Dark Love: A Darker Shade - Book 2

5

Zee decided to be honest about her feelings.

"I'm glad too." She responded. "But concerning the rebellious look, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do, Elizabeth. And just so you know, if I was responsible for you, you will definitely dread the thought of me finding you in this persona."

Zee found herself speechless and frozen for a second. In that moment, he held her back from him, breaking up the embrace. Then his lips curled into a barely noticeable smirk. "Sit down, Zee. I do not bite. But you already know that."

He sat down and watched her recover from the earlier shock of his words.

"Persona?" she asked wonderingly as she sat down. "Are you saying that I'm not real?"

He did not respond immediately. Instead, he was staring intensely into her eyes. It reminded her of how he had looked at her when he was deflowering her, his manhood, piercing her, making her a woman. She couldn't stand any sort of pain, so she had cried beneath him but his whispered words of comfort and his beautiful eyes that held her tearful ones captive, helped her make it through the pain and then surprisingly to pleasure. She blinked rapidly at the memory and sent her gaze flying across the room. "Stop scrutinizing me." She mumbled.

"Is that what I'm doing?"

"Yes."

"Look at me, Elizabeth."

"Zee." She corrected, meeting his gaze assertively and he smirked at her.

"Your attempt at defiance is part of your persona." He said simply. "So to answer your question, you're not real." He ignored the look of indignation that entered her eyes and continued. "You hide behind a seemingly safe but unreal image that you've built for yourself. You try to live like someone without a care in the world you know, as though, nothing bothers you."

"Nothing bothers me." she said fleetingly. She hated the truth. She would have bolted out of there but she was there on a mission. This was not the time to be a coward.

"Exactly." His tone was laced with unbelief. "Anyway, enough of the psychoanalysis. What will you have?"

"Doughnut and orange juice. I am not really hungry."

"Me too." He said and signaled a male waiter who drew near and took their order before leaving to fulfill them.

Zee's eyes were on the table but Michael's eyes were on her face.

"Elizabeth."

She lifted her eyes and met his piercing gaze. "Zee." She corrected.

"You've grown, Elizabeth." He said, ignoring her correction. "Remember what I used to call you?"

"No."

"You do."

"I don't."

"Liz."

"Stop it."

He looked amused and watched her smile for the second time since they had met that afternoon.

"I know that you remember."

"I do."

"Don't worry. I have outgrown the name. Now tell me what you said to me on the phone."

Zee swallowed hard. This was her moment and she had come prepared.

"Marry me, Michael." She said solemnly and he laughed.

"Zee?"

"I'm not joking. Please marry me."

His gaze upon hers turned quizzical for a moment. Then his eyes widened as she rose up, stepped away from her seat and went down on her knees before him. Next, she pulled out a ring box from her pocket.