To @november1567, for being one of the most involved and active commenters on this book.
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~~~ CHAPTER 38 - FUTURE WIFE ~~~
Nigel ended his vacation and went back to the capital. When he left The Fields, I was thankful since nobody was bothering me anymore. I was able to concentrate more on taking care of mom.
I also had time to be with Elena and Diego and learned more about their love story. It was funny when they just started out as girlfriend and boyfriend. Elena said the both of them were just attending some university affair and they ended up making out that night. That was how they became a couple. I was giggling the whole time Elena was telling me about it.
I could actually picture out the lovestruck face of Diego... I just knew how his face looked like when he was in love.
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The following week, I asked Mommy Carol's permission to go back to the South. Though she wanted me to stay, she finally let me go. It hurt so much to leave her one more time but I promised her that I'd be visiting her when I'd have time.
Life in the southern city continued and I still had to balance my time between my work at the cake shop and my volunteer work at the orphanage. Nevertheless, I felt like I was able to manage it properly. There were just times though that I was overcome with nostalgia everytime I remembered mom or The Fields...
Javier always saw to it to visit me once in two weeks. We still dated and he was a great suitor, very consistent with his wooing. You wouldn't ask for more. He never gave me a pain in the head. He was always very sweet, thoughful, and understanding --- the kind of guy that any girl would wish to have.
Weeks had passed and I never saw Nigel again. News and articles about him on TV, daily papers and magazines were very scarce. It was really true that he was distancing himself from the media.
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I was preparing for my late supper one Thursday evening, actually the eve of my twenty-first birthday, when I heard the ringing of the bell of my apartment door. Thinking that it was one of the cake shop employees who might have done some errands for Mrs. Riviera, I went out of the kitchen and went to the living room to open the door.
What did Mrs. Riviera want from me?
I had the most unprepared reaction when I finally opened it. It was like seeing a ghost in the middle of the night.
I wanted to scream in horror but my mouth wouldn't produce any sound... for my brain immediately corrected me that what I was seeing at the very moment was never a ghost or any terrible creature, but instead, I was facing, in my heart's opinion, the sexiest and most handsome man on the planet.
There came a lump in my throat and some funny movements in the pit of my stomach. How could he just appear like that after I thought about him just now while I was cooking in the kitchen? How could you disregard a thought about a Sarmiento in the kitchen when most of the kitchen goods were labelled with that family name? Did he happen to have mutant powers already and he detected what was going on in my mind and so he teleported straight from the capital to my doorstep?
"Hi," he greeted me.
I looked at my wristwatch and learned that it was almost nine o'clock! Thinking that I was just imagining, I blinked my eyes with the hope that when I stopped blinking them, he would vanish right off.
Yet when I stopped, he was still there... in business suit? Seriously?
His hair had been messed up. His jaw was unshaved. His eyes were sluggish like he needed some sleep, like he didn't have any sleep during the past days. Still, with all those needs, he was oozing with so much... yeah... sex appeal... No doubt about that.
"How did you know I'm here?" were the first words I said. Yeah, how did he know my place?
The moment that I spoke, he came into my apartment, not even waiting for an invitation! The jerk!
"Nigel! Why in heavens are you here?" I queried in utter disbelief.
The man, who appeared to be deaf of my questions, went straight to my couch in my tiny living room and sat there. "I needed some sleep," he enunciated, looking at me.
Oh, gosh! This was crazy! Did he really have to fly from the capital just to sleep here?
"And whatever made you think that this is the right place for you to sleep? Are you going to steal again my bed tonight? Are you out of your mind?" I bombarded him questions as I went near him.
"Really?" he eyed me meaningfully and sexily. "You're gonna let me be on your bed?"
Jerk.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms on my chest. "You wish!"
He smirked.
"Please, I don't want you here," I said, sending him the message that I totally wanted him out of my place.
If I could only drag him to the doorway, I'd definitely do it. Too bad, I didn't have enough power.
And my heart had been a jerk as well. It had been pumping like crazy.
He didn't answer me, instead, leaving his dress shirt on, he took off his suit jacket and his tie and hang them on the headrest of the couch. Then, he proceeded taking off his shoes as well. Later, he plunged his whole body on the couch with his head placed on the armrest and his feet still on socks on the other side of the couch.
"Please, get out!" I shouted at him.
"Don't yell at me, princess. The neighbors would hear you," he said, crossing his arms on his chest and closing his eyes.
The neighbors? Yeah, of course, the couple with a baby next door and the gossipy spinster in the other door!
