Marry Me

16. Pleasurable Torture

May Daniels.

Alex was gazing at me with his eyes wide and innocent. In that moment, he looked so young and gullible that I felt my heart clench. How can I leave him?

"I think I'm drunk, May."

"Yes...yes you are. Here let me help you get to bed."

He nodded frantically. "Yes. Okay. Bed."

He was very heavy and sluggish with his arm around my shoulders. And my ankle wasn't helping either. We stumbled up the stairs to the bedroom.

I made him stand still and removed his shirt and pants, leaving him in just his boxer shorts.

He tilted his head to one side. "Are we going to make love?"

I gulped while he stared at me with that expression. It was an tempting idea but I would never take advantage of him like that. Or anyone else for that matter.

"Not tonight, Alex. We both are tired. Let's just sleep, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

I tucked him under the covers and lay down beside him. We were each turned away. There was a tiny bit of distance between us. Tiny bit...and annoyingly awkward as though we were strangers.

An hour passed, then two. I found it incredibly difficult to fall asleep despite the long and torturous night. Alex had shifted closer and slipped his arm around me. I stiffened a little but relaxed when I heard his deep breathing. He was fast asleep, thanks to the liquor.

Maybe I should get myself some...

"M...May..."

I froze. His voice was so different. Soft but raspy.

"I never asked for any of these, May. Sometimes I wish I can walk away from all these shit. But I can't leave my family to suffer from my actions. It will be utterly selfish of me to leave them, to desert them."

Uuh?

I asked him to explain. But there was no answer. He had fallen asleep.
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He was still fast asleep when I awoke next morning. It was very early to my surprise, barely six. I reach for my mobile to call the principal about the explosion at my house and requested for a week off to set everything right.

I had a feeling that this would one hell of a busy week.

A sleepy voice broke the silence of the early morning. "Is a week enough?"

I let out a squeak and dropped my phone which clattered to the floor. Just great! A broken mobile is exactly what I needed!

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well you did." I bend down to retrieve my phone. It was still intact. Thank goodness! "Buuut it's okay. It's still alive."

Alex propped himself against the head board. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "I feel fine. My ankle twinges a bit but I've had worse."

A grown wrinkled his handsome face. "Worse?"

Dammit! My history is too dark to visit in the morning. "I'll tell you some other time. How are you feeling?"

"Me?"

"Uh uh. You were drunk last night."

His eyes widened in surprise. Or maybe shock. "I was?"

"Is that a surprise? Hardly happens?"