Not So Perfect

21||

I was pregnant.

The whiff of breeze fizzled in the dim night. Tayson let a beat passed as their eyes locked. There was a soft glow on her stunning features, contradicting the confession she made. His eyes followed the gentle taps of her index finger on the vent of the car than he darted his gaze back to the ocean.

"And what happened to the baby?" He let his body relaxed, making himself small so he wouldn't appear to pose any sort of threat to her.

"Dead. Poor human didn't made it to the world." Empty voice, just like her eyes.

The rush of emotions he felt was unexplainable. She was unraveling, that's what he wanted. But listening to her talk, and making her think about the things she must have been through was not something he wanted to do. Just one last question. He settled for the most scandalous one. "Who was the father of your baby?"

Her lips set in thin line. If his question effected her in anyway, she didn't show. She let the silence speak for her as she licked her lips and said, "My turn."

Okay, so that's all she was giving him. Honestly, she shared things more than he expected. Tayson knew better than to push her to answer so he returned her teasing smile and tipped his chin, "Go ahead."

"So Tayson," Leona leaned forward, her voice dropping and eyes shimmering like she was going to ask him the information that might destroy him. "What's the pin of your black card?"

He was stupefied when he gazed at her before a peal of laughter bubbled up in his chest resonating in the lavender mists. He was glad for the change of topic. "Seriously? You have a black card yourself."

"So? That's to enhance the beauty of my purse. You afraid that yoour card would decline?"

"Sweetheart, you can shop all day and night and still my account would pretty much just have a scratch."

"My taste is expensive," Leona scoffed, rolling her eyes at his cockiness.

"So is mine. Pin is 1199." He smiled, looking at her serene frame— eyes bright, lips in a tiny smile, giving him a glimpse of a deep dimple in her right cheek. She looked like a halcyon ocean and may God save him from drowning himself in her. The soft glow of purple haze teased her skin, and his eyes were drawn to her crazy mass of eyelashes slightly fluttering. The black shirt contrasted with her saffron complexion, pitch-black winter hair that she festooned like a crown, lips painted with soft nude shade.

"I don't have anything else to ask. You tell me whatever." Leona shrugged, adding, "I'm giving you a chance to brag about yourself. Be grateful."

"I'm so grateful. How in the world I'm going to repay your kindness, princess Leona?" He mocked, his shoulders heaved down with relief when she leaned closer, looking much more relaxed than before.

"Don't bother. I'm generous enough to let it slide."

He couldn't hide his smile. "I did my masters in architecture and design from Italy. I also have advance diploma in interior designing and graphics. I spent most of my time learning in Italy. Planned on starting something there but my mother fell sick so I dropped the plan and got back here to take over the business. I have some close friends. You met Wes and Axel. You don't need to meet Codrus. But you must meet Dalia. She's my cousin and she was one of the best figure skater. You will like her."

"What do you mean by was a figure skater? What does she do now?"

"She switched to coaching. She is all set to open her academy and teach kids. She is very close to me and my parents. Often comes over for dinner or drops by to see us. My mom treats her better than me." Tayson took a pause and looked at Leona, surprised that she was actually patiently listening to him. "My mom used to mentor pageants and models."