WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL: Episode 51 to 60 - Page 10 of 10

?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?

?EPISODE 60 ?

“Alice is my best friend! She’s done nothing to you. Now,
apologize!” Denise sounded like she was talking to a bunch
of ten-year-olds.

April and Mica approached me. Mica had tears in her
eyes when she said, “Alice, I’m sorry. I meant that as a joke.
I didn’t know you couldn’t swim. I never intended to hurt
you.”

They didn’t like me. If I had to guess, I think they were
jealous because they thought I was with Chaise and they
found him charming. I knew they didn’t intend to drown me.

I didn’t exactly come with an ‘I-don’t-know-how-to-swim’
sign written on my forehead.

I just nodded at Mica and April. They both smiled at me
ruefully and then went back into the house. We were all
quiet after that.

Chaise was unusually quiet too. I eyed him curiously. He
seemed genuinely bothered that I was almost endangered
from right under his nose.
“I’m okay,” I assured him.

He snapped out of his deep thoughts and stared back at
me. He gave me a gentle smile. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

April and Mica didn’t want to stay a minute longer in the
house. I suspect, it was because they were afraid of Hunter.

Ross volunteered to take them on the boat first and come
back for the rest of us.
“Do you mind if I come with them?” Chaise asked.
“Why?”

“I… left my phone in the car. I need to call my mom. She
would be worried,” he replied.

I thought his excuse was lame but I was really not in the
mood for an argument right now. So I nodded instead.

It was getting dark and we could hear the soft bellows of
thunder. My suspicions were right.

It was going to rain soon and we still needed to make two trips so all of us would be back in the main house.

“You’re going to be cold,” Denise told me. “Go change
your clothes while we wait for Ross to come back.”

I nodded and took my bag. As I went into the bathroom,
I caught a glimpse of Hunter sitting on the deck alone,
making no effort to make chit-chats with Denise and Ben.

He was already dressed in a clean pair of shorts and a white shirt.

I took a quick shower to wash out the lake water from
my skin.

Then I dried myself off and took out a fresh pair of
underwear from my bag. I dressed in a pair of white capri pants and purple long-sleeved shirt.

The trip back was going
to be cold. I didn’t hear Denise knock or call for me so I assumed that Ross had not returned yet.

I got hold of a blow-drier and dried my hair. When I went out of the bedroom, the whole house was quiet and the living room was empty.

“Denise!” I called.
No answer. I went out to the front door and found that
the boat was not there.
“Denise!” I called again.
Still no answer.

I went to the deck. I found Hunter standing at the edge
of the dock, looking out the view in the horizon, lost in his thoughts.

It was already drizzling but he didn’t look like he had plans of coming inside the house. I approached him nervously.

“Where is Denise?” I asked.
“They left,” he replied.
“Without me?”

He turned around to face me. “Apparently, Mica was
having panic attacks, she had to breathe into a brown bag.
Denise had to rush there to control the situation.

I guess I am scary if I chose to be.”
“So Denise left me here alone?” I asked, trying not to
look panicked.

He raised a brow and looked at me as if I was out of my
mind. “Not really,” he replied.

His face turned serious and
mischievous at the same time. Then he added, “She left you
here alone… with me.”