my nap to find myself alone. That doesn't surprise me because I'm sure Orlando has a lot to get done after being gone for three days plus travel. But that doesn't mean I like it, and the knowledge surprises me.
I'm sure he doesn't want me to interrupt him, so I decide to get online and research possible travel destinations. Though I have a few ideas, I want to surprise him.
As I check out some videos of different resorts all over the world, one keeps catching my attention. It’s a luxurious underwater hotel room in a resort with all the amenities. There’s even an attached water park, which Orlando said he always wanted to do when we were kids.
So, I print out the information I need and go in search of Orlando, excited to let him know where we'll be heading next. I think he’ll like this one as much as I will.
This house may be smaller than my father's, but it’s still much too big to find Orlando easily. I head toward the wing downstairs, looking for his office he showed me when I first arrived. If he's working, I assume that's where I’ll find him. But his office is empty.
I'm tempted to poke around, but I'm not willing to risk his anger, so I close the door and check the other rooms in the hallway. Still no sign of him.
I look in the kitchen and dining area and even venture out to the greenhouse with no success. I wish I knew where he hung out in the house and where he likes to spend his time. His men are no help, as I'm sure he's instructed them not to talk to me because they almost act like I'm not here. Heading into the house, I'm about to give up when I spot him going toward the staircase.
He sees me and waits for me to join him. But as I get closer, I realize he looks stressed, and it instantly kills my good mood.
"What's wrong?" I ask, not sure if I want to know the answer.
"The couple in your dorm were the parents of your tutor who helped get you through high school the last few years."
I stand there, shocked. Even though I liked my tutor, she wasn't anything special. But I never felt like she paid attention to me. It was more like she was there for a paycheck. No surprise because everyone around me was there for a paycheck.
I would never have thought she or her parents would do something like this.
"What? Did you find them?" The thought of them being out there and sneaking up on me again sent shivers down my spine.
"Yes, we found both of them, and they won't be bothering you again."
His voice is flat and matter-of-fact. He's confident they won't bother me again, but he can't be sure of that unless... No. I can't let myself go down that road.
This is also the moment my eyes zero in on a pin drop of red blood on his white shirt. While it's a tiny little drop, a pinprick at most, it reminds me that in this world, when someone says they won't bother you again, it means someone has lost their life.
Like it or not, this is my world, and I’ll never be able to escape it. Even with Orlando, when it's just the two of us like it was all those years ago in the garden, I’ll never be able to escape this part of my life.
I turn to head back upstairs, thinking a hot shower sounds good right now. I can take one in the guest bathroom while he uses the main bathroom. Almost as if he can sense my mood, he follows me.
"What did you do today?" he asks, his voice softer now.
"Nothing." I offer a forced smile.
"Come on, no matter what it is, I want to hear it," he says as we hit the top of the stairs before turning to go down the family wing.
Finally, I stop and look at him. My Orlando is back. This isn't the cold version of him I just witnessed. This is the version I’ve seen over the last three days, and I suspect it’s the only one I get to see.
I hand him the papers I've been carrying around—the ones I wanted to show him when I went in search of him. "I found our next trip."
Orlando glances down at them before lifting his gaze back to me. "Where?"
"An underwater hotel."
He finally starts looking through them, and a huge smile takes over his face. "I love this idea. Pack a bag. I’ll make the travel preparations, and we’ll go this weekend."
While I want to protest, I know it will do no good. It doesn't matter that we’ve just returned from a three-day trip to Greece. We’ll be heading out again after being home for less than five days.
Orlando will find a way to make it happen.