Rain splattered against the windows of Ocean's apartment, causing the corridor to darken considerably as he led January to his guest bedroom. The silver chandelier automatically lit up the ceiling when he opened the door.
'Motion detectors.' He explained, stepping aside for her to survey the room.
The white, four poster bed was right across from the door. It had simple pink comforter and an array of pillows in different shapes and sizes. A curtain of sea-shells hung from each column, perfectly matching the color of the wall behind them.
The rest of the room was tastefully decorated with a classic dressing table and an antique chaise lounge which was positioned right at the foot of the bed.
'There is a walk-in closet and a bathroom as well.' Ocean told her, sounding extremely excited at the prospect of her spending the night. He opened the double doors adjacent to the windows to reveal the closet which was almost as big as the room itself. Once inside, he proceeded to open another door right across from the previous one.
January could only stare in awe at the size of the bathroom. It had a jacuzzi, a separate shower stall as well as a window overlooking the beach front. You could see the dim lights of the yachts anchored at the marina.
The faint sound of the doorbell reached their ears and Ocean excused himself to go answer it, leaving Jan to explore her lavish master bedroom. It was roughly the size of her studio apartment.
How sad, she thought.
The concierge ended up getting her not one, but three different pajamas and a pair of pink slippers, all from Victoria's Secret. He also managed to get her a toothbrush and face-wash from the pharmacy.
Of course Ocean refused to even tell her how much they cost, insisting that they were a gift.
'How about you go change while I take a quick shower?' He rubbed her arms affectionately, trying to read her expression.
She wasn't shying away from his touch but he could see the doubt in her eyes; the suspicion. That horrible phone-call almost ruined his chances at convincing her to stay.
"Alright."
Maybe she'd take a shower as well, smoke still lingered in her hair from being at the club most of the evening.
'Make yourself at home, okay?'
It was hard not to feel at home with him doting on her like that; smiling widely until the dimple on his left cheek finally made an appearance.
She smiled in return and they parted ways with her carrying the Victoria's Secret bags, hoping they were modest enough for her to wear.
..........................................................................
January ended up taking a shower as well, noting how expensive the shampoo and vanilla body lotion were. She couldn't help but feel like Ocean was out of her league in so many ways.
Shoving her insecurities aside, she studied herself in the mirror after putting on a pair of red PJ pants and their matching sleeveless top. Red seemed to be her color these days, she thought while brushing her damp hair.
The aroma of food floated all the way down the corridor where she stood admiring the painting of a mermaid holding a shell up to her ear.
'Beautiful, isn't it?' Ocean's tender voice, accompanied by the sound of heavy rain outside was almost hypnotizing. She found herself turning around to face him as he stepped out of his room in nothing but a pair of black sweat pants. He was drying his white hair with a towel slung around his broad shoulders, the hard ridges of his stomach catching the light from a table lamp placed closer to the door.
J was rendered speechless for a few seconds, her eyes locked on the tattoo wrapped around his torso.The ink was a mix of silver and navy blue, rising like a series of tidal waves all the way up his left arm.
The waves shifted with every move of his muscles, making her gasp and forget all about the painting. Her body moved out of its own accord so she could put her fingers on the ink.
"This is beautiful. Ocean, I've never seen anything like it."
'Motion tattoo, it's the latest trend over there. Here, give me your hands.'
He took hold of both her hands and held them up to his chest, right below his heart. She could feel his heartbeat beneath the inked skin.
'If you press here, the waves will change their direction, cool isn't it?' He chuckled as he watched her glide her hands over the tattoo. She was fascinated by the whole mechanism.
It was like Ocean had waves on his chest, literally.
"This is amazing."
'Yeah it is.'
January recognized the change in his voice and her head snapped up to look at his face. His eyes were hooded, irises almost black from her vantage point.
Her hands immediately retreated behind her back and she stepped away, feeling tension rise in the air between them.
"Race you to the kitchen?" She blurted out before whooshing out of the corridor like a Road Runner.
Ocean shook his head as if to clear his mind from that lust induced fog he was in. One glance at the mirror and he realized how feral he looked, his pupils dilated to the point where the irises were barely visible. No wonder why the poor girl had practically fled the corridor like that.
He took a deep breath and followed her into the kitchen. She was already going through the various take-out bags of fast food he had ordered.
"Ocean! There's enough food in here to feed the entire building."
He gave her a sheepish look, knowing that she was right. 'I thought I'd order a bit of everything.'
There was indeed bags from McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, Chopsticks and other more costly restaurants including two Haagen Daazs ice-cream buckets for dessert.
"Gosh, where do I start?"
They both ended sampling everything, sitting at the small table in companionable silence. A thunderstorm had started outside and it made the neon lights of the kitchen flicker every now and then.
'I am so full!'
Ocean leaned back on his chair across from her, rubbing his flat stomach in contentment. The waves shifted downwards at his touch, distracting January from her ice-cream.
