Chapter 4

Clarissa POV…

I fell off the bed with a thud. Ouch! How did I get here? I got back up and walked a few steps then hit something and fell. The game console…

Robin was lying down there sleeping peacefully. He must have spent the night playing by himself. Seriously, sometimes he just looks like an innocent kid. Especially now…

He opened his eyes slightly as I pushed his hair out of his eyes. He smiled … a very beautiful and warm smile. I was definitely shocked. He’d never smiled at me like that before.

“Morning,” he said in that sleepy voice. I blushed…suddenly feeling quite conscious of him.

“M-Morning Robin.”

I quickly got up and walked to the bathroom and by the time I’d brushed my teeth, washed my face and changed Robin was asleep again.

I walked downstairs by myself where I found my mum sitting with Brenda in the living room. What was she doing here so early? I tried to walk past the living room without being noticed and I heard something that caught my attention.

“They’re sleeping in the same room. Isn’t that cute?”

My mum laughed. “He didn’t even touch her? What a gentleman.”

“He was playing games all night that idiot.”

I had this sudden urge to stomp towards them and tell them we didn’t even love each other so why would he touch me? It doesn’t mean he’s a gentleman you know, but I decided to hold it in and instead ran back upstairs into Robin’s room, closing the door behind me quickly.

“Clare? What happened?”

I gasped when I saw Robin standing in the middle of a mess of clothes that have been thrown out from his drawer. Looks like someone is having a hard time finding the right shirt, but then again who told him to have so many clothes? The main point was he was standing in the middle of that mess, shirtless with his hair messy, sticking out at odd angles.

The whole scene was just too much. He looked very…hot, and in some way also cute…especially with that clueless, semi-worried look on his pretty face.

“Uhh…I’m sorry…I thought you were still asleep. Well, mum’s here…” I turned to leave but he ran towards me slamming the door before I could open it.

“Your mum? Cool…then help me pick something proper? I don’t really know what to wear.”

“Just randomly wear anything…besides you always dress well,” I really wanted to get away from him. He was so close I thought I would die…you see maybe it was because it was my first time seeing a shirtless guy with 6 packs standing so close to me.

 

“We’re having breakfast with the whole family. That’s why your mum’s here…I don’t want to look bad in front of your parents. I want to wear something casual but proper…can’t you help?”

How come I didn’t know? Besides why would he care? Is his ego and reputation that big? I mumbled an ok and walked to his closet and after a while I got him to wear a white button down shirt with black jean pants.

It was fun getting him to wear different clothes until I chose those for him. It felt like I was shopping with someone I really liked. We even played around. I put so much gel on his hair and started modeling it in weird ways. In the end his hair stayed spiky, and I wouldn’t let him change it.

“Is this funny?” Robin was definitely angry now.

I was laughing like an idiot even as we made our way downstairs. He was about to mess up his hair when I held back his hand.

“Don’t! I really like it.”

He snorted. “Not that I asked you.” But he actually stopped groaning and didn’t do anything. Seriously he looked like the bad boy type but it was so cute.

What caught me by surprise was when he held my hand as soon as we got to the dining room. Everyone’s eyes fell on us. I tried to get my hand out of his but he held on harder. “This is the so called ‘revenge’,” he whispered.

I gave him an incredulous look but he just winked and lead me to a chair, opening it out for me and making sure I’m seated then went to say good morning to my parents and his own…giving each one of them a hug.

I forced a smile as everyone’s eyes turned towards me.

“M-morning.”

“Morning dear,” Brenda replied with a sweet smile that didn’t seem to go away.

I pinched Robin’s arm from under the table as he sat next to me, but he didn’t even wince.

 “So it’s been decided that you two get engaged by the end of this month,” mum said. She just had to remind me. Robin just squeezed my hand from under the table, ignoring the fact that I was kicking him.

 After breakfast I changed into a black off shoulder shirt, white pants and wore black stilettos before walking out to the yard. These were just some of the things I got yesterday while shopping. Somehow mum had taken all of my clothes with her and left only these.

 I sat on a chair and admired the beautiful roses around me. The sky was filled with beautiful white clouds…it was just beautiful.

I don’t know for how long I was just sitting there, but I was sure startled when Robin came from behind and wrapped his arms around my neck, whispering what sounded like, “You are so dead.”

 I think I know what I did wrong this time. Looked like no one liked his new ‘bad boy’ hairstyle + I did quite pinch him a lot back in the dining room while acting all cute and innocent as he puts it.

 “Like what are you going to do Robin?”

He snorted. “You just wait until we’re married then you’ll know,” and with that he left…leaving me staring after him like an idiot.

 Just then my phone rang and when I picked it up it was Gabriel asking me to come to our usual coffee shop. We spend most of our time their usually and it’s one of my favorite places since it has my fave rainbow ice-cream.

 I took a taxi there and once I got there Gabriel was already waiting for me inside. He ordered cappuccino while I got my usual and for a moment it was silent, until I decided to ask what was wrong.

“You’re really getting married?” he asked. He wasn’t even looking me in the face anymore which was pretty strange.

 “Yea, although it’s still hard to believe. I’m getting engaged by the end of this month. You are coming right?”

“You seem to be ok with it by now.”

“He’s not as bad as he seems. I guess I don’t mind much anymore.”

“Do you like him?”

 “Gabriel…why are you asking me this now?”

“Do you?” he asked again, totally ignoring my question.

 “Well, I told you he’s not bad. I wouldn’t mind having him around anymore. So, I don’t really hate him.”

