Page 69 of Only If You Dare

My smile wasn’t genuine, but I hoped she couldn’t tell it.

“Good morning,” I responded.

Lila glanced to the tray in my hand, and her brows rose. “If you’re going to Julian’s he’s in the shower, you might want to give him a minute.”

The stab of pain that flurried through my soul almost made me miss a step. I wanted to respond, but I couldn’t pry my lips apart quick enough. Instead, I nodded and returned to my suite to discard the tray. My mind whirled; tossing me like torrent winds. Is that where Julian ran off to last night? To be with Lila? She had bounced down the hallway like her morning was off to a great start. Had she been enthralled beneath Julian until sunrise? My throat was in a knot, and my heart plummeted. My breathing was labored, and I lay a hand on my chest in an effort to calm myself. Pulling out my cell phone, I called for a chauffeur and quickly left Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

The hour and a half ride to Forward Kitchen wasn’t nearly as pleasant as the ride and flight with Julian. “If you’re going to Julian’s he’s in the shower, you might want to give him a minute.”

Lila’s words slammed through me on repeat. He was in the shower, no doubt washing away the night of passion he’d had with Lila. A mist of tears fogged my eyesight but I refused to let them spring forward. Wiping them vigorously, I silently scolded myself. There was a part of me that wanted to curse him out and kick his ass. But that was just my emotions getting the best of me, and foolish. Julian hadn’t promised me anything, so I had to just get over him.

But how would I when I’d fallen hopelessly in love with him? I entered Forward Kitchen on auto pilot. Lacey and Antonio cheered when I came through the door which brought a slight smile to my face. Lacey was filled with so much animation I hardly got a word in most times. With Donald’s blessing, we left the kitchen in search of a park. We ended up at Dubai’s Garden Glow which was like Christmas for the kids. The theme park held multiple attractions including a massive manmade garden of glowing Tulips of the Netherlands, a dinosaur exhibit, an animal kingdom, a glowing mushroom forest, restaurants, cafés and more. Standing at the entrance looking over a menu of the site’s attraction my cell phone rang.

“Long night?” I answered.

Julian’s voice cruised through my eardrums with a dark silkiness, and I fought a squirm. “Good morning, Bella. Last night was particularly long for reason’s you wouldn’t believe,” He said. “How’d you know? You have some cognitive powers you failed to mention?”

He was joking, but I couldn’t find a single thing to laugh about.

“No, not cognitive, by now my secret would’ve been out with you.”

“That’s good to know,” he said. “I came to your room a few minutes ago but to no avail. Are we going to Forward Kitchen this morning to get Antonio or are we waiting till later?”

I looked to Antonio and Lacey who were patiently waiting for me to get off the phone so we could enter the park.

“I’m already with him actually, and Lacey’s here with us. We decided to go to Dubai’s Garden Glow theme park.”

Julian was quiet for a moment, and I imagined his mind swirling. “Bella, I thought we were doing that together?”

“I did too, but it was a last-minute change of plans.”

“Any reason why?”

I pressed my lips thinly together, going back and forth over whether to reveal what I knew. “I saw Lila this morning on my way to your room, and she said you were showering, so I wanted to give you the space you needed. It’s not like we haven’t been connected to the hip most of this trip.” I made it my business to sound nonchalant, but my heart raced as I finished my sentence. “It’s okay. I had a chauffeur bring me over so we’ll hang out here today and I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

“That’s not necessary,” he said, “I’m coming over.”

“No!” I practically shouted. “I mean, it’s fine, they’re in good hands.”

“Of course, they’re in good hands, I wouldn’t insinuate otherwise.” Julian paused. “Is everything alright, Bella?”

“Fine,” I quipped. “Everything’s fine.”

“Are you sure? You’d tell me if we had a problem, right?”

I pressed my lips tight again.

“Everything’s fine, Julian. I’ll let you get to your business. Talk to you later.” I disconnected the call and dropped my phone in my purse. My heart was still rocking as I smiled down at Antonio and Lacey.

“You guys ready?” I said boasting a wide smile.

“Yes!” They both chimed.

“Come on, let’s go,” I said grabbing their hands strolling into the park.

Dubai’s Garden Glow park was a one of a kind adventure. Antonio and Lacey had the time of their lives. We didn’t get to experience the full park because it was just too large to get through it all in one day so I promised them we’d come back the next day. That brought more happiness to them, and I was pleased to be a part of their experience. At the end of the day, I took Antonio back to Forward Kitchen, and he didn’t want me to leave, so I stayed around until he finally fell asleep on my shoulder.

“I’ll take him,” Lacey offered.

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