Meeting Him Again
1104 Words
Alaric sprawled in his seat, his fingers woving through the tendrils of his hair.
Baxter and his wife again? Why the hell should it concern him if they were coming over for dinner?
He had no issue with his wife - whoever she was - but Baxter and his mother had done nothing to warrant his kindness.
"I'm afraid I can't come." He mumbled into the phone.
"Alaric..."
"I'll be busy, dad. There are some research I need to make."
"Nonsense." Mr. Stones grumbled. "It's bad enough that you refused to make it to the wedding. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was? Luckily, Baxter was able to lie to his wife that you traveled out for some business purpose, and I'm actually hoping she believed that. But for this dinner, you need to be here. We can't have her think there's so much disunity in the family."
"And what does it matter?" Alaric scoffed. "Moreover, that would be the only truth she'd be getting to know. From the moment that woman came into our lives, there's never been unity in the family."
"That's enough. I've warned you to stop speaking that way about your step-mother. She did nothing wrong, alright? She..."
"I'm tired of hearing you defend her." He interrupted and sighed. "The truth is, I really wish I could make it to the dinner, but I can't. I'll be busy."
Mr. Stones said nothing. Alaric didn't need anyone to tell him his dad was seething with rage. Well, it didn't matter.
"I need to deal with a patient right now. Bye, dad." He dropped the call.
****†****†****†****†
It was evening already.
Ivanka stared morosely at herself in the mirror, looking at her beautiful reflection. She was clad in a black dinner dress, had beautiful jewelries on with her hair falling freely on her shoulders.
Baxter walked into the room not long after, pausing at the door and offering her a gaze filled with admiration. Obviously, he liked what he saw - his wife looking all gorgeous.
Watching him from the mirror, Ivanka let out a small smile. He walked towards her, placed his hands on her shoulders and planted a kiss on her neck. To this, she stiffened.
"You look dashing, my love." He cooed, his breath fanning her ear lobe.
"Thank you." Ivanka swallowed around the lump in her throat, forcing a smile to her lips.
Baxter moved his hands around her shoulders, caressing them lightly. Slowly, he guided her to face him.
"We've been married for three days now, Ivanka. When do you think you'll be ready for... intimacy?" He asked.
Ivanka's eyes dropped to the floor immediately, blinking repeatedly. Goodness, that was one question she'd been dreading the whole time.
She lifted her hand to his face, cupping his cheeks.
"Soon, okay? Just give me a little more time to get over this, and I promise you, I'll all be yours." She smiled warmly.
Baxter took one of her hands and kissed the back of it.
"If you say so." He cooed. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah."
"Alright. Let's go."
Interlocking their hands, they walked out of the room, headed for Baxter's family's house.
Getting married to Baxter had never been completely easy for Ivanka, especially when she had Alaric to worry about. She never knew how much she loved him and how much he completed her, until he went missing.
She had fallen sick, found it difficult to breathe most of the time. It was insane.
For a moment, she regretted her actions, regretted listening to her mother and breaking up with him. But her mistake was too late to correct. He was nowhere to be found.
In the end, she had to get married to Baxter. Baxter was really nice and sweet, yet she found it so difficult getting intimate with him. Alaric had crowded her thoughts already, and all she could think of was him.
However, she was trying so hard to accept the fact that Alaric was gone and never coming back. Obviously, he didn't care much for her to stay a day longer and know the reasons for her actions. Yes, she might have hurt him by breaking up in that manner, but a little patience from him might have fixed things. He acted like there was never nothing serious between them and just left within the twinkle of an eye.
So, it was time she moved on as well. Baxter was a nice guy. He was now her husband. She needed to start treating him as one.
Perhaps, from tonight, she'd let him in on the intimacy part. Yes, that would be her first step on moving on from Alaric.
...
She and Baxter arrived at his family's mansion which was a wonder. It was so big and beautiful, Ivanka didn't want to imagine how much must have gone into it. Well, considering it was owned by the founders of the great Grand Hospital, it was worth it.
They got into the house and met Baxter's mum and his younger sister in the living room, watching the TV. The dining was being set already.
Ivanka exchanged pleasantries with them and Baxter's mum ended up pecking her cheek. They dallied in the living room before proceeding to the dining when the maids were finally done.
Mr. Stones came down afterwards, joining them. Ivanka greeted him warmly, and he did same.
"How are you enjoying your married life, Ivanka?" Mr. Stones asked, diligently tending to his meat.
Ivanka glanced at Baxter who flashed a smile at her.
"It's going just fine, sir. Thank you." She answered politely.
"Sir?" Mr. Stones chuckled. "You should normalize calling me dad. You're part of the family now."
Ivanka nodded her head with a smile.
Baxter's mum - Frankie - was trying to say something when the main door opened, indicating the arrival of someone.
From the way Ivanka and Baxter sat, they were backing the direction of the door. But Mr. Stones and Frankie could see who it was. Ivanka noticed excitement shadow the old man's face.
"Alaric!" He beamed. "You made it."
Ivanka's forehead gathered in a frown. Alaric? Hearing that name made her heart skip two beats. Was it a coincidence?
She turned swiftly, searching for the bearer of the name. And right there, she found him coming in - looking like a demi-god.
Her heart danced like a flame flickering in the wind, her eyes spread like ripples on a calm lake, and her legs rattled like a lose wheel.
Alaric?! The Alaric she's been looking for?!
- Writer
