Zenon's Game Chapter 235

The sound of the water was cathartic, as we sat waiting for the time to pass. No one was in a rush and no one had anywhere to be. It felt liberating.

Axel and Zenon were standing next to a column, talking. Zenon was leaning slightly against it and Axel stood with a hand in his pocket. The wall cast a shadow over half their bodies, and the other half was under moonlight. What a picture-perfect moment.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Lara asked me, subtly indicating Zenon with a tilt of her head.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, blushing at how I'd been caught staring.

"No," she laughed gently, looking down at her legs submerged in the dark water, "But I'm sure you two make a good couple."

I cut a slice of my waffle and put it in my mouth before the syrup dribbled onto my dress.

I chewed, swallowed and changed subject, "Since this is your uncle's place, do you know why he has a room with no ceiling?"

She was sitting on the edge of the pool and tugged her dress up slightly to give herself more flexibility. She then replied, "It's a funny story actually. Axel's mom came up with the idea for this entire room."

I never expected that.

"I thought this was Bryce's dad's friend's party," I said, getting confused by all these social networks. How was Axel connected?

"Axel's mom used to date my uncle," Lara smiled, already anticipating my shocked reaction, "That's how my mom met his mom. Apparently, they came on a group vacation to Dubai when they were in college. They fantasized about buying a place here and the parties they would throw when they were older."

I watched Lara dip her fingers into the warm water and flick some water on her arms. She continued with the story, "Axel's mom pictured a room like this, straight out of her imagination. She has a really creative mind. Have you seen the grotto she built in her home?"

I nodded. The parties Axel throws there are very well attended.

Lara sighed and her hair glistened as she leaned back, "They broke up, but my uncle kept the dream alive. Several years later, he bought this place and created the very room she dreamed of."

"So, your uncle still loves Axel's mom?" I asked, getting very intrigued by the love story.

"I asked my mom the same question and she had an interesting answer," Lara explained, "She said that love can come in my many forms. Sometimes, you can love the person you were when you were with someone else. Axel's mom made my uncle a dreamer. It made him creative and spontaneous and he wants to keep that part of him alive. It's hard to stay that way when you grow up."

Lara was a good storyteller and I was hooked by the history of this room. Did I think Axel's mom was high when she created the double wall illusion and no ceiling idea? Probably.

*05.21 AM*

The sun was shining overhead, and familiar heat was returning. I had pulled an all-nighter and was exhausted.

I didn't want to be the one asking to go home, but I was so relieved when Bryce called his car to pick us up. I was the first one out of the house.

"Glad you still got energy Candace," Bryce commented as he walked down the carpeted steps after me.

I stopped, sensing something wasn't right. "Why are you glad about that?"

"Because the day's just beginning," he smiled, putting his sunglasses on, "Let's get breakfast."

Passed out on the couch, on the floor, on the carpet. None of us had made it to bed. We all lay sprawled across Bryce's living room when the world came to life around us.

The sun shone brightly over us, creating a glow on the little puddle of drool beside Bryce's mouth.

His housekeeper and chef tried to work quietly around our sleeping bodies. I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing. Bianca was lying on Cynthia's purse and kicked it over to Cynthia so she could stop the noise.

Cynthia went from tired to panicked when she saw the Caller ID. She clambered to her feet and answered the phone, "Mom?!"

I'd fallen asleep next to Zenon. I rolled over so that I faced him. His eyelids opened slowly and drowsily. I saw his bright blue eyes sparkling in the sunlit room. He slowly sat up on one arm and his other hand gently rested on my h*ip.

His touch was sending shivers through me, though he didn't realize it.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked him, finding myself smiling simply because he was.

"Because she's f*cked," he said, glancing at Cynthia pacing the hallway, lying to her mom again.

"Don't say that," I answered, putting my arm over him. I wanted to hide from the sun in his arms. "How do you look so fresh in the morning?"

I dropped my head against his chest and groaned. I wanted to know the secret. My limbs don't function naturally without coffee.

Coconut water, electrolyte drinks and green smoothies were all over the place. Everyone had their own hangover cure.

Eventually, we had all gotten off the floor. Bianca was lathered in tanning lotion on a sunbed. Axel was skateboarding around the pool area.

I was sitting under a giant parasol doing some math. Joe had emailed me some math puzzles for practice, so I figured I could dabble in it while everyone was doing their own thing.

And if I thought that was weird, I reminded myself that my boyfriend was working out on January 1st.

Axel skated into the pool, diving off his skateboard and into the water. The splash he made caused Bianca to freak out, sit up and throw a magazine at him in the pool.