Chapter 7
2080 Words
To her delight, Dremon doesn’t show up, and she spends the day trying to study, but her mind keeps being interrupted with thoughts of his soft lips on hers!
She hates him! He is clearly doing this to make his parents happy, so, why does she have to go through with a marriage, neither of them wants?!
She says as much to her father at dinner, but he just ignores her and tells her that a contract had been signed and that was that.
Deciding to figure things out on her own, she locks herself in her bedroom for the rest of the night. According to the law, she is a grown woman and can make her own decisions, but according to magical law, her father still has the right to tell her what to do until she’s completed her studies.
She could never understand it. It seems magical law is a patriarchal establishment, and women still don’t have any rights!
Taking a shower, she decides to go to bed early. If there is a way out of this mess, she is sure as hell going to find it!
***
“She doesn’t want to do this, mother!” Dremon shouts after yet another fight between him and his mother about Arora.
His mom wants her to join them for dinner, but he knows that Arora is not going to agree to it yet. She hasn’t made peace with everything, and he doesn’t even know if she will ever make peace with it.
He sighs as he climbs into the back of the limo, and they pull out of the driveway.
He spent all day, yesterday, looking at houses with his father. Under the circumstances, he thought that it would be better for them to have their own home once they are married. That way, he wouldn’t have to force her into anything she didn’t want to do, and his mother wouldn’t be there pushing for them to be together.
If Arora decided to sleep in a separate room, she would have the option, and they would have the privacy and option to decide for themselves what they wanted to do.
His mother is already planning for grandchildren, and Dremon is convinced Arora will not allow that at this very moment.
If he can just keep the two of them apart until after the dance, things should be better by then.
The limo pulls into the panel beaters, and he climbs out to look at their progress on her car. He asked them to make it look exactly like it did before, but after their little tiff in the shop, he decided he wants them to change the racing stripes to royal blue instead of pink.
No matter what she says about liking pink. He knows that, deep down, she hates it.
After confirming the color and signing the order, he orders his driver to go to her house to pick her up for school. He hasn’t spoken to her since he dropped her off, and decided to have her favourite burger ready for when he picks her up.
She is so damn stubborn that she will keep avoiding breakfast! At least this way, he knows for sure that she has eaten before their exams.
***
Thanks to a good night’s sleep, Arora is up early for once and ready for school when the limo pulls up outside their house. She can’t understand why he insists on being driven around when he has a fleet of cars to choose from! She would give anything to have just one of his cars.
She runs down the stairs and grabs him by the arm.
“I need to get to the library before class.” She drops a kiss on her dad’s cheek and doesn’t give the two of them half a chance to talk before she is out the door and on her way to the car.
“Arora! Wait! Why the rush?” Dremon holds open the car door for her, and she slides in and to the other side, so he doesn’t waste time having to walk around to the other side.
“Just get in! I have stuff to do.” She frowns, folding her hands over her backpack on her lap.
He frowns but tells the driver to leave.
“I brought you breakfast.”
Suddenly, the smell of cheese hits her nose, and she closes her eyes… No, he didn’t! She doesn’t want to! But it smells so good…
He bought her favourite burger from her favourite burger place, and she’s starving!
She puts her bag down and takes the packet from him, opening it.
“Thanks.” She mumbles and pulls the burger out.
She has to find out how he is getting his information about her, but at the moment, she just wants to enjoy the burger and then get to the library to try and find some of the law books she researched the night before.
She has no idea how she’s going to explain it to him, and just hopes that he won’t be interested in going to the library.
When the limo pulls up outside the university, he holds the door open for her, and she slides out.
“I have to go see the coach. Will you be okay on your own? I will meet you at the exam hall after the exam.”
She nods and can’t believe her luck! Tricia isn’t there today, because she isn’t writing exams, not this subject, and she quickly makes her way to the library, where she asks the librarian where to look for the books.
She is busy reading when her alarm goes off, telling her that she has to get to the exam hall. She can’t take the book with her for fear that her father or brother will find out what she’s reading, so, she makes a note of which book it is, and rushes out of the library.
Under normal circumstances, she would have handed it to the librarian to be reshelved, but today she doesn’t have time. The exam is on one of her easier subjects, and she completes it in half an hour.
