Knowing What Love Is (COMPLETED ENGLISH VERSION) #RymSeries

Storm 17

It was 3:38 am, and I couldn't believe I was awake at this hour. The throbbing in my head made it clear that waking up was giving me a headache. I tried to shake off my grogginess and sat up, removing Luke Reign's hands from me. I decided to head back to my room to escape the discomfort.

I grabbed my iPad from my study table near my bed and turned it on, thinking I might as well browse the internet. But logging into my Twitter account turned out to be a bad idea. The first thing that caught my attention was a picture of Tyler, looking miserable. Kaden had posted it, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

Without thinking, I started scrolling down to find more information. The comments were filled with concern and questions about Tyler's well-being. Apparently, he had been in a fight and had been seen at Raf's bar with a girl. Some people even speculated that it had something to do with me, claiming that I had left the country. Others argued that it was unrelated, mentioning that Tyler and I had already broken up.

As I continued to scroll through the posts, Kaden's call interrupted my reading.

"Baby, are you there?" he asked as I answered the call.

"Hmm," I mumbled, still feeling a bit out of it.

"Why is it so dark there?" he exclaimed.

He sounded concerned, which was a surprise. I wasn't used to seeing this side of him.

"You're in the Lyn Mansion?" he asked.

"How did you know?"

"I called your Aunt."

"Can you go outside? I want to see the surroundings there."

I sighed, not really wanting to face the camera.

"Garden?" I asked, as I walked out to the garden area.

"Yeah!"

"The garden looks beautiful," he commented.

"Can you tour me around the grand foyer, cloakroom, gallery, great hall, dining hall, ballroom, music room, billiard room, drawing room, library, conservatory, game room, armory, shooting range, and the pool room inside? Not the outdoor pool, mind you. And the cabanas and nearby kitchen greenhouses. Also, the stables perhaps? Tack room if you have one. And to the private chambers! Tour me around the attic! Oh, the silver polishing room, gift-wrapping room, canning room, wine cellar, root cellar, larder, pantry, various and very specific storage rooms, butler's pantry, and, of course, simpler rooms, the ones just for immediate family. Besides, I'm your best friend, so I'm welcome in there. Tour me around the family kitchen and less formal dining room, sitting room or parlor. And also, to the bedrooms, so I can see which one's good for me if I stay there. And dressing rooms and, of course, closets and powder rooms and baths. And, garret and garrote too if you have one?" he rambled excitedly, listing off various rooms.

I blinked at his enthusiastic recitation. He had named nearly every room imaginable in the mansion. Was he serious?

"You sounded gay," I told him, stifling a laugh.

"Fine, tour me around next time," he pouted, earning a glare from me.

Tack room? I thought to myself. We didn't have horses or animals like that around here. And garret? That room was for the owner's mother-in-law. We didn't have one of those here, I think.

"What happened to your hair?" I asked, noticing that it had gotten darker.

"You like it?"

"It's ugly—scratch that, you're ugly," I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Uhuh, tell that to my ass."

"Have you seen Tyler's photo?" he suddenly asked.

I knew that question was coming.

"Oui," I answered.

"You should be acting concerned right now," he chided me.

"Well, I'm happy to say I don't give a crap," I replied, not really feeling any sympathy.

"Okay then. By the way, I punched his face last month," he said, casually informing me.

"Merci," I mouthed, feeling grateful despite myself.

"And told him to stay away from you, but we're still friends," he added, his tone a mix of annoyance and acceptance.

"You are his cousin" I rolled my eyes

"I haven't talked to him," I muttered to myself.

"Are you alone there?" he asked, squinting at the screen.

"Baby, are you there?" I continued staring at the screen.

"What?" I replied.

"I miss you. I wish you were here," he murmured.

I sighed. "Well, I don't miss you."

"At least I know you love me. I'm going now. Love you, baby," he said before hanging up.

"Okay, love you too," I responded, feeling a little relieved that the call was over.

"Who called you?" Luke Reign's voice startled me.

"What?" I faced him, my annoyance evident.

"Who called you?" he repeated.

"It's none of your business," I snapped before walking away from him.

"You're mine," he declared, stopping me in my tracks.

"No one owns me, Luke Reign," I retorted matter-of-factly.

"Have I informed you that I am 'No one'?" he smirked.

"You're so corny. Are you a teenager?" I laughed at his attempt at wordplay.

"So, you left me just to call someone and tell the guy you love him?" he asked, his tone teasing.

"Obviously?" I replied, not really understanding why he was even questioning this.

I looked at the stairs ahead and then back at him.

"Carry me?" I asked with a pout, my annoyance from earlier fading.

"Lazy ass," he muttered, bending down to lift me.

As we headed up the stairs, I glanced at him again.

"This is the reason why I don't come home often. When was the last time your feet touched these stairs?" he asked, his irritation clear in his voice.

"Stop exaggerating. And why are we here in your room again?"

"Because we need to sleep," he answered simply.