Chapter 4

• **ALEXIS GALLAGHER**
• As I woke up, I felt that harsh light hitting my eyes, my body turning as I stretched my arms, my hand searching for that delicate, pale body.
• But... there was no one there.
• Basically, no sign of Claire LeBlanc.
• "Did she ditch me?" I questioned with pure outrage taking over me, "Me?" I tried to confirm it with myself, looking around, checking for any sound of a shower, but again, no sign of her.
• At least, until I saw a note, written with an excessively... perfect handwriting.
• It had been folded in half to stand on the bedside table, the front part with the words: "To my dear stranger." Written on it.
• And yes, I was still mad about being left, but at the same time? I couldn't deny that it was kind of... cute.
• "Dear stranger, please use the back exit to leave between 11:00 and 11:20 or between 14:30 and 14:50 (when no one is in the yard or passing by the rooms). Thank you very much for the night, kisses." I read that out loud, and the feeling of cuteness I had felt before? It had gone straight to hell.
• I couldn't believe I needed a schedule to not get caught, and even less that she had the audacity to practically tell me not to be noticed when leaving her room and her house.
• I was a Gallagher.
• I was Alexis Gallagher himself, and she thought she could tell me the times I had to sneak around? This had to be a joke.
• "This is so... teenager sneaking out of the girlfriend's room..." There was a moment when I couldn't help but comment in the midst of my misery, while contemplating the idea that all of this was just a damn prank by the universe.
• But obviously, it wasn't.
• "Well, I guess I need to know what time it is..." I sighed as I said that because even though I didn't like the idea of having to skulk around like a rat, I had at least a minimum of chivalry to fulfill the wish of the woman who left me cold.
• "Alright, it's exactly... 11:09."
• I had been extremely lucky to wake up at that time, so I just grabbed my clothes that had been thrown on that plush carpet, searching for my phone, the screen luckily lighting up, showing that it still had battery – which was a huge relief, or else I wouldn't go home with dignity.
• Anyway – as soon as I finished getting ready – I found myself leaving that room silently, trying not to make any noise, hiding every time a living soul seemed about to see me or approach me.
• It was ridiculous.
• It was hilarious to say the least.
• But the important thing was that I managed not to be noticed at some point, right? And also, that God – if He existed – had enough mercy on my being to make that huge iron gate open just when I needed it.
• "Mission impossible, accomplished." I released along with a sarcastic tone, my phone being picked up by my hand as I called my driver to come pick me up, and he responded promptly soon after.
• I took a deep breath.
• Now all that was left was to wait, wait, and try not to act like a offended damsel because she was left after being used.
• **CLAIRE LEBLANC**
• When I woke up, I saw that face that seemed to have been carved by Apollo himself, with those blond strands falling over him, and the faint sunlight hitting his face made his eyelashes and hair shimmer.
• He didn't look human.
• He was too beautiful to be human.
• "Ouch..." I uttered after moving, my whole body seeming to ache, especially my back, my legs, "damn..."
• I was broken.
• Well, how couldn't I be, especially...
• Heaven.
• My face blushed.
• "The only angelic thing about you is your little face..." I said while brushing a strand from his eyes, which made him grumble, and almost made me jump out of bed.
• But luckily, he hadn't woken up.
• "Well, time to get up and... forget this happened," I said to myself because in the end? That's what I had to do, since in the end... it was just one night, one I needed to de-stress, and one that this blonde wouldn't even remember, because... he was a man, and men? Generally don't care about such things, right?
• So, I took a shower and got ready to leave, fixing myself up, putting on my earrings while praying with all my heart that the beautiful being in my bed wouldn't wake up. Because I didn't know if I could handle the embarrassing dialogue that would follow.
• After all, what would I say if he looked at my face? Good morning, the night was good? Certainly not!
• But anyway, as beautiful as that blonde was, he also seemed to have a heavy sleep, and I thanked the heavens for that. Because besides having fully dressed without him even opening his eye, I also managed to leave a note on the bedside table.
• I didn't know what his reaction would be to reading that, but anyway... maybe he had hidden from someone's house many times, right? They always said those who looked like angels were always the worst, and even the most problematic depending on the case. So... why would it be different in this blonde's case?
• Well, anyway, I left my room after getting ready, and just as I was planning to have breakfast at a new café that had opened near my house, I received a message.
• It was Ethan.
• [Ethan
• I stared at that message for a while because that son of a bitch had disappeared for years – because he managed to be sent to a reform school – and out of nowhere, and also at the moment I needed it the most, he returned to my life.
• It seemed like magic, or even... like he had sensed it, just like when we were kids.
• [I]: Where are you? I'll come pick you up now!
• [Ethan
• [Ethan
• I admit that I laughed at that message, and that feeling of nostalgia that invaded me for finally being able to see Ethan again was priceless.
• So much so that when I went down and really saw him at the gate of my house, I practically jumped on him and hugged him tight, like I hadn't done in a long time.
• "Wow, so much good mood, is your boyfriend George there by any chance?" He asked me, and all I could do was blush.
• Because the person in my room now could be anyone, but definitely not... George Collins.