Page 83 of Moonstruck at Midnight
Oh God.Of course, they saw us.
I felt my face getting warm, and Lily smiled at my reaction.
“Um, could I please have a glass of water?” I asked. William quickly pulled out a glass, poured water out of the faucet, and placed it in front of me.
“I see you didn’t like what I left out for you to wear,” he said, looking down at my robe. He dipped the tip of the wooden spoon in the tomato sauce and took it to his mouth.
“You’re crazy if you thought I’d be leaving the room in nothing but that.” William looked away probably deciding if the sauce was ready or not. He added a pinch of salt and stirred again with the same wooden spoon. “Hey! No double-dipping!” I joked. Lily laughed.
He shot an amused grin at me. “First of all, you weren’t so scared of my saliva at the pool.” He lifted an eyebrow. I rested my elbows on the marble countertop and covered my face with my hands. I could hear Joel laughing under his breath. “And secondly.”
“Stop.”
“I bet my t-shirt looks better on you than it does on me.” I peeked through my hands and saw him taking a tray of bread out of the oven, giving off a chill vibe, as if Lily and Joel weren’t sitting right there beside us hearing him say those things.
I knew I shouldn’t have kissed him.
“We can wash your clothes, so they’re ready for tomorrow when we leave,” Lily offered. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you, Lily. But I don’t know if I’m staying over,” I replied, finally coming out of the pathetic hidey-hole I created with my hands. “Can I borrow your phone now?” I looked at William and put my hand out.
“Pasta’s ready,” he replied, completely ignoring my request. He kept stirring and tasting things. I wasstarving, and everything smelled like something I definitely wanted to eat. “You need to eat. You can call them afterward.”
“Well, at least let me help out.” I stood up to make myself useful. I was just sitting there.
“Okay, help yourself to a seat at the table,” he replied, plating the dishes. He didn’t look like he needed any help anyway, so I complied. Joel and Lily sat with me at the table while William brought the plates to us.
“Parmesan?” he asked.
“Yes, please.”
“Do you want more wine?” Lily asked.
“Oh, none for me, thanks. I think I’ve had enough for today. I’m still kind of dizzy.” The shower made me feel better, but I needed to stop drinking for sure.
William’s pasta didn’t disappoint. He kept asking about the photoshoot and my friends from school while we ate. He was curious about everything, as usual.
We finished with dinner, and Lily and I helped with the dishes.
“Want a tour?” William asked.
“No, I want your phone. Or should I ask for Lily’s?”
Lily overheard and pulled out her phone from her pocket.
“Lily.” William shot a don’t-you-dare-lend-her-your-phonetype of face in her direction. I assumed he wanted me to stay. And it’s not that I didn’t want to, but I thought it might not be the smartest thing to do.
“Do you even know what time it is?” William asked rhetorically. “It’s eleven p.m. By the time they come back to get you, you’ll be fast asleep. It’s not a good idea. You’re staying.” I hated being told what to do, but I didn’t mind this time. It was a different kind of ordering around, one that at least took my interests into consideration.
“So, tour?” He insisted.
I sighed with resignation and made sure my robe was tightly tied up around my waist. I felt so ridiculous in it. “Okay.” I agreed. And to be honest, I was curious to see the rest of the house.
We walked upstairs. There was a family room with an immense television and a couch that looked extraordinarily comfy with a bunch of throw pillows. We kept walking, and he opened a door. “This is where Tobias and Eric sleep,” he said. The room had a wooden bunk bed and a beautiful view of the pond and garden.
We moved on to the next room, which was Lily and Joel’s. It had the same view but had a king-sized bed instead.
There was a door in front of those two rooms. William opened it to reveal a much bigger bedroom than the previous two. It had a king-sized bed, a sofa chair with a marble top coffee table beside it, and a large window overlooking the ocean. The whole house looked like something that belonged in Architectural Digest.
