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He hadn't meant to. Honest. It's just...well...Sometimes he liked to get a rise out of you. He likes the way you react, how your hands curl into fists, how your voice gets slightly higher as you argue back, how your face screws up as you try to look intimidating. It's cute. He likes to know that he can make you feel such intense emotions, how you're putty in his hands. But this time, even he knew that he went a little too far.
Okay, a lot too far.
You'd been getting ready to go out to some work thing with him, and he made an uncalled for comment about how your dress was a smidge too tight. But instead of fighting back like Ransom expected you to, your face crumpled up and you retreated to your shared bathroom. He followed after you, an apology on the tip of his tongue, but the words that fell out instead only made things worse.
"Oh, come on, you can't seriously be pissed about this," he said, watching you take a reusable makeup wipe and starting to remove your makeup. "Come on, stop that. We got a dinner to get to."
"You can go."
"No I fucking can't, it's your work dinner!" Ransom tried to grab your arm, stop you from taking off more of your makeup, but you only jerked away. "Princess, please. Stop. Don't ruin the evening."
"Oh, I'm ruining the evening? Good to know."
You rinsed the makeup wipe and set it on the counter before brushing past him to go to the walk-in closet, unzipping your dress as you walked. You slid it off your body and put it back on its hanger. After taking off your bra, you grabbed an oversized t-shirt from your college years and put it on.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be sleeping in the guest room."
His heart hammered in his chest, panic rising up as he tried to fix this. "Princess, please—"
"No." You held your hand up, stopping him. "Let me be mad. We can talk about this in the morning, but you just...Please, let me be."
He didn't anything more, afraid that he would ruin things further, so he left you go, watching you leave the room. He stayed still for a moment, before deciding he needed to do something to fix this.
Talking to you was out of the question. At the moment, he knew that anything he said would just make things work. Buying you something wouldn't work either. As much as you loved being spoiled by Ransom, this wasn't the kind of thing where his money could just wish his problems away. No, he needed to do something big.
He needed to learn how to apologize.
He retired to his office, sinking into the leather seat and turning on his computer. He chewed on his lip when he opening a browser, feeling like an idiot as he typed "how to apologize wikihow" and hit enter.
He read over the article like it was the goddamn Bible, reciting each step as if it was the gospel truth.
Part 1. Preparing Your Apology
1. Give Up the Idea of Being "Right".
2. Use "I" Statements.
3. Avoid Justifying Your Actions.
4. Use Excuses Cautiously.
5. Avoid the "But".
6. Consider the Other Person's Needs and Personality.
7. Write Your Apology Down, If You Like.
Ransom had to stop himself from groaning when he realized how in depth this tutorial was. But, admittedly, he didn't have the first clue how to apologize. He never had to before. And yet, he knew he had to. He got the feeling that he could ruin everything he had built with you if he didn't get his shit together, and he wasn't about to fuck things up so easily.
So, he grabbed a pen and started drafting an apology.
Part 2. Apologizing at the Right Time and Place
1. Find the Right Time.
2. Do It in Person.
3. Choose a Quiet or Private Setting.
4. Make Sure You Have Enough Time to Have a Complete Conversation.
He'd do it first thing in the morning. He'd go to the guest room, wake you up gently if you weren't already awake. He'd take your hands in his, press soft kisses to your knuckles, before beginning to apologize. Yes, yes that could work..
Part 3. Making Your Apology
1. Be Open and Non-Threatening.
2. Use Open, Humble Body Language.
3. State Your Regret.
4. Accept Responsibility.
5. State How You Will Remedy the Situation.
6. Listen to the Other Person.
7. End with Gratitude.
8. Be Patient.
9. Stick to Your Word.
He was all set. He was sure of it. He'll run through his apology a few more times, and then he'll go to you first thing in the morning. But, first, he'll rest his eyes for just a moment...
When he opened his eyes, sunlight was streaming in through the large windows and something was sitting on him. Something was sitting on him. Wait, you were sitting on him.
"Whatcha doin', princess?" he asked, his voice low and still drowsy.
"I forgive you," you said, kissing the tip of his nose.
His brows furrowed together. "I haven't even apologized yet."
"You don't have to. I saw what you were looking up, and...Ransom, I think that might've just been the sweetest thing you've ever done."
"No, no, no. Please, let me say this." You leaned back, and he looked up into your pretty eyes as he said, "Princess, I'm so sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to poke fun at your weight. You have and always will look stunning to me, no matter how big or how small. Sometimes, I like to poke fun at you 'cause I like to know I can get you to react so strongly. I never meant, though, to make you feel insecure. I will do better from now on, and only try to get a rise out of you by saying good things about you. I promise."
A smile overtook your face as you leaned down to kiss him.
"Does this mean you forgive me?" he mumbled against your lips.
