Contract Marriage

Chapter Four: You have a friend?

They were done eating, but Tio is still enjoying his dessert.

Vita is just sitting in front of him while watching him eat his dessert that she ordered for them. If they are back in the hometown, Vita knows she won’t be choosing for their food. Because Tio have specific food in every meal he had. She noticed that when they eat out in a restaurant.

Tio raised his hand up to call a waitress.

“The bill, please.” He requests to the waitress. The waitress nodded her head and then walk back to her station to get him the bill he requested.

While waiting for the bill, Vita is checking up on her phone. She hasn’t checked her phone since yesterday. She was busy with the whole situation. And she couldn’t do that either when she woke up, because Tio kept her busy.

On her phone, all she did is just checking on her email. She’s been busy with the new book her boss asked her to review. It was a lot of work, but that's why it encouraged her to write her own book. She hope that she can do that in the near future. She have gone through so many editing and reviewing, she have read so many books in romance genre. She have been through a lot in someone else’s fantasy. Maybe she can write one of her own.

“Sign here, please.” The waitress pointed at the bottom of receipt bill.

Tio sign the bill without even looking at the number. His attention is to his wife that busied herself with her phone. He didn’t like it, not even one bit. What if she is talking to another man? Tio cursed himself in his head, he didn’t like it that he turned like a possessive and jealousy man. That is not him at all. What the hell happened to him after she came in to his life again?

He passed the bill back to the waitress without even looking at her. His interest is to his wife and her only.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. When she finally looked up, she freeze. She didn’t move an inch. Vita thought of how long he have been looking at her.

“Let’s go.” Tio said, gesturing for her to get up. She quickly get up from her seat and walk along with him.

They walk all the way back to the hotel the same way they got to the restaurant. All the way back to the hotel, only silence surrounded them. They don’t talk, because there’s nothing to talk about. And besides, Vita can see that Tio is not in the mood to talk or even speak.

Vita’s phone start to rings. She look at her phone’s screen and see that Alex’s name come up on the screen. Without thinking twice, she pick up the phone. She didn’t even think about Tio when she picked up the call. She missed her friend.

“Alex.” She said as she picked up the call.                    

“Vita.” Alex’s voice sounded tired at the other line.

“What’s up?” Vita asked. Not every day she got a call from Alex. She wonder why he calls. She haven’t meet him in like two months straight. Since she got married to Tio, some week Vita only spent her day in the house. She admitted that it bore her not to do anything.

“Are you at home?”

“I’m not at home at the moment, but I will be in a few days. Would you like to meet up? There is just a lot changes from the last time you saw me.” She told him. She wanted to talk to him about everything, from when she got dumped and to be married now.

Tio turned his head to look at his wife when he heard what she just said.

“Yeah, as soon as you get back. Just hit me up.” He said.

“Okay, see you later.” Vita ended the call. She didn’t realize that she was being watched. She felt his gaze, but she didn’t dare to look up or just yell at him to look away. His stare is so intense that it makes her shivered down to her core.

“Who was that?” He asked, his voice is hard and his eyes twitched. Something telling her in his eyes that he feel something.

“My friend.” She replied a little more aggressive than she intended to.

“You have a friend?” He said in a mocking manner, like he couldn’t believe what he just heard. Why is it so fascinating to him?

“Don’t talk about my friend like that. I never asked you who that woman was!” She yelled, getting angry that he thought she was a loner. Of course she have a friend, just like he do. If he have a real one that is.

“You were listening to my phone call?!” He said strongly and darkly, giving her the hardest stare he have ever given to anyone. She cowered back seeing him gets angry all of the sudden.

“I didn’t mean to if it wasn’t for you shouting like a mad man. Who is she even to you to make you angry like that? Your mistress?!” It was now her time to raise her voice. She was jealous to listened to his conversation last night. She had a crush on him that she didn’t know she still have until he saw him again that night. Crazy isn’t it?

“My mistress? I wouldn’t have married you if I have a mistress, whether I like her or not.” He said harshly to her. He couldn’t handle her right now, so he start to walk by himself. Just as he took a few steps, he was stopped by her next word.

“I like you, Tio.” She finally confessed, looking at him warily.

“Why?” Tio turned to look back at her, giving her a side glance. “Because you called me Lindo?” She blushed. Why did he have to know about the nickname she gave for him?

His heart beats faster after seeing her confessed like that, like she have the gut to say it first. Seeing she doesn't have a respond back to him, he walk away.