Oreo

Chapter 21: Don't call me "Babe"

~5 days later~

Romeo's POV~

The girl's face was horror struck.  Fat tears rolled down her flushed cheeks from puffy, red eyes.  Her soft, pink lips trembled as much as her gloved hands that clutched at the chest of her blouse.  Weak-kneed, she let out a sob in place of the words she had intended to speak.  Mortified and in defeat, Juny turned tail and ran from the door of the apartment.

Wearing a soft smirk of satisfaction, Orion chuckled.  It soon turned to a laugh after he closed the door behind her.  It was like he found the whole thing hilarious, like one of the funniest jokes he'd heard in a long time.

Standing in the hallway by the bathroom door, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the sight.  What happened?  What did he say that devastated her so much?  Considering what kind of person he said she and her family was, I'm not sure if I should be either happy for him or concerned.  For several reasons.

"Um.. Rion..." I spoke to make myself known as I entered the room.  He stopped laughing but turned towards me with a relaxed grin.  His eyes glinted strangely somehow.  "What happened?"

"I just made sure that she hated me, for one thing, and also made sure she never had the guts to try to hunt me down again." The excuse was simple and easy.

Huh.... "Was it really that funny...?"

"Sorry," He apologized, running a hand through his desheveled hair.  "I admit that must've looked crazy..  I was just imagining her father's reaction to seeing her like that.  Luckily, they don't know we're moving.  So we'll have to make this quick."

"Alright..." We'd already packed our things together and all the boxes were in the bedroom.  We just had to pack up the salvageable foods and we'd be ready to go.  We were lucky enough  to not have very many things in the place to begin with.  But Even though he was right, I'd still like an elaboration.

~

There was one thing that had been eating at my mind for a while, and even more so as we packed our things into the moving van.  I wanted to approach Orion about it, but I also didn't want to feel like I was prying too much into his personal space.  That scene earlier only piqued my curiosity more.

Even though we're together now, and honesty is one of the most important factors of a relationship, there could possibly be a good reason he's not telling me whatever it is he's hiding.  Or is he less hiding and more just reluctant or self conscious?  Whatever it is, I don't want to make him uncomfortable by asking such personal questions.  I know that there are even still things that I would be reluctant to tell him about myself.  Such things can take time, especially when the matters are sensitive topics.  Everyone has hardships they go through, so that's why I prefer not to go digging my nose into other people's personal issues.

We packed the last of our stuff into the van and locked up the back.  As Orion went to go return the key to the landlord, I climbed into the passenger seat.  Should I really keep quiet about my concerns?  I don't really want to bring it up when things seem to be in a good mood...  Maybe after we've settled into the new place?

Orion took the driver's seat once he returned and started up the engine. "Excited?"

I just nodded.

"Good.  Me too." He buckled himself in and we pulled out of the apartments onto the main road.  "Almost a shame to leave, but... I like my head where it is, to be honest."

I humored him with a short laugh through the nose but didn't bother to smile.  Then another thought hit me.  "... I didn't know you could drive."