Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
ALEX
I struggled through my zip and let out a frustrated growl. "Urrggh! Caiden, Can you please help me?" I ask as I tried to reach out and zip the remaining two inches.
"What?" He opened the door abruptly and that made me squeak in surprise.
"God! Don't you know how to knock?"
"Well, you're the one who needed help. So, what am I going to do?" I look down and tried to hide my blush. "Uhmm, I can't" I cleared my throat and continued "I can't zip it" I turned my back to him and heard him intake a deep breath and let it out loudly.
An awkward silence lingered around us. The brush of his fingers on my back sent shivers down on my spine. Oh well, he's my fiancé after all, the one I love but I still can't believe it. I still can't believe that I fall in love into this jerk, cold-hearted asshole. I couldn’t remember much about the past five months and that frustrates me more than ever. My thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly lifted my chin with his finger and brushed his lips on me.
"C'mon sweet cheeks, time to meet my parents"
•••
We drove in silence for the two of us doesn't want to talk. My mind darted off to what happen a while ago, the way he reacted, as he held me in his arms for a matter of seconds. I can still feel those tingles in my body and I couldn’t seem to forget it.
We arrive at the restaurant and I saw a middle-aged woman making her way to us. She caught Caiden in her arms and I can't help but giggle at the look in his surprised face.
"Mom, enough." Her mom nodded and turned unto me and then to his son "Oh, is she the girl?"
Caiden smiled genuinely at her mother and replied, "Yes mom, she is the girl I'll be marrying." The woman caught me in her arms and I tried my best to stop whimpering.
"Oh dear, she's beautiful and she looks fam-"
"C'mon mom, let's head off to our table you know that dad is not that patient to wait" He smiled cheekily and hold my hand. The familiar warmth and tingles enveloped us and I can't help but giggle.
"Something funny, sweet cheeks?" He asked while smirking down at me.
"Nothing."
Mrs. Cole Ford introduce herself and told me to just call her Elaine for she felt like it's a little bit formal to call her Mrs. Cole Ford. Her husband, Mr. Carl Cole Ford, look a lot like Caiden except for the blonde hair and green eyes. He told me to call him Sir Carl. He look strict dad and I know where Caiden got all of his trait.
The dinner goes on; me talking with his mom about the arts and different techniques in painting while Caiden and his father talk about their business. Well, it's a boring one and Elaine would really want to just yank me off here and bring me to her studio. She also told me that she also graduated here in Connecticut, in the same school I was at.
"Oh, did you know that Mr. Scott is my best friend in college? He’s like a gay sometimes and I keep on pestering him with that" She laughed at those memories.
"Well, Caiden told me that he was my teacher but the problem is that my memory has some parts that I couldn’t remember because of what happen to me" I assured her that I will work on it so all of my memories will come back but she told me to better not hurry.
She was about to tell me about Caiden's childhood when Caiden interrupted us saying that we should go now because tomorrow we’ll have class. I look at Elaine and gave her a hug.
"Don't worry dear, we'll see each other next time and I promise you that I'll tell you all of it" She whispered at me and kissed my forehead.
"Son, remember what we have talked about." Caiden look at his dad and scowled. I've never seen him this angry before but I decided to just ask him later.
"Bye Elaine, and , uh Sir Carl" Mr. Cole Ford suddenly smiled at me and pulled me so he can kissed my forehead "Anytime for you, farfalina" I blushed at the complement. Does that mean beautiful?
"Bye dad, mom…" Caiden leaned down to kiss her cheek and led us to his car.
The cold breeze blew on my skin and that made me shiver "Are you cold?" Caiden asked as he let go of my hand and entered the car."Of course I am. It’s cold outside and Christmas has passed which reminds me, can I have another vacation?"
"I don't know" He said in a dismissive tone.
The whole ride was silent as I made myself comfortable in this cold atmosphere.
•••
"Alex. Alex" I heard someone call. The figure shook me harder and that made me woke up in haste.
"The man, he-he" I look at my side and sighed, "He was the one who shot—It hurts, I couldn’t-" The tears flow freely on my cheeks and that made me cringed on the memory.
He embraced my petite figure and whispered soothing words in my ears."Sweet cheeks c'mon forget about it maybe you just needed to sleep" He took me in his arms and headed off to the basement elevator.
We entered the elevator and he pushed the P. "I'm scared. I don't want to sleep" I look at his face and can't help the tears that have poured out of my eyes. I hugged him closer and sob on his shirt. We reached his penthouse and he opened the door. "C'mon, clean yourself up and I'll accompany you to sleep." I just nodded and made my way to the bathroom.
"Caiden?" I looked back at him. "Can you please help me with the zipper?" He just nodded at me and I remembered what had happen a while ago. He cleared his throat and I muttered 'thanks' to him. I prepared myself a warm bath and a sigh escape my lips as I soon dip myself in it.
After a while, I wrap myself in a warm fluffy towel and changed. I blow dry my fair and opened the bathroom door. I was about to enter when I heard Caiden talking on the phone, his eyes darker.
"What now, Ryder?" He growled.
"No! I won't let you." He pace around the room and I tried not to run and comfort him.
"You know, I don't give a f*ck! Just don't do that to her again, Ryder and if you ever lay a finger to her, I will make sure that not only your fingers will be cut off from your body. Don't tell me that I never warn you!" He hung up and threw his phone on the bed. His tone was menacingly scary and that made my body shake furiously.
