Shiela felt her heart and mind stop working for a second that she did not know how to react. Ryan may not have introduced her as his girlfriend, but their actions and endearment said it all. A pang of pain wrapped her heart, and she did not understand. She hated him for what he did, and she knew she had no right to get hurt. Jullien was so beautiful and elegant, even with no makeup, and they looked good together.
"Hello, Miss Jullien," she said while forcing herself to smile, her eyes noticing his arm around her waist.
"Hello, Shiela. Just Jullien, please. You're one of Ryan's friends, and if he calls you by your name, then I'll be doing the same. Don't you think I'm right, sweetheart?"
"You are. Now, go back to sleep. I'll be showing Shiela to her room."
"Okay, then. I'll be waiting inside," Jullien said with her sweetest smile Shiela could imagine, and Ryan moved forward to hold the door open for her.
Jullien waved a hand at her and smiled before she slipped inside the door. Ryan closed the door, and then he paused to look at her. Shiela felt he wanted to see her reaction, and despite her heavy heart, she returned his gaze and tried to pretend she was not affected.
"Let's go," he said, and if they were to make a bet, she knew that Ryan would have wanted to go inside the room with Jullien. She saw it in her eyes, and that hurt her.
She nodded and followed him, taking note of the fact that Ryan no longer held her. Soon, Ryan stopped in front of a door and opened it. She noticed that it was next to the exit door of the house so that the room would be overlooking the outside view. The thought of it made her glad; at least she had nature to sympathize with her aching heart as she always did ever since she suffered because of his irresponsibility.
"Here we are," Ryan's voice jolted her once again to reality. She hated herself; her mind just wouldn't stop imagining things.
She nodded and looked around the room, and the pleasant, masculine scent greeted her nostrils. As she expected, the wall across the door where she stood was pure glass, and a king-sized bed, covered in white and grey sheets, was beside it. A thick grey curtain hanged halfway at the sides, the top down to the middle part being pulled aside by a white cord, opening up to the world outside. She could imagine herself looking down at the spectacular view the nature provided while lying on the bed.
Her eyes roamed to the other part of the room. There was a four-seater table on the other side of the glass wall, which the curtain concealed. Not so far from it was a wooden desk and a laptop, and closer to where she stood was a sofa set. Whatever other things in it, she could tell he neatly placed in built-in drawers and closets.
"I'll leave you here to fix yourself. The bathroom is there, and you may place your things in the closet. Just open it all up, so you will see where you get everything you need."
Shiela stared at him, wondering why he seemed to offer her the best accommodation. The room was too spacious and beautiful for a guestroom. Perhaps, she thought, this was how rich Ryan was. She knew it ever since in college though he didn't show it even to her. What made her wonder the most was how this room was all fixed in grey. Though she knew it was his favorite color, he didn't have to color all other parts of the house with this same dull color.
"Okay, thank you," was all Shiela could reply.
Her heart was still bursting with mixed emotions ever since she learned while at the aircraft that they would be staying at Ryan's island home. And it was just not a simple beach house but a paradise. In her heart, she was proud that he was successful. She was aware that he had the resources, but she didn't realize he could grow as great as how this property hinted.
She hurriedly pulled out a set of sleepwear from her suitcase. The trip may not be that long, but she lacked sleep due to fear that she lacked something or that she might not be able to wake up before their departure. This was such a cozy place to sleep, and even her emotion wouldn't be able to stop her. It's the wonder about her that surprised even herself. No matter how depressed she was, she could still manage herself a sound sleep.
After taking a quick, hot shower, she closed the curtains and dropped herself to the bed. In a few hours, the sun would begin to appear, and she didn't want it to disturb her. She set her alarm clock to eight in the morning and placed her phone at the bedside table.
The image of Jullien floated in her mind as soon as her head touched the pillow. Perhaps, Ryan was already there, cuddling her tight. She was so sweet, and no man could resist his charm. Her thoughts went wild, and she imagined him undressing Jullien as he kissed her, exactly the way he did to her. She could still memorize the steps he usually did, and now he was doing it to Jullien and to the many flings he mentioned.
Her thoughts also went back to her confession to his father. She already anticipated that he would start investigating who her boyfriend was, but as much as possible, it shouldn't come from her. His father may be a sweet person to her, but she also knew he was a beast to whoever may hurt her. She even remembered one time where she got into a fight, and his father did not waste time in assaulting her enemy. She knew he was not just threatening him with his words.
"I'm ready to live behind bars should you hurt my daughter again! I'm giving you a chance. You don't want to discover yourself giving your last breath, do you?"
This statement rang in her mind again and again, and this kept her from confessing to her father. No matter how irresponsible Ryan was, she could never allow his father to hurt him. She loved this man, and he was her first and maybe the last.
Just a few meters from where she was, she imagined him naked with Jullien, and with the conducive environment around her to pour out her feelings, she started to cry hard until her exhaustion put her to deep sleep.
The loud ringing of her phone woke her up, and she realized a weight on her body pressed her down. She looked down and realized she was sleeping on a man's arm, and her back was pressed snugly to a warm body. An arm and a leg wrapped around her that she couldn't move. Her heart started to pound, and when she looked up, she saw Ryan's handsome face, sleeping peacefully.