Wingless And Beautiful episode 9

🕊WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL🕊
🍁EPISODE NINE🍁

Friday night, Denise insisted that I sleep over. She said
we’d been best friends for more than a year but I had never
even met her family. I didn’t want to go but she was
begging, almost crying even. She even spoke to Meredith
about it. And since I didn’t want Meredith to further inquire
what the big deal was, why I could not sleep over Denise’s
house, I decided to be brave about it. After all, Denise and
Hunter weren’t really close. And she had a big house. If I
stayed in Denise’s bedroom, I should be okay.

When Chaise picked me up that night, he asked me
about it.
“So you’re going to spend the night under one roof with
Mr. Short Temper?”
“Huh?” I stared at him blankly.
“Hunter Vaughn. He lives with Denise, right?”
“Oh,” was all I could say. I didn’t want to talk about
Hunter, I didn’t even want to remember him. Because if I
did… I would only remember the last time he looked at me…
with contempt and disgust. I wanted to preserve Hunter’s
memory in my mind. The one that was gentle, sweet…
wonderful.
“If he so much as insults you, you would tell me, right?”
No.
But I nodded slightly.
“Mr. Smarty p-nts thought he was above everybody
else,” he murmured as he started driving. We drove all the
way in silence.

Chaise took me to Denise’s place. “I’ll pick you up
tomorrow.” He stared at me for a moment and then he looked down at my pendant again. He frowned slightly.
“He’s still in, huh.”
I bit my lip but did not respond. Right now… if the
choice was up to me, I’d get Hunter out of my heart and try
to move on. But sometimes, you can’t make decisions in
love. Your heart makes all those stupid decisions for you.
And I still loved Hunter no matter if he didn’t love me
anymore… no matter if he didn’t want anything to do with
me anymore.
I stared up at Chaise. “I need to go.”
He nodded slightly, and I went down from the car. I
walked towards Denise’s front door. Before I reached the
front steps, I stared up and saw Hunter. He was standing in
the balcony two floors above me. He was wearing nothing
but a pair of jeans, his abs were exposed to my view. He
was holding a bottle of what looked like beer in one hand.
He was looking down, watching me. His brow was raised,
and I thought he didn’t look too pleased. But I was used to
that by now. It was his constant reaction to me since he
came back.

Hunter Vaughn was slowly entering my “Ignore List”. I
wished I could also ignore this throbbing pain in,side my
chest every time I saw him, or even thought about him.
I took a deep breath and rang the bell. I looked back and
saw that Chaise had not yet gone away. He was waiting for
me to go in,side the house. Of course, like a true guardian
angel, he was waiting for me to be safely in,side.
Denise’s house was massive. The living room alone was
twice the size of my entire house. The ceilings were high
and they were adorned with beautiful crystal chandeliers.
“We already had dinner,” she said. “But I had something
prepared for you.”
She led me to the dining room. I saw a beautiful blonde
woman standing there, giving instructions to the maid.
“Mom! Alice is here,” she said to the woman.

Mrs. Wesley smiled at me. “Hello, dear. I have heard so
much about you. It’s good to finally meet you.” Denise’s
mother extended her hand to me. I shook it shyly. “Your
dinner is ready. I’m sorry, we already ate without you.”
“It’s okay. It’s quite late, I know. But my shift does not
finish until ten,” I said.
“Yes, Denise mentioned you work for Alibri.”
I nodded.

“I know Agnes Bailey. Nice woman. The shop is doing
well, I suppose.”
I nodded again. “It is, Ma’am.”
“Call me Susan,” she said.
“Okay… Susan.”
Susan smiled at me and I could see that the warmth on
her smile was genuine. Then she turned to Denise, “Join
Alice while she eats.”
We approached a ten-seater porcelain table with
luxurious green and cream cushioned chairs. The table was
set for two.
“I’m not going to eat dinner again, Mom,” Denise said.
“But I will have some dess**t.”
“I know. The other plate was for Hunter. He didn’t eat
yet.”

My heart pounded in my chest at the mere mention of
his name. My knees already felt weak and I was sure that
my cheeks were turning pinkish. I was quite certain that I
wouldn’t be able to eat dinner properly if Hunter was sitting
a few feet away from me.
“Can we eat first and you call him later?” Denise asked,
rolling her eyes.
“Denise…” her mother sighed. “You know… Hunter’s
having a difficult time coping up with everything. He
constantly needs warm company, right Alice?”
Susan looked at me, expecting me to agree with her.
“I… I guess.” I tried to smile.
“Have dinner now. I will call Hunter,” Susan said, not
giving any of us time to argue.
Denise gro-ned when her mother was gone. She pulled
me to sit on one of the chairs. “Come, eat quickly so we can
go to my room!”

