Love at the Nth Time

Caught in the Middle

Chapter 24

I saw the lights reflecting on top of the water, submerged by the heaviness as the under pulled me. My thought of drowning stopped as someone from behind grabbed both my arms and lifted me. I gasped for air.

"Celine!" Seth shouted and pulled me off the pool, making her sit down on the floor as I panted and laid myself on her. I watched Johann get out of the water. Seth put the strands of my hair away from my face and raised my chin to face her. "Are you okay?" I nodded and coughed softly.

"Hey you, apologize, man," said Johann, brushing his damp hair.

"Tsk! I'll get back at you," stated Chinnie's boyfriend, and he grabbed her arm. Seth intended to stand up. She yelled,

"Hey, you fucker!" I clasped Seth's arm. Her mad eyes vanished and focused on me. My lips trembled over the cold wind that moved past me, I was about to move away from Seth, but she pulled me closer to her and took off her suit, leaving a long sleeve dress shirt. "Can you stand?" I nodded a lot as she asked it, yet she acted on carrying me already.

I gripped the suit tightly as we headed to one of the guest rooms. I took a warm bath and wore the wardrobe the front desk delivered—no regrets about what I did.

"You, okay?" asked Seth after I came out of the bathroom. I rolled my eyes whilst drying my hair with a dry towel.

"Know the girl first before you flirt with her."

"I didn't know she had a boyfriend. She lied to me, you know. Come here." She pulled me near her. Turning me around, she snatched the towel to dry my hair. I did not bring spare clothes. I moved away from Seth and sat down on the bed beside her. Lifting my bag and taking out the things inside, it winced me.

"This is so much. All of my things, even my phone," I mumbled.

"It's not working anymore?" I tried to open my phone. I shook my head and stared at the phone trying to be opened by Seth. I took out the wet money bills from my wallet and make-up. "I'll buy you a new one. Leave those make-up of yours. I'll buy the same brand."

"Okay. Lend me your phone, ah I don't memorize sis' number." I had to call her not to fall asleep as I might get home late with the door locked, and my unwearied brain processed subsequent thoughts of the task I left and the scolding of the people handling me on the business I disregarded tonight.

"Sleep with me in the condo. We'll also buy you a pair of clothes." I glanced at Seth and laid my back on the bed. It's also an event where business partners gather to socialize, although I barely recall the other topic created aside from business matters related to the same field.

"Good thing, I met a cousin of Chinnie. If he didn't tell, I couldn't stop her boyfriend, war freak." Seth groaned in disbelief and stretched her legs.

"Damn that girl. That's why I don't wanna mix my work and personal affairs."

"Heh. Told you but as if you knew Chinnie so well."

"Yeah." She threw her back on the bed, and our eyes met. We laughed. I knew what she was laughing about—my embarrassing way of falling into the pool.

Seth was called for the event, and she let me stay in the room till it finished. My time passed with conversations with my business partners on a social app. They did a video call and captured the entertainment of a local band where the crowd jumped as they sang along with them. They had no clue what Seth looked like, and their only idea about her was she was a lesbian and a model.

I woke up as someone kissed me on the ear, and heard a thud of a chair and saw Seth sitting down on it. Her blonde hair darkened as merely the lamp from the desk she faced lit the entire room. She's wearing a sleeveless undershirt.

"Seth."

"Yeah?" She turned around to face me. My eyes altered to the sketchpad on the table, with the pen in her left hand. I gazed at her again.

"Are we gonna sleep here?"

"You fell asleep. We can stay here tonight." I sat up on the bed. She continued sketching, carrying a sketchpad all the time. My hand searched for the phone under the pillow and checked the time. It's 03:21 am.

"Oy, do that tomorrow."

"Nah, can't sleep." Her mind's bothering her not to. It's unpleasant to watch her immersed in sketching quietly in the corner. I asked her about the same thing several times whenever I caught her in the middle of the night. None of my business, she responded, and I pondered whether to intervene or create an escape.

"Let's go home, then. It's close to Suntrust so that I could get home quickly too." Suntrust was the condominium where my older sister and I stayed.

"Did I wake you up?" She looked at me with her eyeglasses. I could barely see her face due to the lack of light in the room. I nodded and looked down. Of course, I wouldn't say she kissed me, which woke me up even as a joke.

I just opened my social accounts on her phone and even read manhwa until Seth asked to leave, and we headed to her condo unit. She asked the staff to dry my clothes, and her suit kept me warm.

The car moved as she hopped in and put her seatbelt on. "Are you good?" I questioned after she gave her farewell to the friends left in the building.

"Yup, let's go."

The silence drove us to nothingness. Then we arrived at the unit. Seth turned on the lights and grunted softly, heading to the bathroom. She's in a bad mood. So, it's a blow to her knowing Chinnie cheated on her. I sighed inaudibly and stared at the bed. Why did I feel like I wanted to go home?

"Hey, let's eat out." I looked at Seth as she peeked a little from the bathroom to face me.

"What?" She scanned me from head to toe.

"You're fine with your clothes. Let's go out," Seth demanded, and I obliged.

Huh?

We ate samgyeopsal since it's the nearest restaurant and still open at past 4 am. We talked about the event and my opinions on the outfits Seth created. We joked and laughed about the scene at the pool again and the contempt she brought towards Chinnie, which left a thorn in the other side of me as the worry grew about a time would come that I needed to lie too.

"Hahaha, you lose, you lose." Seth scowled, and uttered,

"Ugh. Celine, this is unfair." I kept on laughing as she lost in our betting game on who would take the mouthful of meat covered with lettuce.

"You're the one who started this." She pretended to vomit even though she had not yet drunk the juice mixed with soy sauce and chilli. "Come on, drink, drink bottoms up."

"I hate you for this." I laughed again.

After two hours, we went back to her unit, and we fell fast asleep.

I yawned and looked upfront blankly as I could see the entrance of the company building. Seth refused me to go home and accompany her to her office. She's acting like an asshole as she might hurt Chinnie physically when she showed up, and right. Chinnie's waiting near the entrance. She told me she could slap a girl, and as a way of defence, not harassment.

Seth hated facing a girl her type who lied to her, and behaved as if they were innocent, then clung to her.

Chinnie came near us. "Seth, let's talk. Please," she pleaded. Seth passed by her. I simply followed Seth.

"There's nothing we need to talk about. Your job ended," replied Seth, and opened the door.

"I-I just did that because I like you. We have a problem. I don't love Christian anymore." Seth halted from opening the door and walked in front of Chinnie till the girl stepped back. My heart pounded nervously. Seth's other behaviour scared me too.

"You think I would believe you again?" She stared at Chinnie for a few seconds, later turned around.

"What about you?!" cried out Chinnie. My goodness, she's crying. Uh, I looked the other way, as I might get carried away and cry too.

Who would ignore her display of interest in someone she put her eyes on? It's partly her fault for making a move fast.

"Aren't you lying either?! You told me you don't like anyone, so why are you always with her?!" My eyes stared at the finger of Chinnie pointing at me. What. What. Why did I get involved??

Seth's arm blocked me and pushed me softly towards the door. "Get in," she murmured as her eyes pierced on Chinnie. Her jaw clenched. I understood Chinnie. She did not have any idea I was also a victim of Seth's pitfall of capturing someone in the palm of her hand. Thereafter, the feelings she confessed expected to fade in time.