SINFULLY YOURS

Chapter 25: Chapter 25. Drive Me Crazy

Chapter 25. Drive Me Crazy

Rosa Lin’s POV

”Oh my god, you’ve got to be freaking kidding me right now.”

Mia’s voice echoed all over her bedroom. My hand remained pressed against her shoulder, eyes wide, frozen in that position as I observed her frustration.

I should have known this. I mean, I really should have expected this. For goodness’ sake, I have known her for so long—known her long enough to know this was one of the things she hates: being disturbed or being pressured, especially when she is in the deep throes of slumber.

I gnashed my teeth together. I should have remembered that. I should, but my mind wasn’t fully at peace to think of anything else. My palms felt so sweaty, my eyes darting around the room as if some dark, grim shadow would materialize from the corner and grab me by the throat.

I couldn’t breathe properly. My ears were still registering the echo of the loud, raw roar I heard outside. I swallowed hard. I couldn’t shake it off. I had tried to get some sleep, but it was freaking pointless.

I turned back to look at Mia, who was now soundly back asleep again. I frowned and shook my head.

God, I have so much love to let you go, Mia, but I can’t. I am so sorry.

I tapped my hand against her shoulder vigorously. She jolted, and so did her eyes. They snapped open. She slowly tilted her head to look up at me. I saw the displeasure in them.

I grinned nervously. ”I’m sorry,” I said.

”What?” she snapped.

It almost made me laugh out loud, the expression on her face, but this wasn’t the time for jokes. ”Please forgive me,” I said quickly.

”You have two minutes to speak,” she countered.

I chuckled nervously and scratched my neck, my eyes darting around the room.

She frowned and slowly sat up, looking at me. Her hair was ruffled all over her face to show how much she had tossed and turned. There was worry in her eyes this time as she looked at me, brushing a few strands away.

”Are you okay? What’s wrong? You look terrified,” she said, tilting her head to the side as she observed me.

I smiled nervously and then scratched my neck. ”I’m sorry, really, really sorry for bothering you,” I said quickly, licking my lips, darting my eyes around, still with that same lingering fear.

She raised an eyebrow, observing me, waiting for the next thing I would say. ”Okay, what’s good?”

I swallowed. ”It’s just... I was wondering if you could, like... let me stay with you. Just for the night, I promise you. It’s just for the night and I’m not going to bother you again.”

I saw the way she frowned. Her eyelids squinted together as she observed me. I grinned and chuckled nervously.

”Why?” she asked.

I blinked. I mean, I should have expected that. Mia has never been one to always want to stay with someone, especially in her own private space. She always loved isolation, always loved the calmness, loved to be by herself.

I gnashed my teeth together. What was I thinking? I’m such a fool.

I turned around quickly. ”Never mind. This... this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have bothered you. Just get some rest,” I said.

”Come on,” she said, stopping me.

I froze and turned back to look at her.

”Now you’re trying to make me feel guilty,” she said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I grinned nervously.

”Come back here,” she said.

I blinked, then I scurried back over toward her and stood before her.

She smiled and shook her head. ”Well, aren’t you so cute?”

I didn’t say anything else and just looked at her, lacing my fingers together and playing with my lips.

”What’s going on? Did you have a bad dream?” she asked.

I chuckled and scratched my neck. ”Well, I wouldn’t necessarily put it like that,” I began. ”It’s just... I can’t sleep alone anymore,” I said.

She frowned. ”Why?”

I closed my eyes and let out a soft breath. ”Okay, this is going to sound crazy. I was just getting myself ready to sleep, you know, normal routine and all that, and then I suddenly heard this strange noise coming from outside. More like a roar, like... some mountain beast was lurking in the streets.”

I saw the moment she raised both eyebrows. Her cheeks puffed like she was struggling to stop herself from laughing, and then she snickered.

I frowned at her. ”It’s not funny,” I said.

She chuckled. ”Yeah, it’s obviously not funny. I mean... I’m sorry, my bad.” She pressed her palm against her forehead. ”So you said you... heard a mountain lion?” she said, tilting her head to the side. I could see she was trying to make a joke out of this.

”This is not funny.”

She frowned and shook her head. ”I never said it was funny. I’m just... trying to understand your story.”

”Mia!” I called out loud.

