Chapter 5 - Simon
“Blair?” I say her name, but she is staring ahead of her as though she’s in a trance.
“Blair?” I say again.
She blinks rapidly, licks her lips, and takes a deep breath. “Mm?” she mumbles.
“You were a million miles away. Are you okay? Are you hungry?”
“Did we really just get married? Was that real?”
“Come on, I’ll get you something to eat,” I sigh softly, reaching my hand toward her. But she steps back, shaking her head slowly. “I’m not hungry,” she says. “I’m tired.”
She doesn’t look tired, but I assume it’s more about her needing time to process everyone on her own.
“I’ll show you to your room,” I say, gesturing with a tilt of my head for her to follow me.
She nods once, her brows furrowed. “I don’t have anything here,” she says.
“We’ll get you some new things this week.”
“Can’t I go back to my apartment? All my things are there,” she asks.
“You can’t, Blair. It’s not safe. Not for a while.”
“But just to fetch…”
“It’s not safe!” I snarl too harshly, immediately regretting my tone. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap like that. You need to understand this. Your apartment isn’t safe. Your work isn’t safe. For a week or two, you need to lie low and stay indoors, out of sight.”
Blair bites her bottom lip and says nothing more as she follows me through to the upstairs rooms. I take her to the bedroom closest to mine, right across the hallway. I would have her in my bed if I thought I could get away with it, but I’ve already pushed her enough for one night.
“You’ll find everything you need in the private bathroom through that door. In the closet, there will be something to sleep in. It’s all new. I like to keep things stocked and in order, in case I have someone who needs to stay over. I like to plan ahead.”
“Girlfriends?” she asks, furrowing her brows.
“No, not…I don’t bring girls to my home…I mean, I don’t… No, it’s for my sister if she needs to stay over or something,” I trip over my words a little, pushing my hand through my hair.
“You have a sister?” She sounds relieved to find this out.
“Yes, I have a sister and brothers.”
Blair walks into the room, brushing her fingers over the duvet.
“Will you be okay in here?” I ask gently, still toying with the idea of inviting her to share my room. “I’m right across the hallway if you need anything,” I add.
“This room is almost bigger than my whole apartment,” she whispers to herself.
I wait, standing in the doorway, reluctant to leave her.
She turns, realizing I’m still there. “This is lovely, thank you. I will be fine here,” she says politely.
A tight smile stretches over my face. “Goodnight, Blair, sleep well.”
“Goodnight,” she replies.
***
In the morning, Blair calls in to work and explains that she has a family emergency involving an aunt who lives out of the city.
She says she has to go away for a while and isn’t sure when she’ll be back, but it will be about two weeks.
Brandon isn’t pleased by the idea of running the place on his own, I gather from the one-sided conversation I listen to.
But by the end of the call, she lets out a sigh of relief and places her phone on the kitchen counter.
“He really doesn’t like dealing with the customers,” she explains with a shrug, “but he’ll be okay, it’s not like we get a ton of people coming through there every day. ”
“How did you sleep?” I ask, handing her a cup of coffee.
She sips the coffee and frowns. “This is perfect. Did you just guess how many sugars I like?”
I chuckle, realizing I should have asked.
But every time I’ve watched her order an iced coffee, I figured she would enjoy it the same way.
“I just got lucky,” I smile. My eyes drift over her.
She’s wearing a pair of pale grey sweatpants and a matching tight grey crop top.
She looks absolutely gorgeous in the fitted top and low-hanging pants.
I’m so used to seeing her in oversized baggy jeans and a big t-shirt, this is the first time I’m really seeing her figure.
And I’m staring, and I’m thinking to myself, I really did get lucky, didn’t I?
She glances down at herself, brushing her hand nervously over her stomach. “Um, you said it was okay if I took something from the cupboard to sleep in,” she stammers awkwardly.
“Oh, of course, yes, no, I meant it. It uh, it just fits you perfectly,” I blurt out, not sure how to cover for the fact that I was staring so intently at her body.
“Ok, I thought maybe you were angry that I slept in Gucci,” she replies quietly.
This makes me chuckle. As far as I’m concerned, she could sleep dripping in pure gold, and I wouldn’t mind.
“It looks good on you. I’m sure the other clothes will fit just as well,” I say. “What do you usually have for breakfast?” I ask, knowing full well that she usually skips breakfast completely.
“I’m not much of a morning eater. The coffee is great, thanks,” she says, taking another sip.
