Scar Red

61: Investigator Carina

Turning on my heel, I steeled myself for what was bound to be the most embarrassing moment of my life yet. I still couldn't get over the fact that I'd been caught trying to sneak out and the next thing I thought about was playing it cool.

I could say that I just needed to rush over to my room and get cleaned up—that I didn't want to get in his way. But then I'd be lying and I'm not supposed to lie. Gah! I knew I should have left as soon as he fell asleep but instead, I too fell victim to the wicked predator known as sleep.

Amid my mental battle with myself, I noticed that no one had stepped out yet and my heart was pounding in my ribcage when I summoned up the courage to get moving. Seizing the rare opportunity that presented itself, I rushed to turn the burnished door knob and slipped out.

Once inside my room, I closed the door and leaned against it to catch my breath. I still couldn't believe how close my plan was to failing. The next thing I did was to get down on my knees to pray after which, I observed my morning rituals.

Upon getting out of the shower, I felt more relaxed and ready to face whatever the day would bring. All I had on was a robe and I was drying my hair with a towel. Wanting to check something on my phone, I looked around for it but couldn't seem to find it anywhere.

I was still searching for it when a knock fell on my door. It was probably room service and I didn't hesitate to utter the words “come in”. Just then, I realized that there was no way that room service could come around since I was still occupying the room at the moment and I also hadn't called to report a mess.

Spinning on my heels, I saw a certain inexplicably handsome fellow standing by the entrance. Who would've thought that he'd come to find me---of course he would show up either due to our unfinished business or for reasons best known to him.

Thankfully, my embarrassment from earlier had faded a bit but that didn't mean I was ready to have that conversation. I could tell him not to bring up what happened the night before and he would leave it but there were details about the previous night for which I still needed some explanation.

Well, it all still depended on what he came to my room for.

“Hey, Stella-Mea.” His voice was calm and soothing and he definitely looked better than he did the night before.

“Hey.”

It was at that point that I allowed my eyes to rove his tall, lanky form. He donned a deep purple and black ensemble and in his hands was a heap of…my property. I think I knew why he showed up. I watched him walk further into my room and as he breezed past me to place my items on the bed, I caught a whiff of his cologne.

“You forgot your dress, clutch, shoes, necklace, hairpins, and even your phone in my room,” Ro explained, holding a phone up.

I glanced at the items and then at him. “I was looking for my phone right before you came in. Thanks for bringing them back.”

Going closer to him, I retrieved the device.

“Speaking of belongings, I also have something of yours.” I pointed to his folded pajamas on my bed. “But I'm not giving it back.”

My fiancé chuckled, revealing his high cheekbones. “For the record, I wasn’t expecting you to.”

“Of course. I'm going to be keeping it as a souvenir from our very unplanned first night together.” I phrased it in a confident tone.

“Okay.” He replied before lifting his hand to scratch the back of his neck. I noticed the room's atmosphere changing before he said anything more. “Can we discuss something right now or would you want to get dressed first?”