Reaching the suite room, Amon and Juliane looked around at every corner. The Seashell Deluxe Inn sure had a refreshing theme, with seashells as its main decorative elements. But the cute interior design went unnoticed, since the young master and his assistant had their minds busy thinking of how they were going to survive the day in one space. What the heck happened to Joerdan Merritt's reservation of three separate rooms?
"Ms. Johara, you take the bed-"
"Mister, you sleep on the bed-"
With their voices overlapping, the two suddenly fell silent, waiting for one of them to continue speaking.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the startled Juliane yelled, covering her ears in shock.
"You… Are you seriously afraid?" Amon asked. He thought she was just momentarily caught off guard back in the lobby because the sound of the thunder was too loud.
Juliane then opened her eyes, then glaring at Amon, she said in a pissed off tone, "What if I am, mister?"
"Don't be mad, I was just asking." He walked towards the window, taking a peek at the view outside. The thick, gray clouds hovered over the whole sky. "Looks like this rain won't be gone for a long while… You should try to sleep. Perhaps once you wake up, the rain will be gone."
The potato lady sighed. "Then I'll be sleeping on the sofa-"
"Take the bed. Don't make me repeat myself, Ms. Johara."
Sensing the coldness in Amon's tone, Juliane nodded at him, then jumped on the king-sized bed. The bed was too wide, so she pulled the blanket and hid herself, curling up like an armadillo.
Seeing that the talkative lady finally heeded his request, the young master lay on the sofa… Well, it was not as soft as he expected it to be, but he wouldn't dare lie down beside Juliane. Being the gentleman he was, he didn't want to be called a wolf!
*GROWL*
Hearing the sound coming from Juliane, Amon immediately stood up and approached her. "Ms. Johara… how about a snack?"
That was embarrassing; Juliane's hunger didn't even give them a break! She threw off the thin sheet, "But the clams might be too much for an empty stomach…"
"I'll order some warm soup for now. We can eat the clams later for dinner."
Thirty minutes later, Juliane and Amon sat in front of each other. It was fortunate that the lightning had stopped and the thunder had subsided, allowing Juliane to relax as she sipped her mushroom soup.
"Thank you, mister…" she uttered, sneaking glances at Amon, whom she caught staring at her. "Uhm… Is there something on my face?"
Amon, who realized he spent too much time gazing at her, asked, "Why do you ask?"
"You were staring at me, so-"
"Why would I stare at you, Ms. Johara? I was just… spacing out,." He scooped a spoonful of the creamy soup. "If you won't eat your food quietly, I will add this expensive soup to your list of debts."
"Um, I guess I'll shut up and eat, then!"
Seeing her in a slight panic, Amon's lips curved into a subtle smile. Juliane was so animated that he couldn't imagine his daily life without her presence. Though he didn't want to admit it, Juliane was like a sweet candy he wanted to enjoy as a reward after a long, tiring day.
Amon's smile faded when he realized they only had two weeks together. Yes, he had to marry Juliane off to a wealthy gentleman as per his deal with Holly Johara, and quickly.
But could he really do that? Could he truly let her go when the time came?
Conflicted, the young master stood up.
"You done already, mister?" Juliane asked, noticing he had barely touched his bowl of mushroom soup.
Amon didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed a stack of papers from his suitcase and sank into the sofa. He willed his mind to focus on the documents, to push thoughts of Juliane away.
Juliane Johara was only part of a business deal and his assistant, nothing more. Just like almost every woman in his life, she would be temporary. For Amon, Juliane would surely end up like his mother—someone who left and never returned. There was no point in forming any bond with her.
While Amon pretended to read the documents, Juliane glanced at him repeatedly. He looked troubled. Was it because of the bad weather? Or was the soup not to his liking?
Why was she so concerned about him, even though he always brushed her off? Maybe it was because she knew so few fine gentlemen? Ugh. She shouldn't let the young master occupy her thoughts!
—
Hours passed. By nighttime, even after finishing the clams, they were still bickering over trivial matters–completely unaware that the rain had stopped.
By 9:00 PM, two bottles of wine were delivered to their room as a complimentary gift from the inn staff.
Amon uncorked a bottle with the corkscrew and poured the wine into his glass. He then handed the bottle to Juliane. "Do you drink?"
"Yes, sir. I once joined a drinking competition at the marketplace," Juliane said proudly, pouring herself a glass. "I don't mean to brag, but I won first place in the ladies' category."
"Who in their right mind would join that competition?" Amon shrugged, unimpressed. "So, what did you drink?"
"Beer," Juliane giggled at the memory. "I drank so many mugs that I lost count." She recalled holding tightly onto her prize, a bag of copper coins. "When I collected my prize, I was actually drunk, but I pretended I wasn't. My god, I threw up at home, and my mother was furious."
"If I were your mother, I'd have kicked you out of the house. For good."
Juliane chuckled. "I'm glad you aren't my mother. You're grumpier than she is… no, wait. I think she's grumpier than you."
"I don't think Mrs. Johara is grumpy," Amon sipped his wine thoughtfully. "She even cared about you and your sister's future."
Juliane paused, staring at her wine glass. "Or she wanted to get rid of me. I'm a nuisance, after all," she mumbled, her voice tinged with sadness.
She couldn't understand why Amon believed her mother cared. For years, all she had heard from her were complaints about selling the farm and insults about her husband. Juliane had never seen Holly Johara in a positive light.
Lost in her thoughts, she drained her glass of wine and refilled it immediately. With a forlorn smile, she muttered, "I feel like drinking a lot tonight."