The Beloved Beast

Part 3-Caring

 The room was the most beautiful she had ever seen outside glossy magazines. The décor in the shades of ecru and tan was soothing to the eyes and the vast bed in the middle of the room looked inviting. Keeping her bag on a side table, Tanya proceeded to take off her shoes, her bare feet sinking into the soft carpet. She was debating whether to shrug out of her shirt which was dripping water droplets on the rug, when Neil entered after a perfunctory knock. "This is all I could find," he offered a blue bathrobe to her. "It will do," she took it from him, looking pointedly at the door. He followed her gaze and with a mocking twist of his lips walked out, leaving her to get changed.

The bathroom was luxurious too, in keeping with the tone of the whole house. Tanya quickly showered before drying herself with the fluffy towel hanging on the rack. The bathrobe was too big for her, dwarfing her petite frame, but she wore it nonetheless. From the faint pine scent emanating from it, she guessed it belonged to Neil. It was his size too, and she smiled to see herself buried in its folds. Walking out of the bathroom, she was startled to see Neil reclining on the bed, scrolling through his phone. He gave a quick glance to her hair which she had shampooed and smiled faintly at the bathrobe almost trailing to her feet. "It's too big for you," he commented. She nodded, choosing to sit on the couch, away from the bed. No way was she going to sit on a bed with him. "Thank you," she said. "I seem to be saying it a lot to you these days," she smiled. "Hey, you don't have to. I am not completely anti-social, you know. I do have friends and I like to care for them." "Are we? Friends I mean?" she queried. "I think so, and we can be very good friends," he said with a strange expression on his face, stressing on 'very'. Tanya mentally reviewed her small, oval face. Her features, nothing much individually, were quite pleasant when viewed together, lending her face an attractive charm, but she was nothing extraordinary. There were better-looking girls in college, with flawless skin and hourglass figures. She had neither enough beauty nor sophistication to attract the attention of someone like Neil. It was a wonder that he had even looked her way.

There was a knock and the same sullen-faced servant entered with a tray, depositing it on the table in front of the couch. It held dainty cucumber sandwiches and tea. With a wave of his hand, Neil told him to leave. "Help yourself," he indicated the tray, picking up a sandwich and munching through it. She poured the tea into two cups, offering one to him before taking a sip of the hot beverage. The sandwiches looked tasty too and reminded her that she hadn't eaten all day. Picking up one she settled comfortably on the couch. The tea warmed her insides and she no longer felt cold. She gave a dazzling smile to Neil. No one had ever cared for her like this, maybe except Monica, to some extent. After a few minutes, Tanya felt her lids getting heavy. Her mind became fuzzy and her head leaned on the soft cushion at the back.

Tanya snuggled into the blanket, stretching her feet. The bed felt cramped. She opened her eyes to find herself in a strange room. She jack-knifed into a sitting position, before recalling the events of the afternoon. She was in Neil's guest room, on the couch and she seemed to have slept for hours. There was a blanket thrown over her which he must have placed while she slept. How had she slept all this while? Her mother would be frantic with worry. She got up from the couch, walking towards the window to move the curtain and peek out. It was dark outside. Taking out her phone from her bag, she saw that it was well past nine. She had to go home immediately. Dialing her mother's number, she paced the room in anxiety. "Where are you Tanya?" her mother all but screamed into the phone. "Sorry Mom, I am at Monica's place, preparing for Monday's test," she fibbed, keeping her fingers crossed and hoping that her mother had not called Monica. "When are you coming back? How will you do so? It's quite late..." Worry tinged her tone and Tanya felt guilty. "I will ask her brother to drop me off when he returns from work," she lied again. "If it gets any more late, you can always stay the night at her place. You have done that before," she suggested before ringing off. Where was Neil? She had to find him and ask him to drop her home. With that thought in mind, she strode towards the door with quick steps before realizing that she was still wearing only his bathrobe.