Hush, My Sweet Darling

Chapter 23: Familiar Stranger

Sunlight traveled through the windows, softly landing on Violet's face. She was roused from her heavy slumber when a whiff of sandalwood mixed with a light tobacco smell greeted her nose. Her forehead furrowed as she tried to make sense of this particular scent. The sandalwood scent reminded her of her brother. But Jared didn't smoke, so where did the tobacco smell come from?

Her eyes rolled open lazily, still glossed with the remainders of her dream. It was a dream so vague; she couldn't recall it completely. Even so, the sensation lingered. It felt so real that it didn't feel like something her mind had just conjured in her sleep. It was a feeling, so warm and fuzzy, as though someone had enveloped her in a reassuring embrace.

There were still furrows in her brows as her eyes landed on the ceiling. It was an unfamiliar ceiling. Come to think of it, everything in this room felt foreign...

But before she could put her finger on it, something soft was pushing her arm. She looked down to see a chubby orange fur ball nudging her arm with its head, greeting her with a contented purr. Violet's eyes widened in surprise. She jumped out of bed, screaming, as she held up the comforter tightly to her chest.

A cat! What in the world...?

She automatically looked around and realized she was not in her bedroom. Nor was she in her brother's place. It was, in fact, a room she had never been in before.

Where am I? Feeling alarmed, she instinctively checked on her clothes. She was still wearing the same dress from the night before. She tried to remember what happened, but the last thing she could remember was her going inside the private lounge where Grace's party was held. Everything after that was a blur.

She looked at the cat, which didn't look bothered by her shriek at all. It walked toward her with its tail held upright, bumping its head on her leg. The cat's friendliness notched down her anxiety. She put the comforter back on the bed and crouched down to pet the tabby's head. "Hello, Sir Cat. I didn't scare you, did I?"

"Who are you? Where am I?" she added. The cat only answered with an even louder purr as it rubbed its cheek on her palm.

Violet sensed another presence in the room and looked up. Her gaze landed on a tall figure in a white Henley shirt that showcased his well-defined muscles perfectly. She immediately recognized him. He was the handsome guy she had met in the elevator the day before yesterday. A stranger, enticingly foreign, yet intimately familiar at the same time. She felt she'd known him all her life.

He had his hands in the pockets of his jeans, observing her with his deep-set eyes. Their respective gazes met, and again, her heart began to thump erratically. She felt a flush creeping up her face, but there was only silence in the room.

He broke off the silence first. "His name is Mian Mian, and you're at my place. How are you feeling? Do you feel any discomfort anywhere? Dizzy? Nauseous?" 

A certain thrill streaked through her like a comet. It was the first time she heard his deep voice, and she could feel its vibrations all the way to the tips of her toes. She unconsciously parted her lips. With her eyes dreamily fixated on him, she sighed a wow. Could she hear him talk the entire day? Oh, yessir.

Kai's light chuckle and Mian Mian's light headbutt on her arm jolted her out of her dreamy stupor. Feeling her face burn like a hot oven, she instantly jumped up on her feet and blurted, "W-who are you...?"

"I'm Kai Wu. Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?" Kai repeated his question.

Violet shook her head. Her fingers twiddled with the edge of her dress's long sleeve.