Xavier sipped his tea, while Amelia kept staring at him. She had been like that for some time, staring across the dining table, not eating anything. Xavier chose not to show concern because he knew that if he asked her what the problem was, she wouldn't stop talking about it, and he wasn't ready for her untamable nature.
Xavier took another sip from the cup, and he noticed how she followed him with her eyes. It was beginning to be uncomfortable and Xavier couldn't take it anymore.
"What?" He asked, and Amelia blinked rapidly.
"Nothing," she said and Xavier couldn't help but scoff at her response.
"You have been staring intently at me for the past 5 minutes"
"I was staring blankly into space, and you just happened to be there"
"Are you serious?"
"Of course"
"Pathetic" he responded, going back to his tea and taking a sip once more. The tea was quite hot and that was precisely what he needed.
"You don't seem like the type to drink tea"
"How would you know that?"
"I'm your wife, remember?"
"A contract wife remember?" he shot back and Amelia rolled her eyes at him
"I know, you don't have to remind me all the time"
"Glad to know," he said and he took another sip from the tea
"You seem like the tequila type, not the tea type"
"I can do both," he said with a smirk. "Is that why you kept on staring at me?"
'No I was staring at you because you are drop-dead gorgeous' her inner self screamed, but she didn't dare say that out loud. That would damage her ego
"You haven't touched your food" he said looking at her untouched plate
"I don't feel the need to eat"
"Why?"
"Nothing" she scowled dramatically
"Then why come down for breakfast if you aren't going to eat anything?"
"Sitting in my room all day can be boring, you know?"
"No, I do not know"
"Typical Xavier. Didn't expect less" she said and was greeted with Xavier's silence. That was his personality. He couldn't hold up a conversation and occasionally, it wore Amelia off.
"What's wrong with you?" she blurted out, and Xavier cocked his eyebrow confused.
"You passed out the other day, and it didn't seem like a new thing," she said, pressing her lips together nervously, as she watched Xavier's expression abruptly change.
"You don't have to worry about it," he said and with the tone in his voice, Amelia was sure he meant what he said.
"I want to listen worry"
"You don't have to worry about it. Miss Wilson, eat" he commanded and she sighed. Truthfully, she wasn't ready to have any food, the appetite wasn't there and there was no way she could force it
"Who was the man who came the other day?"
"You were the one who brought him in"
"You know him and I don't believe that was the first time you met with him"
"What makes you say that?"
"Instincts"
"You could question your instincts then, I don't have an answer for that" he said casually and Amelia felt the need to slap him across the face with a burrito.
********
Amelia sighed in boredom. As much as she wanted to spend some time with Xavier, he was well known to have minimum time for her. There was doubt he pretty much hated her company.
She wrapped her hands across the gift that was given to her by Daphne. It had been wrapped for a while, and she didn't feel the need to open it up until now.
The space beside her was taken. Speaking of the devil, the seat was occupied by Xavier. He didn't bother looking at her. He looked forward instead. With how messy his hair was, it was obvious, he just woke up from sleep, and he looked as stunning as he always did.
He kept quiet for a while, but after some time, he looked in her direction and his eyes fell on the wrapped gift on her lap, but he didn't say anything, instead, he looked away. Amelia rolled her eyes.
The wind was cool, but everywhere suddenly felt hot just by Xavier's presence. The fact that he had the power to affect her without practically doing anything made her astounded.
Sighing in exasperation, she looked down at her gift wrap and began unwrapping it. The crunching noise stole Xavier's attention as he stared at it. Probably, he had already realized it was the gift that Daphne gave her earlier at the airport.
Amelia finished unwrapping it and brought out a cloth-like material. After raising the material, it took her a while to realize what it was. Her cheek flushed in embarrassment and when she turned to look at Xavier, the look on his face held a slight embarrassment too as he turned to look the other way.
*It was a fucking lingerie* it felt like the ground should open up and drag her in. Poor Daphne must have concluded they would both share intimacy, so that's why she gave Amelia a lingerie as a gift for her honeymoon.
It was embarrassing, but letting it get to her would make things worse for her. She knew well enough that Xavier was embarrassed too, and she was going to use that to her advantage. Making him as uncomfortable as he always did to her wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"You know this was supposed to be for our honeymoon," she said, flaunting the lingerie in such a way he could see it.
"And what happened?" He shot back.
"You happened," she said, and he scrunched his eyebrow confused.
"It's a contract marriage, remember?" She said, rubbing it on his face that it was partially his fault. "And you remember section 3 of the contract? No intimate relationship"
"I know that" he shrugged
"And..." she wanted to voice her, but she chose to say it quietly. "We would have used this if that wasn't there"
He bit his bottom lips with a mischievous smile on his face. "We can always scrap out section 3 if you like"
Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment
******
Lucas smirked as soon as the glass cup left his lips while Xavier's face held the opposite of a smirk. Lucas knew well enough what Xavier was thinking about, but he chose not to ask what the problem was because he knew Xavier wouldn't say a word.
