One Wild Night

Chapter 348 Stranger

　　Lucas opened his eyes slowly and shut them almost immediately because of the bright light in the room that flooded his vision. He waited for some seconds before opening his eyes again. This time he opened them one at a time.

　　The alcohol had been a temporary solution to help him forget about his problems and sleep. But now that he was awake, it felt pointless. He was feeling even more lost and anxious now than before. His heart kept beating fast even though it also felt empty. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. 

　　Slowly he tried to sit up again, and he raised both hands to the back of his stiff neck. He had been knocked off on the couch, and as a result of how he had positioned his head, his neck was feeling stiff. 

　　When he finally managed to sit, he reached for his phone, which was on top of an ashtray on the table beside him, and he scowled at the empty bottle of whiskey he had consumed the previous night.

　　As he took a closer look around, he decided that this had to be a hotel room. Although he couldn't remember exactly how he ended up here, he remembered going to a bar.

　　He had left the house because there were too many memories of Rachel there, and the more he thought about what Lucy and Sonia had said about her, the more tempted he was to go over to her place and do something crazy. Hence the last place he wanted to be right now was anywhere that reminded him of her. 

　　He shook his head, not wanting to think about it, and he groaned when pain shot through his back. Damn alcohol! Lucas decided that getting drunk was stupid since he not only had to deal with the ache in his chest now, but he also had to deal with the physical pain in his head and general body discomfort.

　　Once he turned on his phone, several text message notifications came in, but he clicked on Lucy's text first.

　　'Lucas, cut the crap and give me a call, will you? I'm worried sick about you. You are not the only one in this, you know? CALL ME, or I'm going to drop everything I'm doing over here and find you!' he sighed as he read her text.

　　It wasn't fair that he was adding to her worries. He had done enough harm to her already by dating someone as despicable as Rachel. Making Lucy worry was the last thing he should be doing. With that thought, he dialed her line. 

　　"Lucas! Where have you been? Are you okay?" Lucy asked in concern the moment she received the call, and Lucas winced because she was speaking loudly and his head was aching.

　　"Can you lower your voice a little? Please? My head aches," He added wearily.

　　"Oh, dear! What did you do? Are you fine? Where are you?" Lucy asked as quietly as she could.

　　"I'm sorry, Lu. I'm sorry for everything. And I'm also sorry I made you worry. I just wanted to have some time to myself," Lucas confessed apologetically. 

　　"It's fine. What have you been up to? How are you feeling now? Where are you? Mom and dad are very worried," Lucy said as she took off her glasses and placed them on her desk.

　　"I will give them a call when I'm done speaking with you. I think I'm in a hotel. I will be here for some time," Lucas said, and Lucy frowned.

　　"You think?" Lucy asked, not missing the uncertainty she could hear in his tone.

　　Knowing that if he told her he didn't know exactly where he was, she would freak out, he decided not to, "I'm in a hotel."

　　"What is the name of the hotel? Why are you in a hotel?"

　　"I don't want to be home right now. Everything there reminds me of her. I've never considered myself a violent person, but I think I might explode if I see Ra..." Unable to call her name, Lucas sighed. 

　　"I don't want to see her, so I'll rather avoid her," Lucas explained.

　　"Mom and dad are back home now. Please go home to them. That way, I will worry less about your well-being. If what you want is a change of environment, then come back here. You can just live with me," Lucy pleaded. 

　　"You don't have to worry about me. I won't do anything stupid. What can I do anyway? Just let me stay here for some days more. I can't face any of you yet..."

　　"Why not? You didn't commit any crime. Lucas, I hope you don't blame yourself for any of it. If you are wise, you would know that none of this was your fault," Lucy pointed out, and Lucas sighed.

　　"We both know you wouldn't have had any of those horrible experiences if I wasn't dating her..."

　　"Says who? I'm sure he would have easily found another way to get to me if she wasn't in the picture. It has nothing to do with you."

　　"We don't know that for sure. The girl I almost got married to did that to you," Lucas said in a shaky voice.

　　"It doesn't matter. Let's just forget about it and put that behind us. Besides, if the table was turned, and you suffered hardship because of a guy I love, would you want me to behave the way you are doing right now? You are putting me in a difficult position?" Lucy said, and Lucas sighed.

　　"Lu, we all deal with things differently. Trust me when I say I need to be alone right now. If it's any consolation, I will leave my phone on so that you can reach me any time you want," Lucas pleaded, and then he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a door open behind him.

　　"Let me call you back, Lu. I have to go now," Lucas said and quickly hung up when he heard footsteps heading towards him.

　　"Good morning, handsome! I see you are awake now," a beautiful bright-eyed brunette with tousled long curly hair greeted as she joined him, and Lucas followed her elegant movement with his eyes as she sat on the couch adjacent to his and stretched out her legs before crossing them at the ankle.

　　"Who are you?" Lucas asked as he took another look around the room, which he had assumed to be a hotel room.

　　She watched him for a moment without saying a word as she raised a cigarette to her lips which he hadn't noticed she was holding before.

　　She lit it and took a puff before speaking, "You don't have to concern yourself about who I am. You were drunk and knocked out at the bar. The barman was going to throw you out, so I had to step in. You can call me your savior," she said with an easy smile.

　　"And where is this place?" Lucas asked as he watched her, wondering why she looked so comfortable when her robe was almost slipping off her shoulder.

