Married to my Enemy

Chapter 23

It's an odd feeling, every time I believe that Kohl and I are getting somewhere and that things are going well, the universe has to come guns blazing and show me that I couldn't be any more wrong. I say that because well, in the past few days I've barely seen him, it's as if he's avoiding me. It's not like him at all. Sure, he has work commitments but how can I reassure myself that nothing's wrong when just earlier even his mum had seen it.

While his mum was making a fruit salad, I was in the kitchen making a cheesecake. Kohl was walking past the kitchen to go up to our room when my mother-in-law stopped him. "Kohl, dear I barely see you! I'm sure it's the same for Dara as well. Poor girl has been cooped up in here for days, why don't you take her out somewhere nice? Have you ever taken her on a date before?" I neither confirm nor deny her accusation. I simply just look at Kohl expectantly. Because yes, I do really want to go on that date.

Instead of feeling thrilled about the idea of going on a date with him, I feel quite disappointed instead when I peer up at him to see he doesn't even glance at me once. He just looks straight ahead or at his mum and responds with a "yeah, I'll look into it." 

I'll look into it? As if it's not a date but a spreadsheet that he could do some research on. Could you blame me for even feeling a little unwanted right now as if I'm being a burden here?

He walks off just as soon as he gives his mum an answer that he might deem okay but I certainly don't. My mother-in-law notices it too, she tries to reassure me as well, "He must have had a rough day at work sweet pea, don't worry I'll put some date ideas into his head."

When I'm up in our room, I get into bed after I've already given myself a pep talk. I've told myself there's no way I'm going to look like an idiot and make effort with him when he won't even do the same. And I do feel like an idiot because he hasn't said one word to me.

I look at him as he reads something on his iPad. Don't say anything first, don't say anything first. "Yeah?" he asks me when he notices me glaring into his soul. "Are you okay?" I ask him. "Yeah, just tired," he tells me as he puts away his iPad and slips into the covers, and faces away from me. At that moment, I look at my pillow wondering whether I want to smother him with it. I decide against it. I look at his back, maybe something's genuinely bothering him.

I don't know, I just hope he doesn't keep this up tomorrow when we have to go to his mum's perfume launch party.

-

I love the dress that Kohl's mum has picked out for me. A few months ago, there was no chance in hell anyone would've caught me in it but today I'm oozing with confidence, and as silly as it sounds, I want to see how Kohl reacts to me in it.

The dress is anything but simple, I am covered in a beautiful figure-hugging sequined blue dress. It's a little low cut which shows off a hint of my cleavage. It has a nice slit that goes up to my thigh which shows off my tanned legs. When I say, you wouldn't catch me dead in this a few months ago, I meant it.

I walk out of the bathroom to see him wearing a really nice suit that fits him so well and a matching blue tie to go with my dress. He takes in a good look at me and takes a deep breath and I hear him exhale. "You look stunning." I smile and take his hand, "Shall we?" He looks down at our hands, "Let's go."

We jump into the backseat of the car. I sit beside him, I don't know what compels me but I sit a little too close to him than I usually feel comfortable with. You'd think I was practically sitting on his lap if you'd seen how much distance I close off between us. He definitely notices it, I feel him fidgeting with his hands, unsure of where to look since he just looks straight ahead. With the way he stares at the driver's seat, I'm shocked the seat hasn't burnt to a crisp yet.

"You know you can look right?" "Huh?" he looks at me as if he's been caught red-handed. I scoff at him when I can tell he's mentally willing himself to not check out my chest. But he loses the will and properly takes in the sight of me in my outfit. He slowly drags his gaze from my face to my neck, and down to my cleavage. I roll my eyes. Then he drags his gaze to where my leg sits bare. Without meaning to his eyes linger there until I clear my throat. "Like what you see?" I scoff. He shakes his head, "No, sorry, I mean yeah?" he sounds absolutely flustered. I take him out of his misery and laugh, "It's okay. I'm glad you're paying me some attention now." His eyes widen.

"Why are you ignoring me?" He seems taken aback and flustered again at the newfound assertiveness in me, "huh, uh- I'm sorry," when it seems like he won't say any more than that, I prod him again, "So? Why are you avoiding me?"

He sighs a little, "I am really sorry, I didn't mean to, I just wanted to give you some space I guess. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable anymore." "I see. But you ended up ignoring me instead. I just want you to talk to me." "I'm sorry I-" just at that point I grab his fidgeting hand from his thigh and place it on my bare thigh. His eyes grow wide. I kiss him and he gets into it too. I feel him smile against my mouth. I want to show him that he couldn't make me feel uncomfortable. But I also want to tell him as well.

I place my hand against his cheek, "thank you, it's sweet of you but I'd rather you be how you usually are, you don't make me feel uncomfortable." He grins at that, "I think it's because I like you that I don't want to hurt you." I raise an eyebrow. "No, I know I like you." He doesn't even expect me to say it back because I know he'd wait for me. "I'd hope so because I guess I kinda like you too." "Good," he says as he showers me with a dozen pecks.

-

The launch goes so well, Kohl and I spend the event glued to each other, hand in hand. Our family members watch us in awe and it's as if it clicks into everyone simultaneously and they know that we've confessed to each other because they just let us do our thing. We pass by a storeroom and a memory flashes and we literally look at each other and laugh. "You know we have May to thank." "Excuse me? No, we don't, we got here all on our own." "Yeah, well she kinda-" "No." "Okay, Mrs. Dara Evans, won't be mentioning her ever again." He laughs at me.

Lacey walks by us and says "get a room! Only joking, please don't. Our entire generation is here." When she's gone, I peer up at him to see him laughing his head off. "You don't think we're being that couple, do you?" "What couple is that?" "The extremely cheesy kind that won't even get their hands off each other for a second and go around to talk to anyone else because they're incredibly infatuated with each other. Because if we are being like that I won't be able to live it down."

I immediately detach from him and take my hand out of his. "Holy- Dara, calm down. I've just got you. I'm sure a couple of family members could understand, though it doesn't hurt to hear you say you're incredibly infatuated with me." "That's not where I was getting at." "Oh, and believe me, if I couldn't get my hands off of you everyone would know it. Right now, I'm a true soldier here fighting the will to not do anything. Though that storeroom there is calling our name." "Oh, please. I'm gonna go find your sister." "You're gonna leave me?" "We see each other at home." "Wow Dara, I confess my undying love for you and this is how you treat me." "You only said you liked me, nothing about your undying love, yet." "Yet. But know that I am also incredibly infatuated with you." "Good to know." I poke his nose with my finger as I go off to find our other family members. "Can't wait to go home." Just on cue, it's as if he can tell I roll my eyes because he says "I felt that eye roll." 

"Well know that I meant it."

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, would love to hear your thoughts!