Lily's POV - 12

The first thing I did when I woke up was to tick a new day on my calendar. It was officially day five of being Lucien's tour guide, and the thought of it alone made me want to throw up. He was beginning to make me hate my job, and coupled with the fact that they cancelled my trip, I felt really annoyed.

In my quest to be as unseen as possible, I chose a dark top and matching jeans. My classmates in high school always made fun of me whenever I wore dark clothing.

"Oh my goodness, are you mourning your dog or something?"

"Of course not. She's mourning her look."

"Yeah. You look rough, Lily. Have a smoke?"

They said it as passing comments, but I saw how their eyes crinkled up in laughter. Even my best friend, Catherine, agreed with them, although she didn't laugh or make fun of me. I knew she would be unhappy with my choice of clothes today, but I didn't really care.

In truth, I was mourning something. My freedom and peace of mind. I really shouldn't have gone to that party. With a sigh, I pulled down the top and started to brush my hair. Beside me, on top of the dresser table, the Spotify app on my phone started to play.

"So baby, now we've got bad blood!

You know it used to be fun.

So take a look what you've doneee!

So baby, now we've got bad blood, heyy!

Hey, I can't take it back, look where I'm at.

We was OD like DOC, remember–"

My sing along stopped when my mother entered the room with a frown. "I don't know why you like that song so much." I quickly paused it, but before I could even respond, she glanced at the clock on top of my bed.

"Aren't you going to be late for work?"

"I don't even want to go," I mumbled in response, and her frown deepened. 

"What did you say?"

"No…nothing. I said I'll be down soon."

The expression didn't leave her face. "Okay, I'll be expecting you. Make sure you eat something before you go." Her eyes ran through my body in less than a second. "You look sick."

It's the black outfit.

"Alright. Thanks." She stepped out afterwards, and I shook my head. My mum had been coming into my room every morning to check on me since middle school, and for a split second, I wondered what would happen when I got married.

If I let her, she would stay with me and my husband to still be doing the same thing and it made me shudder. I loved my mom, but she could be overbearing at times. With that thought in mind, I quickly finished up and made the short trip downstairs. Fortunately, she wasn't in the living room or kitchen so I just packed a light lunch and headed out.

Immediately I opened the front door, the sudden waft of cold that flew past had me going back in for my red sweater. So much for going full black today. Catherine need not be annoyed again.

The walk to the hotel could be completed in ten minutes, but it took me more than twenty-five to get there. Partly because I had to stop over to get some crochet yarn, and partly because I was seriously counting my steps.

One thousand, two hundred and fifteen steps was how long it took, and I glanced at my wristwatch with a smile. That would do for the day. Hopefully, I'd be able to hitch a ride with a client or Catherine's boss who lived opposite me.

I stopped in front of the hotel building, and glanced at the sliding doors. One step further, and the motion detectors would make them pry open. Leading me to my newest nightmare. I took in a deep breath and nodded my head. "You can do this!"

I walked forward and that confidence immediately flew out the window. Lucien was standing on the opposite side of the door with an obvious smirk. "Did it work?"

"What?"

"The pep talk. Did it work for you?"

"How did you–"

He cocked a brow and shifted to the side. "Don't tell me you don't know that the doors are a one-way screen?"

I rolled my eyes at him and started to move away. "I do. Just forgot." I was determined to put as much distance between us as I could, but when I heard his footsteps behind me, it became obvious that wouldn't be possible.

"Of course," he chuckled dryly. "You're five minutes late, but the way."

That stopped me short. "No, I'm not. I got here at eight fifty-seven."

He shrugged and watched as I arranged my bag on the table and started to brew coffee. "Your pep talk took more than five minutes, dear."

I met his eyes in protest, but instead, a shiver passed through my skin. There was something about the way he leaned into my space that took me back to that night. Or maybe, it was the cologne he used. Without thinking, I leaned forward as well.

"What's the name?"

"Of what?"

"Your perfume? I like it." For a second, his gaze hardened and I couldn't help but smile. My question definitely had an effect, or maybe, it was my stance. Not indimidated. Flirting.

The confident look came back a second later. "Nothing special." He turned and started to walk away. "Do your research."

My grin widened. I definitely riled him up, and his expression gave me an idea. Instead of acting scared and running away, I could just harmlessly flirt and stand up to him. What was the worst that could happen?

A repeat of that night. My brain instantly warned, and quickly doubled back on my idea. When Lucien first came, it was obvious that he wanted a repeat and even if I would never show it, it made me feel happy. Wanted. Desired.

It had been a long time since I felt that way, but that was about it. Just one night of fun. I never intended to see the guy again, or even remember the incident.

"If I had known…," I trailed off, and shook my head as I looked around the reception. Most of the guests were absent as usual, and since Ateg wasn't here as well, that would only mean they were off touring. My eyes scanned the sliding doors. I wonder why Lucien didn't go with them.

With a shrug, I settled in and began to crochet a gown. It was almost Catherine's birthday and considering that she had been begging me to make an outfit for her, it was the perfect time to oblige. Her favourite colour was blue, so I went for that along with white yarns which would really go well for the style I had in mind.

Since I rarely had time outside of work and caring for my mom, there was no other option than to bring my second job to the hotel. Thankfully, my boss didn't frown at it so I happily put in my ear pods and continued the work.

I was in the middle of my fifteenth stitch when someone pressed the bell, and I glanced up to see one of the guests. She was darker than the rest, probably an African and one of the more quiet ones, mostly staying on her own by the pool side. 

In a way, she seemed like someone I could be cool with so I smiled and cocked my head. "Good day, ma. Can I do anything for you?"

She smiled back. "I'm Claire. No need for the extra respect. I just wanted to know when the group would be coming back."

"Oh." I nodded curtly and flipped through the brochure pages. Nothing was really set in stone, as tourists tended to be really adventurous and curious. However, this group seemed too posh to want to do anything of that sort.

"Should be around twelve thirty. That's around three hours from now."

"Alright," she responded, and swiftly disappeared through the lobby door. If I guessed correctly, she was going to change into a swimming outfit and come back. I watched her go, my features increasingly morphing into a frown.

I mulled the rapidly growing idea in my head over and over again. I couldn't be mistaken, the voice and intonation was the same, but she looked so quiet, calm and collected. Could she really be having an affair with a married man? While his wife stood in the next room?

Well, it wasn't really my busines to pry. Besides, there were a lot of things involved. Maybe it was a fling, maybe they had an open marriage, maybe the wife was totally clueless. In any case, being a tour guide meant I needed to keep shut about any matter that concerned the guests.

My thoughts were once again interrupted, this time by a certain tourist. "Lily, are you doing whatever that is during your work hours?" Lucien frowned as he pointed to my filled hands.

"Well, you weren't around so I had to make myself busy," I responded, and slowly dropped the yarn.

"It's a good thing I'm around then. What are we doing today?"

"Bowling." I answered without a second thought, and his face brightened.

"Really? Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" He hit my table once, and started to walk outside wi

th a small skip. Walking behind him, I tried hard not to laugh. Why did he seem particularly excited about this?