Simon Rhodes looked puzzled as he got up, walked over to her side, glanced out the window, and didn’t notice anything unusual. He then looked down and asked her, "What’s up?"
"Look!" She pointed out the window.
Following the direction of her finger, Simon glanced around and still didn’t find anything peculiar. "What am I looking at?"
Susan Wilde smiled coyly, and pronounced the hotel name, enunciating each word carefully: "Seaside Hotel!"
Simon didn’t immediately catch on and thought there might be a story about the hotel.
But when he looked into her expectant eyes, filled with shy restraint, he suddenly understood and softly said, "Let’s go."
Susan smiled, grabbed her clothes, and darted to the bathroom. "I’ll change!"
Simon just smiled indulgently, went to the bedside table, pulled open the drawer, and prepared her medication for the next morning in a little pouch, then slipped it into his own pocket.
He wondered if this incident had made her see the future differently, as she seemed much bolder and more proactive since waking up.
This was a good thing for him.
It felt like they were a step closer.
Still, he needed to come up with a way, even if he couldn’t entirely clear her name, to at least reduce the misunderstanding people had about her.
Because if he went public with their relationship, those not in the know would likely blame Susan for everything.
They would think she was a social climber, leaving her husband for his uncle.
He really believed she might be prepared to endure such accusations, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her shouldering it all.
He would rather take all the criticism himself. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NoveIＦire.net
Besides, she had done nothing wrong in the first place.
It was indeed he who had pursued her actively.
Susan came out, having changed her clothes. "Let’s go."
Simon set aside his thoughts, put his arm around her shoulders, and walked out of the hospital room.
Susan had cast aside many of her concerns and reservations; being happy with him was all that mattered now.
The hotel was right across the street from the hospital.
Inside the hotel lobby, Simon reached out for her ID card and handed it to the front desk along with his own. "One room, please."
The receptionist smiled politely and asked, "A room with a king bed?"
Simon was about to nod when he glanced back at Susan, as if seeking her opinion.
Susan, with some reservations, told the front desk, "We want two rooms."
The receptionist looked a bit surprised, and Simon seemed a little taken aback too.
He thought to himself, you invited me to stay at a hotel, but now you’re saying to get two rooms.
Susan glanced up at Simon, pondering for a few seconds before telling the front desk, "A twin room, please. We’ll take a twin room."
The receptionist nodded with a smile. "Alright, please hold on a moment."
Simon paid the bill, watching several red bills pass through, and Susan suddenly regretted proposing the hotel stay.
Before long, the front desk handed Simon the room keys and the IDs. "Elevator’s over there, ninth floor, take a right when you exit."
Simon took the room key and Susan politely thanked them before joining him in the elevator.
Standing together in the elevator, there was a moment of awkward silence. Susan glanced at Simon several times before cautiously saying, "...I didn’t mean anything by it, really, it’s just that I tend to move around a lot while sleeping, and I’m worried you might not get a good night’s rest."
Simon found her apologetic explanation a bit puzzling and turned back, smiling at her who stood slightly behind, "I’m not blaming you, rushing things might not be comfortable for you either, besides, you haven’t even been discharged from the hospital yet, I’m not that desperate."
His words were subtle, but to those who understood, they sounded quite bold.
Susan immediately blushed and lowered her head, silent.
She wasn’t just worried about whether he would do something to her; she had some mental preparation and acceptance for his advances, but feared being too forward might make him think she wasn’t being demure as a woman should be.
Stepping into the room, Susan stood by the door and surveyed her surroundings, feeling it was worth the red bills.
The room had a conventional hotel style but was spacious, tastefully decorated, and better furnished than most hotels.
She especially liked the wide scenic window, though it was a bit low, otherwise, the night view would’ve been splendid.
"Want a shower?" Simon asked her.
Susan glanced at the frosted glass sliding door of the bathroom and shook her head. "I took one at the hospital this afternoon."
Simon: "Then I’ll shower first, you can watch some TV."
Susan nodded obediently.
Simon took off his suit jacket, about to set it down, he asked, "Which bed would you like?"
Susan looked around and pointed to the one near the window.
Simon nodded and placed his suit on the side of that bed.
Feeling a little awkward, Susan picked up the TV remote and turned it on.
She used the sound of the TV to ease her current unease.
As she saw Simon head into the bathroom, the shadowy figure through the frosted glass was just barely discernible.
She watched as he took off his shirt, then slightly bent to undo his pants.
Even though nothing was clear, just a fuzzy silhouette, her mind conjured hundreds of erotic images, her face turning crimson, she hurriedly covered her flushed face with her cool hands.
Sitting on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, she tuned into a show she liked.
However, her attention kept drifting to the bathroom with the rushing water next door.
When the water stopped running, she quickly controlled her gaze, pretending to be engrossed in the TV.
A few moments passed, and the bathroom door opened, Simon stepped out.
He was wearing a bathrobe from the hotel, tied rather loosely.
She could vaguely see the perfect lines of his chest muscles, and couldn’t help but wonder how many abs he had.
"Hungry? Want some supper?" He walked over, towel-drying his hair as he asked.
Susan was silent for two seconds, trying to act lady-like and refrain from eating all day, but her stomach protested, prompting her to nod.
Simon chuckled, sat on the edge of the bed, and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Susan quickly reached for her phone. "Let me check what’s good on delivery."
Simon: "Okay, let me know once you order, I’ll cover it later."
Susan joked, "Can I expense all my future takeouts too?"
Simon nodded: "Sure, eating alone won’t make me go broke."
Susan: "Don’t be too sure about that."
Simon: "If you had someone else in your belly, maybe you could."
Susan shot him a look without responding, shifting to a more comfortable position while seriously browsing the delivery options.