Regina comes out of her bedroom, her head aching. Seeing Raffy preparing breakfast reminded her about what she had done the previous night with Jason. They got caught necking in the hallway, and she knew the conversation with her brother would not be pleasant. It had been years since she’d been scolded for being drunk, so before Raffy could say anything, Regina hugged him from behind and apologized. “Raf, I’m sorry about last night. I was just having fun. Nothing bad happened, and I promise next time Jace and I will take it somewhere private.” Regina felt him stiffen. “--Or not. Will you forgive me? Please? I promise it won’t happen again.” Raffy did not reply, so she rubbed her cheek against his back like a cat. “Raf, please forgive me already? We can’t fight like this anymore. I’m an adult and can do whatever I want.” She sneered at his back and was pulling away when he held onto her arms. “You smell good today, Raf. Is that a new cologne? Did Mags get that for you?” Regina said
“Jace, I have to cancel lunch. Mr. Bennet promised to bring Marcus to the Eiffel Tower, and the kid is insistent we do it today.” Regina called Jason to inform him of the bad news, and it was getting difficult to convince him she knew nothing of Owen’s plans. “No, his parents won’t be here. Raffy and Maggie are going out on a date around the city, which is why I volunteered to watch him.” Regina sighed. She had never encountered Jason to be this difficult before, but she could understand why he was acting this way. Owen made him jealous, and now that she knew he was real, it was hard for him to accept that she called out another man’s name in the throes of passion. So she compromised and invited him to their outing, even though she knew Jason and Owen did not get along. “I’m surprised you do not have any plans at all today. Is your friend okay for you to ditch him today? Well, we’re leaving in an hour, so we’ll see you downstairs, then.” After her phone call, Regina looked around a
“Aunt Reggie, let’s go already. What are we waiting for?” Marcus kicked the curb after asking for the 10th time in the last couple of minutes. Owen was standing a few feet away, talking to someone on the phone. “I’m sorry, there was an accident,” Jason moved to kiss Regina, but Marcus protested. “Let’s go. Stop kissing.” Jason laughed but still did it, anyway. “Aunt Reggie, why does everyone want to kiss you?” “Everyone?” Jason asked, looking at Regina. “Don’t bother with him.” She said to Jason while covering Marcus’ mouth. “He’s a kid. He says all kinds of stuff.” “Are we ready?” Owen just finished his phone call and opened the door for Marcus and Regina. “Uncle Owen, sit beside me,” Marcus requested, so Regina had to sit behind the driver before buckling Marcus in the car seat, thus forcing Jason to sit in the front. “You’re so bossy, you know that?” She said, while tickling his side. “I’m not bossy. Uncle Owen, help.” Marcus giggled as he reached out for Owen to save him.
“Aunt Reggie, I have something to tell you,” Marcus whispered.“What is it, baby?” she asked, as Marcus pulled her neck close. Owen was still carrying him, so when their bodies touched, it gave Regina a tingly feeling.“Uncle Owen said he loves you. Do you love him back?” He whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.“He did, didn’t he?” she blushed while sneaking a glance at Owen and shaking her head.“Uncle Owen is very naughty like you. Stirring up trouble. Come down and let us visit with the birds again. I hear them calling your name.”Marcus scrambled from Owen’s hold, excited about the pigeons.“We’ll be back,” she said to Jason, uncertain how to handle the situation. “Antonio and Mariana. It was nice meeting you both.”“Aunt Reggie, let’s go.” Marcus pulled at her hand, making her bump into Owen, adding to her embarrassment.“Watch out, mon amour.” Owen said, as he caught Regina before she fell. “Sorry, this kid is too much sometimes,” she said awkwardly, while following her
Later that evening, after everyone had gone to bed, Regina snuck up to the rooftop garden ahead of Owen to explore. She was baffled as to why the place felt so familiar.During their initial visit to Paris, Owen showed her the rooftop garden to show off his idea of keeping the place free from noise despite being in the middle of the city.And as Regina wandered around, she could hear the cicadas singing to attract their mate.“Regina, are you here?” Owen asked aloud. The whole place felt magical, with the solar lights illuminating the paths and globe lighting scattered among the bushes, bright enough to light up some sections, but dim enough to set the mood and offer privacy.“I’m here,” she replied, pushing her body off the wall that gave her a view of France at night.Owen did not see her, as she was hidden by the shadows cast by some of the plants surrounding her.“I love how you decorated this place.” She said while walking toward Owen. “It feels very enchanting up here. Even thou
Regina ran to her room and hid there for the rest of the night, locking the bathroom door that adjoined their suites, afraid that Owen would use it to gain access to her room. She played back the scenes in her head. The images were vivid, the feelings so real that being with Owen was not just a dream anymore. She initiated the kiss to see into her memories, and it gave her more than she asked for. As she slowly kissed Owen and closed her eyes, the past showed her a memory on another outdoor patio, much like where they were. She had woken up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to bed. So she walked out to the warm summer night in her black silky lingerie edged with lace that felt like a whisper on her skin, cooling her instantly. Regina loved this time of the night when the world grew quiet, allowing her to think clearly. To chase the memory, she kept kissing Owen. Regina smacked her head when she remembered transferring to his lap to get closer. She did it because t
Regina listened to the sound of the shower in her bedroom as an indication that Owen was not in the living room. Now that she figured out they were lovers, and saw him naked every time she closed her eyes, there was no way she could face him. She just wanted to avoid uncomfortable interactions between them until she could school her thoughts and tone down the images popping into her head. “Breakfast?” Owen asked from the stove as she went straight for the coffeemaker, oblivious of the people around her, thinking it was just Raffy on the stove. “Ahh!” she squealed upon hearing his voice. “I thought you were in the shower. How are you here?” “Did you watch me while I took a bath?” “No, you perv. I heard the water running, so I assumed you were in there.” “Oh, so you’ve been avoiding me again?” “I kept the water running in the bathtub so you can have a soak later to relax your muscles if you wanted.” “Thanks…” Regina returned to the coffeemaker, planning her escape when she fel
“Are you up to taking a quick trip? I have something I want to show you.”Regina looked at her watch and saw that it was still early. “Sure, let me tell Raf we’ll be late getting back, so they don’t worry.”Regina’s heart stuck in her throat as her eyes locked with Owen’s. He was standing near the car, and suddenly, she could see a clear image of him wearing a suit for their first date.Then, when she looked down, the flowery blue top and dark jeans she wore had been replaced with a black, lacy, almost see-through dress with black high heels.Disoriented, she almost tripped, but Owen was right there to catch her. “Are you okay?”“I saw a memory of you and me going on a date.”“Are your memories coming back?”“No. It’s just that moment. And we were right here.” Regina looked up, and Owen had an almost pained expression on his face.“Come, let me show you my surprise, then we can talk about us.”Regina hesitated. What he said made the situation sound so final, as if a tremendous secret