SINFULLY YOURS

Chapter 28: Chapter 28. Pick You Up

Chapter 28. Pick You Up

Rosa Lin’s POV

I felt dumb.

”That’s not what’s going on,” I said. But it was pointless. I saw her staring at me with both of her eyebrows raised.

”Okay, so explain it to me. I’m just a little bit confused here. You seem so serious about it, but what I’m looking at obviously right now is just some sort of hickey. Like you got it from probably your lover or something. How do you expect that hickey to manifest from some mysterious guy you made up, all of a sudden in your dream from nowhere? Do you care to explain that?”

I looked at her and blew out a breath. It was pointless. She would definitely not listen, because in her head... Goodness, only the good Lord knows what is going on in her head.

Firstly, she can’t remember Tim. Now she’s looking at me weird, and I honestly cannot blame her. It’s not her fault. Anybody in her right mind would think the same.

I crashed back against the bed and laced my fingers together. I couldn’t say anything anymore. I began to trace my palm against my forehead. I felt her place her palm on my shoulders.

”Babe,” she said calmly.

I tilted my head to look at her.

”I’m listening,” she said, with both of her eyebrows raised.

I looked at her and opened my mouth, but I couldn’t get any words out. What do I want to say? I shook my head and turned away.

She moved closer. ”Okay, you are seriously scaring me, sister, right now. What’s going on? Is it some weird stalker? Did someone drug you anywhere? Did someone force themselves on you? Did someone try to bite you on the neck? What’s going on? Is it really not ordinary? Just explain it to me, please,” she said.

I raised an eyebrow. ”I have nothing to say, Mia,” I said calmly. Then I looked down, fiddling with my fingers. ”Really, don’t have anything to say. It’s just...” I stopped.

I tilted my head to look at her. I saw the way she was gazing at me worriedly. I chuckled and shook my head. ”It’s fine, just... just forget about it. You will not believe me anyway.”

She didn’t say anything at first. Then I saw the moment she tilted her head to the side, and nodded her head slowly.

”Okay,” she said calmly. ”If you say so, sis, why don’t we just head back to bed and relax, and then pretend like this never happened?” she said.

She turned around and began to crawl back into bed. I could already feel the tension.

”Mia,” I called.

She didn’t bother to reply to me.

”Mia,” I called again.

She stopped, then she turned to look at me. She tried to act calm, like everything was okay, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes.

”Come on, it’s not like that,” I said.

”Then it’s like what?” she asked.

”I really do want to tell you... I am really telling you what is happening, but you’re not listening, you’re not believing me.”

”How do you expect me to believe that?” she asked.

”I...” I looked down, and then shook my head. ”I’m sorry, just... forget about it,” I said.

”Okay,” she said.

Then she crawled into bed, laid down, and then covered herself with the duvet. I tilted my head to look at her. Then I closed my eyes and groaned, slumping back against the bed and allowing my head to crash against the pillows with a sharp thud. Then I stared at the ceiling with a frown.

What the hell is wrong? I allowed my mind to play back, trying to figure out if there was something I missed. I couldn’t sleep. I walked downstairs. I kept seeing flashes of Tim everywhere. Then I walked straight into the kitchen, was barely able to take out a drink from the fridge before he materialized from nowhere. He grabbed me, said those weird, parabic words, and then bit me, and then I woke up.

That was definitely a dream. How the hell did it get to the physical? I can’t clearly remember anyone biting me physically. I slapped my palm against my forehead and then groaned. This is freaking messed up.

***

The next morning found me standing in the room Mia had given to me. I am by the mirror after showering. I was dressed appropriately in a short denim flay skirt and a white t-shirt, followed by a similar denim jacket on top. I was looking at the mark on my neck, tilting my head to the side and tracing my fingers against it.

I can’t go to school looking like this. This is going to be so freaking embarrassing, I thought to myself with a raised eyebrow, looking at it.

Then all of a sudden, I heard a knock on the door. I turned around.

”Come in,” I said softly.

The door clicked and then pushed open. Mia poked her head in. She was smiling.

”Are you done?” she asked.

I blinked. ”Oh, yeah, almost,” I said.

I turned around and then bent down towards the luggage, which I had scattered on the bed. I took out a scarf.

It was a few things Mia had got for me to be able to sustain myself here in her mansion, since Mr. Don had held my luggage hostage and didn’t seem willing to return them back to me, or maybe I just didn’t want to retrieve it back from him yet.

