I threw water onto my face.

What was I doing?

Clearly I wasn’t in any state to figure that out. Not when my thoughts were all jumbled up and unwilling to cooperate. Did this mean I was . . . flustered? No, it must’ve meant that I was shocked.

Currently, I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror, watching as the water travelled down to my neck and onto my pink sweater.

Lucas, playing hot and cold. Didn’t he know that confused people? He shouldn’t have been so nice and then mean and then nice and then mean. And to top it all off, he was trying to seduce me, wasn’t he? Leave it to him to know exactly how to do just that: by actually being kind.

I splashed water onto my face again, astounded at the thought of such actions.

No one, ever, in my entire life had ever attempted to do such a vicious thing. Just who was this boy that I promised I’d take care of?

Deeply, I began to regret my actions. It was too late to pull back. Though it had already been too late when that dish broke.

I hung my head low over the sink.

Idiot. I was a complete idiot.

I turned off the sink, closing my eyes to think. But all I could think about was how he dove into the pool to help. I assumed he’d only bring me back up to the surface to laugh at my actions, though he did the exact opposite. Scolding me, he looked much more like the adult I expected him to be.

Without much thought, I threw my clothes onto the floor carelessly, and began to rummage through my backpack to grab something dry.

I’d left him behind when I got out of the pool, without so much as a farewell. I figured we were done for the day, considering I’d woken up rather late.

Honestly, I didn’t want to see him.

At that moment, my stomach began to rumble, alerting me to the fact that we hadn’t eaten a single thing. What time did Lucas wake up anyway? Earlier? Later? He said he’d seen me sleeping.

My ears burned at the memory. How embarrassing of me to fall asleep in his room. I should’ve known better.

Also, did he not know that I was capable of controlling my own feelings towards people? Sure I became angry at times, though that didn’t mean I would fall in love.

And furthermore, staying angry would prevent me from feeling any sympathy for the guy. I only needed to state my dislike towards him at all times. I'd let him bring his A-game. Even if he did his way with me, I still wouldn’t fall so easily.

Yeah, I thought. Take the challenge. Nothing will come of it. Just watch.

The idea was ridiculous, I knew that. It was all I could do to stop myself from having a crisis. I'd let him have his way, and then in the end I'd relish at the fact that his attempts were all for nothing.

I rose from my spot on the ground, taking a new shirt in my hands. The places he touched on my bare waist were still warm. How?

Furiously, I shook my head, extinguishing those thoughts.

No, I won’t let these new revelations sway me, I repeated like a mantra.

I won’t.

The mansion was quiet as always, dormant, like time had gone still. Above, the windows continued to leak in rays of golden light, casting a yellow glow amongst the embellishments and artifacts that sat in the never ending hallways of the place.

I walked on, feeling better that I’d changed. The mansion, despite its size, was rather warm, encasing the summer heat outside so that the residents could live comfortably. I only wondered how cold it became in the winter. It must’ve been unbearable.

Nervously, I tugged at my collar once I arrived at the entrance to the kitchens. From within, I could hear the sounds of people speaking, dishes being cooked, and of another voice I’d grown used to hearing.

Hesitantly, I opened the massive wooden door, only to be greeted by a pair of grey eyes staring down at me curiously. I should’ve known he’d be there. We were both hungry to begin with, and also the staff actually liked Lucas for some unknowable reason.

It was as if I were the only person here who didn’t see him as a nice guy.

What were they hiding from me?

I couldn’t help but give him a familiar glare in his direction as I walked past him, grabbing a chair by the long table to sit myself down. It looked as if I’d disrupted his lunch.

Lucas strolled to my side and sat down as well, arms crossed and still staring at me with a glint in his eye. He no longer appeared angry that I’d fallen into the pool. After much thought, I figured it was his fault. He was the one who pushed me first.

I didn’t say this out loud though. For the sake of my current job, I did not want others to see us bickering so much. Maybe I should’ve just starved and stayed in my room.

Without much care, I grabbed a green apple from the basket in front of me and bit into it, munching on the fruit with a very unhappy expression on my face.

I couldn’t believe I was actually having lunch with the young master.

“Didn’t expect you to come down.” He said, kicking his shoes against the table legs.

Biting into the apple, I answered, “Don’t kick your feet like that.”

