Betrayed By Her Fiance

Space

ILIANA'S POV

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Restless and uncomfortable, I shift on the couch, twisting and turning as the hard wood in between the two cushions digs into my spine. I sit up, my eyes glancing around the gloomy lit room, letting out a shuddered breath. "You know you can just sleep here," Drystan murmurs, his deep voice startling me. "I'm just stretching," I shrug, lying and I hurriedly sink back onto the couch, biting down on my teeth as my lower back feels the hard wood.

For such a luxurious room, it has a shitty couch.

"You've been tossing and turning for four hours," a dim light cascades up onto his face as he checks the time on his phone, his eyes narrowing on the screen.

Four hours? It feels like ten. "And it's not because of the couch, it's comfy here," I lie, again. Lord forgive me for spreading false words with my tongue. "Sure it is," he snorts knowingly, rolling over onto his back. I glance toward the bed with a longing ache in my body, wishing that he'd be the gentleman and take the couch, but he's too big of a jerk for that, and it is his bed after all.

"Can I just have an extra pillow?" My voice rasps out in a mere whisper, and in a blink of an eye, a pillow comes flying through the air, hitting me in the face. "If you want to be stubborn," he grumbles, falling silent for the rest of the night while I toss and turn, continuing to wonder if he's awake or not. I eventually fall asleep because of exhaustion, and when I wake up, I'm engulfed in a soft, thick duvet, a soft cloud beneath me and I'm sprawled out across the bed, alone, with the room still dark, the shades blocking out the sun.

Confused, I sit up, finding a note on the pillow next to me, "You drool." My eyebrows draw together as I frown at the paper, turning it to find just an empty page. I toss the note into the air, sliding out of bed and pad over to my phone, that still has no reception, and my eyes widen at the sight of the time. It's one in the afternoon, and I was still sleeping.

I'm disgusted with myself for even sleeping this late, but then again, I feel so refreshed that energy is pulsing through my body. I drag my suitcase into the bathroom with me, getting dressed in my bikini, and wrap a towel around my waist as I leave the room.

Nothing and no one is going to stop me from enjoying this vacation, because I need it now more than I did before.

My chirpy mood and the pep in my step falters when I step foot out of the room, and there Nolan is, sitting with his back against the door, outside, and his gaze lifts. At first his bland expression remains, but his eyes grow at the sight of me, realizing where I've been sleeping, where I've been staying.

His scrambles to his feet, the air thick with silent tension as his gaze flicks back and forth between the door and me.

"Why were you in there?" the fear in his voice shakes, his eyes so wide it looks like it might pop out of their sockets.

Does he really need to ask?

"Do you really want the answer to that?" My shoulders sag carelessly.

His face twitches up in disbelief, and it quickly turns into anger, "You've been sleeping with that stranger?" he accuses me, and my eyebrows raise in surprise, "First off, no, I didn't sleep with him like you're accusing me of, and secondly, it has nothing to do with you, but if you think that lowly of me, I'm sure I've made the right decision to leave you." I sneer, strutting past him, and he grabs my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh, "Ow! You're hurting me," My neck twists as I face him in disbelief.

Surprised, his eyes flick down to where he's gripping me, immediate regret filling his eyes and he snatches his hand away, blinking, "What have you become?" I ask in a mere whisper, and continue to walk away, still shaken by his hard grip on me.

I didn't expect him to sit there, or be there, like he was waiting for me to come out of the room, expecting it.

Annoyed by the lingering feeling of his touch on my arm, I strut over to the pool, unwrapping the towel around me and lay it down on the chair, placing my book on the side and lay down under the sun, the immediate heat kisses my skin, burning his touch off me.

Just as I'm about to pick up my book, a shadow cascades over me, and not of a person passing me by, but one that lingers, staying there with purpose.

My neck cranes back, and I look up through my lashes at Drystan, "Sleep well?" he asks sarcastically, moving around and casually sits down next to me stretched out legs. I bend them, bringing my knees up and he snatches my book, "Reading?" his eyebrows raise in surprise, and I shrug. "Silence?" his eyebrows raise even more, "What?" I stammer. "You're not speaking to me," he points out, and my throat dries out, my lips parting, wanting to explain, but there isn't an explanation at all.

My shoulders lift into a careless shrug. His eyes dart down as he flips the book, reading what it's about on the back, all the while my heart races. Please don't open the first page. "Interesting," his thumb glides over the pages, and it the paper flips to the first page. I snatch the book, staring at him dumbfounded, "Did you need something?" I snap unexpectedly, hearing my heartbeat throb in my ears. "No," a small smile crosses his face as his eyebrows draw together in concern, "Okay then," I lay my head back down, lifting my book.

Drystan still sits on the chair, and I can feel his grey orbs staring at me like he could see through the book, but he doesn't say a word and the tension between us grows, lingering in the air silently. He breaks the awkward silence by clearing his throat, "I get it," he murmurs, and I lower the book, lifting my head, "Get what?" a smirk tugs at the edges of his lips, "You're upset with me,", "I'm not," I snort. I don't think I'm upset with him. "You aren't?" he asks surprised, "Why would I be?" He didn't do anything wrong.

"I moved you off the couch," he shrugs, and a loud, pig like snort escapes me, "Why would I be mad about it? The couch was uncomfortable as hell," Realizing my mistake, I freeze, my muscles tensing as his smile grows, "I knew it," he scoffs, chuckling lightly.

"I'm not upset with you," I breathe, adjusting how I lay, feeling exposed as his eyes drag over my body, as if inspecting my skin.

"Then why are you ignoring me?", "Look," I huff, propping myself up onto my elbows, "I don't know you," My own blunt response catches me off guard, and a wave of uncertainty and guilt washes over me, "I'm kind, aren't I?" he tilts his head, looking all innocent like a lost puppy.

Refusing to admit how attractive he is, is difficult. I gulp away the lump in my throat, "You come forth as kind," I mumble. There's no use to kiss his ass now, I'm already in too deep. "Because I am kind,", "And I'd learn that soon, but right now..." I scoff, slowly laying back down, "I just want to be alone," I admit.

I haven't been alone in so long, and now I'm sharing a room with a man I never met.

My parent's would be stunned, and disappointed.

"Alright, but do you need anything?" He asks caringly. Did I not just say that I need space? "Nope," I lift my head, tucking my chin and glance at him over the rim of my book. He nods, gets up and leaves. My heart sinks as I watch him walk away toward the bar inside, and my stomach twists at the thought of him flirting with the same bartender that was snuck into my cabin room to have s*x with my fiance.

Shaking my thoughts away, I lay back and read my book while the sun kisses my skin.

"After a few hours like flipping around on the chair while tanning and reading my book, I notice Nolan walking past, again and again, glancing at me the entire time, watching me and I'm thankful for the sunglasses I put on, and hopefully he doesn't approach me.

My heart races when I notice him heading straight toward me.

Please no. No. No.

"Iliana,: he calls out my name, making sure everybody knows he's talking to me as he stares right at me.

Wishing I could sink into this chair and merge with it, I push the book up over my face, ignoring him, until he taps my foot and I flinch away like his touched burned. I sit up, pulling my knees to my chest, "What do you want?" My hostile tone carries through the air, and I catch a few people glancing our way. "Woah," Nolan rises his hands, acting afraid like I'm the bad guy, "No, go away." With a flick of the wrist, I wave him off, shaking my head. "Can we just talk? You don't have to get so aggressive," he scoffs, making me out to be abusive and mentally unstable.