I dedicate this chapter to @_eMKay You just melted my heart the other day, and I'm so happy if I can help and inspire a little a young and talented writer like you ðâ¤
"I have everything planned and under controlâ" I freeze all my movements, the precious dress and my smile falling at the same time as my eyes take in a detail that I don't have planned, and even less under control.
I keep blinking my eyes, hoping this is a nightmare, that I will wake up in my comfy bed alone. But no, nothing changes, and I'm frozen; even my mind is blank as if processing what has just happened would be too much. Although it's really simple: it's a disaster.
I don't know how long I stay like this, one second? One minute? One hour? Yet he doesn't say anything; he keeps the same expression, and it's when his dimple starts to twitch that my brain comes out of his frozen state with a burning rush of despair and anger.
"Theone."
My muscles are put back into movement, and I rush to close my laptop. I don't even know why, maybe with the idea that it's better to not have witnesses.
"What are you doing here?" I seethe, my jaw clenching, while his expression stays the same: calm and mocking.
"Your mom told me there are extra covers in your wardrobe," he replies simply, almost innocently â almost, if he wasn't still wearing the same devious smirk.
"Haven't you learned to knock before entering a room?" I know I'm avoiding the real question, yet I'm not ready for the answer, and actually, his left dimple has given me the answer the second I've seen him standing by the door.
"I did, but you didn't answer, and the door was open." He shrugs as if it was nothing, but his green eyes sparkling with mischief scream the contrary. "Apparently you were too occupied..."
I close my eyes for a second, preparing for it. "Did... What did you hear?"
"Ooh... I've heard a lot of things..." He doesn't even try to hide his delighted evil grin.
My chest shrivels with the realization that all hope is gone, and actually, my lungs are getting crushed with the possibilities of what's to come because except if I kill him, I'm now at the mercy of Theone Homer and his devious smirk
"I knew you had a wild imagination, but this?!" He lets out a loud chuckle. "I can't believe this is fake! A planâ"
"Shh!" I rush to close the door before another disaster shows up â and not because I still have the idea of murdering him discreetly. "You can't tell this to anyone."
"Because this is really real?!" he asks, pressing his lips together to hold back his taunting laugh, but failing as it can be heard in his tone, echoing in prickles under my skin.
He knows very well that it's real, and the blood that has left my face a few seconds ago is now boiling inside, ready to explode. However, this is not how I will fix this. I need to be the wisest, since I'm in no position to declare war on him. Now he has a fatal weapon in his hands.
So I take a deep breath and opt for a Christmas truce with my best puppy eyes. "Please, Theo, it's really important. No one can know."
I can't even imagine the humiliation. Theone's mocking snicker is nothing in comparison, and I'm used to it, but my parents, Aden... My romance would be definitely over before starting, and Aden would see me in a new light, yet not a good one.
"Oh, my nickname? It's really serious then, Penny?"
He's making it really hard for me to remain sweet and nice as he's emphasizing my nickname, his green eyes twinkling with so much delight that they look like a mix of an illuminated Christmas tree and a fresh snowflake.
"So let me sum up, you're lying to your family because your boyfriend isn't your real boyfriend? You're lying to him to try to make him fall for you? You're lying to everyone, and you want me to lie too?"
"What do you want?" I ask flatly. There's no point in beating around the bush and leaving him more time to make fun of me.
"What?" He lifts one of his eyebrows, which only emphasizes the teasing glint in his eyes.
"What do you want in exchange for your silence?" I sigh, trying to let out some of the boiling pressure growing inside, because I know exactly what he is thinking in his evil handsome head.
"Well, I wasn't going to ask anything because watching this disaster is already enough fun! But now that you're talking about it..." he draws out, and by now, his smirk hasn't fallen down for even one second; it keeps growing more and more mischievous as my expression is crumbling down more and more.
Have I just dug my own grave for him to bury me? I don't know, and I'm actually cursing us both so much that I doubt I will still be on Santa's nice list. Yet it doesn't really matter as I'm about to make a deal with the devil.
"Spill it," I mutter between my clenched teeth.
"Meet me tomorrow morning at 8 in front of the bank, and we'll agree," he states simply, already walking to my wardrobe.
"What?!" I stare between his back, the alarm clock, and my now-closed door. "Tomorrow as in today in a few hours?!" I gasp, as if I would manage to find sleep knowing the devil is preparing his deal.