This time she didn’t hide it. She covered her lips and burst out into full-blown laughter.

I rolled my eyes and turned my head to the side, folding my arms.

”It must have probably just been a nightmare, Rosa,” she said.

”It wasn’t! I know what I heard. I was still awake. I had just finished serving out my homework,” I said.

She raised both of her eyebrows. ”What do you mean?”

I gave her a glare .

Then she nodded her hands slowly. ”Okay. Okay. All right, fine. Whatever, I get it,” she said. ”I’m going to help you then. You can come in. You can stay with me,” she said.

I stared at her with disbelief. She didn’t just allow me to stay with her in the same bed! Well, not like I haven’t stayed with her in the same bed, but it happens only on rare occasions. Occasions where she feels like I’m probably too scared to stay alone, or... I just don’t have the mind to be by myself, or just as a means to comfort me and keep me company.

What can I say? She has always treated me like the little baby she claims I am to her.

She patted the bed beside her. ”Come on, sleep,” she said with a smile.

I smiled and stepped into the bed. The moment I lay down, she draped the covers over me, pulling them up to my shoulders, and then looked at me with a smile.

I looked back at her. She chuckled and shook her head, moving over toward the other side and relaxing as well, pressing her back against the pillow.

”Have a good sleep, little baby,” she said.

”I am not a baby.”

”Keep telling yourself that,” she countered.

Then she turned to her own side and folded up against herself. Before long, silence descended.

The darkness finally began to register in my consciousness after she had switched off the night lamp. I folded my arms, staring at the ceiling. The sound of the roar refused to leave my head.

I turned my head to the side. Was that really all in my head? Was it just my imagination? I mean, if Mia is acting like this, it certainly means one thing: she didn’t hear it. But for God’s sake, we are in the same fucking apartment! How the hell couldn’t she have heard that?

I breathed out, still trying to steady myself, but the thoughts wouldn’t leave my head. Have a good sleep, Rosa, I told myself. Just have a freaking good sleep.

The thoughts about Mr. Don’s chat flashed back in my mind. At the same time, I felt a warm, liquid flutter through my chest. Why do I keep having these weird little reactions whenever the thought of him comes to my head?

I turned to the other side, folded myself up, and closed my eyes. Sleep, Rosa. Sleep. You need it, or you’ll probably run mad by tomorrow, I told myself.

After a short while, sleep refused to come. I groaned in frustration.

I turned my head to Mia to look at her. She was now sound asleep, her snoring coming out in soft bursts—calm, gentle, peaceful. God, I wish I could be as peaceful as her.

I picked up my phone and then swiped through to enter the chat of the person that had claimed to be Mr. Don. I frowned at it. I quickly sent a message:

ME: I don’t understand why you are not replying to me though, but did you hear the roar sound? I assume it must be all over the city.

I hesitated, but then I pressed send. I waited for the reply. The message, just like before, ticked twice to show that he had received it and he had seen it, but he still didn’t respond. The ”typing...” bubble didn’t appear.

I frowned with worry. Was he really that angry? Did I really cross the line?

A subtle, heavy worry settled at the pit of my stomach. I looked at my phone for a while, frowning, grinding my teeth together, then I let out a soft breath and turned my phone face down against the bed, blinking rapidly and staring into nothing. Yeah, why the hell was this making me feel sad?

After a while, I decided to shake it off. I tried to sleep, but sleep never came. It was already beginning to get so annoying.

The moment I realized that sleep was never going to help, I finally gave up. I sat up in bed in frustration, ignoring my hair being all rough over my face.

I turned to look at Mia. ”I can never be like you,” I said softly with a whisper to myself in frustration.

I got down after pushing the covers away from my body, then I walked out of her room, making sure the door didn’t make any noise. I shut it calmly behind me, then I trotted through the corridor, down the stairs until I found myself inside the large, luxurious living room.

I crossed through straight toward the kitchen, opening the door as quickly as I could. But before I could walk in, something caught my attention.

I froze with my hand against the door and turned quickly, looking at the living room. I could have sworn I saw a figure seated in the living room—the strange feeling like I wasn’t the only one.

I frowned with a raised eyebrow, watching the room for a while, but there was nothing. Nobody.

I pressed my lips together. I really need to have myself checked. My imagination these days was certainly going to drive me crazy at some point.