A Beautiful Misunderstanding

Zac's room's door was still closed. He showed no signs of coming out.
Even though Essie was sure he would have locked it from inside, she twisted the handle. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked! She then
peeped inside, trying to see what Zac was doing.
It was already evening and the sky was dim, making the room extremely dark.
Zac was standing in front of the window, motionless, like a lifeless thing. The night wind blew inside through the window, swaying
the curtains. However, Zac stood firm on the ground, unperturbed by the wild wind. Nothing could arouse his reaction because
his heart was in a much worse condition.
Although his face was hidden from her view, she could imagine the gloom that would be etched on his face. Her presence didn't
bring any reaction from him either.
She cut an orange into pieces and sneaked inside.
"Zac, I'm back. Would you like to have some oranges?"
But he turned a deaf ear to her.
"This orange is so sweet and fresh! Yum!" She did her best to squeeze some reaction out of him, but in vain.
Zac still didn't respond. Instead, he stood as cold as the ice.
"Give it a try, Zac. I know you are quite fond of oranges. I went to the fruit shop to buy it just for you. And let me tell you, it was
very expensive." Essie acted coquettishly and hoped that would placate him. She peeled an orange and tried to put it in his
mouth. When he didn't open his mouth, she tried to forced it in, completely ignoring his dark eyes. "I have checked it carefully.
These oranges don't contain either dye or chemicals."
Knowing she wouldn't stop bugging him, he had no choice but to catch her little hands. The orange fell from her hands and he
screamed, "Get out from here!" His growl echoed in the room.
His burst of anger inspired no fear in her. Essie rolled her eyes, picked up the orange from the ground. With a sigh, she put it into
her mouth.
Seeing what she was doing, he snatched it from her and said, "It must have gotten dirty! Why do you want to eat it? Didn't you
tell me you had a sensitive stomach!"

"I think I deserve to be punished for lying to you. The truth is, I didn't go to the supermarket. Instead, I went to see Hanson." She
lowered her head like a child who was guilty for her mistake. Obediently, she stood, ready to face her punishment.
A cold light flashed in Zac's eyes. He said in a mild tone, "How many times have you broken the rules?"
She pouted and said, "I did lie to you, but it was a very small lie, Zac. Things aren't like how it used to be. He is going to get
married and I went to see him as a friend, nothing else. I'm never going to be the other woman in his life or anyone else's life for
that matter. I will fully give up my right ventricle and open myself to new love!"
"Really?" Zac raised his eyebrows, the dark cloud on his face slowly fading away. His earlier feeling of gloom was changed to
hope. "When will your left ventricle be free?"
Her thick eyelashes flickered, revealing a trace of mischief. "That depends on the person who will chase after me. If he has the
ability to seize me then it will open before it is too long."
A mischievous smile emerged on the corners of Zac's mouth. 'Okay. Then I'll give it a try,' thought him. Zac was someone who
was used to getting what he wanted.
"Dummy, you better plan our second date properly. Don't let me down."
"Okay!" She made a face at him before she left his room. Long after she was gone, the smile still remained on his face.
In the evening, Essie began to work on her order. She had a lot of pending work. The new clothes she designed had been
appreciated by everyone. Its fame was such that all of it got sold in a single day!
Looking at the figure in her bank account, Essie's heart brimmed with elation. But this happiness did not last long.
Lucy and Bob came, dragging their luggage in. They had planned to go back tomorrow. However, in the last minute, they
changed their mind. It turned out they were going to stay here for a few more days. Staying in the hotel would cost them too
much money, hence living with Essie seemed like a plausible solution.
Zac went to pack up in a hurry and made room for them. Seeing that he was about to sleep in Essie's work room, Lucy caught
him and stopped. "Zac, move your things to Essie's room. A couple should under no circumstance sleep in separate rooms. As
for her sleeping posture problem, with time you will get used to it." As a mother, she thought it was her sole responsibility to
make sure things were going well with her daughter and son-in-law. Expensive hotel was just an excuse. In truth, her ulterior
motive was to make sure this marriage remained intact.

Hearing her mother's words, Essie's eyes became wide. Embarrassment coursed through her body.
'How can she talk so openly in front of Zac?' she wondered. Essie was quite disturbed and didn't know what to say or do.
Zac, on the other hand, opened his arms and put them around her. "Honey, don't worry. I'll let you kick me as hard as possible
tonight. Truth be told, I find it hard to fall asleep without your kicks." There was a cunning smile playing on his face. On closer
inspection, Essie noticed his eyes were shining and there was something animalistic about him. Like a lion, he seemed ready to
pounce on her.
She wiped the beat of sweat that had begun to form on her forehead. She knew she wasn't going to sleep well tonight!