A sigh escaped from Lucas's lip, as the silence became more intense. Well, what could he do? Xavier was mad as hell and Lucas felt tired of the whole thing.
"Now would you say what the issue is?" Lucas asked when he couldn't bear the silence anymore.
"Who else if not Martin," Xavier spat out like he had been waiting for the question. You could notice the anger that lingered in his eyes.
"I figured, but I don't still see why you see him as a problem"
"I didn't initially. Like a week ago I wasn't concerned about him, but do you expect me to remain cool after he showed up at my house"
"Here in Kauai?" Lucas asked in disbelief.
"The fact that he even had to audacity to show up"
"Woah, how did that happen?"
"I passed out" Xavier blurted out and Lucas's eyes widened in realization.
"Then how did he find out about the address of the place?"
"Amelia sold it out, unknowingly"
"So what are you going to do now? Especially now he has seen Amelia and I know, contract or not, you won't let anything happen to her"
"I am meant to protect her as long as we are still married," Xavier said, and it felt like he was trying his best to convince himself more than he was trying to convince Lucas, and Lucas didn't fail to notice it.
"Sure," Lucas said, raising his cup in a dramatic way.
"What do you think?"
"I don't know, you are rich and influential. I don't think you would risk your fame, just because of your past relationship with Martin"
"He won't do anything"
"And how sure are you?"
" Not 100 percent, but I know he won't do anything now, he is more likely to wait for the perfect time when no one is expecting"
"And Hardin"
"He is not my problem. I don't care what happens between him and Hardin"
"You think he wouldn't help him?"
" I don't wanna talk about it right now," Xavier said with a look of exhaustion on his face.
"And you can't stop thinking about it? How pathetic"
"You think it's easy not to think about the fact that a damn psychopath is after you?"
"That's why you need to fix it"
"It's not that easy, Martin is like a rat that can never be gotten rid of"
"Anyway, not my boyfriend, not my issue," Lucas said, taking a sip from his glass as the glare on Xavier's face hardened.
"Don't say it that way"
"Whatever you say" Lucas snickered
***
A whimper came from her once more as Erica buried herself into the tissue in front of her. The tears just couldn't stop flowing. She looked up once more, hoping it would stop, but she was wrong, her tears were as stubborn as her personality.
One look at Stella and she cried the more while Stella sat on the other side of the bed, confused
"You don't have to do this" Stella said when she was finally given a chance to talk amid the constant yells and cries Erica kept making
"I .... Don't ...." She broke into tears again, and Stella felt the effort she put in shatter. "I don't know how to stop"
"You have to"
"I saw him a month ago, and he didn't say anything about getting married"
"You mean the little stripper show you pulled off for him?"
"I could do anything to get him, can you blame me?"
"You are always so engrossed in him, obsessed, and you don't just seem to see the picture"
"What picture?"
"see what I mean," Stella said, confirming what she first stated. "The picture is clear, and you are too blind to see. Xavier doesn't love you" she blurted out and Erica erupted into tears once more.
"That's not true"
"Don't act like a Kid"
"Don't you see I'm not concerned about that?"
"Well you have to, your crying will not make you think properly and realize that Xavier would never want you"
"Are you saying that purposely to hurt me? "
"I am not doing anything to hurt you, I am making you see reasons"
"With what?" Erica yelled amid tears, and Stella sighed in exasperation.
"My God Erica"
"You can't blame me, can you?"
"Then who would I blame, Xavier?"
"Fucking yes Stella!" She yelled as the anger she felt inwards increased.
"Are you serious? Or you just want to act childish? for goodness's sake, Erica think"
"I don't want to think, I just want him" she cried and Stella stared at her in disgust.
"Now I see the problem. You are so blinded by his looks, fame, and his wealth. You don't wanna reason properly anymore" she said and Erica erupted into cry once more, digging her head into the pillow, letting her emotions out as they couldn't be contained.
"Have you even eaten all day?"
"I haven't, and I don't want to"
" Because of someone who doesn't care about you"
"He cares, but he is just going through a phase"
"How dumb can you be? You call marriage a phase? That shit is for life"
"You don't know Xavier more than I do"
"And do you know him more than he does himself"
"Still"
"Still what? You aren't making any sense, and you know it. If you aren't the alcoholic type, I would have asked you to go sober before saying anything"
"I don't even know how to feel".
"You know what, take a shower, have dinner and forget about this whole Xavier problem"
"No, I will not. I will have Xavier for myself and I will deal with that bitch called Amelia"