Blair woke up in her bed, and to be honest, she didn't know how she ended up there. It was like her body moved on its own back to her room, but she could somewhat remember really happened:
It was already dark outside, with the moon and stars being the source of light. Maybe if she stayed awake long enough, she might see him and confront him...as if she had the right to do so. But she's curious about his frequent disappearance and the only way to see him is during night time.
She stood up from the sofa and headed down the dark hallway to her bedroom; she had to change from her swimming suit and robe before talking to Ameo. Blair dried herself off after taking a shower and put on some nightwear before detangling her hair.
Heavy footsteps connected to the floor at a slow, calculated pace. It must be Ameo.
Yanking a silk robe from the chair she was sitting on, she tiptoed to the door and turned off the lights before listening for any other sound, especially from Alina. Alina had already warned her not to approach Ameo once he came back to the house, as he had a tendency to be in a bad mood due to stress and would need rest.
But she pushed that warning away and went out.
A man was by the end of the corridor that spread to the living room. She slowed down her steps as the moon sky outside from the wall of glass lit against his back, illuminating his very large, sinister silhouette. She hadn't seen him for such a long time; it felt like she was meeting him all over again.
He just stood there, leaning on the window with glass wine in his hand. He was eerily still, not even moving a single muscle; just like a statue. Her heart shuddered when she saw the look on his face; he had been watching her silently all along. His hardened eyes and calm expression didn't give away what he was thinking.
Her breath caught up in her stomach. Alina was right, he seemed to be in a bad mood but she stubbornly wanted to know if he was avoiding her with the excuse of working. Blair didn't let it stop her, she walked towards him and came to halt with space still between them.
One thing led to another, and everything happened so fast. Before she could react, he grabbed the back of her head and smashed his lips on hers.
So many emotions burst in her; shock, surprise, horror, confusion. So many questions that needed to be answered, but Ameo was out already. Why did he kiss her? He didn't like her, but he did it anyway. Why? How stupid of her to think that Ameo wasn't that bad, he was clearly making fun of her; of how she had the audacity to ask about his whereabout as if she was in an intimate relationship with him.
Suddenly, a wave of shame washed over her, her chest tightened as her breathing struggled. She shouldn't have asked at all. Maybe she shouldn't have come out, then that wouldn't happen. She was wrong; if she never stepped out, if she never asked, if she never was interested, if she never acted so desperate, it wouldn't happen.
"Miss?"
Blair blinked back the incoming tears, forcing herself to the present. "Hmm? Yes?" She raised her eyes to see Natal in front of her, a worried look on her face.
"Miss, you've been staring at your food for a while and I have been calling you the whole time. Are you not okay?" Her brows deepened in concern.
"Ah, yes. I-I'm fine. It's just, um... something I'm thinking about, that's all," Blair chuckled, not sounding at all convincing. She tightened her hands around her tea cup, letting the warm heat clear her thoughts.
She needed to talk to someone about this, as it was leaving she conflicted and worried about Ameo's next move.
She abruptly stood up from her chair. "Natal, can you prepare a car? I want to visit Tina today."
Natal nodded before leaving, and Blair went to her room to shower and freshen up.
She sat on the warm leather seat by the window as people and places swiftly passed by like there was no time to wait. She wished that the world could just wait, even for a moment, for her to think and know what to do in life.
She sighed. But that was just too much to ask.
The car slowed down and came to a halt in front of an apartment complex.
"Thank you, Aren."
Her personal driver nodded in response.
Although she doesn't talk to him often, he's a good company to have around; he doesn't judge or blame her for anything. Or maybe that was his job, and he just wanted to keep things professional.
She entered the building, and the entrance hall never failed to leave her impressed.
The ginormous chandelier hanging from the black ceiling with galaxy colours splattered across it, reflected on the glittering pale marble floor. Red sofas and tables scattered everywhere that mirrored the wine painted walls.
With her grey hoodie with beige trousers and her hair put up in a hurried braid, she felt like an outsider; she was a stark contrast to the high-class people with colourful clothes and unique styles. You would think she should be used to it by now, but the stares she always got didn't speed up the process in the slightest.
Not wanting to draw more attention to herself, Blair scurried to the reception.
"Um, hi. Can you send a message to Tina about me being here, please?"
The receptionist raised an eyebrow at how quiet her voice was, but mentioned nothing about it. "What is your name, Ms?" The accent was barely noticeable.
"It's Blair."
He nodded before dialing a number and holding the phone to his ear.
The phone was picked up on the first ring. {Yes?}
{Mrs. Adler, there's a lady called Blair here. Do you know her?} he asked in the foreign language.
{Oh, send her up.}
{Yes, madam.}
The receptionist responded before putting down the phone. He moved his attention to Blair, who was looking expectantly at him.
"Mrs. Adler has permitted you to go," he said in Danchi, motioning to the elevator.
"Oh, okay. Thank you." She quickly headed towards the elevator.
The receptionist fought the urge to smile. The girl was strange, just as the rumours said.