He listened. “Okay, okay.”

What was he? Five years old?

I munched on the fruit whilst we sat in complete silence. We both watched as the kitchen staff prepared breads, soups, and what was probably dinner for the day. The kitchen was filled with so much food, I was curious if the Madam donated any to our city.

Lucas interrupted my short thinking, “Are you . . . mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you?” I questioned, not meeting his gaze.

He sighed and rested himself on the table, leaning his head on one arm, gazing up at my unhappy face. I hated how comfortable he was around me. “For throwing you into the pool.”

This time, I did look at him.

He raised a brow.

“So you admit it was your fault.” I said, taking another bite of the apple.

Lucas watched as I did so, “Well, it’s your fault you didn’t grab me.”

“That’s the last thing I want to do.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” I abandoned our stare down to view the apple in my hand. “I don’t know why you have to be so mean about everything.”

“I’m mean?” He asked.

I shot him an angry look, “Aren’t you aware of how spoiled you sound? I don’t want your money because of greed. I’m here to pay off a debt for a stupid mistake I did. And unfortunately, I’ve come to pity you, so—” I paused to consider my words. Thankfully, my voice was low enough so that no one else could hear. “I’m here to help you. I don't think this is the ‘thanks’ I deserve.”

Lucas merely kept his gaze on me, thinking to himself.

Did I say something wrong? I did in fact blurt out what I’d been bottling in. Maybe it was too soon to reveal that I had a pitiful heart?

Well, it didn’t matter. We would never get along. And if nothing came to fruition in the end, I’d have to abandon him completely. I had my own life to live anyway. Why did I have to care about him?

He cleared his throat, “I wonder if I’ll ever believe what you say.”

“Believe what you want.” I told him, “And I’ll do the same.”

“So you’ll believe me when I say you’re pretty difficult yourself.” He said, taking an apple as well. Red, unlike mine. He bit into it, never leaving my gaze.

I scoffed and set my own apple down. “Me? I’m not difficult.”

“You blow up at me whenever I do anything.” He stated, drawing my anger out.

With a deep breath, I composed myself. He was true about that, though I didn’t want to admit it. I remembered how the Madam hadn’t scolded me in our first meeting because she thought I was too ‘docile’. In fact, amongst everyone I knew, I was the most likely to begin a fight.

Yes, I’d worked on my attitude over the years, and only a few things could anger me now, but—Lucas seemed to poke at the embers inside, inciting the old flames of fury I used to know.

“Your grandma doesn’t like scolding me.” I admitted, leaning on the table as well. Outside, I could see that the sun was beginning to set. The colors coming in through the windows were warm, golden against the brick of the interior.

It would’ve been peaceful, if not for the presence of Lucas at my side.

He laughed, “She’s got a soft spot for small, cute things. Whereas I don’t.”

“Sh-shut up.” I said quickly, grabbing the apple again to take one last, big bite. I could feel my ears begin to warm. This was not the time to explode.

Lucas pushed the red apple to the side, tapping his finger against the wooden table.

I knew he was lying about the last part. Why else would he take pity over that stray cat outside? Again, I didn’t voice this aloud. I figured it would be more fun to analyze him without letting him be aware of it.

I cleared my throat. “I-it’s getting late—”

“Have you ever been in love?” He asked, out of the blue.

Why is he asking me this? I thought, becoming quite hesitant. What was he trying to get at? Was he trying to make me feel uncomfortable?

Like with many of his questions, I didn’t have the answer to this one either. Well, I didn’t want to answer it. It wasn’t any of his business. Also, dropping a bomb such as this one was highly uncalled for. How could one answer?

“I’m guessing you’ve never been in love before.” He continued after my long silence. 

I didn’t respond.

Of course, I’d been in love, a number of times, though my feelings had never been reciprocated. If they had, I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself. This was a thing for people who were ready. I wasn’t.

I gave him my own observation after some time, “Let me guess. You’ve never been in love either.”

The mischievous light in his eyes wavered. If he was experienced, surely he’d felt love for at least one of his lovers. His hesitance revealed that.

Still, he scoffed at me and shook it off, “Whatever. What’s so fun about being in love anyway . . .”

For once, I agreed with him.

He was probably trying to throw me off my guard with that question. Well, I was already too far into my own confusions, so nothing could really waver me much anymore at that point.

