"Only if you are clear that its love. I don't want to force you into something you're not sure of."
Well, I just heard that sentence from a girl who was ELEVEN years younger to me. Wasn’t that supposed to be my line?
"You're just nineteen, and yet you surprise me with your level of understanding." I hid my shame and complimented her.
"I am honored to stun you."
"The pleasure is all mine."
I reached for the glass of juice but she took mine and drank half of it. I looked at her, bewildered.
“What are you staring at? I have this right now. I don’t have to be sweet with you and share my favourite juice anymore.”
Can’t this girl remain quite unsurprising for a moment?
I sunk back in my chair and devoured the remaining margarita thinking of the ways to surprise her out of the blues.
“What shall I drink now?” I whined. Pouty faced.
“Why are you asking me? You know how much I like orange juice, don’t you?”
I scowled, ignoring her. “What shall I drink now, greedy woman?”
She offered me an empty glass. “How about some air, Mr. Albert?”
Oh… we were back at our cute selves again. I loved us this way.
“You… it hurts my pride to give up on my orange juice because you want to have TWO glasses of it. Rude”
“I am having what I like the most, you make some arrangements to have the thing you like the most. Don’t whine. I am not giving you the juice even if you cry.”
That enlightened me. Having a thing what I liked the most could be….
She took a spoonful of margarita and tossed it in her mouth.
There was my chance.
I reached her from across the table and cupped her face. She looked at me as if she were dazzled.
“I am going to have my favourite thing now.” I warned her, grinning ear to ear.
I kissed her; I controlled my urge to want her then and there. I took some pieces of pasta from her mouth as I pulled back from the ‘margarita kiss.’
I chewed the stolen pieces visibly so she would get to know what I meant by the ‘favourite stuff’.
She regained her sense and looked at me, fanning herself by her hands.
“You pervert.” She flushed crimson. I gave a low chuckle.
“So, greedy woman, either give me my juice back or I’m going to torture you the same way.” I beamed.
"Orpheus, do you think I am better than Diane?" She muttered, distracted by something.
I scowled inwardly. At least this was the conversation I was sure about lasting for a long time without any awkwardness. I particularly hated the moments that were ruined because of some unwanted elements― especially when I had tried for them to be lovely.
"I think there is no comparison between both of you." You are the outer space with a billion stars; she is the earth I stand on. I need her for support but I've always wanted to be with you.
"Will you be in relationship with her?"
“No."
"Really."
"You bet." I smirked, and then tensed at the tantrum Diane would throw if I broke up. “But I need some time for that."
She sulked."You love her?"
I didn’t know she had a jealous streak in her. I was glad that she finally starting acting like a normal and sane girlfriend would, if she confronted her man about his ex.
I was her man. That was surely the best title I had won. A title that was worth everything.
"Oceana, I have never loved anyone. I mean, it is just a normal sexual relationship. I move out when I am through with it."
"Oh." She pressed her lips. It certainly felt as if she was clearly disappointed by my answer. She needed to know everything though; she was not just my girlfriend now but soon to be a wife. There was no other girl that I would be marrying so I didn’t want to hide anything from her.
She got up and emptied the contents of her plate in the trash bin. I was taken aback by this action. I’d rarely seen her throwing away her share of food like this. In fact this was the first time.
"Are you done?" I asked.
"I am full."
I placed my empty plate in the sink and marched towards her. "You have a healthy appetite, Oceana; you hadn't even finished half of it."
"I. am. full."
I ruined her perfect day. The price I had to pay? I had an idea to that.
She started cleaning the platform and placed all the messy dishes in the sink. I followed her everywhere like a puppy.
"You know, you are the only drop dead gorgeous girl who is stubborn enough to resist Orpheus Albert."
She stopped and whirled around; her pale yellow cheeks patched everywhere with blushes. "Don't you do that again?"
I leaned closer. "What?"
She tore her gaze away and pushed me gently, returning back to the platform she was cleaning a few moments earlier.
"Catch me off guard with those unexpected comments." Her voice was much stable than I expected it to be.
"Oh, I wish I could stop it."
"You can."
I took the sponge away from her hand and held it high above my head.
"You want this? Then tell me how that is possible. It’s because I don’t see a way."
She crossed her arms and tilted her head sideways. Oh Christ! Was I melting?
"Common sense, Mr. Albert .By sealing your lips."
I encircled my free hand around her waist and pulled her close, cautious of the tactic she might use to get the sponge back from me.
"Well, that in itself is a tremendously difficult task." I murmured; ready to lose myself in her eyes.
"Oh really!"
"Yes, I like it when it moves, especially when I'm with you, when I'm talking with you. When I'm kissing you."
I could make out how hard it was for her not to swoon. She puckered her lips and smiled unevenly. "Wow. Is it you or the alter?"
I let her loose, resurrecting the environment to something she would be wanting so she could have a clear head while doing her work.
"The alter, of course. You can never expect me to be romantic, sweet heart."
"I am sure your alter knows how talented you are. Perhaps, he doesn't like to compete with you."
"You think so?"