He turned around and saw me. I can almost see the steam coming out of his nose as he approached me. Goosebumps are forming in my arms and I can't help it but look into his blazing eyes.
"How much did you hear?' He look at me and shake my already shaking form, a whimper escape my mouth and my voice is quivering as I answer."I j-just heard t-the part where y--"
He raise a finger at me and scowled, “Just shut up. Shut up" He glared at me and plopped on the bed pulling the covers unto him. I was about to head unto my side of the bed when he sat up and turned off the lamp. I carefully made my way unto his side and lay down. I was afraid to move a finger and I didn't dare to pull the blanket off him even if I'm cold.
After a while I got bored in staring into nothingness and so I turned to looked at him "Caiden, are you still awake?" I stared at him but he did not reply so I continued.
"I’m sorry if I eavesdrop. I didn’t mean to. I was just curious. You see, there's so much things that I can't understand until now. I hate it because I felt like a big part of my life was ripped off of my memory and it is very frustrating!" I wipe a tear that fall on my eyes. I turned into a more comfortable position and sighed.
"You know, even if you tried to deny that you are Dwayne, you still are for me. I don't know it's like I felt that I had known you for so long and you are so much alike, except for the attitude and his kindness." I propped myself on an elbow and look at his peaceful sleeping face. "I guess. No matter how you try to change your personality I know that you are my Dwayne" Another tear slipped and it almost fall into his face.
"I like you Caiden. Even if you are a cold heartless jerk" I kissed his cheek and sniffed. Hmm, he smelt like musk and mint
"Goodnight Caiden, it really is a good thing that you are already asleep." I lowered myself down slowly, not really wanting to spoil my confession. Though as I turn to my side, I remembered something...
Something similar to this scene, on which I was staring at his face, and I was admiring it. He said something to me, something about his face and that I can just capture it and save it on my phone so I won’t suffer with a stiff anymore. That made me smile when another memory rush to me
… "I don't know what to do with you, dolce. You're just too adorable to be hated and rejected and I don't know why I still can't trust you with my own feelings for it has been almost two weeks, maybe I'll learn as the days pass by, right dolce?"…
I remembered how tenderly he touched my face which made me open my eyes. He was startled along with me but I acted like it was nothing. God, when did all this happened?
With my mind wondering so hard to remember, I drifted off to sleep with my hands around me
I guess I'm going to handle the cold all by myself. Hmm, I felt like I wanna sing that.
All by myself...
Not bad, oookay. I'm going to sleep now.
•••
CAIDEN
"Caiden?" I heard her call my name and I fought the urge to reply.
"Are you still awake?" yes, of course!
"Well, I'm sorry if I eavesdrop, I was just curious" yeah yeah. "You see, there's so much things that I can't understand until now. I hate it because I felt like half of my life was ripped off of my memory and it is very frustrating" I heard her shuffle and sighed.
"You know, even if you tried to deny that you are Dwayne, you still are for me. I don't know it's like I felt that I had known you for long and you are so much alike." The space beside me dipped and I know that she was now looking at me.
"I guess. No matter how hard you try to change your personality I know that you are my Dwayne" I'm not Dwayne!
"I like you Caiden. Even if you are a cold heartless jerk" I sense her lowering herself down and felt her lips on my cheek. Did she just kissed me?
"Goodnight Caiden, it really is a good thing that you are already asleep" Yeah it's a good thing that I'm still awake or else I will not know that you want me.
I opened my eyes and turn to my side. I wanted to ask why did she accuse me again of being Dwayne and if her confessions are true when I saw her angelic face snoring slightly.
"Oh Alex, what am I gonna do to you?" No response of course.
"If you only knew that you're not the only one who has a huge dent on their memory. I don't even know if I am Dwayne you are talking about? The accident, it's the one who destroyed me, the one who change me." I was surprise as a tear fell from my eye.
"My childhood is a mess. I can't talk to someone for I don't know how to. I only caught glimpse of what happen in my past." I look at her face and sighed “If only, if only you will allow me to start a new memory with you."
I remembered the way she apologizes about eavesdropping on my conversation with Ryder. Ryder, with his plan and his stupid gang. I need to destroy him, all of them. And the deal, Dad made me promise, the responsibility is mine but I was beginning to love her. I'm afraid I'll hurt her in the end. I need to chose, her or the sake of both of our company. I need to fix this.
I look at her once again and propped myself on an elbow "You know, there's too much things on my mind right now and I probably go insane if you are not here to keep me at bay." I look at her face and continued, "You are like a document, an important proposal I can't get my mind off. I don't know why I am saying all this but I felt the need to" I was about to kiss her lips and savor it for a while but I pulled away from her and back to my position.
I bit my lip and tugged on my hair “Why do you have to be so difficult?" I look at her and got no response. "I've been in business since I am fourteen, excel the expectations of my father, top of the class, best at everything. I've been outstanding in every field but look at me now, I'm like a normal teenager, confuse of what he feels"
"No let me rephrase it, I'm the boy who is going crazy of what he feels" I look at her once more and thought of my decision. I moved myself up and stared down at her. "I'm doing this for you Alex, I can't risk you to be with a man like me. " I look at her face trying to memorize it as I lower myself down.
I guess this will be enough to keep me living until I figure out what I would do. These three months is long but for me it's like a blink of an eye. One decision can fix or ruin it all and there's no turning back at it.
With that thought I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss.
© A.G_2018