3

Chapter 3

Lola

“What are you doing here?” I took my eyes off him, fixing my attention on my mother. “Mom, is he the man I'm going to be living with?” I was both jittery and excited at the same time.

It felt like a dream.

After he dropped me off this morning, he told me that it would be the last time we might see each other. He didn't even ask for my contact so all that was left of him were memories. Now, he's here in my house, and I'd have to live with him?

Someone should pinch me back to reality.

“Yes, so, sit down so that we can talk,” Mom replied flatly. “Please, have your seat,” She said to him.

He sat, but wasn't relaxed. Tension radiated from his taut shoulders and I wondered why it was that way.

Did I make him uncomfortable? Why couldn't he look at me properly?

“He's your late father's best friend. His name is Rowan Myers,” She dropped the bomb.

A chuckle slithered out of my mouth, slowly transcending into laughter. Best friend indeed.

“If he is indeed my father's best friend, how come I never met him? Why wasn't he present at the funeral yesterday?”

Why did we have to meet in a club if they were truly best friends? I wanted to add.

He cleared his throat and shifted on his chair. “Your father and I fell out some years ago due to some business issue, but then I realized that he wasn't at fault. I tried to reach him but my attempts were unsuccessful until last night when your mom reached out to me. I'm still pissed that she didn't call me when he was ill. I'd have done everything within my power to help him stay alive,”

“Well, he didn't want that,” mom cut in.

“But you should have sent me a message, a clue or something. Anything,” Rowan's voice rang hard with regret.

I could imagine his pain. Death was a permanent event. There was no coming back from it, and knowing that he would never be able to apologize to his friend for the past was soul-crushing, yet my mother who could have done something about it trivialized the issue.

“It's all in the past now. Let bygones be bygone. You can seek retribution by taking care of his daughter because I can't possibly be responsible for her alone right now. The funeral ceremony took a lot from me,”

It would have been fun to air her dirty linen in public, but I thought against it. One would think that she single-handedly funded the funeral ceremony, however, my dad had already made arrangements for that before his death

“I'm twenty-two, mom. I have a part-time job, you don't have to make it sound like I'm a burden,” my irritation at her stance was palpable.

He finally gazed at me even though it was fleeting. “I'll do everything to make sure she's comfortable with me. You don't have to worry,”

“Alright then. She can leave with you right now. There's no need for her to keep staying here since I'll be traveling tomorrow,” She said hurriedly.

I darted a stupified gaze at her. “Do you really want to get rid of me that fast?”

She stood up, ignoring my question. “Go pack your things. I'm sure Rowan is a busy man,”

“Oh no, she doesn't have to hurry. I can wait,” He countered.

She flashed her fake smile at him, nudging me upstairs. “Don't worry. She'll be leaving with you shortly,”

~~~

Fifteen minutes later, I was trailing down the stairs with a box on my hand and a duffle bag on my back.

“I'm ready,” I announced when I got to the living room.

I'd changed from the shorts and plain camisole I was wearing earlier to a short blue dress that was cinched at my waist with a low neckline.

His eyes ran a cursory glance through my outfit, stopping briefly on my cleavage. He gulped and looked away, tucking his hands into his pockets.

My mom joined us in no time, looking more excited than before. I could tell why she was.

With my absence, she'd be able to bring in other men to spend nights with her. I knew that leasing the house wasn't true but a facade to get me out of the picture so I wouldn't have to judge or nag her.

‘A woman's got to live’ those were her words every time I caught her messing up. I was very sure her promiscuous activities were a strong catalyst to my father's death.

He loved her with every fiber of his being, and that was his only mistake. Being with a woman like her.

“Please take good care of her. I'll be calling from time to time to check on her,” she said.

“Sure, I will,” he assured her, gently collecting the box from me. “Let's go,”

When we got into his car, I dumped the first question on him. “Did you already know that my father was your friend before coming here?”

“What are you talking about?” he ignited the car.

“I mean, last night, when we were at the hotel. Did you know that my father was your friend?”

“No, I didn't,”

I smiled and brought down the mirror to check my face. “It would be fun living in your house, you know. We had a connection last night,”

He sighed, taking a bend. “And I'm guessing you forgot the part where I said that nothing can happen between us. I might have considered you, but I'm far older than you and not just that, you're like a daughter to me. I shouldn't entertain any immoral thoughts towards you,”

My chest tightened painfully at his blatant rejection. He didn't even mince words.

“I was drunk last night, but I can still remember how you looked at me. Even today, before we left the house, you clearly wanted to eat me up,” I retorted sharply.

“Were you trying to seduce me with your outfit?” his words stung.

I gasped and closed my eyes briefly to hold back the tears.

“Why would I do that?” I cried.

“Good, so have it at the back of your mind that I'm like an uncle to you, not a sex buddy. We won't have this conversation ever again. Do you get it?”

I didn't respond, I was too pained to, so I looked out the window. My eyes ran over the straight line of trees with the houses perched between them, but my mind wasn't in it.

I'd never felt so stupid all my life. I had a boyfriend who was faithful to me, but here I was thinking that I could snag this hot, arrogant buddy to myself.

Sex wasn't an option because I was still a virgin, but I couldn't deny how aroused I became anytime I saw him.

Even now, my body craved his touch, and it angered me to death because I wasn't supposed to feel this way for a man who only saw me as a child.

My dirty thoughts preoccupied me so much that I didn't realize he'd stopped driving.

“We're here,” he announced.

“Oh,” I said, stepping out of the car.

Like the gentleman he was, he helped me with my luggage while I trailed behind him. I took note of the beautiful flowers that decorated his patio, and the clean, minimal aesthetic of his penthouse.

The first thing that hit me was the same chocolate scent he had on. I sucked in air, clutching to my dress.

How would I be able to fight off these feelings if his scent dominated the whole house?

“Welcome to my house,”

I took in the art frames on the wall and the decorative plants standing beside the plush upholsters. “It's really beautiful,”

“I'll show you your room and then…” he was cut halfway by the steps that crunched down the stairs.

A tan skinned woman ascended rather seductively, clad in a red transparent robe that revealed her lingerie.

Her golden blonde hair fell in waves behind her, her lips smeared with a bright red lipstick.

The smile on her face withered when she saw me, but she returned her gaze to him. “Hi, Rowan,” she ran her fingers through his chest. “You took so long,” her voice sounded like a drawl.

Rowan seemed a bit embarrassed, but he covered it with a chuckle. “You weren't supposed to come today,”

“Because of her?” She glared at me.

“No, Lyra. That wasn't the agreement. You know what, just go upstairs and I'll come to you,”

She sighed but didn't argue. “Okay, sugar, but don't take long,” she turned around, swaying her hips with each step.

“Umm, I didn't know we'd have company. A hot one that,” I noted with sarcasm.

“Don't take that tone with me,” he scolded.

I raised my hands in mock surrender, but deep down, my heart was melting. “Does your girlfriend know that you're lusting after me?” I teased him.

His lips parted slightly. He was tongue-tied for a minute, but then he said, “I'll show you your room, then have the best time of my life with her. You have a boyfriend. You should go be with him.”