Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 32

Glasses clinked in the kitchen while Millicent sniffled lightly, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand, adjusting her back on the throw pillow behind her on the couch in which she sat. The blanket around her drifted down to her laps showing the gypsy skirt she wore as she stared at the screen in front of her. She turned her head when she heard the graceful footsteps of Jace and she tried to smile through the drops on her face when he emerged with a glass bowl. One look at her, and he was rushing to the couch and placing the bowl on a table in front of the couch in which her legs were folded, he worriedly held her face in his hands, blue gray eyes scanning her.

"Why are you crying, sweetheart?" His tender voice broke her further and he scooted forward, collecting her legs and draping them over his legs. One hand dropped around her neck and tightened its hold there, his eyes clouded, fretting and pushing her into his arms.

"You're scaring me, little M. What's going on? Did you hurt yourself?" All the questions tumbled out hastily when he didn't get a response.

"Wait, wait. I'm going to miss the rest of the episode." She wailed as she pushed a bewildered Jace backward. She turned and opened her arms, calling him to hug her again. "It's so sad. The drama my friend recommended." His thoughts snapped into place at her words. He sharply pulled back from the hug with wide eyes.

"So, you're telling me that you are in tears because of the drama?" He felt her nod as her head laid on his shoulder while she focused on the ongoing drama. Jace sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead and tightening his hold on her, picking up the bowl of strawberries in chocolate for her and feeding her one.

"Oh, that tastes nice. Is that chocolate?" He nodded only to hear her sob, sending his nerves on alert but he found her engrossed with the movie on the screen.

"What's the title?"

"Thirty-nine. I don't cry this bad normally but it's hella sad." Jace chuckled under his breath at the heartfelt comment.

"Now I want to invite Sean over. He's horrible at watching sad stuff but I don't need two bawling humans to take care of."

"Oh, call him! The more the merrier. You're not crying so might as well get someone else. Manuela is also taking a nap so I'm on my own." He was going to debunk the offer till his eyes fell on her magnificently bright doe eyes.

"Hold on." Millicent's phone pinged, and she picked it up to check. The message on the screen elicited a bubbly laugh from her which caused Jace's brows to lift at the change in sentiment.

"What's making you laugh?" He watched as she typed away.

"Ah, it's Ignacio. He's wondering if you were unluckily out of the picture." She looked up to see him scowling and simply dropped a kiss on his sulking face.

"That guy who almost ran into you. Why is he texting you? Sean's going to be here in twenty."

"Great! Let me restart this. And I'm the one who was saved by Ignacio - I walked into his car." He chucked one strawberry into his mouth to stop the grumbles leaving Millicent in a fit of giggles.

They were still sitting in the couch entangled in their arms with the drama paused, and they fed each other till the last of the strawberries in the bowl disappeared. Exactly twenty minutes later, his doorbell went off and Jace got up to receive the caller. Sean burst through with bright blue eyes shining in exuberance and he rushed toward Millicent who was unfurling herself from the couch, bloodshot eyes still in place, as she crashed into the broad chest of her blond-haired friend.

"Mimi! I heard there's a drama marathon tonight!" He spun her around through her chuckles.

Jace was facing them as he reached to shut the door but a foot that jutted to the narrow space stopped him from closing it. His head snapped up and from the milky-white skin of the orange painted toes of the foot in the wedge shoe, he traveled his eyes up from the green floral dress to the airy, wavy, shoulder-length, chestnut hair and then he stumbled back in fright at his cousin's face.