Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

The moonlight was like spilled milk, bathing the night in a silvery glow.

The next day, at 9 AM, York woke up and decided to check on Leda.

He was just about to knock on her door when it swung open from the inside.

"Sho-"

Oops!

Standing there was a young man, his hair a tousled mess, clearly just roused from sleep and about to make his exit.

Their eyes met, and York was totally flabbergasted.

The man, however, was much calmer, gave York a slight nod, and then gestured for silence with a finger to his lips, turning his head towards the interior, "Keep it down, she's still asleep."

With that, he left.

York stood in the hallway, dumbfounded, for a solid thirty seconds before it hit him: "Damn-"

Leda had a guy over? In the hotel he ran, in the room he booked, right across from him, under his very nose?

York stormed in, trying to slam the door for effect.

Unfortunately, the hotel's quality control was too good; the doors were designed to close quietly, making barely any noise. Frustrated, he kicked over a chair, but even that failed to make much of a racket thanks to the plush carpeting.

He then yanked the curtains open, letting the sunlight flood in, and finally, Leda woke up.

"York, what the hell are you doing?! You got a lot of nerve!"

She was furious, sitting up abruptly, but the sunlight forced her to squint, barely making out the man standing before her bed.

Thinking it was York, she commanded, “Close the curtains!"

If Leda had one flaw, it was her terrible mood upon waking up.

Usually, Roseanne wouldn't dare to provoke her at such times.

Hearing her, York scoffed.

Seeing the hickeys scattered across her neck and chest, some fresh, some fading, it was clear what she'd been up to last night and this morning... "Leda! Having fun, are we?"

His voice made Leda freeze.

Blinking, she finally recognized York.

After a pause, she quickly grabbed the fallen blanket to cover herself "Oh my God-York, since when do you enter without knocking?

Swnow

"No need to knock, someone opened for me." He wanted to sit down, but all the chairs were overturned.

So he settled on the bed's edge, “Ms. Reynolds sure knows how to live it up. Just ditched one and alreadyBelonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

onto the next, huh? You're changing them faster than your outfits!"

"York, what's gotten into you? Coming here first thing in the morning to give me grief? Can't you speak normally?"

"Nope!"

"Then get lost! Don't buzz around me like a fly..."

She pulled the blanket up and turned to sleep again.

"...Oh, and close the curtains."

York was left speechless.

And then, Leda actually fell asleep again. When she woke up again, the sunlight was no longer blinding, and the room was quiet.

She sat up, stretching comfortably.

Ah, to be young and full of energy.

"You awake?"

Leda froze mid-stretch: "...Why are you still here?"

York was sitting in a chair, staring at her coldly.

Leda grabbed a shawl and draped it over herself; she was only in a tank top, and it did nothing to hide the marks on her skin.

Just as York was about to speak, she cut him off, "Could you get me a glass of ice water, please?"

He was stunned.

"The fridge is over there." Seeing his

confused look, Leda pointed out, "What's wrong with you? You can't ever find your way around your own hotel?"

York was speechless.