Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles ~

In the safehouse owned by White family…

Haru and Nala arrived with Tiffany shortly after 11 PM (local time, that is 1 AM in Austin).

It is a different safehouse than the one where Melodie is staying.

They don\'t want Tiffany to know that Melodie is with Whites and the other way around. Not until they confirm their motives and what information they brought with them.

Originally, they wanted to put two young women together, but considering Melodie\'s tantrums, they decided to keep them apart. It will save everyone from unnecessary headaches.

The staff prepared a room for Tiffany and a meal was waiting for her in the room.

Haru and Nala wanted to go to the Cliffside villa as soon as possible, but Tiffany asked if they could stay and give her company (mostly Nala).

"I just arrived, and everything is new… it will mean a lot if you give me company a bit longer."

Nala looked at Tiffany and felt sorry for the young woman.

Haru saw that Nala is caving in and he reminded her not to stay too long.

The maid confirmed that they will stay longer and informed them:

"Mr. White said to prepare two rooms for you in case you wish to stay longer. In there you can find change of clothes and toiletries in the bathrooms.", she gestured toward two adjacent rooms. She turned to Haru and continued: "This room is set up for you. I will bring food in a minute and you can stay there until ladies finish talking. The staff is retreating for the night, but if you need something, use the phone in the room and dial \'0\'…"

The maid also told to all three of them that security is patrolling the area twenty-four hours a day. She advised Tiffany, Nala and Haru not to leave the mansion without previously notifying them in order to avoid security mistaking them for intruders. "From the phone in the room, dial \'9\' and someone from the security will answer. Tell them when you are leaving and where you are heading, so that they expect you…"

Haru looked at Nala going down the hallway with Tiffany before entering the room maid pointed at as his.

Few minutes later, a maid came carrying a tray with food. It was covered up, and looked delicious, but Haru didn\'t have much appetite… not for food at least.

Haru plopped few grapes into his mouth, went on the bed and ended up staring at the ceiling.

He checked time more than once, and it seemed like time stopped. Why is it taking so long?

He felt that drowsiness is taking over and stood up abruptly. "There is no way you are sleeping off this time!", he told himself. But what can he do?

Down the hallway…

Tiffany had a lot of questions about her current situation and what is next. Will they help her find a job? Can she contact anyone from her circle? What to do if someone recognizes her? …

She is anxious because this is the first time for her to be on her own. As much as she doesn\'t like how her parents are using her for their selfish reasons, it\'s undeniable that they control her life to the point of making her unable to take care of herself.

That is the usual methodology used for forcing someone into obedience: make a person dependent on you and then she will be unable to leave.

Nala answered Tiffany\'s questions how much she knew. Mostly from what she observed with Penny, with an assumption that Tiffany gets the same treatment as Penny (and not like Melodie).

It took a long time, but Tiffany was grateful.

Nala left the room so that Tiffany can eat and get ready for sleep.

"Will I see you again?", Tiffany asked Nala.

Nala smiled. "Probably. Take care until we meet again."

"You too.", Tiffany responded. She has a good opinion of Nala, and she hoped that they can be friends.

Nala went through the hallway and thought if she should go into her or into Haru\'s room. Well, they want to go to Cliffside villa, so it\'s his room, right?

Nala was a bit confused that Haru was not in the bedroom. She went to check the closet, but it was empty. She returned to the room and then noticed neatly folded clothes on the chair next to the bed. It must be fresh clothes to change into that the maid talked about. Only then she heard a sound of water running from the bathroom and she froze.

In a second, she imagined Haru under the shower, naked, water gliding over his body… and her heart pounded like crazy.

What should she do? Open the door? Leave? Stay here?

Both of them know why they are in a rush to go to the Cliffside villa… privacy… and what it means. Should she just join him in the shower?

Her hand hovered above the doorknob for some time and slowly moved lower. At the touch of the cold metal Nala retreated her hand swiftly, like she burned herself.

\'What are you thinking?\'

, she scolded herself. \'This is NOT what a girl should be doing!\'

But she could not deny that she wanted to see the man on the other side of the door. She wanted to hold him, and to be held by him. To experience how would it feel if he touches her. To experience going all the way with Haru.

Nala remembered when she rubbed her breast and even pinched it. It didn\'t feel very good. But when he did it in the movie theater, it was… electrifying, a thousand times better. Will every touch feel so much better if he does it? She trembled at that thought. And she really-really wanted to experience it.

Nala was overwhelmed by the conflicting thoughts and a whirlwind of emotions.

The two voices… Nala-angel and Nala-devil are sitting on her shoulders, each whispering into her ear: \'Go for it… Don\'t! Be a good girl… Good girls don\'t have fun!… Respect yourself!… He respects you. You love him, and he loves you… Don\'t rush!… Do what your body is telling you to do. Don\'t you feel the blood burning in your veins? Don\'t you feel your heart pounding violently? Don\'t you wish to be in his embrace? Don\'t you want to lose yourself in passion? Don\'t you…?\'

Both voices stopped abruptly when the door of the bathroom opened unexpectedly.

Nala stumbled backward clumsily in surprise, tripping over a stool.

"Nala!", Haru called while rushing toward her.

Nala was startled by a drop of water which dripped from Haru\'s hair onto her face. Other than that drop gliding down her cheek, everything else was completely still.

Nala held her breath and slowly understood the current situation.

Haru\'s strong arms are supporting her back, holding her few inches above the ground.

Her hands are gripping his bare shoulders and she is aware of his messy damp hair, concerned look, smell of the shower gel, him wearing only a towel…

Haru observed her expression and was not sure what to think.

"Are you OK?", he asked.

Nala glanced to confirm that he is wearing only a towel. Considering how swiftly he moved, she wondered, how come the towel didn\'t come off?

Her eyes widened at the realization: Haru is leaning above her, holding her, and wearing ONLY a towel! Oh, God!

---

If you are not reading this at \'W e b n o v e l .. c o m\', then the content you\'re reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.