My eyes travel around the room now that I'm finally able to take a good look inside Vaughn's apartment. Before me is a quite spacious living room, and the rests are the simple but modern kitchen and dining room, styled in a mixture of industrial and contemporary. The apartment only consists of one bedroom.
"Wow." I'm already liking the air here. It feels comfy but at the same time energizing. "Did you arrange all of these by yourself?"
"With the help of a friend," Vaughn says, walking behind me as I stroll further inside. "I need a space where my mind can be creative but where I can relax too."
I walk toward the glass window, staring at the amazing view of Boston. "This must be an incredible sight at night." I gape.
Vaughn lets out a small chuckle before walking off to show me his bedroom, and I follow suit.
His bedroom is simple and not that huge but has the same amazing view. He leans against his desk while I continue the tour. Then something on the cabinet catches my attention. There's a wooden box showcasing sea glasses, and oh my, they are breathtaking. Something about the colours is captivating. I've never seen anything like those before, as if each sea glass holds their own mystery, and I'm getting the atmosphere of some exotic beach far away just by looking at them.
"Those are souvenirs," Vaughn says. "I went to Bali around half a year ago. Got them there."
I snap my head toward him in disbelief. "They're beautiful."
"Well, you haven't seen anything." Vaughn walks closer to the cabinet and opens the lower drawer of the wooden box. And there, I see a pearl attached to a necklace, so gorgeous that a gasp escapes my mouth. It's simple but so pretty and accentuates elegance. The small pearl is brown to grey with purple and green overtones in colour.
"You like it?" Vaughn's question makes me snap out of my daze, and when I look up at him, I see a meaningful smile on his face. He's staring at me in the way I was staring at the pearl just now, which makes my heart skip a beat. "That's different. It's not a souvenir. I bought it at the local jewellery shop."
He takes the necklace and turns my shoulder so that we both look at the mirror hanging on the wall. I'm speechless when he slowly puts the necklace on my neck. "Vaughn--"
"It suits you," he whispers against my collarbone, making butterflies inside my tummy go crazy. "It's about time that this little treasure finds its rightful owner."
But can I just accept it like this? It looks expensive, and I've noticed it even just by first glance. "But, Vaughn..." I wonder why he bought such a thing and for whom he did it.
"I hadn't found anyone I could think of giving away such a gem, but I think I have now," he answers the silent question in my heart, just like magic. And I blush from hearing those words. "Six months ago, I was in a state where I needed a place where I could escape reality for a while, to refresh myself from some shit happening to me."
While I'm listening intently to what he's saying, I remember something. Six months ago was after Camila broke up with him. My pulse quickens as I wait for him to say more.
"Bali was a good place for that," he continues. "Do you know the story about pearls?"
I shake my head, clueless about what he meant.
"Pearls form in deep water, preventing the mollusc from being hurt by a foreign object," he says. "Growing and protecting it, which creates pearl over time."
I raise my brow, not expecting him to know about jewellery. But then, is there anything that this guy doesn't know about?
"There's so much about purity and strength behind it." Vaughn wraps his arms around my waist from behind and kisses my cheek as we look into the mirror. "Just like you, Mel. So pure, so beautiful. And you gave me the strength I didn't know I would ever have."
My heart beats twice. I never knew that I could give him strength, but the words coming out from his mouth start to make me wonder. This weak girl? Come on. What could I have possibly done for him? As far as I know, I've done nothing but trouble him.
His words melt my heart. Tears threaten to form in my eyes as I think about the wound from his previous heartbreak. Austin's words ring back in my ear.
"I'd been wondering why Vaughn seemed a lot happier recently. But now, I know why."
Do I really make him happy? That question inside my head makes my chest tighten.
"That's a good thing. He's been through enough already."
I can't be more grateful if I can kiss away all his pain. Somehow, realising this has put my insecurity away, because there's a hint that Camila has indeed been gone from his life. She was his past. And I'm his present.
But I don't want to ask or make him elaborate the story about his past now, because it will ruin the mood.
The thing that may make my heart broken into pieces is the probability of him rehearsing that exact same line to other girls.
No! What are you thinking, Melanie? stop.
I've promised myself that there would be no more denial. That it's time to take a chance. To love and be loved.
A small sigh escapes my lips as I turn around to face him. Circling my arms around his neck, I plaster a soft smile, tears of joy brimming my eyes.
"Thank you, Vaughn," I whisper. "I'll treasure it."
I sit on my bed, looking through my phone while Vaughn is taking a shower after we had sex tonight, for the third time on the same day. I can't complain about that, and Vaughn seems that he just can't get enough of me. He has officially moved into my house to stay with me, and I can't be happier.
My lips form into a thin line as I see a text from Stacey. She informs me that we have to take over the rest of our Commercial Database project by ourselves because Derek has just been admitted into the hospital. But it's not the heavy load of the project that is bothering my mind. I feel sorry for Derek. The poor guy apparently fell from his bike on the way to college this morning.
I decide to send him a text to wish that he'll get better soon. Just as I press the button to deliver the message, Vaughn steps out of the bathroom.
Heat travels to my cheeks as I see him only in a towel covering the lower part of his body, his hair still wet, drops of water sprinkled on his face, shoulder and chest. I know that I've seen him naked multiple times, but it doesn't mean that the sight before me has no effect at all. I quickly look down, trying to hide the blush on my face.
Vaughn chuckles. "Come on, Mel. You're my girlfriend now. There's no need to be shy around me."
My heart thumps. Girlfriend. Did he just officially claim me as his girlfriend?
Yeah. I think that I heard him right. Damn. He didn't even ask me first. He just made a statement.
Not that I'm complaining.
I look back up at him and see him smirk. And that makes me chuckle as I shake my head in disbelief.