Chapter Sixty-Three – He fell.
(At the Hotel)
It had turned from lunch, to a ‘have all you can eat’ then to a ‘buy all you can see’. Arya was already feeling like she spent too much of Damien’s money even if he said it was nothing.
And she wasn’t at her room in the mansion, taking all she bought back would be too heavy for her.
She rolled on her bed, back and forth before staying at a place. Her mind went back to how Damien had been looking at her closely while she shopped.
It made her feel tingly and troubled.
“What if this man had already fallen for me?” she questioned.
That would be very bad. She wouldn’t be able to reciprocate those feelings. And he wouldn’t be ready to get ‘no’ for an answer. He had the means to keep her to himself.
“Damn, it’s been almost four months since our marriage. Anything can happen now.” She began rolling again.
All her plans had failed. Seeing him as her big brother didn’t go as planned because he always kept being flustered around her. Winx becoming his girlfriend didn’t work either.
And worse, he seemed to be interested in her. Should she talk it out with him or that would only make things more awkward?
And if he agrees to that fact he was in love with her? What should she do then? What should be her response?
“What if I’m overthinking it…. No, I’m not.” Her mind went back to how he stared at her when she walked out wearing a slightly revealing dress.
He had to avert his eyes at some point and his ears were red.
“I even feel giddy staying in the same room with him. What to do? What to do?” She rolled again on the bed.
The door to the room opened abruptly and she froze.
“Oh, sorry! I thought Damien was back.” It was Selena. She walked into the room and fell on her brother’s bed.
Arya glared at her, sitting up from her own bed. “What did you want to tell him? How did the modeling gig go? Is Winx back home? Was her pay fair?”
Selena looked surprised with her last questions. “Oh, did he tell you? Do you know the girl, Winx?”
Arya folded her arms. “That’s my best friend. We were going to have lunch when Damien asked the favor from her.”
A chuckle left Selena. “Really? He could have asked the maidens at home to help. I wouldn’t have minded anybody.”
Arya frowned. So that was an option? Why didn’t Damien use it? By any chance, was it because he planned a date with her that he was willing to send Winx off?
“So that’s what happened.” Arya mumbled.
It felt like Damien could see through her plan too. The date had totally taken her off guard.
Arya glanced at Selena who was almost dozing off on the bed. “Won’t you go to your room? He’s not back yet.”
“Mmm. I will… when he’s back… thank… to thank him.” She said while yawning. “If I sleep off, he’d have to carry me to my bed.” She snickered.
Her words made Arya smile. It must be assuring to have such a caring, capable and wealthy brother. “If only that was my relationship with him.” She mumbled to herself.
Arya fell back on the bed when it felt like Selena was fast asleep. Lots of things swirled in her mind. Seth and Damien.
She would feel more guilty chasing after Seth now that her husband was in love with her.
“But then, if he loves me and thought my flustered face looked cute, could Seth, who thought the same, also be in love with me too?” she wondered.
Or perhaps Winx was right with both of them just trying to be nice to her? And not to forget that Seth’s wasn’t a complete compliment, he had scolded her first for being violent.
“Ahh! All these thoughts!” she jumped out of the bed. “I need to take a walk to clear my head.”
She walked out of the room, with fallen shoulders. Love and relationship advice couldn’t help her now. It was either Seth loved her back or she loved Damien back.
Statistically speaking, the chances of the former happening was low. And the chances of the latter happening, no matter how she hated to say it, was much higher than the former.
“That would make me a bitch then.” She figured because at the end of the day, her heart had only accepted Damien because he was rich and nice to her.
“Bitch?” someone asked behind her.
At first, she wanted to jump away from him but she calmed down seeing Junior besides him. She didn’t want the young boy wondering what was wrong with her again.
“Oh nothing. I was thinking of something silly.” She waved it off, trying not to meet Damien’s gaze.
Junior came in front of her. “Oh then, where is it? He said you got something for me that I would like.”
Arya thought for a while then smirked. “Yeah. It’s actually for cosplay. It’s popular now so I thought you’d want one too.”
They both hurried back to the room.
Junior sprang on the bed, bouncing excitedly. “Oh, Selena is here? But I don’t do cosplay, I wonder why you’d think I do.”
“You looked totally impressed with one today. I guessed you might have a liking to cosplays.” She snickered.
Connor stopped bouncing in the bed. He was impressed with a cosplay that day? That moment was the first time he was hearing of cosplay.
Damien lifted Selena to his arms and turned to Connor. “Don’t worry, she said you’d like it so maybe you would. Also, I think cosplayers are cool.” He left to Selena’s room.
Suddenly, Arya whipped out a transparent wrap which had only black clothing. Next she took out a spear like weapon which had a sickle mouth.
Junior ran backwards. “Are you trying to kill me? What kind of cosplay is this?”
Arya rubbed her hand together before yelling. “The amazing grim reaper!! Surely your friends have told you of him! Today, I dressed as one and you looked totally impressed!”
His eyes twitched. “Impressed? You call my scared and worried expression an impressed look?”
Arya stared at him with a fake confused expression. She was aware he might not be impressed but bought it either ways.
However, Junior had never felt more disappointed.