Love Me Or Hate Me

Love Me Or Hate Me [14-J]

I swear, this had been one of thee most torturous weekends ever. Isabel had been in the house with me the entire time, but with the silent treatment she was giving me, she might as well have been somewhere else. Had Duke not been here to entertain me, I'm pretty sure I would have jumped off of the balcony already!

Right now, we were eating lunch, but instead of talking to me like I hoped Isabel would have done, she simply bit into her Hot Pocket and continued to read her copy of some book I had never heard of before. I sneaked a peak at the cover and read the words Fifty Shades of Grey in my head. It sounded boring, but I wouldn't comment on it; she was already mad at me for 'cheating', so making a comment about her taste in literature would only make things worse.

But of course, I couldn't take the silence anymore, so I walked over to her, took the book out of her hands and slammed it down onto the counter. She looked up at me for a second before narrowing her eyes into slits; still not saying a word. “Come on, Is! You can't be mad at me forever!” She still didn't say anything, and at this point, I was pleading for her to say something, anything! “OK, you can be mad at me, but please just say something. I can't take the silent treatment anymore.”

She had just opened her mouth when the sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted her. Much to my surprise, she pushed right passed me, Hot Pocket in hand, and over to the front door. I couldn't see who it was from my angle in the kitchen, but when I saw a smile on her face, I knew it was someone who made her happy.

That theory went down the drain when I watched my dad and her mom walk into the condo. My facial expression must have given something away because her mom looked at me with her hands on her hips and she raised an eyebrow. “What's the matter, James? Cat got your tongue?”

I narrowed my eyes like Isabel had just done, and just as I opened my mouth to say something, she cut in. “Not at all, Mom. He's um,” Isabel looked at me with an expressionless face before continuing, “We weren't expecting company, that's all.” Grabbing her moms hand, she lead her over to the small living room and sat her down next to my dad. He had already managed to make himself comfortable, and I couldn't help but grin at him. He could make himself comfortable no matter what the situation was.

“Son, come join us. I want to know about your first two days here.”

My face fell, and I looked at Isabel, who still had no expression on her face. I knew it was my idea to act like we were in love and that everything was OK, but judging by the way she was looking at me, I knew that she wanted no part of that plan anymore. Of course, since I didn't want to be stuck in this stupid marriage either, I would just go around and tell the truth.

Once I finally made it over to the living room, I sat down next to my dad, making Isabel's mom frown at me. “You're not going to sit next to your fiance?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but again, Isabel interrupted. “Let him sit by his father. We've spent the last two days cuddled up next to each other; I think he deserves a break from all of my love.” She giggled, and discretely sent me a glare; one that actually bothered me. She was toying with me in front of our parents and they had no idea. They saw and heard what they wanted to because it was for the good of the company, and it annoyed me.

She had spent the past two days ignoring me and now she was telling her mom that we were some madly in love couple? Anyone with brains knew that that was far from true, but the look in her eyes seemed to differ. We've spent the past two days in two separate rooms; only spending the nights together. Why is she telling her mom otherwise? You'd think that she wanted this marriage, and after everything that's happened, I knew she didn't!

“Well that's just marvelous, sweetie.” Everyone turned to look at Elaine, and I couldn't help but feel myself getting angry. She didn't care about the well-being of her daughter in the slightest; she just wanted more money! “It's nice to know that you two have come to terms with the arrangement.”

“Of course it is.” I mumbled under my breath, earning a look from my dad. I knew Isabel was staring at me, but I continued on with my speech anyway. “We're not cut out to be a couple, Dad. Sure, we seem happy, but this is just an act!” Standing up from my spot on the couch, I walked in front of Isabel and grabbed her shoulder, making her look me right in the eyes. “In front of everyone, right now, Is, I want you to tell them everything that's been going through your head for the past two days. Tell them that we're not happy together and that they can't make us marry each other!”

Looking away from my eyes and over at our parents, she quickly looked back up at me and blew out a sigh. Our eyes were now locked, and even though I could tell she wanted to look away, she wasn't. That made me curious.

Had she wanted to, pulling away and ignoring me would have been the easiest thing in the world, but she wasn't doing that, and I didn't understand why. We never broke eye contact, but at this close proximity, I could feel her body tense up and her heart rate begin to speed up as well. She was panicking, and it was my fault.

But why is she panicking?

“Isabel, just tell us what's going on.” This time, it was my dad who cut in, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed. If she wasn't going to answer for me, why would she answer for him?

“I. . .” She pulled away from me before finishing the rest of her sentence. “I, um. . .”

“Damn it, Isabel, just out with it already!”

Looking up at me again, she narrowed her eyes and stood up from her spot on the couch. “What's been going on in my head for the past two days is that I think I'm in love with you!” Quickly placing her hands over her mouth, she grew wide eyed and ran past me and into the bedroom. I was left dumb-founded, but I couldn't help but find myself smiling. She hadn't said it like she was certain, but she was beginning to love me, and I actually liked it.

I didn't even notice that her mom was staring at me until I turned around and met a pair of dark, brown eyes. “I don't know what's been going on here, so would you care to explain?” I shook my head, not really wanting to deal with Elaine of her bull sh*t anymore. Sure, she was my soon to be mother in law, but I couldn't stand her, and I had no problem letting her know.

My father didn't seem to like that though. “James, explain, now.”

“I would if I understood what the hell was going on.” Shooting him a look, I looked over at the clock that hung in the kitchen and I blew out a sigh. “OK, well it's almost eight o'clock and we have school in the morning, so you guys should get going.” Smiling, I walked out of the living room and in the direction of the bedroom, only to be stopped by the sound of my fathers voice.

“James, take this.” Turning to face him, I saw him holding up a condom in my direction, and I couldn't help but let out a laugh. “I'm sure you have more than enough, but I'm sure you'll want an extra one for when you decide to deflower my daughter-in-law. Be gentle with her, OK?”

I simply nodded; no words were coming out.

Once our parents decided to leave, I walked in the direction of the room, condom in my pocket, and I opened the door to see Isabel sitting on the floor with her right hand brought up to her mouth. From what I could see, she was biting her nails in a nervous attempt to clear her mind, and I was only proven right when she jumped at the sound of me clearing my throat. “You know,” I began, “for someone who doesn't want this relationship, you do a good job at acting like you do. I must say, your little outburst earlier was some Class-A acting.”

She looked up at me, and simply nodded before getting up and locking herself in the bathroom. I should have known that the silent treatment would come back, but after a show like that, I couldn't help but think I deserved it. Even if it was a show though, I knew one thing.

Isabel was something else.