Obviously he didn’t want his own question to backfire. It did, and I noticed it immediately. Asking someone this question was downright sick at times, it was hard for me to see the same boy who’d helped me in the pool. This guy . . . was different from him, even though they were one person.

The same could be said for the Lucas I’d spoken to last night, the one who claimed that he’d make me his. It was only today that I realized he literally meant ‘seduce’. It was childish, obviously, and I couldn’t take it seriously.

I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped.

Lucas caught onto it, not letting me go, “What? Say it.”

I inhaled, feeling my nerves tighten at his persistence. He was really irking me. “By making me yours, I’m guessing you mean ‘seduce’ me.” I said shamelessly. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched to see if any of the staff had listened in on my observation. Thankfully, no one seemed to mind us.

Lucas chuckled to himself, making me turn in his direction to see what was so funny, because surely this topic wasn’t. At least to me, it wasn’t.

I couldn’t help but sit forward and snap at him, “Making you laugh is the last thing I want to do.”

“I’m sorry.” He said, still amused. He didn’t appear sorry. “I just—you’ve obviously never done anything like this before—”

“So what if I haven’t?” I argued back, crossing my arms. “Do whatever you like. I’m not fazed by any of it.”

This wasn’t some love novel I could read in any book. This was real life. This wasn’t 50 Shades of Grey. Did his life really consist of that stuff? I was supposed to be babysitting him, not worrying over his childish antics.

Rich people, I thought to myself.

“Yes.” He admitted, assuring my suspicions, “I want to seduce you. Though I was waiting for your consent.”

Truthfully, I was surprised to hear him say that. I would’ve assumed he’d simply begin without letting me give him the ‘okay’. My image of him was much more horrible than the reality before me. He was still terrible though. I tore my eyes away from his.

This situation was tougher than I presumed it to be, “I figured that even if you attempt at seducing me, I won’t feel a thing.” I told him matter of factly.

He responded immediately, confidently. “I accept the challenge, then. I’ll seduce you, Sammy. Now that you’ve okayed it.”

“Fine.” I said.

“Fine.” He said.

We sat in silence, listening to the boiling pots on the kitchen stoves. The sun had vanished completely, leaving us in artificial light.

I acknowledged how we both took up the challenge. Though I needed to stay focused on my task of babysitting. I thought that maybe I could use this ridiculous claim of his to work in my favor, but what could one do?

Despite his declaration, I knew that he hated me. How cruel was he to do this? Though I figured he would never win. I surely wouldn’t give in to it. I doubted we’d even be friends. I just couldn’t believe that I had to spend the entire summer at his side. That reminder always made me tense.

I sighed into my eaten apple, feeling slightly hungry. I wondered if dinner would be served soon, seeing that it was already getting quite late.

Lucas spoke up after our small silence. “Sammy.”

After all this time, I hadn’t gotten used to him saying my name aloud, “What now?”

It was then that I noticed the kitchen had grown quiet. When I viewed the place, I saw that the chefs had momentarily left, doing whatever they needed to do elsewhere. Most of the staff had gone home as well, leaving only a few.

At that moment, we were completely alone, besides the humming of kitchen appliances and crickets singing from the opened windows, inviting a warm breeze over us.

I relished in this solitude, but was disrupted by a voice at my ear, “Sammy,” He repeated. I looked back at him.

His careful fingers found their way towards me, and all I could do was stiffen again as I had done so this morning. It was times like these when I noticed he really was experienced in such things.

I grabbed his arm, noticing his grip on my shirt collar tighten as I did so. His hold wasn’t harsh, though he had control of the situation. I hated how he took advantage of our heights, “L-Lucas, what—?”

He sat forward, knocking our knees together until he was towering over me slightly, lips near my neck. “Didn’t you notice?”

I raised my shoulders whilst he said this. His breath tickled my skin, “N-no . . .” I wanted to push him away, but that was most likely what he was waiting for.

He laughed lowly to himself, fingers finding their way inside my shirt collar.

My breathing hitched.

“Your shirt.” He whispered to me.

He brought his head back to lock his eyes on mine. They were so confident. I felt belittled. “My s-shirt?” I could only say.

Lucas slipped a small smile, wicked.

I readied myself.

He answered softly, “Your shirt’s on backwards.”