Sleeping in the same room
I stood there as the limousine pulled away, its tail lights glowing before vanishing into the night.
The tears pressed against my eyes, threatening to spill, but I forced them back. I would not break here, not where anyone could see me falter.
A sudden warmth brushed across my back.
“Virelli,” Luca’s voice came, low and worried, “do you miss your father already? Do you want to go back tonight instead?”
I shuddered slightly at the sound of his words, realizing with a start that I had almost forgotten he was still standing there.
I turned, forcing a smile onto my lips. “I don’t want to. Let’s go back inside.”
And with that, I walked toward the looming estate once more, swallowing the ache that refused to let go.
When we entered, it was eerily quiet. No one was there except a few maids who scurried past with their heads bowed, clearly heading off to their quarters.
I hesitated, glancing around the space that only hours ago had been full of music, chatter, and flashing lights. Now, it felt like another world altogether.
“So…” I finally said, breaking the silence. “Where’s my room?”
He turned to me then, lips curving in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was something teasing in the way he shook his head.
“Your room?” he repeated softly, almost as if savoring the words. Then his smile deepened. “You mean our room.”
My breath caught. “What?”
Before I could take a step back, his fingers wrapped gently but firmly around my hand. His touch was warm, steady, deliberate.
“What what?” he mimicked lightly, as though amused by my confusion.
I opened my mouth to protest, but the words tangled in my throat. He didn’t give me time to think, he simply led me forward, his hand enclosing mine like it belonged there. The hallway stretched ahead, dimly lit by golden sconces, each flickering flame casting shadows against the ornate walls.
Every step made my heart thud harder. My mind raced with questions.
Was this part of the arrangement? Was this expected? Did Father know? Had Isabel planned this?
Finally, he stopped in front of a pair of tall double doors carved with intricate roses and vines. With his free hand, he pushed them open.
The scent of cedarwood drifted out, mixed with faint traces of cologne. My eyes widened at the sight inside, a spacious room, draped in soft silvers and midnight blue, with a massive bed at its center. I froze in the doorway, it looked magnificent.
He turned to me, still holding my hand, and his smile became wider.
“Welcome home, Lana.”
“There’s no way you expect me to sleep in the same room with you,” I blurted out, my voice a little too low, betraying the panic bubbling inside me.
He didn’t flinch. Instead, Luca leaned casually against the doorframe, as though he had been waiting for me to say exactly that. His eyes glimmered with quiet amusement, his lips tugging into that maddening half-smile.
He gripped my hand and pulled me into the room and shut the door.
“You’re my fiancée,” he said smoothly, as if it were the simplest, most irrefutable fact in the world. “We’ll be married soon. What’s wrong with sleeping with me?”
My mouth opened, but the words tangled. “I… I…”
I hated the way he looked at me then, he was patient and calm, as though my flustered state was nothing more than entertainment for him.
“Where else did you expect to sleep?” he asked, and then chuckled. The sound was low and infuriating, rolling through me in ways it shouldn’t.
Heat flooded my cheeks before I could stop it. Anger prickled up my spine at the same time, making me want to snap, to shove him away, to tell him exactly what I thought of his arrogance. But my body betrayed me, blushing, stumbling, unable to find footing.
“Hmph!” I crossed my arms and turned my head, trying to regain some semblance of dignity.
But I felt him move closer, his presence like a shadow swallowing mine.
I thought to myself, Lana, calm down. Stop acting so flustered. How would you ever become close to him, gain his trust, if you can’t make some sacrifices?
But my thoughts were drowned out by the fact that he was already far too close. His warmth pressed into my space, the faint trace of his cologne threading around me, very intoxicating. My heart thudded in my chest erratically like it had forgotten its rhythm.
He tilted his head slightly, studying me with that unsettling intensity of his, the kind that made it impossible to hide behind a mask.
“You’re trembling,” he murmured, almost amused.
“I’m not,” I lied instantly, pressing my arms tighter across my chest, as if I could hold myself together that way.
The corner of his mouth lifted. “So defensive.” His voice dropped, low and deliberate. “Relax, Virelli. I’m not going to bite.”
I swallowed hard, unsure if I believed him. His nearness made me dizzy, but a part of me couldn’t pull back either.
He leaned in a little more, his eyes catching mine and refusing to let go. His voice was husky, and it made my stomach twist.
“You look so beautiful tonight,” he said slowly, his gaze dipping down to my lips and back. “I want to kiss you so badly right now.”