The elevator opened, and Blair stepped into the welcoming flat. Even though Ameo and Tina were twins, they clearly had a different taste at home. Ameo's massive mansion was white, cold and barely used; workers coming and going to do their job to keep the place clean. Whilst Tina's had different shades of caramel, brown and yellow colours; and the homey apartment echoed with the screams and giggles of a child.
A man shouted something, and around the corner, a child appeared wearing only underwear and ran to the kitchen, hiding behind the counter. Not long after that, a man came running to the living room, looking frantically for the boy while his daughter followed her father behind.
It didn't take long before the man spotted Blair by the elevator and gave her a tired smile, which she returned with a sympathetic look in her eyes.
She pointed to the kitchen, secretly exposing the location of the child. "He's over there," she mouthed.
He flashed a grateful smile before heading to the kitchen, and it wasn't long before the man returned with the boy squealing and flopping all his small limbs, trying to remove himself from his father's arms.
"Michael, you need to wear clothes." The father placed his son on the couch and managed to put a shirt on before he ran away again.
Blair giggled at the sight and called out. "Michael!"
Immediately, the tapping of tiny feet stopped and came around to become more audible.
Michael popped his head out, his big eyes looked around with curiosity. As soon as he saw Blair, his blue eyes brightened in recognition.
Blair scooted down as Michael sprinted towards her, his brown curls bouncing along.
She scooped up the toddler into her embrace and turned to see the exhausted dad on the sofa with his girl, Mika, climbing to his lap.
"Thank you so much. I really needed help." His green eyes showed genuine appreciation. He patted Mika on the back as she curled up against him, enjoying his company.
Blair grabbed Michael's shorts on the couch and put it on him with ease. "It's okay, Eric. I'm just glad I could help," she said.
She smiled warmly and her eyes softened by the sight of the energetic boy running around while the sister was sleeping in Eric's arms, not caring about the world. Blair had always wanted to have children of her own some day that would love and would do the same to her too. Just how her parents should've been doing to her.
Something in the back of her mind then reminded her of the situation she was in. How could that be even possible? Will she ever leave the place? And from the looks of it, it would not happen soon, with Ameo always away.
"Blair?"
She turned her attention to the call of her name and Tina had stuck her out from her office to the hallway.
"Yeah, I'm coming." Blair immediately stood up and gave a small wave to Eric before heading to the office.
Once in, she closed the door and Tina went to her chair, her ever pregnant belly visible when she took a seat.
"You took a while to come here. I was wondering when you'll show up."
Blair automatically straightened her back. "Oh, sorry, I-I was just busy watching the kids."
Tina's eyes softened at the sight of Blair's anxious demeanour. She had always wondered why Blair acted that way, was it related to her brother? Though she was curious about how Blair kept acting like she was walking on eggshells even though they have known each other for about two months, she didn't want to push Blair. She had to just wait and see.
"Blair, there's no need to say sorry. I know my children are just too cute to look away from." Tina rested her chin in her hand, a playful glint in her eyes. "Not that I have a choice, but if I do, God knows they will do something that has emotional and financial consequences."
Blair nodded with seriousness in expression, like she was holding on to every single word. Tina chuckled to herself before leaning into her chair.
"So, tell me what brings you here?"
"Well..." she started, staring down at her fidgeting fingers. "It's about Ameo."
Tina couldn't help but to let out a sigh. So it was about Ameo. What in the world did he do?
"Last night, he, um... he did something that was out of the blue and I'm very confused."
"What did he do that made you confused?"
"I-I don't want to go into any details, but he is always changing his behaviour around me. One second he's kind, the next he is aloof; other times we are close enough to be considered as friends, then we are complete strangers, and even sometimes—" She stopped herself. She has been talking too much. Why would she bother Tina with something like this?
Blair's face reddened in embarrassment. If Alessia was here, she would know what to do. "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying this. I'm just overreacting."
Tina reached out and held her hands, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Don't say that. I know Ameo can be strange and unreliable sometimes; trust me, I know, I am his sister after all."
Blair nodded, her chest was lighter. She could breathe again, maybe just a little.
"By the way..." She leaned back in her chair, a smirk playing on her lips. "Correct me if I'm wrong but, do you have any sort of interest in Ameo? From the way you're talking about him, it seems like you do."
Her eyes went wide in shock. "N-no. That's not- I don't see him like that. I was just worried about... um, how he--"
"Blair," Tina interrupted her lightly. She just wanted to tease her a bit, but Blair really took her words seriously. "I was just messing with you a bit, don't take it to heart. And about Ameo, just let it be. It's hard to know what's going on in that confusing head of his."
Blair nodded subtly, looking at her nervous fingers that were fiddling with her sweater. Tina was right; Ameo was really confusing, especially last night. He was clearly drunk and didn't think straight.
She later said her goodbyes to Tina and Eric before leaving the apartment and the entire building.
Blair leaned into the seat and let out a sigh.
Why did she even care? Tina was right; she really needed to calm down, this isn't something to worry herself about. As long as Ameo ignored her, she could live here in peace. We'll just be like strangers living in the same building. That didn't sound so bad after all.
She closed her eyes to clear her head.
She then opened her eyes once more and smiled at herself as cars drove by. The world will continue on regardless of how you think or feel, it is your choice to stay behind or move along with it.