When she walks through the huge double doors, he is standing outside, waiting for her, talking to a group of girls who are giggling as if their lives depend on it. Arora rolls her eyes and stands there looking at them.
“Girls, I have to go before my fiancé scratches my eyes out.” He winks at them and saunters over to where she is standing, dropping a kiss on her forehead while his hands rest on her hips.
She catches some death glares the girls throw her way, then turns her attention to him.
“Didn’t you have an exam to write today?”
“No,”
“Then why drive all the way out here?” She hears the sarcasm drip from her words and almost feels guilty.
“Because you had one. I told you Arora, you are mine, and I will make sure it stays that way!” He turns her to look at him and something flashes through his eyes, she can’t explain.
“I’ve told you, I’m nobody’s possession, no matter what you and my father think!” She tries to pull from his grip but lands up against his chest.
His breath softly blows on her lips as his eyes zone in on them. Her heart starts to race and if she didn’t dislike him so damn much, she might have just…
***
Dremon crushes his lips down on hers to the elation of the crowd that has formed around them. Her lips are so soft, and it doesn’t take much for her to respond to his kiss.
He pulls her closer and feels her body relax as she kisses him back. He doesn’t try to get her to open her mouth, wanting to take his time to savour the moment, innocent as it is.
He knows her and from what he has heard, she’s never had a boyfriend. This is probably the first kiss she’s ever had… proper one, at least. He finally lets go of her, taking her hand in his.
“Now I know how to silence you.” He leans his forehead against hers and smiles.
She doesn’t say another word as he guides her out of the building. He decided that he is not going to push for anything today. No shopping, no surprise lunch, nothing. She comes from money, and he isn’t going to impress her with extravagant gifts or lunches.
They drive back to her house, and he simply leaves a soft kiss on her cheek when he says goodbye at the front door.
She has only one exam left to write in two days’ time, and he has two. One in the early morning and then one on the same day as her.
“I’ll see you in two days. Behave yourself.” He shouts over his shoulder and grins at her before climbing into the limo.
Since he kissed her, something shifted between them. She didn’t say a word all the way home, or even when he dropped her off, where he is sure she probably had a lot to say.
Has he broken through her rock-hard exterior? Could there be a sign of a crack in her armour and the hope that she will let him in?
***
Arora walks into the house and leans against the front door after closing it.
“Hey sis, how did the exam go?” Her brother pops his head around the corner, coming out of the dining room.
“None of your business!” She shouts, unable to think of anything to say, and runs up the stairs, ignoring him before locking herself in her room.
A little while later, she hears her dad’s distinctive knock on her door. She opens the door even though she doesn’t feel like talking to him, and he walks in without her inviting him in.
“Arora, you have to understand.” He turns around once he reaches her desk and looks at her.
“This is important for all of us. You have to go through with the marriage.”
“I don’t have to do anything!” It’s not the first time in her life, she’s having a fight with her father because of something she has to do.
Everything according to him is something she HAS to do.
“Arora! This is not up for discussion. You are marrying Daemonne and that’s final! Stop moping around and locking yourself in your room. The situation is not going to change, and I would like to at least spend the last couple of weeks with peace in my house before you move in with him!”
“What?! I’m not moving anywhere!” She shouts, feeling her anger build up and she knows that she has to keep it in check, but this time her father’s gone too far!
“What did you think would happen if you got married? You can’t live here when you are his wife.”
“Father, please. I beg you. Don’t force me to do this.” Tears start to form in her eyes at the realization that he is not going to change his mind.
She has some money saved up, but it won’t be nearly enough to support herself with. She can’t move out and do things on her own yet. That wasn’t part of the plan… And with her car wrecked, she can’t race to make a quick buck or two and get herself out of this mess.
Her dad takes a deep breath and she can see him calm down before he walks over to her and rubs the sides of her arms.
“Arora, if I had any other choice, believe me. Things would be different.” He sighs and can’t look her in the eyes.
“But things are the way they are. Please, don’t make things harder than they have to be. Come downstairs for dinner, please.” He looks into her eyes and for the first time in a long time, she notices a flash of pain cross his face before he leaves her room.
Is it true? Could it be that he doesn’t want her to marry Dremon and that he is also being forced into this?
- Writer
