Whimsical Perfection

37. Present

"For which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?"
             —Benedick, Much Ado                  About Nothing

~♤ ▪︎ ♤ ▪︎ ♤~

"What?! Are you insane?" Aaliyah shouted as soon as the lady left.

I winced at the loudness in her tone, knowing this wasn't going to go well. I looked at her, and she looked so out of it, it was comical. Just minutes ago, she was sitting there looking all prim and proper, and now she looked like she'd been through a storm. Well, the idea wasn't exactly wrong.

I turned back, not having the courage to look her in the eyes anymore. "Its true. I know it's very sudden, and that I should have told you earlier, but I was busy and.... scared. I'm sorry."

She spoke almost instantly. "Why were you scared? Did you honestly think I was going to get mad at you for having sex with my brother? Gosh, you're unbelievable."

I whipped my head around, and found her already staring at me with a mischievous look on her face. She jumped up suddenly, and pulled my chair to face her fully. I could already sense the excitement in her body, before she even spoke up.

"Now, tell me exactly what happened between you two after that night at the bar. And I want everything this time, or I will never forgive you."

I laughed, but proceeded to tell her the whole story, this time without keeping any details from her. Except of course about all the frisky things we did. I was sure she wouldn't want to listen about her own brother. As I recalled each and every event – from us trying to keep peace but losing it over a small and insignificant detail, to trying to control each other at every possible opportunity, to finally giving in to our darkest desires, and then going back to being indifferent with each other – I realized what a rollercoaster ride these few months had been.

I had never had such a scintillating experience all my life, and just three months of knowing Isaac had given memories worth a lifetime. In that moment, that Aaliyah soaked up every little information with wide eyes, I didn't know whether to thank Isaac for painting my life with such vivid colors, or to hate him for leaving me at a crossroad in my life.

Because I was sure of one thing – that no matter what, after Isaac, I would invariably look for that unmistakable spark, that tension, that thrill which he brought with him.

There was absolute silence after I finished, which made me more anxious. "Say something," I told Aaliyah, while I bit my lip nervously.

"You guys... are you sure you're not in a movie or something? This has to be the cutest story I've ever heard!!" She finally exclaimed, making me suck in a breath.

I almost wished she had refused to accept this. Giving her a forced smile, I reminded her of our pact, "We agreed to stay away from each other. It's not a movie, just a one time thing, and we've both moved on since."

"Are you sure about that?" She retorted, her voice light and teasing.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure." I shot back, my firm voice concealing my inner turmoil perfectly.

"We haven't got a lot of time right now, so I won't expand on this subject more. Let's meet up tomorrow at noon, and discuss this in full detail. I think you will need a lot of my help to sort this out." She winked at me before hurriedly running out of my room.

I grew confused at her reaction. Why did she suddenly run out? And why was I meeting her to talk about a nonexistent affair again? All my questions were promptly answered by the silent figure standing behind me just as I turned around to face the door.

Oh, so this is why.

I took in his appearance first, like I always did. This time, it had been a while since I really looked at him with the intention of admiring him. It also didn't help knowing that this was the first time I was alone in a room with him, ever since that night, and that his eyes too, hadn't left my body even once.

Was he thinking about that night too? Did he regret agreeing to my condition?

"Why are you here? The first interview is about to start." I said, unable to take the deafening silence anymore.

"I was browsing around some stores the other day, and came across something which you would like, so I bought it. You can think of it as a thank you gift, for putting up with me all these months."

My eyebrows drew together as I continued to stare at him silently. Did he seriously think of me, and buy me something? What could it be?

"What is it?" I asked him uncertainly, to which he smiled and came closer.

He brought the hand resting behind his back in front of me, and showed me the gift he bought. I sucked in a sharp breath when I saw what he was talking about. It was a small, cute container of scented candle.

I suddenly got transported back to the night I spent at his place. After we did the deed, I had drunkenly rambled about a lot of things to him, and one of those ramblings was about my love for scented candles. No matter what anyone said, scented candles always brought me peace and relaxation, and I was a total sucker for these.

I looked up at him wordlessly, not sure how to perceive this thoughtfulness. I hadn't even expected that he would remember a word from that night, since he never mentioned anything about it to me. But him bringing such a present for me was not a mere coincidence, I was sure of it.

"I remember you telling me about it that night, and I just thought it would help you calm down. I heard from the others that you tend to be extremely edgy on such days like today. I hope this will help you relax."

He then went over to my make up table, and set it out. Fishing out a lighter from his pocket, he lit the candle, and a mellow rosy scent immediately enveloped me. This scent made me feel like I'd reached heaven.

"See you in a bit." He said casually, and left, softly closing the door behind him.

And as I finally came around and everything that just happened, registered in my brain, all I wanted to do was call Aaliyah and tell her that I wasn't sure anymore.

I wanted to scream and cry and tell her that her brother was the biggest asshole I'd ever met, for making me feel things I wasn't supposed to.

~♤ ▪︎ ♤ ▪︎ ♤~