 He nodded slowly and took a quick sip of his drink, and jumped…spilling it on his shirt.

“Shit!” he muttered, getting up abruptly. I ran over to him in a moment of panic and started cleaning it for him with tissues.

“Damn it! I’ll be back.”

 He walked off to the bathroom while I stood there looking at the waiter who had come to clean the mess. Seriously, It’s really rare hearing him curse… it’s even worse seeing him act so clumsy…

Chapter 3 part b

Chapter Three (b)

               

 Mum dragged me to the dress shop early in the morning, and here I thought I could rest since I didn’t have to go to Uni. The engagement was a month from now and I still didn’t have my dress picked out. Everything else was up to them, and I clearly told them I didn’t want anything else yet they’ve gotten so many presents.

Robin’s mum came over a while later and they both picked out different dresses for me to try on. This would take forever. I wore a few dresses until they went with a long light pink strapless satin dress with diamonds embedded across the chest and a short over the knee white dress with a pretty pink ribbon around the waist. It showed too much cleavage but they just had to take it.

Next they took me to a shoe shop, and I got beige and white stilettos. Then came the jewelry, and then bags and clutches, make-up, perfume, accessories. We went to Robin’s house at 9. I was dead tired and just wanted to go home, but of course they wouldn’t let me.

Robin kept staring at me while everyone else was talking about the engagement. He pointed out the window and I nodded.

“Uhh…I’m going to walk around for a while,” I said.

“Robin, go with her,” his dad said.

So now we were walking outside in awkward silence until he decided to speak up. “You know we can stop all this…it’s still not too late.”

I stopped dead in my tracks and there was another awkward long silence. He leaned against a tree and crossed his arms against his chest. “You can think it over,” he said.

Why would I? I’ve already accepted. What would I tell his parents? I shook my head and he smiled for some reason. “No?”

“No Robin. I can’t.”

“Cause of grandpa?”

“Not only that, and stop smiling it’s creeping me out.”

“Smiling?”

“Then what are you doing? Making fun of me?”

“Yea.”

“What?”

“Cause you have this issue of thinking of others instead of yourself. You did the same thing back then.”

I leaned back against the tree beside him. “When are you talking about? I think I’m actually very selfish.”

“I wish you were,” I clearly heard that although he was muttering it.

“Robin?”

“Hmm…” he was silently looking at the night sky. He was definitely remembering something, but what? What’s he so upset about?

“Let’s go back. I need to get home.” He didn’t say anything so I was about to walk away when he caught my arm.

“Stay. Sleep over.”

I looked at him as if he’d just said something crazy. He snorted. “Don’t want to? Then forget it.” And he walked ahead of me.

Seriously, what’s gone into him? Could he be feeling lonely because of his grandfather’s death? I heard they were quite close. In the end I decided to stay over for some reason. Mum quickly left in case I changed my mind. I bet she wants to marry me off so badly now.

Of course I’d decided to stay after Robin had said goodnight and left to his room so he probably didn’t know I was here. I took the chance to scare him off a little. I went upstairs to his room and knocked twice at first.

“What?!” he shouted.

Looks like he’s in a bad mood. I slowly opened the door and walked in. He was standing at the far end near the mirror. He tensed in his place for a moment and I quickly went out and stood against the wall. Did he notice me?

“Mum?”

I could hear his footsteps coming closer. “Brea?” that would be his maid. “Anyone????”

I took a deep breath and turned and then we both screamed. I thought my heart would stop beating. I don’t know why but I was trying to get away without him seeing me.

“Clare?! What are you doing?”

“Uhh…I was…umm…scaring you,” I was grinning like an idiot.

“No, I mean what are you doing here?”

“I decided to … stay over,” I muttered.

“Stay over?” he burst out into a fit of laughter. I had this sudden urge to punch him. Is he making fun of me now? I turned and walked away. He followed after me until I got to the door then caught my arm and pulled me into a hug.

“Thanks…for being such a good girl,” he was mocking me, I could tell but he wasn’t in a bad mood anymore so I guess I’ll just go with it for now.

I pushed him away and walked back upstairs to his room. “Since I’m staying, I’ll look into your stuff. Even if I’m not doing it out of love I can’t let my husband cheat.”

“Ok…you’ll be sleeping here right?”

“Yea.”

“On my bed?”

“hmmm.”

“With me?”

“Yea.”

Apparently I was just answering randomly because I was in awe of all the books and picture albums in his shelf. Models of sport cars, beautiful models of houses.

“You said it.”

That’s when I snapped back to reality, my eyes wide open. “I said what?”

“That you’d sleep in my room on the same bed with me.”

“No I did not!”

“Yes you did!!”

I blushed and looked away. This guy always gives people wrong ideas. He laughed.

“Why don’t you shower and change? I’ll get you some clothes. But…you can’t sleep just yet.”

I gave him a puzzled look. “It’s 10: 45 you know. In fact I may fall asleep any time now.”

“No… If you want to sleep now then you have to sleep next to me.”

So, for the next 3 hours we were sitting in his room playing games.

Robin’s POV

 I did it. I asked her to stay playing games with me till morning. We were sitting side by side playing street fighter when she looked down her hair hanging around her face, blocking my view of her.

“Clare? Hey!!” I shook her gently until she groaned and slapped me in the face. I blinked and looked at her, surprised.

Then, I burst out into a fit of laughter. Her sleeping face was so cute. I wander if she did that on purpose. I carried her to my bed and lay her down carefully. I pulled the blanket over her and went back to my game.