Chapter １９

The next morning I wake with a pounding headache, and my whole body is still sore. I don't remember anything from last night, or actually most of the day after lunch. I put on my silk pajamas and the room swims around me. I fall back onto the bed and ask myself, "How much did you drink, you idiot?"

There are footsteps outside the bedroom door, so I climb back onto the bed and pretend to just haven woken up. I pull the blanket over my head and pretend to be asleep. I want no one to bother me right now.

Someone gets in the bed behind me and I frown. How could Sterling be such a scoundrel? A hand slips under my pajama shirt and strokes my back.

"Sterling, I'm not in the mood." I roll over and stare right into Percy's eyes.

I open my mouth to scream, but Percy clamps a hand over my mouth. "I just want to talk," he says. "No need to scream."

I hike my knee up and crack Percy in the balls. He squeals and takes his hand from my mouth.

"Help!" I shout. Not a moment later, a servant opens the door and rushes inside.

"What's going on?" the maid asks, seeing me and Percy in the bed.

Percy whispers into my ear, "I can tell you about Laura." His voice is strained from getting kicked in the nuts.

I look at the maid and say, "Nevermind. We're fine. Thank you."

The maid looks confused but leaves and shuts the bedroom door.

I take a foot and kick Percy off the bed, and he falls with a grunt. I get out of bed and make my way to the door in case I need a quick escape.

"Alright," I say, putting my hands on my hips. "What do you have to say about her?"

Percy rubs himself, both his crotch and his arm where he fell. "You're kind of crazy, you know that?"

"Talk, or next time I'll scream for Sterling."

Percy sighs and stands up, straightens out his shirt. "Laura didn't fall to her death by accident."

"Why do you believe that?"

"Because the day that she died, I gave her a ride home. I dropped her off at the front door and just as I was about to leave, I saw Sterling through the window of the second floor."

I shrugged. "So? It's his house."

Percy held up a finger. "Ah, but the police report mentions that Sterling wasn't home when Laura died, and that's why they found him innocent. But I know that he was there, so what else could have been false?"

"Why didn't you tell the police?" I ask him, but then my phone rings. It's Sterling.

"Are you awake?" he asks.

I ask, "Yes. Where are you?"

"Why, are you thinking about me?" I can hear his smile.

I frown. "Is this important?"

He pauses. "I left something for you out on the balcony."

I look over at the balcony door. "What is it?"

"Just go look," Sterling says.

I walk toward the door as Percy watches. "Better not be some stupid prank," I tell Sterling.

I pull open the balcony door. Outside are dozens and dozens of flowers sitting in pots, vases, wrapped in paper and cellophane, woven through the bannister. Orchids, roses, daisies, daffodils, lilies… All colors that exist in nature and some that were bred by design. I smile, but really I don't know what I'm supposed to do with these.

"They're beautiful," I say into the phone.

Behind me, I hear Percy say, "Damn, that's a shit load of flowers…"

"Hang on," Sterling says. "There's more."

There's a flash, and the sky lights up in a brilliant firework, exploding in red and blue. This is followed by a dozen more, all loud and bright, and soon the whole area smells like sulphur and flowers.

"I bet you do this for all your lovers," I say.

"Would you believe me if I said this is a first?"

"The flowers? No. The fireworks? Maybe."

Sterling laughs. "Do you like them, at least?"

I smile into the phone, ignoring Percy behind me, who has by now given up on talking to me, making his way out of the bedroom. "The flowers, or the fireworks?"

"Either one."

"Sure. Yes. I love them."

"Is that all you love?"

The question shocks me. I hold onto the phone and say nothing for some time. Is it the question that bothers me?

Or the fact that I considered my answer for too long?

I wake up in a messy bed and see that Sterling isn't laying beside me. I find that odd, and I also find it odd that it's odd. I never thought that I'd get used to Sterling sharing my bed so quickly. But he's not here now, and I don't know how to feel about it, and that confuses me even more.

Someone knocks on the bedroom door and I tell them to come in. A maid enters the room, one of the older ones that I see around the house sometimes. I move to get out of the bed but she holds up a hand.

"No need to get up, ma'am. Would you like me to bring you some breakfast?"

I smile at her. "That sounds good. Thank you."

I lay in bed for a few more minutes after the maid leaves, but I can't go back to sleep so I get up and take a hot shower. When I'm done and have a bathrobe on and my hair wrapped up in a towel, I see that the maid is back and is making the bed. She pulls underwear out of the covers and places them in a basket. I blush and wait until she's gone before I come out of the bathroom to get dressed.

I slip on a light sweater and some pants while I'm in the enormous walk-in closet, and when I turn around the maid is standing in the middle of the room, and I jump in surprise.

"You scared me," I said. "I thought you'd gone."

"Apologies. I didn't mean to sneak up on you." She goes around the room with a small duster and makes sure nothing is too dusty. I never thought I'd actually see a maid wearing a maid uniform and holding a duster. It's too cliche.