"Yes, sleep tight." He turns back to me to flash me both of his dimples, my favorite fluffy cover now in his hands.
"What?! But you didn't tell me what you want?!"
"You'll find out in a few hours..." He opens the door, and the panic rushes in my veins to propel me forward and grab his hand.
Though as he turns around, I end up stumbling into his chest, my head almost knocked out by the firmness of the muscles under his white tee-shirt â okay, I must be exaggerating, and it's surely only the panic that is making me dizzy.
"You-you won't say anything, are you?" I stumble over my rushed words.
"No, don't worry. I'd rather watch you mess it up by yourself!" He offers me one last smirk before exiting the room, going back to his room, which is also Aden's, while I'm here alone with my spiraling thoughts and that fresh spicy soap scent that is now permeating my nose.
***
"Wow! You look like a zombie!" Jason exclaims, taking a large bite of his piece of bread as I enter the kitchen.
I don't even reply, just sending daggers at him with my ringed eyes and cursing him because he's in part responsible for my zombie appearance. If he hadn't befriended the devil in elementary school, I would have slept peacefully last night.
"Nothing a good make-up can't fix." Emily shrugs, offering me the coffee pot. "Or go back to sleep?" she suggests as I'm still glaring at her husband.
"I don't have time for either of that. I'm already late!" I turn to her, still accepting gladly the black coffee that I usually don't drink and pouring myself a large cup.
I don't even bother sitting down as the hand of the sculpted wooden circle lets me know I have only ten minutes left before my doom. Why have I had to finally find sleep at 7 a.m.? It's always just before the alarm rings that we drift into the soundest sleep.
Emily hands me the plate with only two tunnock tea cakes left as she must notice my wince, and it's true that the sweetness of the little cakes would surely help me swallow the bitterness of the coffee and of everything else. Yet I doubt I have enough time.
I'm glancing between the plate that I'm sure will be empty at my return and the ticking clock in a dilemma between my stomach and my reason. The smell of chocolate and sugar is calling me, yet all the alarms are ringing in my head because I'm sure that if I have even just one minute late, the devil will use it against me.
"Good morning." An angelic voice pulls me out of my dilemma with the jump of my heart.
"Aden." I turn to my 'fake' boyfriend, who is putting his warm hand softly in the small of my back, surely because of the public we have in the kitchen, yet I don't even hear Emily and Jason's greetings over the loud beats of my heart.
"No, thanks, I don't eat for breakfast."
I'm coming back to reality when Aden's hand leaves my back to grab the coffee pot, and the coziness that I'm already missing reminds me why I have to hurry up.
"Um, I'm sorry I have to go." I glance at the wooden clock that is ticking too fast before focusing on Aden's cinnamon eyes, which apparently have a warmer shade before he has his morning coffee. "You'll be okay here?"
"Yeah, don't worry, he's in good hands!" Jason's hands grabbing one of the last two tunnock tea cakes aren't really reassuring me, but I guess nothing can be worse than what will come if I miss my 'bank meeting' this morning. "I need someone to watch the match with me since dad is at work and Theone has left to do something of the 'utmost importance'."
I almost choke on my coffee upon Jason's words, though it isn't the warm liquid that is not passing; it's the thought sending a cold sweat down my spine that his best friend has told him something. But Jason seems totally oblivious, putting the full tunnock tea cake in his mouth once Aden has nodded to his offer.
"Well, I really should go." I finish the last swallows of my strong coffee, barely tasting the bitter liquid with the sourness forming in my throat. "Can you tell the parents that I take the car?"
"Your Mom has already taken it." Emily offers me a compassionate smile as we both know what it means: I'm left with Bill, my dad's old truck that is ready to give up the ghost at any moment.
The universe seems to really be against me, and the thought of running back to bed and curl up there for the rest of my life is crossing my mind for a second, but Aden's soft cinnamon gaze staring at my frown wipes the idea away as fast as it has come.
"See you later. Have fun!" I take the opportunity that Emily and Jason are looking at us to leave a quick kiss on Aden's cheek, savoring the smoothness of his freshly-shaved cheek as if it is the last time I can do it, and I grab the last little cake as I need all this sweetness to face what's to come.
So did you expect the little detail not planned would be Theone? ð What do you think will be his deal? ðð
Are you scared or seduced by his dimples so far? ðð Let me know in the comments
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Like I always say: the little notifs I get from you are the best present for me!! â¤ð¥°ððð