Station 53

Bad News, Good News

This chapter has not been edited.

***

It had been about four weeks since the night at the Sages' and my plan to ignore Daniel was getting worse and worse. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn't stay away from him too long. I was at a point where I deliberately stayed back at school to help clean out the yard. 

But it seemed the more I tried to run away, the closer I was becoming to him and it was honestly scaring me.  

"Bad news," Daniel said, breathless as if he had just run a marathon as he casually walked into my room as if we were the best of friends. Well we had gotten to a point where we almost were.  

"Your mother likes me?" I asked, not bothering to lift my head from the book we were studying in class. 

"How did you know?" he asked. I didn't need to see the look on his face to know he was surprised. His voice said enough. 

I sighed as I turned the page. 

"You mean aside from the fact that she has been treating me super well?"

Daniel plopped down on his stomach beside me and looked up through his lashes, his beautiful golden eyes warming up my insides. I put the book down and turned my full attention to him, knowing full well had I not he would wine and start getting touchy until I did. 

"What are we going to do?" he sighed with a pout. "This has to work." 

"Maybe she's planning something?" I offered. 

Daniel shrugged before shaking his head. "Dad told me that she has taken a liking to you. She can lie to anyone but definitely cannot lie to dad. She actually likes you." 

I took in a deep breath before I lay down beside him and looked up at the ceiling. We weren't close enough to be touching but his warm breath still somehow caressed my cheeks. 

"Then should we just end it?" I asked, my heart stopping at the question. Our relationship was already more complicated than it should have been and although I really hated the fact that I was bringing this topic up, it was the final destination of our relationship either way and was going to happen sooner or later. 

The bed shifted and suddenly Daniel's face was directly above mine. 

"Why would we do that?" his eyes hardened, as he looked down at me. 

"The whole point of this marriage was to give your mother a choice between the bride she hates or letting you follow your dreams. I'm no longer the bride she hates so your plan won't work." 

Daniel's eyebrows narrowed, causing a crease right in the centre. I tried my hardest not to lift my hand and soothe it out for him. 

"Do you want to end it?" he asked, sounding like a wounded puppy. 

"Why do you look so upset?" I tried laughing it off but truthfully the prospect of this all ending so soon was nipping at my heart. I hated to admit it but in this short period of time, I had grown very fond of Daniel. More fond than I had of anyone else in this world. "If your plan isn't going to work then there's no point in us continuing this game. We should end it before it blows up in our faces."

I sat up as I spoke, pushing Daniel away from me in the process. I adjusted my eyes away from him before I turned my body to the side, my back facing him.

"Why would it blow up in our faces?" he asked, voice low and somewhat upset. 

I turned to face him with raised eyebrows. 

"This whole marriage is based on lies," I told him. "Haven't you ever thought about what would happen if someone were to find out about our contract?" 

Daniel looked down at his hands before lifting his eyes to meet mine once again, "I got rid of the contract," he mumbled. It took me a while to piece together what he had said but once I did, my head snapped towards his direction.

"You did what?" I screeched. Daniel winced before giving me a sorry smile.

"I got a little paranoid so I ended up burning it," he confessed. 

"When?"

"A few weeks after we first, you know, had sex," he blushed. I really wanted to punch him in the face but he looked so cute in that moment that I felt all my anger flush out of my system.

"You're unbelievable," I sighed. After a few moments of silence passed between us, I continued to speak, "But if there's no contract then there's also nothing binding us together anymore either..." 

I didn't have to finish what I was saying since what I was insinuating was pretty clear. 

Daniel opened and closed his mouth multiple time, as if wanting to say something only to change his mind afterwards. 

"But I still paid you for this," he finally opted for. 

I had forgotten about that end of our contract. 

"Alright fine," he spoke before I could say anything. "If it's really what you want, then I'll agree." 

"You will?" I don't know why I sounded so disappointed. I mean, this was what I wanted right?

"Yes," he nodded, "but under one condition."  

I tilted my head to the side, with questioning eyes, "What condition?" 

"I will agree to end this fake marriage with you under the condition that you let me officially court you." 

***

Hello hello! :)

I'm back... for a short while. 

It's finally exam period and I managed to make some time to write another chapter! Who else is sitting exams? GOOD LUCK! It's such a stressful period. Once it's over, it's mid-semester break though so yaaaay.

About this chapter: I really hope you enjoyed it. It's really short, so I'm sorry about that.  I'll try to make next chapter longer and more fun! 

Let me know what you thought about it though. And what do you think Izzy will say? And why do you think Daniel's mother suddenly likes her? Do you think she really likes her? So many questions. :P

Anyway, bye. I'll see you all with a new chapter soon hopefully!