Page 97 of Awestruck at Dusk
I lifted my gaze for a second and saw William staring my way, so I looked down at the cutting board again. All I had to do was keep chopping those potatoes. But I could see from the corner of my eye that William was approaching the kitchen.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” Zara replied to Nathan with an overly cheery voice. I heard William opening the fridge behind me. He then placed a few bars of butter and herbs on the counter.
Nathan lowered his voice and asked Zara, “Do you want to talk?”
“No, no. I’m fine. I think I should go upstairs and take a shower.”
“Upstairs?” Nathan returned as William placed another cutting board beside me. I was almost done with the potatoes. Was he going to make me do something else? “Where did you sleep last night?”
Shit. I felt nervous for Zara. I knew this was going to be an issue for Nathan.
“I’m afraid to ask you to use the stove. Do you know how to use the microwave?” William asked me since Zara was apparently trying to find the courage to reply to Nathan. I answered William’s question by glaring at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He chuckled under his breath.
“Zara?” Nathan insisted. Sivert and Tobias drank their beers in the living room, comfortably away from the drama.
“I slept in William’s bedroom last night,” she said in a hushed voice.
“Okay, but now that William’s arrived, I think we should talk about the sleeping arrangements,” Nathan replied, brushing his forehead. “I’m sure Tobias can sleep with William, and you can grab one of the bunk beds in Eric and Tobias’s room.”
“Or,” William said, “you both can have my room, and I’ll sleep in the guest room with Zara where there are two beds.”
Is he high?
“Thank you, but we couldn’t take your room,” I Immediately replied. “We don’t want to impose. I think Nathan’s idea would work just fine.”
Me and Nathan sleeping inhisbed? Never.
Besides, couldn’t William understand that Nathan didn’t want them sleeping in the same room together? Neither did I, but my opinion wasn’t going to be taken into consideration. And the fact that there are two beds in the guest room didn’t assure any of us they wouldn’t just share one of the full-sized beds. The best option was for Zara to sleep with Eric on one of the bunk beds. Yes.
“Oh, but you love my bed, Guille,” William added as a bonus.Son of a bitch! His hands were focused on chopping dill like the pro he was, not a single care in the world.
My bones turned into gelatin. My stomach simmered and shrank at the sepulchral silence that followed William’s last statement. But he wasn’t done. No.
“You slept like a baby the last time you stayed over.”
“I beg your pardon?” Nathan interjected.
Asshole!
William must’ve had a death wish because he had the audacity to say that when I held a knife in my hand. I couldn’t find the courage to look up, but I felt Nathan and Zara’s million Fahrenheit gazes burning me to a crisp—waiting for my reply.
I wasn’t sure if William said that to get me into trouble with Nathan or if he was so desperate to sleep in the same room as Zara that he’d rather yield his bed to us.
Both, for sure.
Or maybe he thought that saying that would get me to leave so he could have his room back to share freely with mysis.
Sorry, I’m not leaving. I was sure William was trying to get under my skin. I refused to believe he was genuinely offering his room to us. He knew I would never accept to sleep there with Nathan. Maybe I should’ve plot-twisted his ass and accepted his offer.
I didn’t care that it was his house. I wasn’t going to allow him to provoke me like that. If Nathan and I stayed, he wouldn’t be able to bunk up with Zara, so tough shit. Although mentioning how I slept in his bed wasn’t going to be a turn-on for Zara. But only God knew what was going on in that mind of his.
The only thingIwas sure of was that I had to say something. So I thought of Cecile and tried to channel her with my reply.
“The pillows are too thick for my taste, if I’m being honest. But the mattress is nice,” I said in the most nonchalant tone I could come up with, transferring the last potato halves into the bowl like I couldn’t be bothered by what William just said. I wasn’t planning to succumb to his taunts.
“And I only slept there because you insisted. So thanks, but Nathan and I will be fine in the guest room.” I looked up and met William’s gaze. “Do you need me to melt the butter?” I held up one of the butter sticks in my hand.
William raised a brow at me and replied, “I’ll take it from here. Microwaved butter is a sin.” So I dropped the butter and the knife and rinsed my hands in the kitchen sink.
