Sun Upon Dark Clouds

23: Hello, New Flatmate

Unexpectedly, the lunch went on smoothly. With Wyatt and Nora both being good socializers, the five of them did not separate from lunch awkwardly. Though Coley still disliked Wyatt, she was able to go with the flow along with them. They shared laughter at the table as Nora talked about random funny topics and teased Noah and Wyatt being soulmates for being complete opposites in terms of working with Noah being the hardworking one and Wyatt being the player. The tension among them was gone as Wyatt got to befriend with the siblings quickly over lunch.

Just when Coley was having a break in hating Wyatt, what he just said just made her annoyed again.

“Where are you taking her? Why are you taking her somewhere?” Coley asked without pausing.

“Somewhere private to talk,” Wyatt simply answered as he looked at the brunette from the rearview mirror.

Noah and Nora had already got out of the car with Noah going back to his coffee shop immediately since he was worried that there might have been some customers who wanted some coffee earlier but it was closed. Coley was still at the backseat while Ghrae and Wyatt were at the front seats.

“Why do you have to go somewhere when you two can just talk in the car?” Coley squinted at the blond as she tried to read his face though she certainly was not born to be a mind reader.

“Because I just want to?” the blond chuckled. “Why are you so worked up about Ghrae and I being alone together?”

“Because I don’t trust you?” the brunette said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Wyatt scoffed.

“Raku, I’ve known Aria longer than you,” he replied as he tapped on the steering wheel with his fingers.

“Yet you keep calling her by her adoptive name?” the brunette scoffed.

“It’s still her—”

Ghrae suddenly clapped her hands once loudly, making the two of them flinch and look at her.

“Coley, Wyatt wants to talk to me privately. I’m okay with that, so you don’t have to worry about me,” the raven-haired woman said as she looked straight to the eyes of Coley through the rearview mirror.

“But—”

“I will be fine, Coley. I know how to defend myself without any help if he ever tries to hurt me, so don’t worry,” Ghrae sighed. “Okay?”

Coley furrowed her eyebrows and slightly pouted as she turned to look at the blond through the rearview who was smirking widely at him while raising his eyebrows, which made her even more annoyed. As much as she wanted to punch the guy in the face, the brunette knew her limits as she also knew that the raven-haired woman would certainly not like that. With the reassurance that she got from Ghrae; Coley had no choice but to sigh in defeat.

“Fine. But if you need—”

“You heard her, Coley! She doesn’t need any help!” Nora suddenly opened the door as she tugged the sleeve of the brunette out the car.

“Get off me!”

“Sorry for the trouble. Thanks for the free lunch again!” Nora ducked her head as she grinned in a friendly way. “Let’s eat out together next time too!”

“I’ll be looking forward to that,” Wyatt returned the smile.

Surprisingly, Nora was a strong woman as she managed to hold both of Coley’s wrists together as she shut the door of the car and kept hold of the fidgety woman while she watched the red car drive away. An unreadable smile appeared on the red-haired woman’s face as she slowly faced the brunette who was like a cursing machine for uttering all curse words to ever exist toward the chestnut-eyed woman. As a consequence, the brunette just had to receive a painful slap on the head.

“Ow!” Coley whimpered as she held the back of her head while keeping her eyes shut in agony.

“You’re so dramatic,” The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t like-like Ghrae?”

“I don’t,” the brunette whimpered as she continued to rub her head to reduce the pain. “It’s just that she has the keys to her apartment where my things are!”

Coley said the first excuse that came up in her head. She also did not why she was making the situation a big deal when Wyatt was not a stranger to Ghrae anyway. With the excuse that she thought of, she decided to stick with that reason on why she was too worried about leaving Ghrae with a man that she certainly would never trust. One of the reasons why Coley was lesbian was because of men like Wyatt, after all.

Shaking her head, Nora left her friend still dramatically holding the spot on her head where she slapped her even though they both knew that it no longer hurt as she went inside the coffee shop.

***

“I thought that we’re going somewhere?”

The car stopped to park by the sidewalk after taking a left from the street where FICIF was located. The blond man turned the engine off as he leaned his head on the headrest and took a sigh while his eyes were kept closed. The raven-haired woman on the passenger seat looked at him with questioning eyes as she decided to wait patiently for the latter to be ready to speak since he looked awfully exhausted.

“I lied. I just wanted to see how she’d react,” Wyatt let out a soft chuckle as he spoke. “Your friend probably likes you from the way she reacted.”

“We’re not friends, we’re just temporary roommates. Also, she’s a player like you,” Ghrae simply replied as she turned to the front and leaned back on her seat as well.

“Why ‘temporary’?” He shifted his head to face the woman.

