Chapter 19 She Walked Into My Room
Dominic POV
The house was quiet again.
Not silent. It was never completely silent anymore. Someone was always laughing somewhere, or talking too loudly in the hallway, or running down the stairs like they were being chased.
Usually Amelia.
But tonight the corridors were calm.
I sat in my office staring at the laptop screen in front of me.
Emails.
Reports.
Numbers.
All things I normally focused on easily.
Except my mind was replaying the same scene for the tenth time.
Amelia Carter standing in my bedroom doorway.
Completely frozen.
Eyes wide.
Looking directly at me.
More specifically... looking at the fact that I had just stepped out of the shower.
My jaw tightened slightly as the memory replayed.
She had walked in without knocking.
Just opened the door like she owned the place.
Then she had stopped.
Stared.
And said the most ridiculous sentence possible.
"You were wet."
I leaned back in my chair and rubbed a hand over my face.
She had meant my hair.
Obviously.
But the way she said it, completely serious and unaware of how it sounded, had nearly made me laugh.
Then the panic started.
The rambling.
The fast talking.
The way her cheeks turned bright red while she tried to escape the room.
It had been... entertaining.
Which was a problem.
Because I rarely found people entertaining.
Most of them were predictable.
Careful.
They spoke slowly around me.
Chose their words wisely.
Amelia Carter did none of those things.
She spoke before thinking.
Moved before planning.
And somehow turned every simple interaction into chaos.
Yet somehow the house felt... different since she arrived.
Noah laughed more.
Ryan talked even more than usual.
Even Sebastian seemed slightly more relaxed.
It was strange.
I was still thinking about it when the office door opened.
Ryan walked in first.
Sebastian followed behind him.
Ryan looked at me and immediately smirked.
"You look like you're thinking about something interesting."
"I'm working."
Ryan glanced at the untouched files on my desk.
"Sure you are."
Sebastian walked over and sat on the sofa near the window.
Ryan crossed his arms.
"So Clara told us something."
I didn't respond.
Ryan continued anyway.
"Apparently Amelia walked into the wrong bedroom tonight."
I closed the file in front of me slowly.
Ryan pointed at me with a grin.
"There it is."
Sebastian lifted his gaze slightly.
Ryan leaned forward.
"And that bedroom happened to be yours."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Then Ryan's grin widened.
"Wait."
His eyes lit up.
"She saw you shirtless, didn't she?"
I didn't answer.
Ryan burst out laughing.
"Oh my god she did."
Sebastian looked mildly amused.
Ryan shook his head.
"I can already imagine her reaction."
Sebastian said calmly,
"She panicked."
Ryan pointed at him.
"Exactly."
He looked back at me.
"What did she say?"
I sighed.
"Nothing important."
Ryan looked unconvinced.
"You are a terrible liar."
Sebastian waited patiently.
Finally I said flatly,
"She said I was wet."
Ryan froze.
Then he started laughing again.
"You cannot be serious."
Sebastian's mouth twitched slightly.
Ryan leaned against the desk trying to calm down.
"She told you that you were wet."
"She meant my hair."
Ryan wiped his face.
"That girl is unbelievable."
Sebastian nodded once.
"She is very honest."
Ryan grinned.
"That's one way to describe it."
Footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Then Clara appeared at the doorway.
Behind her was Sophie.
Clara immediately crossed her arms.
"I cannot believe you are still talking about this."
Ryan looked delighted.
"So you admit it's true."
Clara rolled her eyes.
"Amelia is currently hiding in the kitchen."
Ryan laughed.
"I would too."
Sophie stepped further into the room.
Sebastian noticed her immediately.
She smiled when she saw him.
"Hi."
Sebastian stood up.
"Hello."
Ryan was still focused on Clara.
"You told everyone."
Clara looked offended.
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
"I told Sophie."
Ryan pointed dramatically.
"Exactly."
Clara ignored him.
Meanwhile Sophie walked closer to Sebastian.
Her eyes moved around the office.
"This house is still confusing."
Sebastian nodded slightly.
"It takes time to remember where everything is."
Sophie smiled.
"I got lost three times today."
Sebastian's expression softened slightly.
"Amelia probably did too."
Sophie laughed quietly.
"She definitely did."
For a moment they just stood there smiling.
It wasn't awkward.
It felt easy.
Comfortable.
Sophie asked softly,
"Do you live here all the time?"
"Most of the time."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"It must be nice living with your friends."
Sebastian glanced briefly at Ryan and Dominic.
"It usually is."
Sophie smiled again.
Ryan's voice cut through the room again.
"So back to the important topic."
Clara groaned.
"No."
Ryan continued anyway.
"Amelia walked into Dominic's room."
Sophie laughed again.
Clara covered her face.
"She is never going to recover from this."
Ryan leaned back.
"I think it's the funniest thing that has happened all year."
Clara sighed.
"You should have seen her face."
Ryan grinned.
"Oh I wish I had."
Clara shook her head.
"She looked like she was about to pass out."
Sebastian said calmly,
"She embarrasses easily."
Clara nodded.
"But she never stops talking."
Ryan laughed again.
"That's the best part."
I stood up from my chair.
Ryan noticed immediately.
"Oh look."
He pointed again.
"He's leaving before we continue."
Clara smiled.
"Probably a good idea."
Sebastian watched quietly.
Ryan crossed his arms.
"You know something though."
I paused.
Ryan grinned.
"You didn't fire her."
Clara looked amused.
"Good."
Ryan nodded.
"Because this house would be boring without her."
No one argued with that.
And as I walked out of the office, I found myself thinking the same thing.
Amelia Carter had brought chaos into this house.
But somehow...
No one seemed to want the chaos to leave.