Alpha Charming | Rheon

FOUR

Knock, knock, knock.

I awoke with a start when the knocking chased off one of the most vivid dreams I ever had. My heart hammers against my chest as I briefly recall the details, feeling heat spread through my entire being. It felt so real; his hands on me, the smell of his cologne, the taste of his lips...

Despite the thrilling anticipation the fever dream left me in, I haven't even gotten to the plot twist yet: I wasn't dreaming about Matt. Matt doesn't have dark hair and striking blue eyes. And I've never dreamt of Matt pinning me down on anything before, which means I've got a problem in both my subconscious and behind the door.

"Ashlyn, you awake yet?" Reyna's voice was muffled on the other side of the room, but I could clearly tell it was her.

My heart nearly missed ten beats when I vaguely recalled leaving the wedding before she could even toss the bouquet. All because I freaked out after dancing with a duke!

"Ashlyn?" Reyna asked again.

My eyes landed on the chair I placed underneath the door handle last night. Again, I felt like cringing, thinking how childish that was. As if Rheon would follow me to my room and try sneaking in...

"Coming," I said loud enough for her to hear and hurried over to the door to remove the chair.

Reyna's face lit up in a gentle smile when I opened the door on a crack, "Hey."

"Hi."

"May I come in?"

Having no idea what to say, I only nodded and stepped aside. Reyna closed the door behind her and joined me on the bed. Only then did I notice the two mugs of coffee in her hand. She handed me one and crossed her legs underneath her.

"I hope it's alright, I'm not sure how you take your coffee."

"I'm not picky," I managed a smile and wrapped both my hands around the mug. The warmth soothed my cold fingers. It made me miss the sun back home.

"What happened last night?" she asked the question I've been dreading since I heard her knock, "You left so quick, I almost thought something was chasing you." Her brows rose slightly, and she added, "I'm not mad, though, just curious. Please don't tell me one of the guests were being a prick to you."

I nearly choked on my coffee and shook my head fervently. "What? No, not at all! I... I can't even remember why I left. It was unprofessional anyway; I'd understand if you'd want a discount."

Reyna wiped her lipstick from the mug's rim and smacked her lips, waving it off. "Of course, I'm paying you in full. I was just worried about you. After I saw you dancing with Rheon, I couldn't be happier you were having fun. Work hard, play hard, you know? But then you ran off and the first thing I thought was that he perhaps said something offensive -"

"He didn't," I cut her off almost too abruptly.

Reyna looked at me with arched brows, waiting for an explanation.

"I mean, he was very polite. And he didn't say much either. I guess I just wasn't feeling well; I started to feel lightheaded, got these weird hot flushes while we danced. I thought I was coming down with a fever, so I left."

However, after blabbering excuses as to why I ran from the wedding like Cinderella from the ball, I realized Reyna was looking at me as if she's just seen a ghost. She even turned paler than she already was.

I opened my mouth to ask if she's feeling alright, but before I could even utter a word, she grabbed the empty mug from my hands and marched for the door, "I've got to go."