I couldn’t agree with her more. I was hungry too and I
knew that the minute Hunter came to the dining room, I
wouldn’t even be able to chew my food.
There was salmon carbonara and garden salad. I started
eating while Denise talked about a trip to their lake house
that she was planning soon.
I only half-listened to her, I was concentrating on
chewing fast without losing my table etiquette or choking on
my food.
I was already finished but Hunter made no appearance. I
thought he also did not have the appetite to eat with me in
the dinner table. And I didn’t know whether I should be
relieved or even more heartbroken about that.

I was eating Susan’s famous carrot cake when Denise
stopped talking. I realized that Hunter went into the dining
room. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. He was
topless and barefoot. He went to the fridge to get something
and while he had his back on us, I took the opportunity to
look at his well-sculpted back. He was lean and his muscles
were very well-toned. They weren’t wrestle-mania-bulging
but damn! Hunter knew how to take care of his body.
Then I was looking at his torso. His muscles were even
more toned there. He had a perfect six-pack, a proof that he
spent several hours a week working out. I remembered that
Hunter was a black-belt in Karate. But I doubt he was able to
spend time sparring lately. That would be very bad for his
transplant. As I stared at his perfect muscles, I bit my lower
lip involuntarily to keep my mouth from gaping.

My eyes darted up towards his chest and shoulders.
They were broad and I remembered how it felt like to lean on them, rest my cheeks on them while his well-toned arms
were around me, keeping me safe… keeping me warm.
Finally, my eyes went up to his face. They locked with
his and I realized in horror that he was watching me stare at
his body. I felt the heat rise up from my neck to my face.
“Can you put something on?” Denise asked him in an
irritated tone.

Hunter raised his beer to his mouth and took a gulp, his
eyes never leaving me. He didn’t say anything, but before
he left, his l-ips curved into an arrogant smirk that I knew
was meant for me.
I was sure that I was turning crimson. I stared down at
my cake. That was embarrassing! He caught me staring at
him. Maybe he even thought I was gawking… or worse,
ogling!
Oh my word! Earth! Open up and swallow me quickly!
“I’m sorry. He could be a brute sometimes. He knows he
looks good,” Denise said, rolling her eyes again.
I didn’t say anything. Instead, I just continued eating the
cake.

That smirk!
I was embarrassed to be caught staring but at least, it
was the first time since he came back that he didn’t look at
me with disgust or contempt.
After I finished my cake, Denise led me up her room.
“Where is your dad?” I asked her.
“He’s on a business trip.”
We reached the second floor and walked down the
carpeted hall. There were at least five bedrooms on this
floor.
“How many bedrooms is your house?” I asked.

“Oh, seven,” she said. “There are two more guestrooms
upstairs and then the library and the game room. I would
like to take you there, but lately the game room has been
Hunter’s territory.”
“Why? What’s in there?”
“A snooker and pool table. Big LCD screens where you
can play video games. Hunter spends more than two hours
a day there… playing pool and… I think chess. No one in this
house could match him in a game of chess anyway so no
one bothers to play with him. I think he plays with the
computer or he joins online tournaments.”
Hunter Vaughn, chess master at age fifteen.
I remembered him saying that during our first date.
Even when he couldn’t see, Hunter was unbeatable. I
wonder how I would fare against him now that he didn’t
have to just imagine our chess pieces in his head.
Denise’s room was huge. She had a princess bed, a
couch that was big enough to be a day bed, a huge plasma
television screen and a huge walk-in closet. Her bathroom
was covered in light pink tiles and there was a huge Jacuzzi
in the center.

“Come on, let’s try out the Jacuzzi. You look tired. It will
help you unwind.”
As long as we’re staying within the confines of her room,
I wouldn’t argue with her. I dressed in a pair of two-piece
suit and then I joined her in the Jacuzzi.
“So… what’s up with you and Chaise?”
I stared at her blankly. Then I shook my head.
“Come on, Alice. Chaise is absolutely crazy about you.
At first, I was skeptical because it seemed abrupt that he
wanted to be your friend. But over the last few weeks… he
seemed genuinely into you.”
“I feel bad about it though. I can’t… return his feelings.”
“Because of him?” she asked, pointing at my chest.

My hand went to my necklace again. I still hadn’t
stopped wearing Hunter’s necklace. I couldn’t. I felt like
removing it and never wearing it again would mean saying
goodbye to the old Hunter… the blind Hunter who fell in
love with me… the wonderful Hunter that I fell in love with.
I gave Denise a slight nod.
“Where did you meet him?” she asked. “What’s his
name?”

