Chapter 42

Juliette's POV:

Pulling the duvet up to my chin, I snuggled more into the soft pillow, but then slowly my eyes fluttered open, and they roamed around to find myself in the familiar room. I stifled a yawn and closed my eyes shut, wanting to sleep a little longer, but then they automatically fluttered open when I remembered last night. Throwing the duvet off me, I got up and sat leaning against the headboard, and touched my temple, which was literally throbbing.

“What happened last night?” I groaned as I tried to get up, and in the process, felt a headache. Leaning against the headboard, I rubbed my temples to ease the throbbing pain. My eyes fell on the clothes I was wearing and I realized I was in the same dress from last night.

“How did I even get here?” I thought as I got up, putting my feet on the cold floor. As I walked, I stumbled, and fell on the bed.

“Jeez!” Clicking my tongue I looked at what I tripped over; my heels. I kicked them to the wall. Again, getting up from the bed, I made my way towards the bathroom.

In the bathroom, I took my dress off and took a shower, all the while feeling my head throbbing. As I was towel drying my hair, I walked up to the mirror in the bathroom and stood before it. As I took out my brush and toothpaste, my eyes landed on the reflection of me in the mirror.

“What the hell?”

A scream escaped my mouth, and the brush fell on the counter as I stared at my naked body filled with hickeys. My chest and neck region was filled with love bites and I touched them in shock. Images of last night came flooding into my mind.

“Oh no!” I yelled pulling my hair and looked here and there before picking up the bathrobe and putting it on.

I paced around and whined seeing those marks on my skin. As I leaned against the counter and thought about what happened, my face began to heat up, and I saw my cheeks turning deeper shades of red when I remembered some parts of the night. The only thing that I remembered was pulling Zachary closer to me, hugging him from his back, and pulling him into a kiss.

“Oh, What have you done? You—You idiot!” I exclaimed pointing a finger at my own reflection in the mirror.

I can’t believe that I literally mauled him into doing something he would never ever imagine. I remember his words. ‘No! Let me go!’ and ‘No, this is not good.'

“Argh! What have I done?” I exclaimed pulling my hair.

“How will I show him my face?” I thought as I paced around faster, and stopped when the pelvic region of my body hit the counter.

“Ow! Ow!” I hissed in pain and rubbed the spot, but then hit my head on the counter.

“I am finished!” I looked up at myself in the mirror and then burst into tears, bawling and crying my eyes out.

Wandering around the hall, I thought about what to do. I was standing right before his study room’s door and I knew he was in there. Why has he not been around since morning? Oh no! Is he ashamed, insulted, embarrassed because of me?

“Argh!”

“Okay! You know what? You can do this Juliette. Go up to him and observe him. If he shouts or insults you, then just listen and apologize. This would decrease the tension between us and if he did—oh! Just go inside and listen to him! Go! C’mon you can do it!” I mustered up courage and reached for the door knob, but then I gave up, moving back, and jumped in aggravation.

“No! No! I can’t do that!” I exclaimed, and stomped my feet on the floor. As I carried on complaining and pacing around muttering to myself, my eyes fell on the two maids who stood in the corner, one was holding a bucket filled with water and a mop in another hand, while the other maid stood there looking at me as if I were some insane woman. I stood straight up and cleared my throat. I smiled up at them, and as they saw me looking their way, they moved away from my sight.

“Jeez!” I exclaimed.

“Okay!” I nodded and took in a deep breath before knocking and turning the knob. I peeked inside and saw him wearing his reading glasses as he sat in his chair doing his work. So, not wanting to disturb him, I walked in slowly and stood in front of his desk. All the while, I tried to act cool, but inside I was screaming. My heart pounded and I felt my palms sweating as I rubbed them against my cardigan.

“Zachary,” I tried to get his attention and he looked up at me through his glasses. He signaled me to take a seat on the chair. I thought about what to say next.

As I sat down, my cardigan flared up towards the side, which caused my hickeys to show. I saw him looking at those marks and embarrassed, I pulled the cardigan back over myself, not wanting to give him the idea that I was doing it on purpose. Then I cleared my throat to gain his attention and he looked back at me, which made me even more nervous. Instead of saying the things that I planned to, like a fool I said: “My head hurts!” I held my head as if it really pained me. Even though, after taking the medicine, it was not throbbing like before. But as the sarcastic person he is, he had to give me a sarcastic reply. I just told him that my head hurts, and he had to say that he was a not a doctor and all.