How did he know about the neighbors?
I stared at him. Indeed, looking very exhausted while lying there, he closed his eyes.
For minutes, I stood there staring at him with my big, wide eyes. This was absolutely insane! How did he even get here? How did he know that I was staying here?
Suddenly, I smelled something was getting burned and it obviously came from the kitchen. I hurriedly rushed towards that place and what exactly met my eyes was the burning pasta sauce in the pan.
Oh, crap! Sometimes, luck was just not in our side!
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Fortunately, I was able to prevent fire by dipping the pan in the sink full of water. Sweat started to appear in my forehead.
Whew!
I had to be really careful next time.
Gosh! It looked like I was not going to take my meal tonight.
Definitely the downside of losing one's wits.
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Remembering about my unwanted visitor, I went back to the living room. Looking very comfortable on where he was lying, though the poor couch couldn't hold much of his tall and brawny built, Nigel was already sleeping. His chest was steadily moving up and down in peaceful slumber.
As in really sleeping?
You've got to be kidding me!
Not knowing what to do, I paced around the living room. Why are you here? Why?
His presence even produced more adrenaline in my body than the burning pan in the kitchen a while ago.
While pacing about here and there, I caught sight of the slighly opened door and, then, I remembered the neighbors... especially the gossipy old woman. Oh, Nigel, you really are going to put me into trouble! I went to the door and closed it.
I sat on a chair across the couch where he was lying. Crap. It looked like he was staying here for the night.
What am I going to do with you now, huh?
Not comprehending what I was really feeling as of the moment, I breathed in and out deeply and hoped the act would help me understand everything... but to no avail, it only made my chest get hardened and frozen.
Lying there, he looked so beautiful. The perfect contours of his face in its side view took my breath away. There was a part of my brain telling me to run along my palm on his cheek. Oh, Nigel...
Watching him, I could not help but notice his huge, man-size built on the couch. He indeed exuded total appeal and virility.
I bit my lips.
You really surprise me tonight, Nigel. It's the eve of my birthday. Do you remember?
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It was about 11:00 p.m. when I felt the rumbling of my stomach. I decided to go back to the kitchen and prepared something to eat.
I was just done reworking on the sauce for my pasta when I detected some kind of movement at my back. The next thing I knew, a pair of sinewy arms were encircled around my waist from my back. I jumped in total astonishment especially when I felt his muscles flexed and his well-toned abs burning my back... Yeah, even though there were our shirts in between us. What a weird thing to feel...
"Relax. It's just me, princess." Nigel seized my body even firmer to keep me in place. "How do you know I didn't have dinner?" he asked smiling as he leaned down his face on me over my left shoulder.
I pushed his arms to loosen them up but he kept them still. The tension I felt earlier was built up once more. What was really with this man? Who gave him the right to do all of these crazy gestures to me?
"Don't assume too much. This is not for you. This is for me," I said sharply. Whatever made him think that I was cooking for him?
"Well, I'm hungry, very hungry. Aren't you going to share it with me? I miss your cooking," He tickled my neck with his breathing.
Oh, God, this mushiness was killing me.
I elbowed his abdomen and demanded, "Well, if you let me go." I felt his abs contracted and it made me pull away my elbow from his body.
Nigel gripped my waistline even firmer as he sniffed my hair. "Really love your smell... I missed this..."
Now, he was talking about my shampoo. How could he miss this? Did he know how my hair smelled before?
"You said you want to eat so let me go," I demanded, gritting my teeth.
He finally released me but the sweet, masculine smell of his cologne was kind of stuck in my nostrils. He moved along the kitchen, got two pieces of plate from the plate rail, and set them on the table. Still quitely amazed with what was happening, I watched him setting the table for the both of us.
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"Thank you," Nigel said when we were already sitting across each other.
I didn't speak any word. He decided to be silent as well as he ate. I looked at him and he was so engrossed with his food. He indeed looked hungry.
I finished my share of the pasta and looked at him once more. He was done eating and I caught him staring at me with his elbows on the table and knuckles under his chin.
"There's water in the fridge," I said as I stood up and started to take the plates from the table. He should not expect that I was to serve him with everything in my place.
He stood up and did as I told him. He got a bottle of mineral water from the fridge, got a glass, poured water in it and walked towards me in the sink. Surprisingly, he offered me the glass. "Here, princess."
Great.
"I can have my water myself. This is my place."
"Come on, Althea. You're going to refuse even a glass of water from me?"
