08

##Chapter 8

Diana Markovic



The next day I woke up feeling my spine a little sore, it was my second day there and I thought that maybe in a week I would be crippled from sleeping on the floor. I folded all the sheets and put them on top of a chair for the night to make the bed again. Hugh's bed was again empty which made me assume he had already left for work.

I walked to the bathroom yawning but I was startled by his silhouette in the kitchen stirring the stove. I stopped in the doorway and cleared my throat getting his attention to me.

- Good morning. Not going to work today? — I asked crossing my arms, shivering with the cold wind that entered through the window.



- Good morning. I haven't given my time yet. “Coffee?” he replied.

- Yes. — I said — I forgot that yesterday I woke up almost at noon and that's why I didn't find you. What time is it now? My phone went dead.

- Seven thirty.

- Wow. I've never woken up so early in my life...

— I imagine that in the palace where he lived all his life he never needed it. - mocked .

“Don't think I'm going to be offended by this. I shrugged .

“And neither should you. It's not an insult.

“It feels more like a judgment on my being rich, as if that were a crime. He seemed to ignore my speech. I jumped in my chair when he placed my coffee cup on the table in front of me.

— Do you drink coffee with sugar? The tone was ironic.

— Yes, my life is enough of bitter and I don't like sweeteners, the taste is too artificial. — I said, trying a sip of the steaming liquid — Wow, how delicious! What coffee is this?

“It's my secret. — he winked at me and a lower part of my body blinked too — I don't have a salad to give you right now, what can I get you for breakfast? — ironic as ever. I rolled my eyes.

— You talking like that sounds like you're my employee. I feel terrible. Stop it, you are not here to serve me.

“Okay, then let's have bacon and fried eggs.

- No! Sorry, but I can't eat greasy things.

— Why ? To do not get fat? - He gave a loud laugh - You are already very thin. A little bit of fat now and then won't kill you.

“That was rude, Hugh. I made this choice for my life and you have nothing to do with it to be making assumptions about my body.

— I'm going to put my plate and in seconds you'll realize that it's not healthy things you want, but to eat everything and be happy, however you just don't do it because for some reason someone encouraged you not to. , someone got it into your head that you shouldn't eat things like that so you don't get fat. Something ridiculous by the way.

— Seriously... You don't know anything about my life. I groaned , annoyed that he was right.

- All is well then. The wry smile was on his lips once more.

He got up as I drank all my delicious coffee from my cup. Minutes later he sat back down with an oval plate of eggs and cheese in his hands, the smell making my inconvenient stomach rumble loudly.

Then Hugh began to eat, watching me now and then in an attempt to tempt me, but I won't, I can't, even though I'm hungry.

"Are you sure you don't want to?" He gave a sexy smile as he asked.

You didn't have to smile at me like that, dammit!

"No... I mean, I do." My stomach squealed with hunger as he pulled a portion onto his fork and the cheese stretched along .

But he didn't put it in his mouth but leaned towards me.

- Try it. Just that little bit won't make any difference to you, it won't make your shorts or blouses any tighter . My stomach clenched with hunger and answered for me .

I opened my mouth receiving the food given by him and... Wow! It was delicious both the smell and the taste. I chewed with gusto, finally seeming to be filling my palate with a strong taste. Hugh's eyes were fixed on my lips as he offered it to me once more. I couldn't resist, I accepted it willingly, involuntarily letting out a little groan of flavor.

"Hmmmmm..." I closed my eyes trying to remember when was the last time I ate like this.

So I came to the conclusion that it was three years ago, when I turned twenty-one and I made up the idea of "falling in love" with an idiot named Jeremy who inflicted his strange ways on me, saying for example how I would get obese and die early if eat such types of food.

"Are you still sure you want salad for lunch, princess?" he asked hoarsely. I let out a groan as the last bit of food went down my throat.

"No..." I mumbled wetting my lips.

I wasn't so sure anymore!

— I'll wait for you in the square near the accommodation at noon. he said , heading towards the living room.

Minutes later, I was still confused when I heard the front door slam. He was already gone.

All morning I was apprehensive about everything that had happened to me in the last few days. So many things, so many emotions in a short time that I was psychologically exhausted. All I wanted most was to go back to my house and restart my lost life for three years.

Besides, I couldn't stop thinking about the man who was hosting me. I felt a strong attraction to him and it was evident from the first time I saw him in that restaurant. He was beautiful, sexy, caring, but at the same time so arrogant and bipolar. Sometimes I felt like he hated me without even knowing me, honestly.

After washing what he had soiled for breakfast, I looked for my charger and looked for an outlet inside that house, finding one very close to the wall with pictures which he said were none of my business - which in fact it was not. However, avoiding looking at it was impossible, it didn't matter if it was there on the wall for any of his visitors to see.

Which reminded me again that he said he didn't receive visitors, which made me an exception.

In the following hours I took care of my hair, my skin, cleaned my eyebrows, removed some cuticles from my nails and decided that I would walk to the agreed place before noon, that way I could get to know and observe more of the place I would be staying for Eight days.

I left my hair to dry automatically, put on a dress with a print of white flowers and a pair of thick-heeled boots.

Along the way I could observe the details of the place more clearly, it wasn't as ugly as I thought, I think that anger was making me see only the bad things there, but there were also beautiful things like for example the very green nature, the houses made of pure modeled stone or wood. And although this was a Viking village and the clothes were a little different from California or the capital of Australia or anywhere else in the world, they were modern and mostly gentle.

Slowly I felt the pain in my back seeming to go up to the back of my neck, I squeezed with my hand moving my neck in an attempt to relieve it but it didn't help. I remembered when my father had said that pain was psychological, that as long as we remembered it, we would feel it but if we ignored it, we would simply not feel it anymore.

As I approached the square near the accommodation, I saw the large field behind it, the one the plane had landed on, I felt angry that they had gone without two passengers, except that the process would come, they would wait for me.

I sat on the bench watching the movement around me when suddenly I was startled by a hand on my shoulder.