“She’s in trouble and just needs a place to hide, so she’s temporarily staying at my apartment,” she answered.

The blond let out a chuckle in amusement as he moved his head back to return his eyes on the road across them. They did not speak for a moment as they let the muffled sound of vehicles passing by break the awkward silence that were filling the car. They were not even close friends but acquaintances; if not for the arranged marriage that they had, they would not even cross paths multiple times.

“Don’t I deserve an apology from you?” Wyatt suddenly spoke.

“For what?” He shifted his head to look at her face again.

“You forgot already? For drugging my drink,” The blond smirked. “Though the cocktail was delicious so I’ll forgive you.”

“Right,” Ghrae nodded though her facial expression remained blank. “Sorry.”

“That was the most insincere apology I’ve ever heard,” Wyatt laughed as he lightly shook his head.

Ghrae did not respond as she just watched the latter laugh. He liked how she looked intimidating at all times though when he would look at her closely, she was not even trying to be intimidating because she just always wore a blank facial expression. She wears a poker face in any situation and that was nothing new, after all.

“To be honest,” Ghrae turned to look at him as he spoke once again. “I should be calling your parents right now.”

“Why aren’t you doing it?” the raven-haired woman calmly asked though she hoped that he would never do it.

“Because they don’t deserve an angel like you,” Wyatt fixed his position as he sat up properly and placed his hands over the steering wheel while staring at his hands. “They adopted you just to marry you off for them to earn more money and popularity? That’s stupid.”

The raven-haired woman stared at the blank space in front of them as she did not speak and just listened to the blond talk. She agreed with the blond though it was not like she could do anything about it. Sure, Ghrae’s adoptive parents did not give her the kind of love that she deserved to have but at least they gave her shelter, food, and a job; which were enough for her to survive and that was why she could not even resent them. After all, what Ghrae only knew was that it did not matter whether she was happy or not because she just had to do what she was told in order to rest in peace after.

“This isn’t just about them. You and your family are also affected,” Ghrae said. “Did you forget that we got married?”

“Well, have you seen the news? They said that we’re enjoying our honeymoon,” Wyatt laughed as he tapped on the wheel with his fingers. “Also, it’s not like I’m interested in joining their business.”

The raven-haired woman let out a soft chuckle as she listened to the blond man. Even after their wedding, he definitely had not changed. As Ghrae thought about it, she actually was not interested in business too and she had no plans on entering the business life if her parents did not tell her to; but then again, Ghrae never had a dream.

“You know that they could disown you anytime, right?” Ghrae straightforwardly said as she turned to look at him.

“That was very direct,” The chuckle that left Wyatt’s lips turned into a bitter one as his eyes stayed on his big hands. “But yes, I know that.”

“Yet you’re still here with me?” The blond man turned as they held eye contact.

“Either way, I wouldn’t be happy. So why not stay and hang out with you instead?” His charming smile flashed on his face. “Seeing you peacefully drinking your latte earlier made me envious. I’d rather enjoy my freedom here and get f****d later than get stuck in that hell for the rest of my life.”

Wyatt laughed at what he said as Ghrae chuckled as well. It felt like he showed a new side of him at that moment and Wyatt was glad that it was Ghrae whom he showed that side to. The both of them stayed in the car for a few more minutes without awkwardness between them before they decided to go back to the coffee shop.

***

“WHY IS BIG BIRD STAYING WITH US?!”

The time went by quickly until it was nighttime and they were in Ghrae’s apartment. With Wyatt.

“It’s Wyatt,” Wyatt put on a fake smile as he slumped down the sofa with his arms draped on the top of the headrest. “And I am staying here to make sure that you’re not a bad person.”

“Excuse me? Are you picking a fight?” Coley growled as she charged toward the blond.

Ghrae was fast enough to stop the brunette from causing a fight as she placed her arm around her front waist. The taller woman looked at her in surprise as the shorter woman looked back at her with her lips pressed into a thin line. For some reason, Coley found that cute as she calmed down and looked away from her.

“I once drugged his drink, so I’m letting him stay here as an apology,” Ghrae briefly explained as she dropped her arm back to her side when she made sure that the latter had already calmed down.

“You what?” Coley looked at her in disbelief though she could not help but smile in amusement.

“It’s not funny actually,” Wyatt spoke as he turned to lie down on the sofa with the armrest being used as his pillow.

“You can take the sofa,” Ghrae said before turning to the taller woman who was looking at the both of them with confusion. “I’m kicking you both out if you fight.”

The raven-haired woman walked away and went to her bedroom after, leaving the two of them staring at the door in surprise and amusement at the same time. The first thing that the brunette thought was,

That was hot, not gonna lie.