That question made me blush. I never thought he would ask me something like that. And I wasn't foolish enough to let myself stay on the same bed as Lucca. I had never done that with a man before.
I shook my head repeatedly. I couldn't even open my mouth to speak.
"It's not a big deal," Lucca said, annoyance evident in his voice.
Why would he get annoyed just because I refused his offer? He should know that I wasn't used to being around men like this.
"No. I appreciate your offer, but I'll stay here," I answered.
I saw Lucca frown. Did he always get annoyed whenever someone refused him? If you were me, would you accept his offer?
Lucca remained standing there before speaking in an authoritative tone.
"Lie down on the bed," he said firmly.
His commanding voice startled me a little. Lucca was now serious. He clearly wouldn't let me sleep peacefully on the single sofa.
As much as I wanted to refuse, I knew he probably wouldn't stop until I agreed. But would my conscience even allow me to sleep peacefully knowing the patient would be stuck on the sofa while I took the bed?
I glanced at the bed. It was large enough for two people. Since I was petite, there would still be enough space between us.
I told myself I wasn't foolish enough to sleep on the same bed as Lucca.
But I guess I ended up eating my own words.
"We'll share the bed," I said before walking toward it. I placed the extra pillow between us. "I won't be able to sleep if I let you stay on the sofa. I'll just take a small space for myself."
I looked at Lucca after saying that. His face remained expressionless, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Did he think I was taking advantage of him? That I was a pervert? Or something else?
I was about to ask, but before I could speak, he lay back down on the left side of the bed to give me space.
Everything felt awkward, but this conversation would never end if I kept refusing him.
I carefully squeezed myself onto the edge of the bed, my back facing him as I stared at the door.
"Do you want to fall onto the floor?" he asked sarcastically. "I'm not going to eat you," he added.
I blushed, but thankfully the lights were dim, so he wouldn't notice the redness on my face.
I moved a little more so I wouldn't fall, making sure the pillow stayed between us.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
I didn't know if I would actually be able to sleep beside Lucca. Even though there was space between us, the fact that we were sharing the same bed made everything awkward.
The room fell silent.
But the silence couldn't quiet my mind.
I kept wondering if Lucca was already asleep. I wanted to move, but I stopped myself because I didn't want to disturb him. I sighed softly.
"Don't make everything complicated. It's not a big deal to me. If your friend wasn't drunk, you wouldn't have to share the bed with me," Lucca said, startling me. I thought he was already asleep.
"I'm not used to sleeping beside a man," I answered.
"We're sharing a bed, but we're not sleeping together. That phrase is for people in relationships," he replied. Neither of us turned to face the other.
"Okay. I'll sleep now," I said, ending the conversation.
I couldn't handle talking to a man while lying in the same bed. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't assuming we were in a relationship or anything. But the fact that I was here with him made everything awkward. I didn't even know if I would be able to face him tomorrow.
It took me thirty minutes before I finally fell asleep.
****
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
The moment I heard Mira scream, I immediately sat up on the bed. I looked toward the door, which had just opened, and saw Dominic and Damian staring at me in shock.
Then, when I looked to the right side of the bed, I finally understood why Mira had screamed.
Lucca and I were sleeping on the same bed.
Even the pillow between us was gone.
"What is the meaning of this, Sera?" Mira asked with a shocked expression.
"You got it wrong," I said calmly so they wouldn't notice how nervous I already was.
Damian and Dominic entered the room, but they were still staring at me.
"I didn't know you two were close enough to share a bed," Dominic chuckled.
I quickly got out of bed and shook my head. I was about to explain when Lucca, who was sitting on the bed with his usual poker face, spoke first.
"Would I let her sleep on the single sofa? I offered her the bed and told her I'd sleep on the sofa, but she said we should just share the bed," he said, irritation obvious in his voice.
Everyone looked at me as if I were the suspect.
"Would I really let the patient sleep on the sofa the whole night? I told him I would take the sofa, but he was too persistent. That's why I suggested we share since the bed was big enough," I explained.
I looked at Mira and frowned at her. "If you hadn't gotten drunk, I wouldn't have ended up sharing a bed with Lucca."
I sounded annoyed, and when Mira realized it was partly her fault, she smiled awkwardly and gave me a peace sign.
"I wish I were the patient," Dominic joked.
I frowned at him. "That's a bad joke," I said.
I glanced at Lucca, who was already frowning early in the morning. Maybe his sleep had been interrupted. Who wouldn't wake up when Mira's scream was loud enough to shake the room?
I looked at the clock.
It was already 8 a.m.!
"The nurse came in earlier, but when she saw you two sleeping on the bed, she decided not to interrupt. She said she'd come back later to check Lucca's vital signs and give him his medicine," Dominic explained while looking at us.