Yeah, just a glass of water. Why should I make an issue out of it? I accepted it and drank the cold water. Just as I was about to put the glass in the sink, Nigel grabbed it from my hand. He poured water in it again and then gulped it.
Oh! Did he actually use the glass I just used?
Yuck. Gross.
I eyed him annoyingly. He grinned at me. "Best glass ever," he muttered, wetting his lips.
Great again.
He leaned his left hip on the cupboard next to the sink where I was starting to wash the dishes. "Your cooking always hypnotizes me. Why?" he asked, somewhat dreamily.
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of witch. I don't do black magic," I said, starting to do the washing. He was at my left and I no longer gave him a glimpse.
"No," he said after I heard him gulp another glass of water. "It's not what I mean, princess. What I mean is I can't get enough of anything you cook or bake. You're that good."
I shook my head irritatingly as I continued with what I was doing.
"I'm telling the truth. You're a great cook and baker," he said. I could feel his eyes drilling at me.
Oh, God! Why now? Why did he tell these things to me only now? Why did he act this soft and romantic only now?
"Of course, I'm good with anything I have the heart in doing. That's why my future husband's going to be very lucky to have me," I stated meaningfully, trying to send him the message that our broken engagement was his loss, not mine.
"I know... I know," he muttered silently.
Good, you know.
He continued, however, "I know I am very, very lucky."
Crap. One more word and I was going to slap him already.
That was the time that I turned to him and glared daggers at him. "Stop it! Stop it!"
I continued with what I was doing and he became silent all throughout as he was watching me.
Finishing rinsing and wiping the plates, I brought them to the plate rail. Nigel followed me.
"A-Althea---"
"Please," I span around and faced him, "I can't understand why you're even here tonight... and then, here you are annoying me like the jerk that you are!"
For seconds, he didn't speak a word again. His expression turned grim.
Suddenly, his phone rang in his pocket.
I went back arranging the plates. It must be one of his girls calling and trying to monitor where he was. Oh, I really hated him.
"It's my alarm," he said from my back. "It's 12:00 o'clock."
I didn't want to know what time it was. What I wanted to happen was for him to leave my apartment now. I turned to him once again to reprimand him to go away already. But, before I could speak anything, Nigel closed our distance and gripped my waistline with one of his arms.
"What are you doing?" I squealed.
He leaned down his face to me. "Want to know the reason why I'm here tonight? Well, my alarm..." he said, showing me his phone, "my alarm just told me it's time for me to say this. I'm here to make sure that I'll be the first person to greet you. Happy twenty-first birthday, princess."
I stared at him, very shocked.
So he did remember the date!
This was the first time ever that he greeted me on my birthday!
And before I could make a reaction, after he put the phone back in his pocket, Nigel grasped my chin with his hand and gazed at my lips.
Oh, no! He is to kiss me now! He is to kiss me now! My brain freaked out.
I could feel the blushing of my cheeks at that thought.
But, no... he didn't.
Instead, he added, "How could I forget the date, Althea? It's the day that we got engaged. It's the day that I can't ever get you out of my mind even for one just f-cking second. It's the day that always made me come running home to the palacio just to see you."
Huh?
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I just had heard.
Really? Was I really the reason when he came home to the palacio every birthday of mine?
When I turned seventeen... he arrived in the evening and shared dinner with mom and me.
When I celebrated my eighteenth birthday with my friends in the palacio ground, he arrived in the middle of the night!
Nevertheless, didn't he ignore me during those times? Hadn't I received multiple insults from him during those times?
Stop lying, Nigel Joaquin! What really is your motive in all these lies and pretenses? My brain yelled at him.
Nigel didn't mind how my facial expression turned sour. Instead, he scooped and embraced me tightly in his arms, lifting me up in the process that my feet left the floor, as he said softly to my ear, "Happy birthday, future wife."
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A/N
Ahhhhhhh... Nigel Joaquin!!! Why do you always skip the formal proposal??? You can't just claim her like that! Do the proper thing! Do I really need to give you some lesson on the art of courtship? (Author grits her teeth... grrr... :€)
Hahaha! I'm getting craaazzy now!
Thanks for your wonderful time on this chapter, my lovely readers. A big thanks also for consistently making this book a part of the Hot List! You always make me happy!
Sorry for the short update. It's just that this week and the next couple of weeks will be the peak season of my career, like really the busiest time of the year for me. I'm not sure if I'll still be having enough time to write... but I'll try my very best to find time so that I can update next week. :/
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With lots of love,
(sapphiregirl22) ~_^