Chapter 26 (1/1)

Charmaine came out of the shower to find Raymond lying on her bed, his head resting on his crossed arms and a lazy smile on his face.  Stopping in front of him she asked in wonder, "Why are you in here?"Raymond sat up and tugged on the sleeve of her nightshirt.  Swinging her arm playfully from side to side, he said, "The question is why aren't you in my room where you belong.  I would have thought by now you would have overcome your shyness when it comes to me."Charmaine could feel the heat rise to her cheeks at the directness of his comment.  They have spent the entire day yesterday and today cuddling and cozying up either in his bed or in front of the TV in the living room.  Never had Charmaine been happier.  She learned so much about him in the past two days that she knew he never told any one.  Apart from that, she also saw a side to him that was entirely different from the image he projected to his friends, his co-workers and his fans.  Charmaine believed this side of him was the real him and only shown to people he trusted and felt at ease with, and she was one of them.  Reeling with the revelation she smiled warmly down at him and said, "I don't want us to be found out.  Think of what it would do to your image and your career."Pulling her down to sit on the bed, Raymond wrapped his arms around her and said, "No one would know except for us.  We have the entire flat to ourselves so who's going to know?"That was true, Charmaine thought as a devilish grin began spreading on her lips.  Holding his head between her hands, she leaned in and planted a soft sensual kiss on his lips.  "So what are you waiting for?"In answer, Raymond captured her lips in a sweet kiss that had Charmaine clutching tightly onto him as he transferred her body into his arms and lifted her.  Moving with long strides, he carried her across the hall and into his room where he gently laid her down on the bed.  He joined her quickly and with an arm across her waist, he looked down at her with a somber expression.  "Never have I been this happy with any one.  Have you cast a spell over me?" he teased.Charmaine lifted her hand to gently cup his face.  Caressing the smooth angles she said softly, "It's me that's under your spell."  She nudged his face forward so that she can kiss him.  "These past few days seemed like a dream to me and I'm afraid I'm going to wake up from it soon."Overwhelmed by the sheer emotion shining in her expressive eyes, Raymond's heart swelled with pride.  He had never felt this way about any one before and he too was afraid that this was some sort of dream that would end before he can fully enjoy it.  Bringing his lips close to hers but not touching them, Raymond whispered, "If this is indeed a dream, I wish we never wake up from it."The soft touch of his lips on hers brought Charmaine to another level of happiness.  She wished they could remain here forever.  In Shanghai, in seclusion from the general population, they were able to be free and do things unrestrained than how it was going to be back in Hong Kong.  Returning to Hong Kong is inevitable and Charmaine can't shake the uncanny feeling that all that she had with Raymond now would end when they return.  Raymond had asked her to move in with him but she knew it was out of impulse.  Once they returned to Hong Kong and he went back to his usual routines, having her around would only be a nuisance to him.  Sure, he enjoys having her around now.  That was because they had been practically stranded in this little town to complete his filming.  In Hong Kong he'll be back in the public eye and may feel differently.  Charmaine was sure of that.Raymond felt Charmaine stiffen in his arms and lifted his head to look down at her.  He saw the slight frown on her face and asked, "What are you thinking about?""I'm thinking about our return to Hong Kong."  Disentangling herself from his arms, Charmaine sat up and hugged a pillow to her chest.  Resting her chin on it she said, "Filming is almost complete.  We've been here for a month and yet it feels… it feels like forever and a part of me wish that we could continue to stay here."Catching on to where her thoughts are going, Raymond chuckled and placed a reassuring arm around her.  "You're worried that once we're back in Hong Kong I'll be too immersed in my work to give you any attention."Charmaine shook her head immediately.  "No!  I would hate it if you think that of me.  I'm completely supportive of your work."More confused than ever, Raymond asked, "Then what's bothering you?""I can't help but feel that once we're back in Hong Kong you're going to go back to your partying ways."  