CHAPTER 5: SHARING A ROOM, DISTANT HEARTS
1180 Words
92 days left.
I thought sharing a house with Damian would be bad.
I was wrong.
Sharing a *room* with him was worse.
---
The rule came at breakfast.
"From now on, we share a bedroom," Damian said, not looking up from his coffee. "For appearances."
I almost choked on my toast. "What?"
"Mrs. Lim mentioned Victoria was asking about our sleeping arrangements." He finally looked at me. "If we have separate rooms, people will talk. The board will use it against us."
"So we... sleep in the same room?"
"The same bed." His voice was flat. "King size. Plenty of space. You take one side, I take the other. No touching."
I stared at him. "This wasn't in the contract."
"It is now." He pushed a paper across the table. Addendum. His signature was already there. "Sign it."
My hand shook as I signed. 92 days.
That night, I stood in the doorway of the master bedroom and wanted to cry.
The room was massive. Floor to ceiling windows. KL skyline. Black and white everything. And in the middle, a bed big enough for 4 people.
Damian was already there. In gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt. No suit. He looked younger. And more dangerous.
"You can have the left side," he said. "I’ll sleep on the right. There are extra blankets and pillows on the sofa if you need distance."
Distance. Right.
I climbed into bed on my side. Hugged the very edge.
The silence was loud.
At 2 AM, I woke up to rain hitting the windows. And to Damian not being in bed.
He was on the sofa. Staring at his phone. The light made his face look tired.
"Can't sleep?" I whispered.
He didn't answer.
I pulled the blanket up. "Me neither."
Another long silence.
Then: "Are you cold? The AC is at 18."
"A little."
A pause. Then something soft landed on my feet. Another blanket.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"You're welcome."
That was the most we talked in 24 hours.
---
The next morning was worse.
We had to get ready in the same bathroom.
I came out of the shower in a towel to find Damian shaving. Shirtless.
I screamed. He didn't even flinch.
"Warn me next time," I snapped, grabbing clothes.
"Your side is the left," he said calmly, wiping foam off his jaw. "That includes the bathroom. 7 to 7:15 is yours."
"Rules for everything, huh?"
"Yes." He met my eyes in the mirror. "It makes things easier."
Easier for who?
At 8 AM, we left for Voss Group. Together. As husband and wife.
His assistant, Rina, almost dropped her files when she saw us. "Good morning, Mr. Voss. Mrs. Voss."
Mrs. Voss.
The title still felt like a costume.
Damian's office was even bigger in daylight.
"Sit," he pointed to the chair beside his desk. "You’ll be here today."
"Doing what?"
"Learning." He handed me a tablet. "Company profiles. Board members. You need to know who’s who before the next gala."
I spent the whole day reading. He spent the whole day in meetings.
But every hour, his assistant would bring in coffee. Two cups. One black, one with milk and one sugar.
Mine.
At 1 PM, Rina knocked. "Lunch is here, Mr. Voss."
Damian looked up. "Set it for two."
We ate in silence. Until his phone rang.
*Victoria.*
He put it on speaker.
"Damian," her voice was syrup and poison. "The board wants to see you and your wife tomorrow. Dinner. At my house."
"I don't think--"
"Bring her," Victoria cut him off. "Or I’ll assume the marriage is fake and call an emergency board meeting."
The call ended.
Damian rubbed his temples. "You don't have to come."
"Yes I do." I stood up. "It’s part of the deal. Right?"
He looked at me for a long time. "Fine. 8 PM. Wear something nice."
---
Dinner at Victoria's mansion was hell.
Crystal chandeliers. Marble floors. And 10 people from the Voss board staring at me like I was a stain.
Victoria introduced me as "Damian's little project."
I smiled until my face hurt.
Halfway through dinner, one of the board members asked, "So, Ms. Chen. How did you and Damian meet?"
Damian answered before I could. "At the hospital. She was taking care of her sister."
"How touching," Victoria cooed. "And now you're married. So fast."
"Sometimes you know," Damian said. His hand found mine under the table. "When you know, you know."
Everyone aww'd.
I wanted to throw up.
On the ride home, I pulled my hand away. "You didn't have to do that."
"I did." Damian stared out the window. "They needed to see it."
"See what? A lie?"
"It's not a lie if we act like it's real."
Back at the penthouse, it was midnight.
We went to the bedroom. Same routine. Far apart.
But tonight was different.
I had a nightmare.
About Aira. About hospitals. About bills.
I woke up gasping.
And Damian was already sitting up, watching me.
"Bad dream?" he asked quietly.
I nodded, hugging my knees.
He didn't say anything. He just... moved.
He took his pillow and blanket from the sofa and laid down on the floor. On my side of the bed.
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
"In case you have another one." He closed his eyes. "So you won't be alone."
I stared at the ceiling for a long time.
92 days left.
But the Ice King just gave up his bed.
---
The next week passed in a blur of rules and almost-moments.
Rule: No questions about personal life.
But he told me Lily liked strawberries.
Rule: No physical contact unless necessary.
But he held my hand for 2 hours at a press event.
Rule: Don't fall in love.
But I caught myself watching him sleep on the floor again.
On Friday, he came home early.
"I have a surprise," he said. Awkward. Like the word felt weird in his mouth.
He took me to a bookstore.
"You said you liked reading," he mumbled, looking at the shelves. "Pick whatever you want."
I picked 3 novels and a journal.
At the counter, he paid before I could.
"Thank you," I said.
He just nodded.
That night, I couldn't sleep again. I went to the living room for water.
Damian was there. On the sofa. Reading.
One of the books I picked.
He looked up, caught. "Couldn't sleep."
"Me neither." I sat on the other end of the sofa. Careful. "What do you think?"
"It's... not bad." He closed the book. "The main character is stupid though."
I laughed. Then immediately covered my mouth.
Damian raised an eyebrow. "Was that... a laugh?"
"Maybe."
He almost smiled. Almost.
We sat there in comfortable silence. Two people. One sofa. 3 feet apart.
At 3 AM, he stood up. "You should sleep."
"Yeah."
Before he went to the bedroom, he stopped. "Maya."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For tonight."
He left.
I stayed on the sofa, holding my cup.
92 days left.
But for the first time, the distance between us felt smaller.
- Writer