"No. I said I am sure."
She smiled.
I couldn’t wait anymore. Screw the dishes and the cleanliness drive. I wanted her, now; right at this moment.
I held her waist and pulled her for a back hug. We stood there for a few seconds― or maybe our until our breathing calmed. I reeled back to all our meetings and the conversations. How this girl appeared like some personal miracle for me. She brought me the hope and joy to live my life happily and see the world in a new light. She was a streak of vibrant colour in my gray life. She was my everything.
"Let’s give it a try then." I whispered against her shoulder.
"Where?"
"Right now, my alter is desperate for you in the bed. But I want us to be under the shower."
She tipped her head back to rest on my shoulder, exposing the skin of her neck.
I swirled her around and kissed her all the way down to her collar bone, tightening my grasp around her.
"Only if you are not offended by the choice of place." My voice was barely audible to me.
"I am...not...” she breathed― holding me in place.
We stood under the small shower that did an unexceptionally brilliant job of dousing both of us despite being small in it’s size.
She was facing towards me, exhausted after making love, with her eyes closed; while I was still busy kissing her wet body― not in an animal way, but in a subtle way. I needed her touch like the air; it felt like my heart would explode if I didn’t feel her.
"Your skin is just as I imagined." I grabbed her for a hug. "Soft and supple."
"I never thought I'd be taking shower with you. Not even in my wildest dreams."
We matched!
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"Same here." I kissed her shoulder and released her. That was when I saw that her eyes were red. She was crying. "Hey. Don't cry"
She shook her head. "I am not."
There was no point of arguing when she lied this way; knowing that I was aware of the truth. This kind of game always ended in a bad way.
I didn’t want to ruin the best day of our lives by reasoning this out but I was terribly disturbed to see those red eyes. It drained away all the happiness between us.
I turned the shower off, wrapped her in the towel, got myself another one and headed out of the bathroom before she felt cold.
We didn’t speak for a long while. I dressed her up in a loose shirt and she reluctantly agreed to let me do her hair.
I wore the quarter pants and the T-shirt that she had bought for me.
Oceana was among those people who relinquished control and stopped people from being mad at her. This was what I liked about her the most. She completely ignored at my attempts to bring up the subject during the dinner. I don’t know why but I was put off by her white lie. I couldn’t stand at the sight of her crying. It burned me to see her tears.
At night when she was reading me the story of a lost dog finding his way back home, I shut the book and kept it aside.
“You think I am a toddler? Why do you keep reading stories to me?”
She shrugged apologetically. “Do I annoy you? I am sorry, I didn’t mean it.”
Since she was resting her body on mine, I couldn’t see her face expressions. I sighed and gave her that book. "You're not strong enough to fight it off. Tell me what happened."
“Tell you what?”
“The reason why you cried.”
She wrapped my hands around her, as if reassuring herself of my presence.
"I am afraid. You said you moved on when you were through with the relationship stuff."
That’s it? She was worried about this?
"Did I forget to mention that you're an exception?" I scooped her tiny figure and cradled against her chest. Yes I did forget to mention that. "Oceana, I want you to get this straight. You were an exception to me since the moment our eyes met for the first time. I’ll be nothing more than a living dead body without you. This woman that I love from the core of my heart makes me go crazy. She is different, apart from being the only brunette that I know, She’s just nineteen but damn mature than the other girls I've met. It’s not just the maturity that attracts me though. She is stunning on many levels. I love her; I don't think I've said this to anyone else."
Silence invaded the bedroom again.
"This is crazy." She said.
"Let’s skip it then. Don’t think too much about it."
She turned to look at me. Her eyes were shining like little beads near the sea shore. Though she’d let the subject drop, the happiness on her face made it very obvious that she was happy about the confession.
"Orpheus, you've got such a rare name."
"Oceana is also something I've heard for the first time." I rubbed my nose on hers.
"Guess that makes us unique."
"I don't know about us. But you are unique, and beautiful."
She flushed for the umpteenth time. "Thank you."
I’d been thinking about this all day long. It might be a little quick but― I didn’t know if I could wait any longer. ‘Let’s take the chances; she doesn’t have the knife to screw me right now.’ I encouraged myself. "But this surname doesn't go well with your name."
"Well... any possible suggestions?" she smiled and looked at me.
We were back to normal... Three cheers to us!!
'Shall I take my chances?' I tried to breathe evenly. She was still smiling at me; I gave her four- five pecks on the lips one after the other and then, gathering my strength, I barked the answer at her. "Try Orpheus Albert as the surname― it goes well with your name.”
She gasped, and stopped breathing. Shit...! I made a wrong move. I froze on my tracks, waiting for her to respond.
She broke free from my hold and sat glaring right at me. I squirmed at her response, shrinking to a size of an amoeba. We were not touching each other now; I frowned about it too.
Even under the dim light of the bedside lamp, she shone like a star; radiating her own version of light.
"Are you kidding?"
“Wouldn’t it be gruesome if I kid around in such a life threatening situation? My fucking life depends on that answer. I am not kidding.”
