"You can come inside mine, then. How's it?"
Delilah wasn't sure if she heard him right. She couldn't believe it until she listened to him twice because such a big favour from a stranger was something unpredictable and unacceptable. Strangers aren't so nice to strangers unless they have an evil intention or something to demand.
Her face held the expression of her heart. She stared at him, dumbfounded before she whispered, "What?"
He sighed, realizing she wasted almost three minutes just to have him repeat for her.
"I said you can come inside my room for tonight," he repeated, pushing a hand into the pocket of his trousers.
Her eyebrows raised and she hurried to reply, "N-No, why should I trouble you?" She threw an excuse, while in reality, she didn't trust him enough to share a room with him.
That was obvious.
"You think you can trouble me?" That shut her mouth. "I have two beds and. . ." He narrowed his eyes on her as he added, "If you're afraid, you can tell me straight. No need to make excuses before me."
He said it to make her realize that he could read her easily. Not only her but he was sharp enough to read people and know what was going through them. Not that he was a psych — he never believed it — but he had experience.
"How did you know?" She whispered the words, peeking down at her toes which were covered with her red pumps. She made sure he couldn't listen to her tiny whisper but being as sharp as a two-edged sword, he heard her easily.
But he desired to say nothing. To him, answering such questions was useless. He never wished to answer or justify himself. He either let them trust him or else, he judged them with his gun.
"Please, don't think like that. You're kind that you offered me help but. . ."
"So you wish to spend the night here?"
"I have no other way."
"Suits you," with that said, he wished to leave. He turned around and opened the door back.
She sighed, peeking into his room which was a small moment as he stepped inside. Delilah felt the longing to stay inside her room when she looked into his, and for a moment, her heart asked her to accept the offer.
"Hey!" She uttered, not loud enough to make him jerk.
He stopped and looked over his shoulder, humming.
"Can I come inside?" She asked carefully, as if the offer lost its validation the moment he turned around.
"Sure," he stepped aside and let her in, which she still did reluctantly.
Could say that there were two voices inside her head. One asked her to believe him while the other was afraid of the consequences.
When the spirit speaks, it's weird to the world and people may call it illogical, forgetting so well that the same spirit is the foundation of their creation. But when the mind keeps doubting, nobody finds it awkward why this flesh likes to live in chaos when peace is available.
Sometimes, it isn't awkward. Rather, people are awkward who try to shut the voice of their spirits.
But she found it better to listen to the innermost voice of her being. It knew more than her mind or experience.
He closed the door behind him as Delilah stepped into his suit. She stood near the door while he walked inside, asking her to follow him which she did.
She looked around and found two beds in the room as he told her. The curtains of his room behind the sliding glass doors were spread full. She inhaled the warm and sweet aroma of lavender that was in the air of his room and she found it to be pleasant and bigger than hers.
He was a businessman, by his looks. She couldn't expect less.
"There's the bathroom," he pointed toward a black door and walked toward his bed.
Delilah nodded her head, removing her eyes from the door. He then walked towards the end and laid on his back, grabbing a phone to scroll through whatever he was checking.
She walked into the bathroom and first made a bun of her long hair. She removed the jacket she was wearing and began removing her makeup which felt uncomfortable. She then brushed her hair and made a braid of it. After she was done, she came out while tapping the towel delicately over her face.
"Do you need something?" He asked as soon as he saw her out. "Something to eat or anything else?"
Delilah liked the way he wasn't checking her out like the men in that club did. Their gaze roved all over her and she was so uncomfortable that she vowed never to visit the place after that.
This man was becoming an exception.
"No. I'm just going to sleep. Thank you for asking and for the offer, too," she said with a sweet smile.
He nodded and focused his attention on the phone again. Meanwhile, she got into bed and thanked the Lord under her breath.
Once it was done, she turned on her side to switch off the light when her gaze fell upon the man on the bed. She reconsidered the idea while asking, "Won't you sleep?"
"I will," he answered, without looking away from the phone.
"It's already around three in the morning. When?"
To her question, he stopped typing and looked at her. She pursed her lips, realizing she was too questioning before him even though she noticed he wasn't a talkative guy. He preferred silence.
"I'm sorry. I was just wondering," she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders.
He didn't answer and kept staring at her with narrowed eyes. It made her feel awkward, not intimidated. Realizing that he didn't like being questioned too much, she slowly pulled the cover and hid her face behind it, closing her eyes to escape his razor-sharp gaze.
Soon, she fell asleep.
The next morning as she woke up, she first thanked the Lord as per her habit. She got down to his bed, not finding him anywhere in the room. His bed was empty and neatly taken care of.
His idea made her smile because he was kind to her last night. There were no unnecessary talks or double-meaning gestures. He was a very simple man and his intentions were upright. She was glad to find her decision right.
