, have you?” That question broke her into pieces and her eyes quickly went to his bandaged palm. Tears filled her eyes as she approached him and took the palm that was bandaged, then she slowly untied the bandaged.
When the bandages went off, tears rolled out of her eyes down her cheeks as she saw the hole in palm, “Why…. why didn’t you tell me?”
“You needed your space and I didn’t want to interfere,” his voice was gentle and Ava knew it was the truth. Even though they hadn’t spoken much to each other since they met, Ava knew that Philip wasn’t the type of person to lie to her.
“I…I was in a pit of d-doubt and I didn’t n-need my own space,” Ava replied with tears. She couldn’t look up at him because of the shame that filled her heart. Even with that, she felt his hand squeeze hers and placed his hand at the back of her neck, pushing her head gently to rest on his chest.
Knowing that Philip was the only person she could rely on at that moment, she relaxed her head on his chest and held him tight. All doubts in her mind about Philip were cleared but she hoped that they would be able to understand each other as the days went by. Philip seemed to be a quiet and caring type but deep down, she knew that he had done terrible things.