　　"This is where I live. You have never gotten this drunk before, have you?" She asked as she eyed him with interest while letting out a ring of smoke through her pouty lips.

　　"Why do you ask?" Lucas asked as he tried to stand up slowly.

　　"Because you don't just strike me like the type that makes it a habit to get drunk and knocked out that way. Also, I listened in on some parts of your phone call," she said, unashamed to admit that she had been eavesdropping on his conversation.

　　Before Lucas could respond to that, she stood up and returned in the direction she had come from, while Lucas wondered where she was going. A moment later, she returned with a bottle of water and aspirin, "Here. This should help you feel better," she said as she placed it on the table in front of him. 

　　Lucas eyed the medicine and ignored it as he picked up the bottle of water, "Thanks," he said as he opened it and gulped down the content. He didn't stop drinking until the bottle was empty.

　　All the while the stranger continued to drag and puff her cigarette as she watched him, "You are very trusting, you know? I could have poisoned that water or something," she pointed out, and Lucas snorted.

　　"You brought a stranger into your home—a male stranger. Yet you talk about trust," Lucas pointed out.

　　"I'm kind but not that trusting or stupid, trust me. You can't do anything to me. I have my guards standing outside that door," she pointed at the door.

　　"It's good to know that. I'm thankful for your help. I should leave now," Lucas said as he headed for the door. 

　　"I thought you told the person on the phone that you wanted to remain here for some time? Why the rush to leave?" She asked as Lucas walked past her, and he stopped to look at her, wondering just how much of their conversation she must have heard.

　　"That was until I realized I slept in a stranger's house," Lucas said and then winced at the throbbing ache he felt at the right side of his temple, extending to his eyes. 

　　"You don't feel okay yet. Sit down, and I will order for breakfast. I should at least feed you before letting you leave," she said, and from her tone, it sounded like an order. She seemed like the type that liked to have her way. Unfortunately, he was done with ladies like her. 

　　"Miss, I appreciate your help, but I don't need it, thanks," Lucas said as he turned to walk away.

　　"It won't hurt you to sit down, now will it?" She repeated when she noticed the annoyance that crossed his handsome face as he turned away from her, "Please," she added, and Lucas stopped. 

　　Since he had nothing else to do with his time other than sulk, he sighed as he returned to his seat while she picked up the ashtray and flicked the cigarette ash into it before standing up.

　　"So, who was that on the phone with you?" She asked casually as she returned to the bedroom once again and returned with her phone while Lucas watched her.

　　She dialed a number, "Please serve us breakfast. Preferably something good for hangovers," she added before hanging up. 

　　"Is this a hotel?" Lucas asked, still unsure of where he was. 

　　"Yes. And like I said, this is where I live. At least for now. Who was she?"

　　"She who?" Lucas asked in confusion.

　　"The person you spoke with. I think you called her Lu," she asked as she looked at him through the haze of cigarette smoke.

　　"Why are you so curious to know?"

　　"I don't think it's a crime to want to know more about the stranger I brought into my home, is it?"

　　"My wife. She is my wife," Lucas lied, hoping she would drop the issue.

　　She hung her head to the side as she studied him, "That actually makes sense in a way... Only that it's not true."

　　"Why not?"

　　"Because you mentioned something about the person you almost got married to doing something to her. That means she's not your wife," she said with a smug smile. 

　　"She could be an ex-wife I'm still in love with," Lucas pointed out, and she pursed her lips as she studied him.

　　"Tsk. Is there something you're good at? You're terrible with alcohol and you're such a terrible liar too, Lucas Perry," she said with a shake of her head, and Lucas raised a brow.

　　"You know my name?" He asked in alarm, making her giggle.

　　"You really do not remember anything about last night, do you? You should give up alcohol," she said with an amused smile.

　　"What happened last night?" Lucas asked, too curious to feel embarrassed.

　　"I walked up to you at the bar and hit on you, but you asked me to go fuck myself without bothering to spare me a glance, much to my chagrin, I tell you."

　　"I did?" Lucas asked, surprised. He couldn't remember anything he had done. Alcohol was really stupid, and he had no idea why he bothered with it.

　　"Not in those exact words. But that was the message I got. I was going to leave, but I noticed you were knocked out, and the barman was trying to get you to leave. You didn't seem like you wanted to go home, so I decided to bring you with me."

　　"If I was so knocked out, when did I mention my name to you?" Lucas asked, not sure he completely bought her story.

　　"I got that from your ID card. At least you were smart enough to take one with you. And you kept crying and apologizing to Lucy in your sleep. I thought maybe she was your wife or something, so I decided to check you out online. I put two and two together, and guess what I found?" She asked, and Lucas stared at her, completely lost.

　　"Lucas Perry. I checked you out on Instagram. You are a medical doctor, you have a beautiful fiancee called Rachel, and I saw your twin sister's pictures. She looked familiar, and then it clicked. Lucy Perry. Lucinda Perry. The lady who trended all over social media few days ago," she said with a wide smile and spread both hands with a flourish. 

　　"If you knew all of this already, why did you keep insisting to know who I spoke with?"

　　She shrugged, "To see if you would lie or tell me the truth about who you are. And now I'm wondering why you lied."

　　"What do you want?" Lucas asked, wondering where she was headed with all this.

　　"Nothing," she assured him just as someone knocked on the door, "I think breakfast is ready."