At that moment, I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
That meant someone had already entered the room and seen us sleeping on the same bed. What if they thought Lucca and I were in a relationship?
"Why did you come here so early? Weren't you satisfied partying all night in my room?" Lucca said sarcastically. He didn't even bother greeting his friends.
"I'm here to visit you, not to party. You know I miss you," Dominic joked.
"Shut the fuck up," Lucca replied irritably.
"Whoa. Someone woke up grumpy this morning," Dominic laughed.
"Yeah, because you're a damn pest," Lucca cursed. He was clearly annoyed with his friends.
"Mira, I'll drop you off at your condo before I head to the company," Damian said, looking at Mira, whose hair was still messy.
When Mira realized Damian was there, she immediately fixed her hair and clothes.
"Ah… thanks," Mira said shyly.
"We won't stay long. I have meetings all day," Damian added, signaling Mira that they were leaving.
"We'll go now. Bye. And sorry for the mess last night," Mira said while bowing her head apologetically.
I didn't respond because I was still a little annoyed with her.
Dominic stayed behind, so Lucca spoke again.
"Aren't you supposed to be at your company?" Lucca asked.
Dominic smiled and sat on the long sofa. "Can't I stay here a little longer? Unlike Damian, I don't have meetings today," he answered.
"Stop pestering me," Lucca said angrily.
"Hey! You'll age faster if you keep frowning and getting angry," Dominic teased.
"Are you being sarcastic? You know I won't grow old," Lucca replied.
That made Dominic suddenly fall silent and turn serious. I didn't know why, but it felt like Lucca had said something deeper than it sounded.
"Ah, guys. I'm going to the convenience store for a while to buy breakfast. Dominic, what do you want?" I asked.
"Just buy me a tuna panini and water," he answered.
I nodded and looked at Lucca.
"Do you want anything to eat?" I asked. Even though he wasn't allowed unhealthy food, it would've been rude if I asked Dominic and ignored him.
"No. I'll just eat the hospital food," he answered.
I nodded and excused myself before leaving the room.
Lucca's POV
Last night was chaotic. Dominic even brought my weakness—wine. As much as I wanted to drink, they wouldn't let me. Dominic really loved teasing me. He enjoyed seeing me mad at him.
The mess the three of them created was cleaned up by Seraphina. I was annoyed at Dominic for letting her clean everything. Then, when it was time to sleep, Mira had already occupied the long sofa, leaving Seraphina with nowhere to sleep. But instead of complaining, she chose to sit on the single sofa and said she would sleep there.
That was when I offered her my bed while I took the couch instead.
It wasn't like me to act like a gentleman, especially toward someone who annoyed me every single day. But there was something inside me whispering that I should offer the bed to her.
She kept refusing, which only irritated me more.
Maybe she realized I wouldn't take no for an answer, because eventually, she agreed. I had already prepared myself to sleep on the couch when she suddenly suggested that we share the bed instead.
I was shocked.
But I didn't show it.
I kept my usual poker face.
Thinking about it, I was about to sleep on the same bed with someone who wasn't even my friend. And knowing Seraphina's personality, I never expected she would allow herself to do something like that with a man.
She placed a pillow between us to create distance. She even squeezed herself to the very edge of the bed just to avoid touching me. But I didn't want her falling off the bed, so I warned her that she might fall if she didn't move closer.
I could tell she wasn't comfortable. But I also knew she only agreed because she couldn't bear seeing a patient sleep on the sofa.
Part of me thought I should've just let her sleep on the couch.
But another part of me kept telling me otherwise.
Or maybe… I wanted to get closer to her so I could regain my power.
I could hear her deep sighs and sense her awkwardness. Even though we were facing opposite directions, I could still feel her tension.
Who wouldn't feel awkward?
She was obviously the type of woman who had never even tried sleeping beside a man before.
I still couldn't sleep.
Instead, I kept observing her.
When I finally heard her soft snores, I turned to look at her back. She had already fallen asleep.
I sat up on the bed because sleep still refused to come to me. I quietly watched her sleeping. She looked peaceful. Her soft snores were proof that she was exhausted from the entire day. Maybe she hadn't done much physically, but perhaps being around me was already draining enough.
Who would willingly deal with someone like me?
Yeah, I admit it. I'm rude and sarcastic. That's just who I am, and I can't even change it. Not even Dominic or Damian managed to change me.
No woman ever changed me either.
I looked at her again when she shifted in her sleep and turned toward my side.
Now I could clearly see her face.
She looked so innocent that no one would ever guess she was struggling with depression just like me.
That was one thing we had in common aside from our illness.
We were both nonchalant.
Then Monica Blake crossed my mind again.
The lover of Xavier Knight.
Until now, I still didn't understand those dreams. Why did I keep dreaming about Monica Blake when I wasn't even Xavier?