“I’ll make us some bacon anyway. It’s good to start the morning with some protein. Your body went through a lot of stress yesterday, too,” I explain.
“No, it’s really okay. I’m going to go shower,” she says, taking a few steps toward the door. I sigh and smile. “Alright, I’ll make us something nice for lunch then.”
Blair hurries out of the kitchen and disappears from view.
I don’t like the fact that she negotiated that clause into the marriage documents.
I didn’t want it there at all, but I’m hoping that, given enough time, I can convince her not to go through with the divorce.
All my life, I never expected myself to be the type who wanted to get married.
I watched my siblings doing it and saw how happy they were, but I never wanted it for myself.
Relationships are so unpredictable and messy.
But here I am, standing in my kitchen, having just married a girl without even thinking it through fully or taking a moment to plan any of it. She has a strange effect on me. She makes me reckless and spontaneous… and in a lot of ways, I like it.
At lunch time, Blair doesn’t come down. She hasn’t actually come out of her bedroom all day, and it doesn’t take a fool to work out that she’s actively avoiding me.
That night, she stays in her room at dinnertime, and I start to get agitated.
At seven, I knock on her door, calling her name.
“Blair, dinner is ready,” I say through the closed door.
“You go ahead without me, I’m not really hungry,” she calls back.
Anger spikes through me. She can’t avoid me forever.
Without thinking, I push the door open, ready to tell her that starving herself isn’t healthy, but as I step into the room, she squeals and pulls the towel tighter around her otherwise naked self.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” I mumble, knowing I should turn my head away from her but unable to do so.
“Don’t you knock?” she blurts out.
“You can’t not eat, Blair,” I tell her, my eyes still drifting over her, noting how the water runs in glittering drops over her skin.
When I look up at her face, I see her cheeks are glowing bright pink, hot with embarrassment.
Her long, dark hair is wet and clinging to her skin.
I wonder if she knows how beautiful she is.
“Ok, but I’m not sure if now is the right time to be having this conversation!” she snaps at me.
I cock my head to the side. “I’ll give you five minutes to get dressed before I see you downstairs?” I say sternly, not really a question at all.
“Fine,” she huffs, just to get rid of me.
I wait ten minutes before she arrives in the dining room.
She’s wearing a white crop top and a pair of tight jeans that hug her hips and legs, showing me every curve of her perfection.
Damn. So that’s what she looks like in fitted jeans.
My cock stirs, and I adjust my position, clearing my throat and dragging my eyes off her.
“Sit, please,” I say, gesturing to the chair near mine. She chooses to sit opposite me instead.
“The chef made Asian stir-fry tonight. This one is pork and honey. He makes a brilliant ginger and chili one too, but I wasn’t sure if you enjoyed spicy food?”
“I love spicy food,” she says, watching me while I dish up a plate for her.
“I’ll have him make that one on the weekend, then,” I smile.
She doesn’t reply.
Once we both have our food, I watch and wait for her to taste it. She seems awkward, shy, and reluctant to be here.
“Blair, it’s not healthy for you to stay up in that room all day.
The mansion is massive. You shouldn’t confine yourself to a single room in it.
And the beach is right outside the door.
The guards are there to keep an eye on you, you’ll be perfectly safe if you want just to sit out there and enjoy the fresh air? ”
She nods, “Thank you.” It’s hardly the reply I was looking for.
Sighing, I pick up my fork and start eating. She does the same, and we eat in silence.
It’s frustrating to think that I have her on paper. Legally, she is mine, she belongs to me, she carries my name, but in the real world, I can hardly get her to spend a few minutes with me, and when she does, I can hardly get her to speak.
Our first dinner at the mansion is painfully quiet, but I accept the win for what it is. I got her to come out of her room. Tomorrow will be better. Slow, patient steps. It’s always the best way to handle things.
The next day at lunchtime, I have the chef set up a summer buffet of fruit and salads on the deck overlooking the pool and the ocean. When I knock on her bedroom door this time, I wait for her to open it instead of barging in. She’s wearing the same jeans, but this time with a pink crop top.
“You look lovely, but aren’t you hot in those jeans?” I ask.
“A little, but I don’t want to wear all those brand-new clothes that don’t belong to me,” she explains.
“Blair, everything in that closet belongs to you know. And whatever else you need. I’ll order some more summery clothes for you and have them delivered. Do you have a specific brand you prefer?”