Chapter 4: Making the Schemes Moving
1004 Words
While sitting on the bed, my heart racing, I knew I had to project an air of bravery. I'd seen that look in Marcus's eyes yesterday—that hint of a bad boy hiding beneath his deceiving exterior. He stood at the door at a slow, deliberate pace as he closed the distance between us. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and his expression sent shivers down my spine, like a scene from a suspenseful movie.
With each step he took, I could feel the tension in the room mounting. The air was thick with anticipation. His dark, intense gaze was locked on me, making it difficult to think of anything else.
"So, it's just the two of us now," he said, his voice low and seductive, causing my heart to race even faster.
I stammered, "What do you mean?" My fear was betraying me, my voice quivering as he drew nearer.
A playful grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he responded in a flirtatious tone, "You know, something that a man and a woman often do."
He closed the gap between us, standing beside the bed, and leaned in so that his face was just inches from mine. His intense gaze never left mine, and the room seemed to sizzle with electric tension.
I could feel Marcus's face drawing much closer, as if he wanted to kiss me. I had never been one to easily bend, having developed a tough character after my parents' deaths. Their absence had built an impenetrable wall around my heart, making me believe that love would only bloom and flourish beautifully once I had passed through the deepest heartache and mourning of my life.
My patience was tested when his lips were mere inches from mine. I wasn't one to back down easily. I raised my hand and delivered a firm slap to his cheek, snapping us both back to reality.
"Hey! What are you doing?" I grumbled, ending the fantasy abruptly.
"Ouch, why did you slap me?" He reacted, quickly standing up.
"How can you go from boldly insulting me earlier, calling me 'Bloody Mary,' to trying to kiss me now?" I retorted, annoyance evident in my voice, even as I looked up at him, determined to meet his eyes despite his towering height.
"Kiss you? Oh, come on! You've got some nerve," he protested, clearly taken aback.
"Excuse me, but I wouldn't assume that if you hadn't brought your face so close to mine and closed your eyes," I appealed to him.
"Then you also said that we should do what a man and a woman do when alone," I countered, my reasons mounting.
"What? You perceived it that way? You're just assuming!" Marcus chuckled, laughing like a madman.
I watched as he laughed uncontrollably, searching for the couch to sit down on while still shaking with laughter.
"You crazy, childish, and arrogant man. You can't fool a girl like me. I know how men will try to take a woman's purity for granted these days. If you can do that with other girls, not with me. My grandma didn't raise a conservative yet courageous girl for nothing. I protect what's precious to me at all costs," I explained, defending the assumption I had formed based on the intimate moment we had shared.
"Fair point, I see that now," he replied, his laughter subsiding as he settled comfortably on the couch.
"But as you know, I'm not trying to kiss you, OK?" he clarified, speaking now in a serious tone.
"I'm just about to check your vital signs; that's why I borrowed this from Drake," he added as he brought out the stetoscope, which I obviously hadn't noticed a while ago.
"Seriously? That's the best excuse you could come up with?" I asked, a playful glint in my eye.
"Do you honestly think I'd fall for that after the way you said those words, with your eyes closed and your face so close to mine? Come on, I'm not a child you can win over with a piece of candy," I added, unable to contain a teasing grin.
As we continued our conversation, I decided to test the limits of my recovery. I stretched my legs, perching on the edge of the bed with my feet gently touching the floor. I needed to gauge whether I had the strength to walk and reach for my medicine at the bedside table.
"I did that to listen to your heartbeat better. Well, Drake advised me that it's the proper way to care for ill people. Make them feel your heart, so they'd feel safer," Marcus excused arrogantly, crossing his right leg over the other and flexing it casually.
"Even so, I still don't care. I can't afford to put my life in another danger," I said as I kept on stretching out my legs, stomping them gently on the floor.
"Oh, I didn't cause you the first danger, Bloody Mary," he whispered, his voice tinged with playful deception as he evaded my gaze, his eyes dancing mischievously.
"Speaking of danger! Thank God, you made me remember something," I chimed in, suddenly recalling an incident that he appeared to have conveniently forgotten.
"What?" He turned his face toward me, his eyes filled with curiosity as he awaited the new revelation I was about to share.
"What do you remember? Say it!" He urged, moving closer to me, his presence making me even more surprised.
"Wait, why are you reacting so aggressively? I just want to say that I remember something about the incident at the bridge," I explained, still puzzled by his sudden change of demeanor.
"Ah, nothing. I'm just curious, you know," he reasoned, trying to sound nonchalant, though it was clear he wanted to hear the full story.
"Could you tell me more?" He pressed, a twinkle in his eye, encouraging me to share the details.
"Ummm..."
I struggled to recall every detail, the memories coming back to me in pieces, when suddenly...
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