CHAPTER 22 - TEA OR COFFEE?

"You may use this."

Eugene had been standing nervously in front of the countertop when I tossed him a fresh towel. He resembled something like a wet puppy because of all the water that was dripping from his hair and clothing. He kept staring at the rug underneath him, where the shade had gotten a little darker as a result of the wetness accumulating around him. He clumsily caught the towel, murmuring a thank you, and sloppily dabbed it on his matted, dark brown hair. He loomed over the furnishings and was a reasonably tall man, standing at around 6 feet, 3 inches. His head nearly reached the top shelf of the kitchen cabinets. The sight of him in my private room, looking so confused, felt strange to me, but in a good sort of way.

Back in the pool, Eugene, fortunately, knew how to swim and pushed himself out of the water. He was too cold to walk back to his residence, which he shared with three others, and since my cottage was closer, I welcomed him inside. I expected him to refuse my invitation; however, he merely nodded and followed me wordlessly.

I haven't apologized to him yet as two reasons prevented me: one, because of my ego, and two, because he was shivering from head to toe and I was able to hear his teeth clattering while we were walking, urging me to take him somewhere warm soon. I switched on the thermostat and handed him one of my oversized hoodies and sweatpants.

"The washroom is on that side. Or you can just use that room."

I said, indicating Lor's bedroom. I haven't yet placed her belongings in there, so it remained empty.

Eugene nodded, eyeing the closed door, and moved silently, save for the squishy sound that his pants made as he meandered. I stayed there, staring at his back for a while, then took out some wipes from the cabinet to clean the carpet, though I knew I would eventually have to call for the housekeeping service.

I nervously loitered in the foyer, performing random jobs, now and then hearing faint thumps or the noise of running water. I refused to have my mind wander to the image of him taking a bath, naked, in my house, with me outside, his tattoo splayed by rivulets of water, the liquid cascading down his torso and abdomen, him lathering MY soap in his hand and massaging it all over his tanned skin. STOP!

I took a deep breath and smacked my head with the palm of my hand. It was hard to stay away from visualizing him stripped naked, and a twisted part of me even considered sneaking into the room under the guise of giving him a shampoo or something. I put forth every effort to refocus on anything other than the sexy man in my bathroom after finally resolving to recall the previous hour. How did Eugene materialize out of nowhere when I hadn't seen him all day? And his embrace still sent goosebumps throughout my entire body. The more I struggled to distance myself from him, the closer he drew. I really don't understand him. How can a guy embrace another girl so passionately, even though he already likes another one? He doesn't even look like he was feeling guilty about holding me tight to his chest. Can this imply that he is a player? Or else was Juan not really his girlfriend?

I was so absorbed in my musings that I didn't notice he had entered the room in my clothes until he cleared his throat, and I immediately looked up to meet him. My sweatpants were only just brushing his ankles, yet the hoodie looked to be the ideal size for him. Then again, I bought it from the men's section.

"Looks good."

I commented, not exactly knowing how to handle the situation. Usually it was guys who gave their clothes to the women, but with us, it was different. And I wasn't going to whine about it, especially after seeing him in my clothes. It felt like I owned him, as if he were inside me. Okay, that came out wrong.

"The hoodie fits well."

Eugene responded faintly, his voice still quivering.

"Please take a seat."

I said, before heading to the open kitchen and flicking on the kettle.

"Would you like tea or coffee?"

I enquired while rummaging the drawers for tea, if at all he asks for that. I was a coffee person, but Lorraine was a tea lover; therefore, there ought to be some tea stocked.

"Sorry."

I maintained my search for the tea sachets, my sluggish brain deciphering the word only after a few seconds. He didn't ask for tea, idiot; instead, he apologised? I whirled around, expecting to see him sitting on the couch, but was startled to find Eugene a few steps away, leaning against the kitchen worktop. His eyes were transfixed on the kettle seething next to me, and he appeared distraught.

"Huh?"

I wondered out loud, still mystified. Maybe he regrets the hug. He must be feeling terrible for Juan.

"I am sorry for yesterday."

Ergo, his apology is unrelated to our recent intimate session. But, shouldn't I be the one who is apologising for the other day?

As he continued, he left no room for interruption.

"I crossed the line last night. I didn't really mean to do it. I was kind of worried for you and ended up saying some ridiculous things. I never regarded you as antisocial or anything of the sort. That had never been my intention. Even so, I am really, really, really sorry for hurting you."

His gaze met mine, which allowed me to see that he meant everything he said. Eugene wasn't bluffing, nor was he dramatizing. He expressed precisely what he thought, and his features portrayed his emotions like a mirror.

"I am sorry too. I was just overthinking."

We locked eyes on one another, our feelings seizing control. I wanted to reduce the distance between us, smooth his moist hair and brush a few strands off his forehead, stroke his flushed cheeks, and pull him close, but Juan's image sprang out of thin air in my mind, and reality struck me like a bitch. I was thankful when the kettle chimed, providing me with a reason for discontinuing eye contact. I swung back and pulled out a mug, added some coffee powder, and poured the hot liquid into it. I am sticking with coffee since he didn't specify tea.

"I sincerely apologize for ruining your time with your friends and Juan. She's a nice girl."

My tongue felt stiff as I muttered those words. I didn't take the risk of looking at him as I grabbed the sugar packet and slipped two cubes into the cup of coffee. I slightly winced as a drop of scorching caffeine splashed on my hand. The pain felt good. The ache was soothing my mental dilemma.

"No. They were thrilled to meet you. Juan even called me this morning to inform me she would visit the location once her fiance returns."

What in the world?! I wheeled around in slow motion and stared at the man in incredulity.

"Is Juan dating?"

Eugene was caught off guard by my unexpectedly high-pitched voice and nodded his head in uncertainty.

"Yeah. She started dating my friend after we ended things, and who thought they'd eventually choose to get married? I personally knew both of them, and they were constantly at odds with each other. It turns out that she has always had a thing for him."

I was ready to smack myself or even dash outside and plunge into the pool, as I felt like such a complete idiot. All that melodrama, and it was for nothing?!

"Are you alright?"

Eugene asked as he took two steps towards me.

"Yeah."

I said it without looking into his eyes and then went straight back to retrieve the coffee mug. I simply jumped to conclusions that now prove to be untrue and have made matters worse for both of us. I am a bitch. I handed him the mug, and Eugene thanked me as he took it from me. I wasn't still looking at him, afraid that the guilt and shame would show. I really deserve a hit or two.

"Are we good?"

I took a seat on the couch and watched him as he stood next to the white marble countertop, a combination of trepidation and uncertainty etched on his features. What have I done?

I smiled at him, gulping down the frustrated groan, and took the TV remote from the coffee table.

"Wanna watch Friends?"

......

I can't remember when I drifted off to sleep, but when I did wake up, I was already on my bed, wrapped in blankets. I recall laughing with Eugene and chatting about our favorite television characters. I might well have fallen asleep without even realizing it because I had a poor night's sleep the night before and I exerted my body so much today.

I emerged from my covers as my face started to heat up after realizing that he had put me to bed the previous night and had even been in my room. If I weren't so tanned, I would have turned crimson.

I strolled down the hall and spotted Eugene's coffee mug, which had been rinsed and set facing down next to the sink. Everything else appeared normal, and there wasn't a single trace of him having spent the night here. He might have returned home after I had gone to sleep. There was an unusually distinct smell in the air, though, and I sniffed it like a starving hound. It was his scent—the only other proof that Eugene was here along with the cup.

As I prepped for the day's activities, I pledged myself that I would never, ever leap to assumptions. And I will absolutely make amends to him.

........