Zoey took a deep breath. Her fingers trembled as she tried to button up her dress. She did not want to act differently. Even though last night's event had gotten out of hand, she had to remain calm. "I'm dressed." Laurence turned around and looked at Zoey. He then put on his clothes in front of her. Zoey couldn't believe how strong the alcohol had been. She couldn't remember how she got drunk. She had not blacked out, but she couldn't control her actions. She pulled herself together to face Laurence. She refused to mention the events of the night before. She looked calm. "Can you leave?" Laurence was more at ease than she was. He looked at her and asked, "Are you trying to get rid of me after having your way with me? You don't strike me as the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am type." Zoey was still shy about the subject even though many years had passed. She choked. She couldn’t believe he would be so blunt about what happened last night. She thought adults would pretend nothing had

Zoey repeated, "We're not together." The owner, Claire, let out a long "Oh.” She meant no harm, but she was curious. "So he's chasing you?" Zoey shook her head. "No." Claire snuck a smile and winked playfully at Zoey. "It doesn't seem like nothing. He even reserved all the rooms on your floor." Since Claire looked like she was about Zoey's age, she could speak comfortably with her. Claire smiled and hinted, "I think he's into you." Zoey pretended like she and Laurence were not close. "Maybe. I don't know him well." Claire had been running the bed and breakfast for many years. She had met all types of people, including newlyweds, college sweethearts, and married couples who weren’t in love. She had a keen eye for people. "I'm a good judge of character. He has feelings for you." The pair didn't seem like friends. The way the man looked at the woman was more than friendly. "He's hot. You look good together." Zoey took the comment with a grain of salt. She didn't say anythi

The man screamed in pain. It didn't take long before he was black and blue. He helplessly lifted his arms to block his face. His friends in the back finally realized they should help him. They were kicked and thrown against the wall on their backs before they could get close. They sat against the wall, unable to get up as they winced in agony. Even when they teamed up, the men were no match for Laurence. He may have looked like a gentleman with a slender build, but his attack was ruthless.The man tasted the rust and spat out the blood in his mouth. He forced himself to get up. He didn’t want to look weak in front of his friends. He asked, "Who the hell are you? Why do you care? You attacked us out of nowhere!" Even though he was beaten to a pulp, the man endured the pain and added furiously, "What? Who is she to you? Why are you protecting her?" Laurence had not used violence in a long time. He knew that violence was immature and would not solve the problem. The act of aggressi

Zoey was exhausted. It was way past her usual bedtime. She leaned onto the bed. Her eyes were sore from exhaustion, but her mind was wide awake. She couldn't stop reliving the incidents of the past. Before she knew it, she dozed off against the bed. Zoey dreamed a lot, but she couldn't remember a single thing when she woke up. Zoey woke up in the morning. Her arms and neck are sore. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked as her memories came back to her. She remembered she was at the hospital. Laurence had not regained consciousness, but the anesthesia should have worn off by now. The doctor and nurse had made their early rounds. They examined him, and he seemed fine. All that was left was to wait for him to wake up.Zoey stood up and rubbed her sore neck. She couldn't resist asking the doctor. "When can he wake up?" The doctor couldn't give her a concrete answer. "It's hard to say." Zoey nodded and turned to Laurence. She responded absent-mindedly, "Okay." Not long after th

Zoey had no idea that Laurence had been staying in the room opposite hers. The rooms in the bed and breakfast had keypad locks. It was more secure. Zoey opened the door to the room. Laurence's room was clean and tidy. It felt as if no one had stayed there. His suitcase was next to the closet, and his clothes were hung in the closet neatly. She grabbed a few extra clothes and stuffed them into a paper bag. She walked out of his room with the bag in hand. Coincidentally, Zoey bumped into Claire in the hallway as she closed the door. Claire had come upstairs to invite Zoey to the lobby for drinks and an open mic. She wasn't expecting to find Zoey coming out of another room. Zoey's face went red. She could feel the burn in her ears. It was as if she was a thief getting caught red-handed. She was embarrassed and wanted to find a hole to bury herself in. She explained, "I’m just grabbing some things." Claire let out a smile that spoke volumes. "I get it." She had been in an on-agai