She looked away and took deep breaths. All of this WAS sudden; would she deny marrying me?
Intimated by the consequences of the answer that she hadn’t even thought of yet, I held her hand in mine. Her hands were still soft and mine were shivering.
"I love you. I am sure you are going to be enough for my entire life."
She sighed out loudly.
"Is this your alter, Orpheus?"
Okay. She was not going to say a yes.
"No, Oceana, this is me, just for you."
Her expressions softened visibly. She shone even brighter now… or was I imagining things?
"Orpheus b―"
I cut her. She had faith in me. She was the one I’d been looking for. How could I think of stepping back now?
"Share each moment with me." I took a deep breath. "Marry me."
"Orpheus are you su―"
I lunged forward and she moved back simultaneously― only this time, smile was playing across her lips. Gradually lying on top of her, I locked my eyes with the most beautiful eyes in the world and closed the distance.
"Say yes. You handle this proposal; I will handle the rest of the baggage that comes with it, all of it, Pearl."
A playful smirk resurfaced on her face.
“Are you going to manhandle me if I don’t?”
Bad for her― I wasn’t into playing. This MATTER to ME was damn SERIOUS.
“No, I am good at destroying myself if I get angry.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. A wry smile flashed across her face, too quick to get noticed. “We match.”
Okay, she is making you wait because she doesn’t want to marry. Why are you still hovering over her? I pouted at myself.
I was about to pull back when her voice stopped me. "This is so quick. It’s just been a day we’re together and― I don’t know what to say."
How could she say a no? She loved me. She wouldn’t say no.
"I can't wait to make you mine."
She rose and stole a peck on the lips. "You've already made me yours."
"I mean... traditionally... legally, in sickness in health, for richer for poorer. For better for worse."
"What if I say I need time?"
I rolled my eyes. TIME? For what?
"I would consider that rude." I admitted.
"And why is that?"
"Because you were sure of me. Now I am sure of you. It would be a plain waste of time to keep me hanging."
"It's a yes then."
I was still anticipating a long list of things to discuss, and her easy acceptance blew my shells out.
"Really?" I asked again― still not believing my ears. It was going to take me more than a minute to absorb the facts.
She blushed. "Looks like all your dreams have come true. Am I that important to you, Orpheus?"
“You’re the most important thing in my life. Blame yourself for this. What did you do? Cast a spell on me or something?” I mouthed, grinning.
“I didn’t― but if I did, don’t you think all of this is worth it?”
“It is.” I kissed on her forehead. “Just don’t fall in love with someone else now. Marry me and stay by my side for a long long time.”
She nodded and pulled me for a kiss. “I will.” She muttered in my mouth.
Denial
I was memorizing my speech, partly. In my mind, I was with Oceana, sleeping with her in the bed, feeling her skin under mine, her warm breath on my face. I missed the blanket that covered our stark naked bodies. We would have been tired
after making sweet love over and over again. Us being together… that, right there was my favorite thought in the world. It inspired me to do things, for her, for us. Things that dealt with the future with us in it. I would do whatever needed. She was the only reason my life depended on.
I picked my black diamond and sent her a text.
I waited for her message for five minutes, but then continued with the memorizing thing. I was sure she was mad at me.
I started delivering my speech loudly, like a third grader would. Soon Mr. Sunross entered with the formals I had to wear for the party. He stopped on his tracks, I wondered why.
"Mr. Albert, sir?" He called me, in his usual thundering voice.
"Yes?"
"Sir, It’s not a New Year's eve. It’s October nineteenth, your birthday." He tried very hard not to smile.
Oh freak! I was giving thanks for attending the New Year’s party? I sighed. This girl was making me crazy.
"Can you ask Mrs. Norrington to write down something that's not going to embarrass me? Please?" I gave him my helpless look.
"Sure Mr. Albert. Anything else, sir?"
"Yes, Mr. Sunross, I think Oceana is mad at me. What should I do?"
He flushed. Oh no. Not him. What was happening with the people of London? Did they turn red all of a sudden? All of them?
"Mr. Albert-how could I…. Well, I―"
"Oh please Mr. Sunross. It’s the matter of life and death." I grinned.
"A sorry text or a phone call is definitely going to work. Or you, sir, should go and pay her a visit."
I smiled wistfully and agreed. Yes there were even better ideas.
"In fact Mr. Sunross, are you going to fill in the formalities needed for both of us to fly Spain?" I asked.
"I don't think that would be a problem sir." He announced.
"Excellent. How much time will it take?"
"Not more than two hours." He clarified.
"Then I think you've got to pack my stuffs."
I shrugged my shoulders, guilty for not doing it myself. Pearl had changed me to the extreme. "Actually I would have done it myself but I would be in and out all day. I've gotta buy some things." I explained.
"Don't worry sir. It’s my job." Saying that, he bowed and walked away. I stared after him, wondering how patient he was with me and how deeply I was connected to him in a way no one would understand. He turned and smiled. "And sir, forgive me if I am rude, but you really ARE mad in love with Miss Viera." And he vanished out of the door.
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