Marrying my high school bully

Lorraine

Time passed between us as we kept staring at each other in silence.

Stefan cleared his throat, reminding us that he was still around. “You’re here, Mr Hemmingway.” He chuckled nervously.

“Yes, I am and what are you doing in my house?” He asked in a tone that showed how indignant and jealous he was.

“Oh no,” I muttered under my breath, thinking of several ways to salvage the situation.

This was the last thing I wanted. Since it was a fake marriage, I didn’t want anyone to know about it to avoid a scandal ensuing, but Dexter wasn’t making things easier for me.

He didn’t have to blurt out the truth like that.

“Ummm, Stefan, it isn’t his house as he said. He just came to visit just like you’re doing right now.” I chimed, hoping that he would believe me.

Stefan swung his gaze from me to Dexter and when Dexter didn’t say anything else, he picked up his briefcase which I appreciated as the tension was growing by the minute and headed for the door.

“I’m happy to see that you are getting better. Please take care of yourself.”

Before going out, he gave a little bow to Dexter then left. I forced myself up with the aid of my crutches and gave him a long hard stare. “You didn’t have to do that, Dexter.” I whined while he walked towards the wine cellar.

“I didn’t have to do that? One of my staff was right here in my house to visit my wife and you expected me to be quiet?”

“Yes, I did. We had an agreement that no one was to know about this marriage. That implies that they shouldn’t even have a hint at all. What on earth is your problem?” I spat angrily as I felt my temper accelerate.

He turned away from the cellar, gnawing at the wine and the glass. I bit my lips to stop myself from giving out more angry outbursts.

“I’ll only make an act outside of this house, but here I’m free to do as I want.” He said in the sassiest tone I’d ever heard. “Have you had anything to eat today?”

The fact that he cared about my stomach melted the fury that had formed a ball in my chest.

How could he make me angry and happy at the same time without much effort?

“I had pizza with a bottle of apple juice at noon but that’s it. Nothing else!” I said blandly so that he wouldn’t be able to pick on my emotions.

He took off his suit then rolled his white sleeves. “I’ll make you something then. How does Lasagna and Grilled chicken sound?”

My mouth salivated at the thought of having dinner made by him. It’s been a while since I had a well prepared meal that I didn’t have to buy with my money.

Eden didn’t really care about me. I couldn’t remember being properly pampered by a man who called himself my boyfriend. The more I thought of it, the more I realised how closer he was to Iris than to me.

They literally did everything together while making me look like the third wheel. On several occasions, most people thought that they were couples.

I’d never fit into their lives from the beginning.

“Lorraine!” He snapped his fingers at me, causing me to jerk out from the hurtful memories.

With a sad smile, I said. “It sounds really good.”

Dinner with Dexter felt strangely nice because we never had the chance to go on dates even in high school, but I got the chance now and even though I was supposed to stay away from him, I couldn’t deny the fact that having a quiet homemade dinner with him was exhilarating.

“Thank you,” I mouthed after wiping my lips clean.

He stood up and began to stack on the plates on each other. “You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t know that you could cook this well.” I commented, nibbling on the caramel apple cake he brought for dessert.

He shrugged, washing the dishes meticulously while I trained my gaze on him. I’d seen how cool he was in business, but being domesticated-I didn’t expect that.

“There are several things you don’t know about me.”

“I agree.” I replied almost immediately, enjoying the direction of the conversation. “Tell me, what other things can you do effortlessly that I don’t know about?”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

His lips curved into a mischievous smirk as he dried his hands. He removed his apron and focused solely on me. “I can play the guitar well but I don’t have a good voice to go with it.”

I burst into laughter, imagining how his croaky voice would sound while singing. “Don’t ever sing for me.” I joked.

He faked a frown and huffed. “I won’t even think about it.”

Our conversation lingered on and I didn’t want it to stop. I laughed heartily to each of his childish boasts because they all sounded unreal to me.

“You’d have to show me a picture of one of your paintings as proof.” I said in disbelief after he tried to convince me that he could draw.

“I’ll do that soon.”

I could see him cracking a smile as I continued to tease him, but every now and then the thoughts of the past still flickered in my mind. “If you are this art inclined, what the hell are you doing in business?”

The happy smile he wore earlier disappeared from his face and the nonchalant expression I loathed returned.

“I had something to protect. A legacy that couldn’t be abandoned because the bearer had died. My father trusted that I’ll do better than him, so I had to man up and live up to his expectations.” He averted his gaze from me which was quite disappointing because I wanted him to look at me while we talked. “My children would choose their destiny, I’ve made a promise to myself that I won’t stand in their way.”

My stomach fluttered at the mention of children, causing me to caress my stomach subconsciously. I would have been carrying a child in my womb if not for Eden and my stepfather who made me run blindly.

“Did I upset you?” He asked gently.

I continued caressing my stomach as I raised my head. “Do you really want to have kids?”