Chapter 16: Chapter 16

MELODY

I smiled and gave a lingering kiss on the lips.

“Never. I could never regret that night, because I met you,” I told him and laid my head on his chest.

“Do you regret it?” I asked quietly.

He laughed and shook his head. “How can I regret that night, the night I met the love of my life?” He kissed my forehead.

“I know you don’t feel the same for me, and I’ll wait till you love me, but for now my love is enough for both of us.”

I was so overwhelmed with love that my throat burned and my chest ached.

I wanted to say I loved him too, but I couldn’t before I knew whether Lisa had feelings for him or not.

“I love you, Sara,” he repeated once again.

I giggled.

“What?” he asked, confused.

“Melody. My name is Melody,” I told him.

“Why did you give me a fake name? For a whole year, I was trying to find a girl who never existed,” he said, caressing my hair.

“You looked for me?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Of course I looked for you. I hired a PI to look for you, but I knew nothing about you except for the fake name.”

I laughed. “I don’t know why I told you my name was Sara Hudson, because it’s the name I wanted to use as my pen name for my book. I wasn’t interested in more than a drink with you.

“Like I told you before, I don’t do one-night stands. I was tired of saying I wasn’t interested whenever someone approached me and offered me a drink, because I knew what they were expecting from me.

“I said, ‘Fuck it. What’s the harm in one drink with a stranger?’ then after few minutes, you came, so I accepted your offer, just for a drink only.

“But after the kiss you gave me near the washroom, call me drunk, but I wanted all the things you said you wanted to do to me,” I told him shyly.

He laughed a hearty, deep laugh that hummed right through my body.

“And here I thought it was my charm. You accepted a drink from me. My pal told me you were hard to break. You didn’t even look toward them.”

I looked up, meeting his gaze. “So that’s all it was to you, only a challenge?” I arched my brows, challenging him.

“At first you were, but when I first saw you, believe me, the first thought that came to mind was that you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I remember you saying that to me. I thought it was the most cheesy line anyone had ever used on me to get into my pants.”

“Since you were sitting alone and drinking, I thought you were waiting for your boyfriend or your friends.

“After an hour, when you were still alone, my friends were talking about you, saying how hot and sexy you were, how they wanted to get in your pants.

“I wanted to kick their ass for talking about you like that, even before I knew you, but thank God you declined their offer.”

“What if I had spent the night with one of your friends?” I smirked.

He frowned. “I don’t want to think about that.” I laughed.

“But seriously, do you have a habit of picking up women from the club?” Even though I asked as if I was curious, I wanted to know out of more than curiosity.

“Nah, you were the first and last,” he said with a shrug.

“You don’t need to lie; you know that.” I glared at him.

“I’m not lying. I have a few female friends with benefits when I want a release. I call them anytime. I never picked up any single women, believe me,” he said, looking away.

Everything felt normal for a while, like we were a real couple, like we were in our own world.

Now, the question swirling in my mind would ruin our moment if I asked it, but I wanted to ask anyway, even if it broke my heart. I wanted to know where I stood.

“Is my sister on the list of friends with benefits?” I asked hesitantly. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to look at him. I didn’t know what I would see.

After a minute of silence, he whispered, “Yes.”

“When was the last time you slept with her?” I asked through my tears.

“Baby,” he groaned like he was in pain. I knew I was never going to like it. Call me stubborn, but I wanted to know. I wanted to know the truth even if it hurt me.

“When?” I repeated again, my voice heavier this time.

“Baby, please,” he begged me to stop.

I pushed him away and climbed out of bed.

“I asked when was the last time you slept with my sister, Xavier.” I glared at him and placed my hands on my hips.

“Last night, but—”

I didn’t wait for him to complete his answer. Instead, I opened the door and walked out for fresh air. I started walking away from him.

His footsteps followed me. “Sara, just listen to me, please.”

“Go away, Xavier. I don’t want to see you. Just please go away,” I begged and took the elevator to the rooftop.

Before the elevator closed completely, he ran in, and now I was stuck with him. I looked away from him.

“Please listen to me. Please, I beg you. Just give me one chance.” He tilted up my face to meet his gaze. He could see the pain in my eyes.

“I didn’t know she was your sister. I’m sorry. Please believe me.” He paused and turned me fully toward him. “Do you trust me?” he asked.

“I want to.”

He nodded. “Just give me three days, please. Let me prove to you I only love you. If you want, I can go tell Lisa now that I love you, not her.”

I shook my head. He’d asked me to spend three days with him and Lisa in his beach house. He’d asked my parents, and they’d said yes to him. My brothers were going as well.

We stayed on the roof for half an hour, then I went back to my room. After hours of tossing and turning, I couldn’t sleep.

With a sigh, I rolled out of my bed and headed to the only person I wanted to stay with.

I knocked on his door and waited for him.