I couldn’t answer that. I couldn’t tell Denise that the
person she was asking about was just in a room above us.
Hunter couldn’t even remember me… or refused to
recognize me. How could I tell his cousin that he was the
one I was waiting to come back to me all this time?
“Let’s just call him H,” I replied. “He went away.” I had
to keep my responses to the minimal. I couldn’t keep lying
to Denise. I wasn’t a good liar to begin with.
“Does Chaise know there was someone else?”
I nodded. “I told him why I couldn’t bring myself to fall
for him. I don’t want to hurt him. But I am. And the least
that I could do is be honest with him. I owe Chaise a lot.
When I first started working for Alibri… I was ignoring him,
being rude to him even. But he didn’t stop showing me that
he cared.

“He even followed me home at nights. I got so scared, I
thought somebody was stalking me. And then one night
some potheads thought to have fun with me, I couldn’t be
more thankful to Chaise for saving me.” I sighed. “Chaise is
my guardian angel, my protector… my dear friend. But even
though I wanted to try being more than that, I just… can’t.
Maybe it isn’t time yet.”
“But don’t fall for him just because he’s your guardian
angel and that you owe him a lot, okay?” Denise said. “You
deserve to be swept off your feet and fall head over heels in
love without a sense of reason or logic. That’s what love
should be all about.”
I stared at her for a moment and I thought she looked
dreamy. Suddenly, I realized that since I met her, I haven’t
seen or heard her date anybody from school. There were
many guys interested in her, but she just shot them down.
But now… she looked like she was over the moon.

“Denise…” I started. “Are you in love?”
She snapped back from her dreamlike state and stared
at me. A blush crept over her face so fast she didn’t have
time to hide it.
“Oh my God!” I breathed. “Who is it? I didn’t even know
you were dating anybody.”
“It’s umm…” she hesitated. “You know Arthur Buckley?”
I scanned my brain for the reason why that name was so
familiar. And then it hit me. Arthur Buckley was the new art
professor.

“Denise, he’s… what? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-four. He’s smart, he graduated early.”
“But… it’s illegal for a student to date a professor!” I
hissed at her. I wasn’t pleased at all. And I knew her
parents… even Hunter… would berate her for this.
“I think I’m in love, Alice,” she said.
“But you’re eighteen and he’s too old for you!” I argued.
“Age does not matter.”
“Is that why you’re always M-I-A particularly during
lunch breaks?”
She sighed and then nodded.
“Oh my God, Denise!” I gro-ned. “This is bad!”
“Alice! I haven’t told anyone. And I thought you would
be on my side.”
“I am,” I said to her calmly. “But… your parents are
going to kill you.”
“They would,” she said with absolute certainty.
“Does Hunter know?”
She shook her head. “And I don’t give a dang what he
says or thinks.”
“But your parents?”
“I know they will be disappointed. But this is the first
time I felt like this.”
“Denise… are you sure he’s not taking advantage of
you?”
“He said he loves me.”

“A guy can say anything you will believe just so he can
get into your p-nts!”
She stared back at me for a moment. Then she said,
“Sure, was that what H did to get into yours before he left
you?” Obviously, she was pissed.
I fell silent after that. I knew Denise was upset. She
knew what she was doing wasn’t right and she desperately
wanted me to be a friend… to be on her side. And I was
being a friend. But I couldn’t help feeling scared for her.
Sure, Arthur Buckley was cute but he should know
better than sed-ce a high school kid who was young enough
to be his baby sister. He was a teacher. He should know
better.
I took a deep breath. “Denise… I just want you to think
this through.”
“I did. And I believe him.”
“You love him?”
She nodded. “So, can’t you just be happy for me?”
I wanted to be. But I couldn’t. Denise was gorgeous
enough to have any boy she wanted. Any boy—her age!
Why did she settle for somebody who should have been old
enough to know better and might not have the best
intentions for her?
“Did you sleep with him yet?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “We could only see each other
in the campus. We made out a lot. But we were both afraid
that if somebody caught us, he would lose his job.”
“And he could go to jail if your parents could have it
their way.”
I was glad that at least she was sensible enough not to
go farther than she should.
“You’re not happy for me, are you?”
I sighed. “I’m worried about you.”
“I can handle it, Alice. I’m old enough to make my own
decisions and judge what’s right and wrong!” She said that
with so much emotion that I felt like she was practicing the lines she was going to say to her parents when she finally
came clean to them.