Always a jerk!

But then also I tried to keep my anger inside as I talked to him.

“Umm I am here to ask you something else!” I said as he looked up at me. He looked at me as if he was trying to read me or something, but that kind of made me feel intimidated; so I looked the other way, avoiding eye contact.

“And what is it?” he asked, and I watched as he took the paperweight in his hand and held it in his palm. Now how am I supposed to ask him how he feels after what I did to him the previous night?

“Umm. What—What—” I cursed myself for stammering at a moment like this, and the fact that he raised an eyebrow and nodded as if urging me to finish my sentence made it even more uncomfortable.

“What happened y-yesterday?” I said in one go.

What!

What do you mean by 'what happened yesterday?' As if you don’t know! Ask what he's feeling!

Damn nervousness!

He isn’t going to kill you!

He narrowed his eyes at me and pulled his glasses off before looking straight in my eyes, he asked: “You don’t remember?”

Yeah! Now what?

You don’t remember? My inner-self mocked me and I shifted in my seat, scratching my forehead.

I replied “No! I don’t!”

To say I was beyond angry would have been an understatement. The man said that he doesn’t know anything, and that he saved me because I was drunk, and he brought me home, and I slept.

“T-That’s it?” I questioned, shocked by his behavior. How does he not remember what happened in between the ‘brought home’ and ‘slept’ part? Well, honestly I remember clearly that the man I was kissing was no other man than him. Yes, I do remember hugging and cuddling against a man and clearly, I remember his face. It was indeed Zachary. How dare he? Acting as if he doesn’t remember anything. Or was it nothing to him? Did it mean nothing to him? Well, it doesn’t mean anything to me either. But the thing is, when I come all the way up here and ask him about it, how dare he tell me he doesn’t remember? I thought I was the one who was drunk last night. What happened to his brain? And what about all these hickeys and love bites? Don’t tell me I kissed myself! What the fuck?

He even confirmed that that was all. Fine! If he doesn’t care, then why should I?

“Oh fine!” I said and got up from the seat. I smiled at him, but all the while glared at him and turned around to leave.

Who does he think he is?

I looked back at him when I reached the door. “Every man is the same, and stupid!”

I left his room and dashed towards the kitchen, where I asked the cook to make me something to eat. As I sat on the kitchen counter waiting patiently for Hilda, who was our cook, to finish, Zachary walked in and looked at me. I crossed my arms across my chest and avoided him.

I decided I will never talk to him again. He can go to hell if he wants to; as if I care. He went to the fridge and took a bottle of water out and gulped it down, looking at me.

Stop looking at me!

“What are you cooking Hilda?” he asked, but all the while looked my way.

Why are you looking at me? Is my name Hilda or am I the one who is cooking?

“Sir, I’m making ciorba de fasole cu ciolan (bean soup with hocks)," Hilda looked at me and smiled, to which I returned with my own.

“Make sure you don’t serve it hot. Somebody’s brain is already hot today, it would blast,” Zachary said and smirked looking my way. There was a cucumber next to me where I was sitting. I took it and threw it at him, which he caught easily and took a bite from it and walked out with a smug look out of the kitchen.

“Madam, should I serve it hot or should I cool it?” Hilda asked and I looked at her, blinking, thinking if I should glare at her or throw a cucumber at her!

When it was noon, I fell on the bed, stuffed. I could even see my stomach from my lying position.

“I ate too much!” I laughed and crossed my legs. I took my phone out as I went through it searching for an online game. I was halfway through the game 'Subway Run’ when I heard the bell ringing.

“Who's here?” I thought as I threw the phone on the bed and walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and watched as a maid opened the door.

“Juliette!” I gasped when I heard the voice and when the maid stood out of my sight. I found myself running to my family, who stood there looking in my direction with happiness in their eyes.

“Mom!” I jumped and pulled her into a hug, and she returned it, pulling me up to her.