The Arrangement

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

The problem of knowing that Rich is just down the hall from me is that I have a hard time falling asleep. I just keep imagining all the things we could do, what he could do to me, with me. I have come to realize that I am not the good girl my father thinks I am. And I am sure that Astra is the only one who actually knows me for who I really am since she is the only one who never fell for my good girl act. I am starting to think that even Rich knows that I am not the good girl I pretend to be. I guess I tried so hard for so long, that I started to actually believe it. But by being release from my father and the pressure I was under, I am starting to come out of my shell.

I sit up in bed and rum my head. What am I going to do? I’m going crazy about this. I want to sneak into Rich’s room, talk to him. But maybe that is not appropriate for me to do, because we haven’t actually talked about us. We know that we are getting married, we know that we will have to build a life together, but we just met each other, we don’t know each other. Can I just sneak into his bedroom?

It may sound ridiculous and childish. It may even sound unreal and imaginary, but I feel a strong connection to Rich like I’m tethered to him as I have always been tethered to him. I don’t know how to explain any of this, but it feels like I have known him longer than I actually have like I met him ages ago and not just recently. That how great of an impact he has done on me and keep thinking that my father may have done me a favor.

I climb out of bed and stand by the window. I look out on the black sky and see the stars shine so bright. I have never seen stars shine so bright before, it’s beautiful. I sigh and put a lock of hair behind my ear.

I put on my pink silk robe and hurry up to my door. I open it carefully and peak out in the hallway, no one is there, should I just go for it? I want to even though I know that I shouldn’t. Will he be angry if I sneak into his room? I have a strange feeling he won’t to be honest, it’s just the impression I’ve gotten from him.

I sneak out and close the door carefully behind me. I don’t make a sound, I don’t want anyone to notice me, and I hope they don’t, it would be very embarrassing. I know which room is Rich’s, thanks to sweet Ana, so I sneak down the hall towards his room. I tingles know my belly just by standing outside his door, that’s messed up. I shouldn’t even be standing here, I should just go back to my room, I shouldn’t have left it at all.

Just as I’m about to sneak back to my room, the door to Rich’s room opens and he is staring there, in only boxers. Oh my god. I have tried to imagine what he would look like underneath his clothes but wow. I have no other word. Wow.

“Why hello there”, Rich says amused, when he sees my embarrassed expression. “How long have you been standing there?”

“I don’t know”, I mumble and look down at my feet. I don’t really know so I’m not lying.

“Do you want to come inside?” He asks.

“I don’t know”, I say.

“Did you want something?”

“I don’t know”.

Rich laughs quietly. “Is I don’t know the only thing you can say?”

I look up at Rich and am hit by his looks like a brick in my face “Maybe right now”, I tell him. I don’t know what to say? I feel embarrassed as it is”.

“Well I was going to fetch a glass of water”, Rich tells me. “You can wait for me in my room or you can go back to your room, your choice”.

“Okay”, I say and watch him walk away. Jesus, he is perfection, he is pure perfection from head to toe, inside and out. Maybe I’m dreaming. Maybe I’m asleep. I pinch my arm. I’m not dreaming. God. This is insane, I shouldn’t be acting like this, I shouldn’t be acting like a crazy person. Before I met Rich I was so sure I was going to hate him, but I don’t and that complicates a lot of things for me.

I debate for a few seconds if I should just go back to my room or if I should go into his room. I don’t know why but somehow I convince myself to actually enter his room and sit on his desk chair. What am I even doing?

I take this moment to look around. There is a large king-sized bed, the room is kind of split into two parts, one office part and one-bedroom part but everything melts together perfectly. It’s a nice room.

“If my parents saw you here they would probably freak”, a voice chuckles behind me. Rich walks up and puts a glass of water on his nightstand. He sits on the edge of the bed, looking right at me.

“My dad would probably die”, I say. “He would assume we had been doing stuff and he would die, my virginity is everything to him until I’m married to you”.

“Let’s not tell your father, we want him alive for the wedding”, Rich says and I giggle. “So did you want to talk?”

“Not really, I couldn’t sleep”, I say truthfully.

“I couldn’t sleep either”, Rich says. “Too much on my mind, and particularly you”. Rich is the kind of person that goes straight to the point without blinking. It can be a good thing, but for me who is not as straightforward, it can get embarrassing. I want to be more straightforward, I seem so unsure of everything all the time, even when I’m not unsure. “We’re you thinking of me?”

“Of course”, I say and smile. “All I could think about how you were probably lying naked in your bed”.

I’m lying. That’s not really what I was thinking about. But I want to see how far I can take this. A little teasing is okay.

“Oh really now?” Rich asks amused.

“No mot really”, I say and his smile disappears like he’s disappointed. “I was however curious, you interest me and I can’t stop thinking about you and that’s the truth”.

“I like the sound of that”, Rich says. “I actually love the sound of that”.

I stand up from the chair and walk up to his bed. I sit down beside him on the edge of the bed, not too close but not too far away.

“You do?” I ask. “I mean we have been literally pushed together by our fathers”.

“Yeah well feelings can develop over time”, Rich says. “I’m not saying I have feelings for you right now because we haven’t known each other that long, but I do feel something for you and you interest me in a way no other girl ever has”.

“That’s a good thing right?” I ask.

Rich laughs. “Yes, a very good thing”. I laugh and yawn at the same time. “You look tired”.

“I feel tired now when I’ve gotten to talk to you”, I say. “You make me feel relaxed, and I don’t know why”.

“That’s a good thing, I’m about to be your husband, a husband needs to be able to relax his wife”, Rich says. “Do you want to sleep beside me in my bed?”

I look at him doubtfully. Is that really a good idea? I’m skeptical.

“I don’t know”, I say.

“We don’t have to do anything just because we sleep next to each other, but a little hugging is never wrong”, Rich says and laughs down under his cover. “You’re welcome if you want to or else you can walk back to your room”.

“Wouldn’t your parents freak?” I ask.

“They never walk into someone else’s room”, Rich says. “It would be disrespectful”.

The thought of sleeping next to Rich is appealing, I have to admit that. Maybe this could be the first step for me, to get rid of the only me. The new me wants to sleep next to her fiancé.

“Okay”, I say. Rich pulls the cover-up to allow me to climb under. I sink down in the soft bed. “What were you saying about hugging?”

Rich laughs and puts his arms around me, my head is placed on his chest. Oh god, this is so cozy I don’t know how to even explain it. All of a sudden I feel my eyelids feel heavier and heavier.

“Just sleep, I can see how tired you are”, Rich says.

“This is actually cozy”, I say. “This is the first time I’ve felt safe since I can to Germany”.

“I’ll keep you safe”, is the last thing I hear before I fall asleep.