“Just be… careful,” I said to her in a quiet voice.
She nodded.
We were silent for the next ten minutes. I felt bad about
not supporting her with her decision. Denise had always
looked out for me. It was supposed to be my time to be
there for her. But I couldn’t help worrying. I had a bad
feeling about Arthur Buckley. Denise was rich and sheltered.
She wasn’t exposed to the real world like I was. She may not
be able to identify danger even if she was looking at it face
to face.
Finally, she stood up. “I’ll go ahead,” she said quietly.
“I’ll take a shower on the other bathroom. You can take this
one.”
I went out of the Jacuzzi after her. “No. I’ll take the other
bathroom, if you just tell me where it is.”
She didn’t argue. Apparently, she was not too pleased
with me, too.

“Third door at the end of the hall.”
I towel-dried myself and wore the bathrobe that she
gave me. Then I took my bag with me and went out of her
room quietly.
The hall was dark. The lights were all off. I didn’t know
where the switch was. I felt my way towards the end of the
hall, keeping my hands on the wall to make sure I didn’t trip
on something. I was not sure I would be able to afford to pay
for whatever I broke.
They were rich. Couldn’t they afford to t-rn on a light or
two? Was saving up a couple of dollars on electricity worth
risking their necks for?
The walls were covered with wallpaper. I felt a curve and
then smooth wood after. I thought I reached the first door. I
felt the cold steel knob against my fingertips.

Good! Two doors to go!
I took each step carefully. I was desperately hoping my
hands would feel the light switch soon.
All of a sudden, I bumped into something hærd in front of
me. It was solid and still, as if it was just waiting for me to
collide into it. I pressed my hands in front of me and I felt
smooth, solid skin under my palms.
My heart pounded in,side my ribcage and I thought I
forgot how to breathe. Even without looking, I knew what…
or rather, who I bumped into.
I stood still, unable to move, afraid to make a sound. I
felt him move in front of me. He didn’t take a step back
though. Instead, I felt his hand entrap mine against his bare
chest, holding me in place. Then, I felt his fingers graze my
cheek, almost touching my scars. Then his hand touched my
nape lightly. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

His touch was electric and my knees were slowly turning
to jelly, I was almost sure I wouldn’t be able to support my
own weight any minute.
In the dark… maybe Hunter would remember what it
was like between us. Maybe when he couldn’t see my face,
his touch would remember who I once was in his life.
I feel his breath against my cheek. It smelled fresh and
minty. I could almost feel his l-ips against my skin.
I felt him tug at the chain of my necklace. Gently, he
pulled it out from in,side my robe. His fingers followed the
chain down towards the pendant. If he could touch it, I was
sure he would know… that I was still wearing his necklace.
The inscription was in Braille. He would know that he was
still in my heart. That he was still the one.
But before I could be sure that he touched the pendant,
I heard a door open behind us and a little light went through
the dark corridor.

“Alice?” I heard Denise call behind me.
A second later, light flooded through the hall as Denise
switched on the lights. I stared up at Hunter’s handsome
face. He was looking down at me, his expression was fathomless. He had taken a step back, his hands were on his
sides, no longer touching me.
“I told you to let me know the program the next time
you decide to bump into me,” he said in that arrogant tone
that I was starting to hate now.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I
wanted to slap him but I know that would be dangerous to
his health. No matter how tough he wanted to look, he
wasn’t as invincible as he wanted to appear.

“Alice?” Denise called again. “I’m done. You can use the
bathroom now.”
I gave Hunter one last glare and then I turned on my
heel and headed towards Denise’s room. I closed the door
behind me, steadying my pulse, not letting Denise suspect
that something was up.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Was he being rude?”
“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “I just bumped into
him. The corridor was dark, I couldn’t find the switch.”
“Hunter prefers the dark sometimes so he turns off all
the lights in the hall when he retreats to his room for the
night. He’s very efficient in the dark. It was as if he could
see. He could walk around the house in complete darkness
and he won’t fall down the stairs or bump into any furniture.

I think he got every corner of this house memorized at the
back of his mind. Sometimes, I wanted to rearrange the
furniture when he’s out late just so he would trip or bump
into something when he comes in.”
I smiled at that. Denise would try anything to annoy
Hunter. “When you’re blind, darkness will become your
friend, your only companion. You will learn to trust your
memory and your other senses.”
Denise nodded. “Sometimes I think you understand
Hunter better than I do. And you don’t even know him.”
I bit my lip. I thought I knew him better than anybody.

“I’m sorry, Alice,” she said. “I know you’re worrying for
me. But really… trust me on this. Arthur is wonderful. Maybe someday… the four of us can double-date.”
“The four of us?”
She shrugged. “When you finally decide to throw Chaise
a bone and give him the date he deserved since the night
he rescued you.”
I gave her a weak smile. But in,side, what I really wanted
to say was, I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon.
Your insanely hot cousin is still messing up with my head
since the day I first bumped into him.