After the meal, Beauty didn't return to her room like the others; she stayed outside until night fell.
Jessie joined her, and they chatted about everything that had happened. They talked, laughed, and vented, though only for a short time before Jessie finally retired to bed, leaving Beauty alone with her thoughts.
Beauty checked the time on her phone. By now, Bruno must be fast asleep, she thought, a grin sneaking across her face as she walked quietly down the hallway.
Slowly, she opened the door of the room, tiptoed inside, and closed the door quietly behind her.
She found Bruno sleeping on the bed. Then she felt very uncomfortable in her skin, so she knew she had to take a bath as fast as possible.
She wanted to take her clothes off, then paused and stole a glance back at Bruno on the bed. Her cheeks flushed hotly.
He has seen her naked many times, right? He accepted her; what is she afraid of?
On second thought, Beauty waved the motivation away.
"He must have noticed I'm in the room," she whispered, a thrill shivering up her spine. "I should wait it out... give it an hour or two; by then he will be in a very deep sleep and won't notice a thing."
She saw her bed uncovered while Bruno had the blanket wrapped around him, with his bed covered.
"Selfish. He should have kept one for me. He knows I don't like the cold."
She walked towards his bed and carefully tried to slip the blanket off him, but it was useless. Trying again, this time with all her strength, she kicked him hard until he fell off the bed. That kick sent him rolling off the bed with a muffled thud.
That was the only way to get the blanket.
She stifled a laugh, clutching a hand over her mouth.
Oh no, what if he hurt himself?
She elongated her neck with teeth clenched and peeked over the edge of the bed, only to find him curled up on the floor, hands tucked between his legs, still sleeping, utterly unbothered.
Her heart softened. "Awww..."
Then she snapped back, reminding herself.
"No, no, no. Focus, Beauty, focus."
She forced her gaze away from him and walked to her bed. There she watched him, waiting for the right time to take a bath.
After waiting what felt like an eternity, she glanced at her phone screen. It was finally 11:50 p.m.
She stood up, flipped off the lights, and undressed, ready for a quick dash to the bathroom.
Her jaw dropped at the sight of the bathroom; she froze.
"What? Just a draw curtain? Screw it! Jessie was right. A hotel would've been better," she muttered to herself in disappointment.
"Well, I can manage for three days, I guess."
Unfortunately, as soon as she slipped inside, the entire room lit up again, as if timed perfectly.
What?!
Of course, one switch controlled all the lights, bathroom included.
Her pulse quickened as she yelled, "Mr. Bruno! Can you turn off the light, please?"
She kept her back toward the curtain, feeling like her cheeks were on fire.
"Um, I want to read," he replied unapologetically.
Beauty huffed in disbelief.
"Re...Read? What do you mean, read!" She whirled around, trying to stay hidden, though she felt her patience fray. "Why on earth would you be reading now? It's practically the middle of the night-you should be asleep like everyone else! I stayed awake just to make sure you were asleep!"
She snapped, covering her bosom with her hands.
"You're awake too; why am I the one who should be sleeping? And besides, the light only shows the silhouette of your image. It's nothing to worry about."
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"My silhouette?" she murmured to herself.
This is humiliating; she must look ridiculous after eating so much. Thanks to Mrs Lola Cruz,she hadn't eaten this much for a long time.
Her belly looks bloated.
She's afraid to let him see her this way. What if she had added a lot since the last time? Oh right, the insecurities again. She was supposed to be working on herself, which was going pretty well until Bruno happened!
She shut her eyes tightly in regret, then she heard his voice soften.
"But... you're right," he replied, his voice softened.
"Huh?" Beauty opened her eyes, feeling a bit relieved. Thank goodness!
"Sure, sure. I'll turn off the light..." He paused, then smirked. "But first, I just remembered. I haven't taken my bath yet. Maybe I should do it now and join you."
Beauty panicked.
"What! Are you crazy?" she yelled, loud enough to shake the whole house. "Are you out of your mind? You took your bath hours ago... why now... I am in the bathroom!"
"I have seen it all, remember? Calm down. I am pretty good with self-control. Secondly, you sound like you don't want me to come in there."
Beauty's heart raced.
"Just... just read your book."
"Yes, ma'am, if you say so."
Beauty draped her towel over the curtain to block her shadow.
This has to work, she thought.
Unfortunately, the curtain holder gave a miserable creak before crashing down like the walls of Jericho.
Beauty gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at the fallen curtain, then at her bare legs, slowly looking up to see Bruno's amused expression as he watched the commotion from his bed.
She wanted the ground to swallow her up.
Covering her face, she whispered, "Oh no..."
Peeking through her fingers, she saw Bruno walk out of his bed to the corner of the room and flip the switch off.
"You're welcome."
"What's the need for that? You have seen everything!" she snapped in the darkness.
"Yeah... five times," Bruno replied.
Beauty had to count as she doubted the numbers.
"You're blushing, aren't you? No matter how many times, you still feel shy," Bruno's voice interrupted.
Beauty's heart skipped, and her face flushed.
"No... I wasn't."
"Yeah, I know, but now you are."
How can he be so sure in the dark?