Seraphina looked exactly like her.
The only difference was their personality and the way they dressed. Monica Blake was bold and open about her feelings toward Xavier, while Seraphina acted like she didn't care whether someone liked her or not.
She wasn't even interested in Dominic despite his obvious flirting.
I knew when a woman liked someone. Even if they didn't admit it, their actions always revealed it.
I wasn't interested in women, but being observant taught me how they behaved.
I lay back down, but my eyes remained fixed on Seraphina's face.
I didn't know why I kept staring at her, but somehow… I liked it.
She looked completely different while sleeping. When she was awake, she was aloof and distant unlike Mira, who was wild and friendly.
How could I make her give me the ring without hesitation?
She had already told me that even if someone offered to buy it, she still wouldn't sell it. I understood her reason, but I couldn't understand why she valued a memory over such a huge amount of money.
I knew she loved her grandmother deeply.
But shouldn't she at least wonder where her grandmother got that ring?
Because originally, it belonged to Master.
And now, I couldn't even take it back.
"Hmmm…" she murmured in her sleep.
Was she dreaming?
What if she knew what I had been thinking this whole time? That I was dreaming about a woman who looked exactly like her.
My gaze slowly traveled over her closed eyes, down to her small pointed nose, her rosy cheeks… and finally her pink lips.
Then I suddenly remembered the scene where Monica Blake and Xavier Knight kissed.
The memory made me immediately turn my back on her in annoyance.
Why was I staring at her so much?
If she caught me, she would definitely question me and ask why I kept looking at her and what I was thinking.
That would only make things awkward between us.
I forced myself to stop staring.
I needed to avoid getting caught.
If she woke up while I was watching her, she might misunderstand and think I was interested in her, which I wasn't.
I was only interested in the ring.
I finally fell asleep half an hour later.
I was in a deep sleep when suddenly a loud scream echoed through the room.
I immediately sat up and saw Mira staring at us in shock and confusion while Damian and Dominic stood frozen at the doorway after entering the room.
Seraphina looked confused and equally shocked. She stared at me as if she had forgotten that we shared the same bed.
I was annoyed.
I barely got enough sleep, and they still interrupted it.
Seraphina and I explained why we ended up sharing the bed. While explaining, she sounded irritated at her friend.
Who wouldn't be?
Even I would get annoyed at a friend who drank too much and caused trouble.
I hadn't planned on explaining myself either, but I ended up doing it anyway.
Eventually, Damian and Mira left because Damian would take her back to her condo.
But Dominic stayed.
That annoyed me even more.
I already told him to leave, but he was too stubborn to listen.
Seraphina went out to buy breakfast from the convenience store. Meanwhile, I decided to just eat the hospital food they would serve later.
"I'm not in the mood to talk to you," I said while massaging my forehead. I felt dizzy from lack of sleep.
"Do you remember what Mira said last night?" Dominic asked, completely ignoring my complaint.
"What? You still remember it even though you were drunk?" I asked sarcastically.
"Of course! I have a sharp memory," he joked. "Anyway, guess what I found out this morning?"
I frowned at him. "What?"
"Damon was talking to Seraphina on the rooftop yesterday," he said.
That immediately got my attention.
"When Seraphina mentioned last night that the man said we were his friends, I already doubted it. Then I checked the CCTV earlier, and it confirmed my suspicion," Dominic continued seriously.
I stayed silent and thought deeply.
Damon would do anything just to ruin me.
He would never hesitate to use innocent people if it meant destroying me.
"He's making his move, dude. He'll do whatever he wants, even if innocent people get hurt," Dominic warned.
"Especially now that I've lost my strength," I muttered bitterly.
How could I protect someone when I didn't even have enough strength to protect myself?
"But Master said you'll regain it if you stay near Seraphina, right?" Dominic asked.
"But how long will that take?"
"I don't know, dude."
I sighed deeply.
"If Mira hadn't mentioned it last night, Seraphina would never have told us. How could she possibly know that Damon is your greatest enemy?"
"We can't even warn her without making her suspicious," I said.
"You're not obligated to stay beside her twenty-four seven," Dominic replied.
"What do you mean? That I should come up with another excuse just to keep her by my side? This confinement is making me weak and restless."
"But you literally are weak right now. You need to recover, remember?"
I sighed again.
As much as I wanted to become violent and destroy everything in this room, I couldn't.
Seraphina's POV
I left the hospital and went to the convenience store beside it. The moment I entered, the smell of different foods immediately greeted me.
I headed to the bread section and picked up the food Dominic wanted. Then I started looking for something for myself, torn between a tuna sandwich and a ham-and-cheese bread.
Just as I was busy deciding between the two, someone behind me called my name.
"Seraphina…"
I turned around and saw the same person I had talked to on the rooftop.