She saw Raymond's mouth open to speak and quickly rushed in, "Don't try to deny it!  Have you forgotten I seen you in action before?!"Giving her a quelling look Raymond said simply, "No.  I even flaunted it in your face if I remember correctly."Charmaine thought back to that time when he made her go to the club with him and was then forced to seek him out to leave and found him in the middle of a hot making-out session with Miss Young and Beautiful.  Just the memory of it made her uneasy and for the hundredth time since she began this illicit affair with Raymond, Charmaine wondered whether she made the right decision in believing in him.  Averting her eyes, she mumbled, "And each and every one of them was young and beautiful.""So are you," Raymond said tenderly, his eyes locked on hers.Raymond knew exactly what to say to appease her.  Perhaps it was this charm in him that attracted women to him like bees to honey.  For one thing, it worked on Charmaine.  Leaning against his chest, she said softly, "Promise me that if you ever get tired of me to please tell me.  I'd rather have you dump me because you grew bored rather than have you cheating on me.""None of that will happen because I plan to keep you around for a long long time."Pleased with his response, Charmaine turned in his arms to give him a kiss, a kiss that instantly turned passionate as Raymond again lowered her onto her back on the bed.  She felt his hand slide down the length of her arm to rest on her hip and without prompting Charmaine began to lift the hem of her nightshirt up.  The sudden sharp buzzing of the doorbell made them froze in place.Raymond lifted his head, his ears perked as he waited for the sound to come again.  When it did, he mumbled with annoyance, "Who could it be?  It better not be Joe checking up on us to make sure that I'm really sick and not faking it."Pushing Raymond off her, Charmaine quickly got out of bed.  "I'll answer it.  You better get under those covers and pretend that you're recovering."Raymond did as told and pulled the blanket up to his chin.  He lowered his eyelids to a near close and asked in a raspy voice, "Do I look sick?"Charmaine smiled and replied wittily, "No, but since you're an actor I'm sure you can make it believable."  Not giving Raymond a chance to retort, she quickly left his room.  With her smile still fixed in place she opened the door and faltered – it was Myolie and standing behind her was Kevin.  "H-Hi," she stammered and couldn't seem to say anything else but that.Myolie took a step forward and when Charmaine didn't budge she inquired politely, "Aren't you going to let us in?"With the shock of seeing them wearing off, Charmaine quickly stepped back to allow them entrance.  Kevin stopped in front of her and gave her a puzzled look.  "I-I'm just surprise to see you," Charmaine responded to his silent inquiry.  "Why didn't you call to let me know you were coming?" she tacked on and hoped her voice didn't sound as flustered as she felt."Then what's the point of the surprise?" Kevin asked with a grin and spread his arms open.Charmaine looked at his open arms and her eyes skipped down the hall where Raymond was lying in bed.  "I…" she started to say but her sentence got cut off as Kevin pulled her in for a hug."I've missed you," Kevin murmured in her ear."Where's Raymond?" Myolie asked, interrupting their little reunion.Charmaine quickly pulled away from Kevin's embrace to turn her attention on Myolie.  "He's in bed."Throwing them a smile Myolie headed in that direction.  Outside in the living room Charmaine heard Raymond say Myolie's name in surprise followed by some incorrigible mumbling and soon the door to his room was slammed shut from the inside.  White hot jealousy reared in Charmaine and with determination she stalked towards Raymond's room only to be held back by Kevin."Let them be," Kevin said tenderly.  "We have our own catching up to do."Charmaine turned to look at Kevin and the love and tenderness on his face made her feel ashamed of what she had done.  She never wanted to hurt him and the sooner she told him the truth, the better it will be for all of them.  "Kevin, there's something I have to tell you."Kevin immediately saw the seriousness on her face.  Holding onto her hand he said, "Sure, what is it?""It's about Raymond," Charmaine said and before she could get another word in, the door to Raymond's room opened crashing against the adjacent wall, and a dark faced Myolie came barreling towards her."You two-timing bitch!" Myolie screeched and slapped Charmaine across the face.