Bitter sweet affair

Chapter 3- lunch

Andre's POV
I could tell she was nervous the moment she tripped and almost lost her balance on the stairway. A few strands of her hair fell to her face in reflex, partially obstructing a perfect view of her face.

My jaws dropped when I finally got a clearer view of her when she walked over to the table. I didn't know if it was the makeup, but she was unimaginably adorable. Frankly, it was beyond my expectations.

I found a pair of blue eyes staring at me. Probably, she was checking me out as well. Her eyes reminded me of the ocean. Though she couldn't maintain good eye contact, I still couldn't take my eyes off her.

I watched her struggling to eat. She seemed to be neither happy nor comfortable. Soon, we were all done eating and then, we left for the sitting room as their maids walked in to clear the dishes.

Her parents made her sit next to me, more like she was forced unnoticeably. My dad cleared his throat like he was gonna say something. It was an old habit of his which he always did to draw attention.

"We should leave them to talk. Don't y'all think so?", he asked in his deep voice, waiting for everyone's honest opinions.
"A great idea, isn't it?", father-in-law asked.
"Yeah. A perfect time to be left alone", mum said. I smiled and stole a glance at my future bride.

"I agree with everyone. Let's make our way to the garden patio", her mum said and with that, they all left for the garden immediately. I could still see them clearly from afar through the glass door.

I turned around to see her biting her fingers, nervously. "Don't you wanna talk with your prince charming?", I whispered in her ears, breaking the awkward silence, and sat back as I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Urh.. nuh", she murmured, looking away.

"You look so much more beautiful in reality than in the pictures, Reyna", I teased, expecting her to blush, but she was different. Way different from other girls out there. Instead, her eyes widened as she averted her gaze from me.

"Wait! You saw my pictures already and you were being told my name?", she gasped in shock. At this point, I guessed she didn't know how to take compliments.

"I just needed the basic information about you before accepting our marriage proposal. Not like it's even a crime though", I smirked.
"Contrary to what you have just said, I know nothing about you. May I know your name?", she asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm Andre Davies, but you can call me whatever you want. It's up to you", I said as my hand reached out for her black silky hair and tucked in a loose strand behind her ear. She fluttered her lashes in astonishment and I just smiled.

"Um...", she opened her mouth to say something before stopping herself.
"What were you gonna say?", I asked, curiously.
"It's nothing actually", she lied. I knew she was lying when her cheeks turned red.

"I can tell by your facial expression that it's something. You're bothered about something. Please, share it with me, Reyna", I pleaded. Maybe, I could help her solve her problem if it's under my capabilities, I thought.

She heaved a deep breath. "Okay, if you insist...", she paused. "Do you really want to get married to me? I mean to say, we literally don't know anything about ourselves. We both know there's no existing form of love or affection toward each other-

I interrupted, already knowing where she was heading. "Sorry to interrupt, but I don't believe in love marriages. So, I don't see a problem with us getting married. With time I could get to know you and we could grow to love each other except you aren't interested in our union, are you?", I asked.

The room went silent as I awaited her response. "I appreciate the fact that you're honest with me about everything but I... I really don't wanna get married", she finally burst the bubble. I suspected it right from the start.

"If that's what you want, I'll tell our parents to call off the wedding", I shrugged.
A smile lit up her face, displaying her pearly white teeth and cute dimples. "Wait, tell me you aren't kidding?", she asked with a bit of excitement.

I smiled back at her. "I promise, I'm not. So loosen up, will you?", I asked. She nodded happily and smiled. She looked just like a happy kitten in that mood. We talked a little before our both parents walked in.
....
"I see you both have spoken well enough. So, what's the plan?" her dad asked, smilingly. I smiled and interlocked my hand with hers. "I'll handle it. Just relax, Reyna", I whispered and she nodded in response.

I lifted my eyes to everyone. "It has been decided. We've agreed to proceed with our wedding plans", I smiled, pulling my hand around her waist. She squeezed my hand and tried opening her mouth to oppose what I had just said but my mum interrupted before she could.

"You both look so good together. I can't wait to welcome Reyna as my beautiful daughter-in-law and officially make her a part of our family soon", my mum smiled at her and Reyna frantically smiled back, dumbstruck.

"I'm so happy for you both. We thought as much that you would both like each other. Also, we have set a permanent date for the wedding and it's gonna take place on the 16th of November, that is approximately a month and two weeks from now. But before then, the engagement ceremony will take place in two weeks", my dad concluded.

A month and two weeks weren't that far, it was just so close by.
"We gotta go now. Preparations have to start as soon as possible for the engagement ceremony and wedding as well", my mom said, packing her stuff already.

"Sure, we'll ensure to do the same. I'm glad our children agreed to this...", Reyna's mum said and they talked on for a short while, but I wasn't interested.

Finally, it was time to go. I opened my arms to Reyna and she enclosed the space with her body. We hugged closely in front of everyone and to make things seem real, I pecked her cheek lightly.

"Bye, Reyna", I bade her goodbye and ran outside to catch up with my parents.