Beneath The Orange Sunset ✔️

7

~7~

Samuel was met at the front door by the Lacroix housekeeper, Henrietta the petite lady in her late twenties. They briefly exchanged greetings then he showed him upstairs to Maxime's room. Apparently no one was expecting him.

It was probably forty five degrees outside and Samuel had already worked up some sweat thinking about how Maxime will react if he opened the windows again without his permission.

Fortunately he met Maxime, sitting by the large bay window in his bedroom. He was looking out at an unarguable evergreen forest view. Samuel walked towards him. The young heir made no effort to turn or move.

"Hello Maxime," he greeted.

"Samuel?"

"Yes. I'm here to see you again. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

The two men were unusually quiet. It was awkward for Samuel as he had never been left dumbfounded like this before.

He watched the young man fumble with the ropes of his white pyjamas. He still looked the same. He only had a change of clothes.

"For a start, I will have to check your blood pressure, sugar level and body temperature. Do you mind?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you still skeptical of me?"

Yes. Everybody was a suspect; he was not only skeptical, he was paranoid too. Who was Samuel? His acquaintance with Ms Philippe was not enough to convince him. Maxime had to be careful not to fall into any trap.

"Maybe..."

The door to the bathroom opened interrupting any further speech.
Samuel turned to see Henrietta, in a white apron, standing by the door.

"Excuse me, sir. Your breakfast is ready."

Maxime took a deep breath.

"Don't worry," Samuel heard himself speak. "I will see to it that he takes his bath and come right down for breakfast."

Henrietta's eye widened. "Oh, is that alright with you sir?" Henrietta asked ducking her head. Her round eyes showed excitement.

"It's fine Henrietta. You can leave," Maxime retorted. His straight jaw twitched nervously.

Henrietta nodded and slid out of the room just as she entered.

"Were you planning to get into the bath with me?" Maxime asked.

"Of course not. I was only saying because you weren't answering her."

Maxime seemed a little strange today, low spirited and moody and it wasn't okay.

He left the chair ignoring Samuel. He reached his bedside and began unbuttoning his shirt. He peeled it off and flung it on the disheveled bed. He let his trousers drop to the floor. He stepped out of it and tottered towards the bathroom at the right end of the room.

Samuel watched him disappear into the small room. He hoped will be okay. He strode to the bed and picked up the book resting by the pillow.

Beautiful Darkness Book one.

He smiled and shook his head slightly. Rochelle Phillipe must have had some plans up her sleeves. She gave Maxime book one while she gave him book two of the same book. How fascinating. Did she also think Maxime was a good catch.

He looked around and drank in the stunning details of the room.

He replaced the book. There were no mirrors or any reflecting glass in the room. No pictures on the wall, just a sunset wallpaper above the bed.

Did they already clear the room thinking he wouldn't survive the accident? It must have been the case. The room was almost cleaned out, bore the look of an abandoned cabin. There was a wheelchair at a corner, a resting sofa and a few old books littered on a shelf.

Maxime had no clue about the condition of the room he is living in. How bad.

Samuel stared at the sunset wallpaper again. Sunset reminded him of the last time he visited the beach. He was really lonely and overwhelmed with work. He hadn't been in a relationship for over five years.

He had his first kiss when he was fourteen. Joelene had set him up on a blind date with one of her girl friends. The date went well, but turned out she wanted more. She called him a boy when he couldn't deliver to her satisfaction. It hurt him.

Seven years on, he met Josef, first year in medical school. It was one fiery kind of love. Blue eyes, soft white bleached hair, strong fingers that was quick to hold him, plum red lips that erupted hidden passions deep within his soul.

He was naive then. He learned now that love had to grow. For love to grow, one has to learn to let it. Everything fell apart in the heat. He was left devastated.

A year ago, Maxime was rushed to the hospital - his body ripped off and bloodied. He had cleaned him, sedated him, fed him, prayed for him...

It possibly didn't make sense to Maxime when he had told him he was part of the team that brought him back to life.

Maybe the mystery behind Maxime's story got him attached. He laughed at himself because he was too old to fall in love. He needed someone more tangible...

A crumbling crash in the room brought him back to the present. He turned his gaze to the bathroom door.

Without thinking, he dashed to the door just in time to catch a fainting Maxime clinging helplessly on the door for support. There was blood dripping from his face.

"Maxime? What the hell happened?"

Maxime sucked blood back into his throat. His curved lips trembled and he fell helplessly on Samuel's arms hiding his bloodied face in the shirt of the man.

Had he taken an overdose of something? Did he try to kill himself? Samuel tried to think in straight lines. He screamed his name over and over again.

"My God!"

Samuel struggled to keep Maxime straight. But the frail man kept going limp in his arms. When he turned his head to the bathroom, the bath was overflowing with water.

In a corner there laid the white old bandage crumpled on the tiled floor.