He'd eaten two burgers, three slices of pepperoni pizza and a bowl of noodles.
"You've always been a bottomless pit, I still remember that day when we went to IHOP and you ate like twenty pancakes. The waitress thought you were some kind of monster." She recounted with a giggle.
'Ah yes, compared to you I am.'
She rolled her eyes playfully at him and licked a spoonful of ice-cream. Ocean's eyes fell on her tongue and his thoughts drifted to that dirty territory in his mind. He wanted to lean over the marble table and taste the chocolate straight from her lips. Instead, he got up from his chair and ran his fingers through his almost dry hair.
'Would you like to sit in the living room?' He suggested, clearing his throat while searching for the multifunction remote he recently purchased.
"Sure."
The television screen came to life with an real image of a fireplace, complete with the crackling sound of wood. It brought warmth and color to the otherwise dark, modern room.
'Hot chocolate?' Ocean offered, nodding towards the silver tray on the coffee table. January frowned in puzzlement at the kettle and two porcelain cups placed there.
"Do you have an elf somewhere in here?"
He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
'No. No elf slaves but my concierge does like to pamper my guests.'
"Well thank him for me."
January couldn't recall the last time she'd been spoiled like that. In just one night too. She watched as her hot, still-shirtless friend poured the hot drink into each cup, his white hair reflecting the fake glow of the fireplace. He served her the cup and sat on the couch at a respectable distance from her.
'So, I guess I should explain to you a few things before we go to bed.'
"You're not obliged to but yeah, I'd like to know about your life over there."
He shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip from his hot chocolate.
'It was okay. I felt home-sick for a while since I spent my childhood here but I got over it.'
A hurt expression crossed January's face at his admission, so he got over her too in a way.
"What brought you back here?"
'Work. The government hired us to improve the infrastructure of the city, including the subway system.'
"You've always wanted to be an architect." J reminisced, trying to focus on the present instead of the past.
'And you've always wanted to be an artist, what happened to that dream?'
"I've put it on the shelf for now." She answered, gazing straight ahead at the fire.
'You shouldn't.'
He saw that far-away look in her eyes, then she turned to him with an arched eye-brow.
"What about the girl you're going to marry? Should you be doing that?"
'It was a family arrangement January...can we not talk about it just yet?'
His jaw tightened and he set down his cup with a loud clunk onto the table.
"Then what do you want to talk about? How boring my life is right now? How none of my dreams came true?" She shot back.
Their eyes met in a silent stand-off for a few seconds until he spoke again.
'Why did you stop replying to my e-mails?'
Jan crossed her arms defensively and sunk further into the cushions.
"I don't know. Maybe because I felt like there was no point in us staying in touch."
Ocean flinched at her words, he never expected such an answer from her.
'All this time I thought you must have lost it or something.'
"No, I didn't..." She swallowed the lump in her throat and rose from the couch.
"It's just that I thought I'd never see you again! Yet here you are..." Tears clouded her eyes again, making her feel silly and ridiculous. What on earth was wrong with her tonight?
'Yes I am. Come here.'
Ocean stood up and took her in his arms. Her body was slightly shivering, even her hands were cold. 'Shit, you're freezing.'
He scooped her up and carried her into the guest bedroom.
"Ocean I'm fine, seriously."
'Let's just get you warmed up, okay?'
With that, he disappeared for a while then came back with another comforter and a green packet of Panadol.
"Stop it, I swear you're spoiling me." She sniffed, watching him as he covered her up with another blanket.
'You're obviously on the brink of a cold so take these' He told her, handing her two pills 'I'll go get you a glass of water.'
J sat up against the headboard and blew her nose, not believing her luck. Getting sick at Ocean's house, how embarrassing.
"Aren't you supposed to have healing powers?" Her question was more of a joke but he did reconsider it for a second while she took the medicine.
'Actually, I could help you get rid of that cold.'
"Really? What are you waiting for then? Please, I don't want to spend the weekend in bed."
Ocean leaned against the doorway with a twinkle in his eyes. He seemed to be enjoying himself tremendously at her expense.
'You're so cute when you beg.'
She rolled her eyes at him in response. "Ocean, I'm serious."
'Fine, but we're going to have to..you know..' He licked his lips suggestively, nodding towards the bed.
"No! You're calling my bluff, right? I'm not having sex with you just to get better."
'Who said anything about sex?'
January covered her eyes in shame, feeling her face heating up.
"Never mind..." She mumbled.
Ocean was expecting the usual reply he got from girls whenever the subject of sex came up. They would usually jump at the chance of showing him how seductive they can be.
'I uh..heard that a kiss is all it takes...'
Her head rose up cautiously from between her palms but she still wouldn't look at him. "A kiss where?"
Somehow, she already knew the answer, even before it left his mouth in a very husky tone.
'On the lips.'
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