She wondered where he would be as she was feeling like thanking him once again. But who cares? She knew he would come back here wherever he was.
She pushed aside her pumps and walked towards the bathroom. She gripped the doorknob and right then, the door pulled open. Her breath hitched when she was pulled ahead by her grip on the doorknob and her chest collided against his naked one while her hands flew up to grab whatever came in her clutch; his shoulders.
Something stopped inside her and her wide dove eyes were stuck on his blank face.
Fortunately, he held her at the right time by putting his hands on her waist but that touch, the proximity, and his half-naked glory made her blush so hard that her entire face turned red.
Like a cherry.
What just happened?
She quickly pulled back from his embrace, beginning to feel flames of fire embracing her body. Her eyes fell as she stared at her red-painted toes and uttered, "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you'd be inside the b-bathroom."
Right in front of her toes, his toes could be seen and the carpet underneath his feet was starting to get wet, the mint green color of it was darkening.
He gave her no reply. Rather, as a few seconds passed, he walked by her side, saying, "Come out quickly. I'm ordering breakfast."
She sighed that he wasn't mad about it. She quickly raised her neck and she still could feel the hotness glowing on her face. She was embarrassed.
But as he said, she went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
"Gosh, Delilah! You're so stupid!" She scolded herself, palming her forehead as she walked over to the cabinet.
From there, she found an unused toothbrush and began cleaning her mouth. After freshening up, she came out and found another presence in his room as the houseman walked in and arranged the food trolley beside a table. He began emptying it, arranging the dishes on the table while Delilah watched him doing so.
On the other hand, the mysterious man was gazing at her from a distance. She looked excited like a child and he couldn't understand what happiness she was finding in it.
Once the houseman was done, he left the room after wishing the owner of the room.
"Your timing is perfect," said the mysterious man. Well, she just saw that. "Come, let's eat together," he said and grabbed a couch. He sat peacefully and removed the lids.
She neared him, saying, "I was wondering if my friend was awake." She felt the smoothness of the Persian mattress spread beneath her feet.
"You wish to leave without having breakfast?"
"No! It looks delicious. At least, better than salad and raw pasta that our professor makes them serve us."
He cocked a brow. "They give you raw pasta?" He watched her standing beside a couch as she tugged her hair lock behind her ear.
She laughed, waving her hand as she sat on a couch opposite him. "Not raw. I was just exaggerating. I meant to say, they have nothing spicy in it and zero vegetables. I like it with vegetables. So what they serve is like boiled pasta."
"Nobody eats it this way here."
"Yahi to dukh hi baat hai." She sighed, earning herself a weird look from the man. She gave him a smile, uttering, "Nothing."
(That's the sad thing here.)
Delilah could see he wasn't an Indian like her, that's why he couldn't understand her language. She was glad about it, but somewhere found it funny when he reacted strangely.
But she couldn't laugh at his grumpy face.
Delilah smiled as she looked at the pancakes. She folded her hands and thanked God for food. When her eyes opened, she found him staring at her but the moment she parted her eyelids, he was fast enough to look down and focus on his food.
She said nothing and grabbed her plate.
"Don't you thank God for food?" She asked while eating, getting no attention. He wasn't ready to look in her direction for some odd reason. Or he was too strict in girls' matters.
"I'm not a religious person," he grumbled, taking another bite.
She giggled. "So you admit that it's His giving." He gave her a sharp look which she missed because she proceeded to hold a glass of mango juice.
Holding and taking a sip of it, she released a dreamy sigh. Mango tastes heavenly. "At least, it's better than being proud of your income that makes you think you earned it."
"Your reason is valid."
"But what's the use of income if God doesn't shower the plants and they don't grow?"
"Don't talk while eating, little girl."
She frowned, not liking the way he turned it down. All in all, he called her little. She wasn't a 'little' girl anymore.
Putting a bite on her tongue, she mumbled, "I'm not little. I'm twenty." Her voice was half muffled but he understood her.
He shrugged but said nothing. After that, they ate silently. Even if Delilah sought to question him out of curiosity, he kept her shut by showing his hard glare like he was handling a child.
Once done, she decided to leave after thanking him. He only nodded in acknowledgment. She smiled at him and opened the door to leave, while her other hand carried her sandals.
Fortunately, Tamar was awake by then. She took the keys from her and entered her room with a soft sigh.
After that day, she got no chance to meet him. That was her last day on the trip and she still thought about that mysterious guy on the plane.
However, she made up her mind that she wasn't going to meet him. He was a nice stranger to her. Sure, he didn't talk much but he didn't even scold her for anything. She wouldn't even have tolerated it. However, his mysterious personality and charming aura had her fascinated by him.
If possible, she could meet him another time but she knew it couldn't be possible.
He was just a stranger, after all.
He was grumpy but nice.