"Selena," he shouted.
This time, his voice was loud. He hated being ignored.
Selena was shocked. He had never spoken to her in such a tone before.
"Why are you so distant now?" he asked. "Is it because of what I said?"
"Huh?" he asked.
She nodded.
Lucian raised her chin so she could look at him.
"Answer me properly," he said.
"I told you I'm not ready, and you didn't say anything about it. It's just..."
Before she could finish, a call interrupted them.
Selena's phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw that it was an unknown number.
Lucian noticed it too.
Selena picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Selena."
It was a man's voice.
Lucian's expression immediately changed.
"Who is this?" Selena asked. She didn't recognize the voice at first.
"It's me, Mike."
Selena froze when she realized Lucian was listening.
"Oh, Mike. Um, it's late already. Why don't we talk tomorrow?" she quickly said.
"Okay. Sorry for disturbing you. I'll call you tomorrow."
The call ended.
"Who was that?" Lucian asked.
Selena didn't know how to explain.
"Um... the ex I told you about."
Lucian frowned deeply.
"Wait a minute. He still has your contact?"
"No, no. I just met him. We kind of... went for dinner. He said he wanted to explain what happened that year, and I just gave him my number. Nothing's going on," she quickly explained.
What's wrong with this guy today? she thought to herself.
"So, what did you say when he told you?" Lucian asked.
"Nothing," she replied.
Lucian simply looked at her.
"Can I go to sleep now?" she asked.
He didn't answer. They were already on the bed when he gently pushed her down onto the bed.
Selena didn't say anything. She was too tired.
The next morning, Selena woke up and noticed that Lucian was in the bathroom.
She slowly sat up, then remembered what had happened the night before.
Her face instantly turned red.
But why had he been so angry? she couldn't help wondering.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Wait a minute... I almost let him..."
"Ah!"
She quickly grabbed the pillow and covered her face.
Just then, Lucian walked out of the bathroom with a towel in his hand, wiping his hair.
He saw her hiding behind the pillow.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
Selena turned and saw him. She became even more embarrassed.
"Nothing," she quickly replied.
Lucian looked at her for a moment before saying, "Okay. We'll be leaving by nine, so go get ready."
Selena nodded and went into the bathroom to take her bath.
By ten, they were already on their way to the airport.
Shortly afterward, they boarded the plane and began their journey back home.
Selena slept throughout most of the flight.
Lucian occasionally glanced at her sleeping face.
"Why did I lose control last night?" he wondered.
When they finally arrived, Selena was still asleep.
Lucian looked at her for a moment before carefully carrying her inside.
She didn't wake up.
He took her to his bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. He pulled the blanket over her and made sure she was comfortable.
For a moment, he stood beside the bed, looking at her.
She had been sleeping for most of the journey.
Lucian quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.
He had barely stepped into the hallway when his phone began to ring.
He looked at the screen.
"Mom."
He answered the call.
"Hello, Mom."
"Lucian, what is going on?"
Lucian frowned. "What happened?"
"Have you seen the video that's all over the internet?"
"What video?"
"The one where you were talking about getting a wife! Do you know what people are saying?"
Lucian sighed.
"Mom, it's not what you think."
"Then what am I supposed to think? Everyone is talking about you having a wife or getting married soon!"
"I'll handle it."
His mother became quiet for a moment.
"And what about Selena?"
Lucian didn't answer.
"Are you just going to give up on her like that?"
"It's not like that, Mom."
"Then what is it like?"
Lucian rubbed his forehead.
"I'll explain everything later."
"And who is this girl they're talking about?"
"Mom please can you just calm down"
"Fine. But I want to meet the girl."
Lucian looked toward the bedroom door.
"Mom—"
"No excuses. Bring her home."
Lucian paused.
"Fine " he said before ending the call.
He couldn't help wondering what his mother would say when she finally met Selena.
--
After sleeping for a while, Selena finally woke up.
She rubbed her eyes and looked around.
The room was unfamiliar.
She slowly sat up and glanced around again.
"Where am I?"
Then she remembered the flight.
They were already back home.
Her eyes moved around the room until she noticed Lucian sitting quietly on the couch.
Lucian noticed that she had woken up and immediately stood.
"You finally woke up."
Selena looked at him, still a little confused.
Lucian walked toward her.
"You've been sleeping for hours. I was starting to worry."
"I'm fine," she assured him.
He let out a small sigh of relief.
"Where are we?" she asked, looking around curiously.
"Um... this is my house."
Selena's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh."
Lucian looked at her for a moment.
"Selena."
"Huh?"
"I want you to come and see my mom and the rest of the family. They've been calling me ever since they saw the video of what I said last night. They want to meet you."
His voice was surprisingly soft.
Why is he being so gentle now? she thought.
"All right," she replied. "But I'll be going to my dad's place today because I promised to go and see them."
Lucian smiled.
"Sure."
He looked at her.
"What do you want?"
"Water," she replied. She had been thirsty since she woke up.
"Okay."
Lucian stepped out of the room to get it.
Selena picked up her phone and decided to call Mia to let her know she was back.
After a few rings, Mia finally answered.
Her voice was low and sleepy.
"Selena, why are you disturbing me?"
"Mia, I'm back."
Mia quickly snapped out of her sleep.
"You're joking with me, right?"
"No," Selena said. "I forgot to tell you last night. But I'm going to greet my mom and dad today, so I won't be able to come back early."
"Why don't you come home first before going?" Mia asked in a childish tone.
Selena was about to tell her that she was currently at Lucian's house when she heard the door open.
Lucian walked back into the room with a glass of water.
"Um, Mia, I'll explain everything to you later, okay?"
"Wait, what—"
Selena quickly ended the call.
On the other side, Mia stared at her phone in confusion.
"What is wrong with her?"
She threw the phone onto the bed before quickly getting up and heading to the bathroom.