I took out the scarf, then I quickly wrapped it around my neck to conceal the mark. Mia finally came to a stop beside me.

”Why are you hiding it?” she asked.

I turned my head to look at her. ”Why wouldn’t I hide it? I can’t go to school flashing it like some badge of honor,” I said.

She chuckled. ”Isn’t it?” she asked.

I tilted my head to look at her, giving her my sarcastic stare.

”Come on, but don’t be so bland, Rosa,” she said. Then she leaned against the dresser, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. ”I must say, it actually makes you look even more pretty. At least everyone will know that you are taken, you are not single. In all their craziness and heartlessness, someone still deeply, crazily cares about you,” she said.

Yeah, right, some demonic spirit and ghost that is only invading my dreams and vision and making my friend forget she actually met him. Just perfect, I thought to myself and then smiled wryly.

I returned my focus back to the mirror.

”You don’t seem so happy about it,” she said.

I didn’t reply.

”So you’re really not going to tell me?”

I turned to look at her. ”There is nothing to tell, really.”

”Okay, okay,” she said, quickly raising both of her hands. ”If you say so, I won’t say I’m not disappointed. I really am, but if you want to keep the juicy gossip from me, fine, no problem.”

I gritted my teeth. She’s definitely trying to make me feel bad. She’s trying to guilt trip me so I can say what she wants me to say. But what does she want me to say? I’ve already told her the truth. Her mind just won’t accept it.

I have honestly given up trying to fight that same issue. The moment I was done adjusting the scarf, my phone vibrated against the dresser. I looked down.

Mia, who was already walking away, sped back towards the dresser and leaned. We looked at the screen and then we saw it was Mr. Don’s name on the caller ID. She raised an eyebrow and then looked at me.

”Is it him?” she asked all of a sudden.

I turned to look at her with wide eyes. ”Oh my god, Mia, seriously?” I asked.

She frowned at me, staring at me suspiciously. ”You can’t blame me. I mean, he’s very, very cute, and I’ve seen the way you look at him sometimes.”

”I do not look at him anyway, Mia,” I said.

”Really? Prove it,” she said.

”How? What the fuck are you talking about? He’s my uncle,” I said.

”But not in your head,” she counteracted.

”Oh my god, I’m not doing this right now,” I said, and walked away with my phone.

I heard her chuckle behind me.

”Stay right here. Don’t come with me,” I said.

I stood firm across the room by the door, glaring at her, watching her stare at me, still leaning against the dresser with a suspicious, teasing smirk. I picked up the call and then placed the phone against my ear.

”Hello, beauty,” Mr. Don’s voice came through the speaker, making me flinch.

I blinked, then I glanced at Mia, and then turned my head away when I saw the way she was smirking at me. Okay, that was so freaking weird.

”Why are you calling me that?” I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

”Aren’t you such a beauty?” he asked. ”Is it wrong for me to do that?”

I chuckled and then nodded my head slowly. ”Oh, right,” I said. Then nervously, I began to scratch my neck. ”About that, please don’t do that again,” I said calmly.

”Why not?” he asked.

”Why are you calling?” I asked immediately, trying to change the subject.

He chuckled. ”Anyways, I saw your messages this morning from last night,” he said.

I folded my arms and nodded my head. Yeah, right, the messages he totally ignored. ”What about that?” I asked.

He chuckled. ”Ah, I just wanted to apologize for not replying to the messages. You know, something really came up, a very, very important something. I just... I just couldn’t ignore it.”

”Was it work?” I asked.

He chuckled. ”Yeah, maybe I guess. Something like that,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow. ”Work interrupted our chat in the middle of the night? What kind of work is that? You work in a school, Mr. Don,” I said, not understanding why my voice sounded so defensive or questioning him about it. It was none of my business. I gritted my teeth.

He chuckled. ”Ah, it’s my personal life, Rosa. As much as I would love to explain it to you, I’m sorry I can’t,” he said. ”I just hope that you will understand,” he said.

And why the hell is he explaining himself to me? God, this convo was really getting so weird.

I chuckled and quickly scratched my neck. ”No, no, it’s fine. It’s okay. I shouldn’t even be asking you that,” I said.

He chuckled. ”It’s not wrong. I mean, you were having a friendly, hearty conversation with me, right?” he asked.

”Why are you calling me, Mr. Don?” I said, quickly changing the subject.

He chuckled. ”I wanted to ask if you are ready, if you would probably want me to pick you up for school.”

I blinked. ”What?”