Chapter 119: Not Enough
Maya winced as sunlight poured into the room. She became alert almost immediately and moved to a sitting position.
This sudden movement earned her an odd stare from Keenan, who stood in the middle of the room with a towel around his waist and a smaller one wiping his hair.
"Alpha Keenan!" She yelled out.
He stared at her for a moment. Water dripped down his chest and the emerald necklace shook as he aggressively dried his hair. Then he turned away, walking toward the wardrobe.
He pulled it open and poked his head in, fussing inside for a bit. Then he took out a pair of clean clothes before shutting it back.
"Good morning," she heard herself say.
It was too awkward and she hated how her memory replayed all that happened last night. It didn’t help that he was nearly naked in front of her now.
She pulled the covers up to her chest as she sat up. She didn’t want to give the wrong idea. She knew it was already too late for dignity but she wanted to save whatever she had left.
"Good morning," he replied coldly with his back to her.
He dropped the towel and she was greeted with his rear as he quickly slipped on his underwear and then a pair of pants.
Maya was embarrassed at the gasp she let out at the sight of his butt. However, Keenan carried on and pretended not to notice.
He put on his shirt and moved to the dresser. Pulling out the first drawer, he revealed a brush. He brushed most of his hair out of his face, except for a few stray strands.
The slightly wet hair drew her attention and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like beneath her fingers. He turned in that exact moment to look at her as if he could hear her thoughts.
She jerked her gaze away with a red face—but not before she was caught.
She couldn’t help but stare. She had never seen him get ready for the day before. Also, he was acting so normally after last night, whereas she could barely get out of bed.
He returned the brush to the drawer and walked past the bed without glancing at her. She could tell he was leaving the room.
Was that it? Aren’t they supposed to converse more than "good mornings"? How about last night? Well, it wasn’t exactly the first time but it was the first time here.
"I would like to go to the workshop with Winnie, please," she blurted as he was only a few feet away from the side door.
Keenan stopped walking and turned to look at her—really look at her. "Planning on running away?" He asked.
Her eyes widened slightly. She was familiar with his mockery but this felt slightly different. "No," she replied without hesitation.
His brows furrowed; he didn’t look pleased with her response. He walked closer, stopping right in front of the bed. "Why?"
She had to remind herself she wasn’t supposed to smile but he was close enough that she could smell the soap and lotion on him.
Not to mention, she could see his face clearly. Would we ever kiss? She wondered as her eyes rested on his lips.
"Why what?" She asked, as she lost track of the conversation.
"Tch!"
He was annoyed. "I am sorry," she replied before she could even think too much about it.
He stared at her with an unimpressed expression. "Why do you want to go to the workshop?"
She looked down and twisted her fingers. "Winnie spoke about her job, and I wanted to see it in person. I am just curious."
Did I say something he didn’t like?
It was hard to know from their interaction. She didn’t know what went through his head and from his expression, it was clearly nothing good.
"I can’t?" She asked softly when he didn’t respond.
She slowly raised her head to peek at him and he was still staring down at her. His expression seemed to have gotten worse.
"You may," he said coldly and turned away from her. He walked toward the side door and disappeared.
She stared at the door with sad eyes for a moment before she forced herself to try to get out of bed. She knew she had to be patient but she was greedy.
It was better—she couldn’t deny that—but it was nowhere close to where she wanted to be.
She covered her face with her palms as she sat on the edge of the bed. Last night wasn’t so bad but a part of her had hoped he would still be beside her when she woke up.
At least he was in the room with her when she woke up. That must count for something. However, it wasn’t nearly enough.
Knock. Knock.
She turned her gaze to the door just as it opened to reveal Palmer and in her hands was her dress for the day. She forced herself to snap out of her sad thoughts and welcome the maid with a smile.
"Palmer," she called. Her voice sounded cheerier than she felt.
"Good morning, Lady Maya."
"Good morning, Palmer."
This time her voice felt less forced. It was easy to see that the maid had warmed up to her. She could see it in her gaze and their recent interactions.
"How’s your arm?" She asked as she stepped closer.
Maya nodded as she stood up from the bed. "Much better. I should take the bandage off today."
"That’s good," she mumbled and placed the dress on the nearby chair.
She knew only Winnie could have given them to her, even if the maid didn’t say. She made a mental note to thank Winnie when she saw her. She knew she couldn’t possibly thank her enough but she was going to do her best.
"Shall I help you with your bath?" Palmer asked, looking at Maya thoughtfully.
She nodded as she wrapped her arms around herself. She was ready to get out of the nightdress. It had too many memories attached to it in such a short time.
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