Concealed Love

Chapter-34 " I like her? "

After they arrived at Al's House, the housemaid prepared their dinner and they all had lunch, After lunch they sat at the living room eating fruits. Al was sitting in the one person couch, sitting with his legs crossed and hands crossed above his knees, keeping his stares directed at Ella.

Ella was sitting opposite to him, legs crossed, hand resting on the arm of the couch, looking at everything in the room but Al.

Jace in the middle of them at the center of the long couch, staring at the table and keeping his eyes on the fruits, eating them slowly and sweating nervously because of the situation he was in, hoping and wishing for someone to come in at that moment.

His wish didn't go unfulfilled as before the fruits at the table finished someone rang the doorbell. They heard a familiar voice asking the maid if they were in and she was led in.

Iri was panting and walked in hurriedly, she stood at the side and looked at the three one by one and asked, " Are you guys okay? What happened? "

Sira brought her a glass of water and she calmed down. She sat down with them and only Ella asked her, " You came? "

Iri looked at them a bit impatient, " Yes, now tell me what happened. "

Jace was not able to look up at him, Al sat like it was not his business to explain and Ella waited for Jace to speak up.

Finally Iri lost her cool and raised her voice impatiently, " Seriously will someone tell me something?"

Ella quickly said, " Jace will tell you. " She did not often see an impatient face in Iri so she spoke up in a hurry looking at Jace and asking through her eyes, ' why are you silent? "

Jace sweated more as he felt more nervous from all the pressure. He looked at anything but Iri, following the style of Ella.

Al like the idea of Ella, he suggested, " Yes, let's give them some privacy. He'll tell you everything, we should go up. "

He looked towards Ella and she snapped her head towards him, while he gave her a suggestive look, she tried to avoid him but Iri was not going to let her.

Iri saw that something happened between Ella and Al and also that Jace had something to tell her so she said in a commanding tone, " Fine, I'll talk with Jace about today and you two can go up and give us some privacy. " She was always calm and as they say, ' it's always the scariest when calm people gets angry. "

She stared at Ella and as Ella wanted Jace to explain to Iri himself properly she reluctantly agreed and stood up following Al.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Previously at Al's room when he caught Ella's hand, he told her that he missed her, Ella tried to avoid talking about the past she didn't want to remember but that was not the real reason. She didn't want to let him know about her life, her life after his death, her life after she ran away from everything.

She only replied to him that, " Oh, I'm honoured. " She didn't really think through the reply and just said what came to her mind first.

He chuckled but his tone was a sad one, " Ella, I'm sorry, I am sorry I didn't take better care of you the last time. I promise to protect you this time, I promise. "

She replied in a flustered tone, " No, it's okay, you always took care of me, I am the one who let you down. "

Al , " What do you mean, you never did anything wrong, you were always a good and bright girl, how can you do anything bad?" He talked like he was coaxing a child.

Ella who blamed herself for his and the dead of his people till now thought to herself, ' You think like that of me because you don't know about how I really thought back then. If you knew my ungrateful feelings, how I felt towards your and your union with the one you love, you won't be saying that now. '

She began to fell suffocated by her thoughts and his expectations and she left saying, " I don't know. " She ran out in a hurry leading to their uncomfortable aura in the kitchen and the living room.

Later on, when they went up to give some time to Jace to explain to Iri Ella was burning coals in her head. They went to in front of a door that was different from Al's and Al stopped there and turned back, " Can we also talk for a while? This is supposedly my study room... " Than he talked like he was muttering to himself, " I still find some things weird even though it was me who was doing it till now. "

He opened the door which lead to a huge study with lots of books and files on the table. Both of them looked around the place when they entered, both feeling foreign to the things there.

Al talked first, " It is nothing like the study room of my past does it? Everything has changed greatly, I find it a little hard to adjust. "

" I'm sure you do, do you feel uncomfortable? Are you still sick?" She still talked to him like he was her superior, a prince.

He sat on the table, resting on it with his body turned towards Ella, he looked at her with a somewhat lonely expression and said, " You know Ella, you don't need to speak to me like I'm a prince anymore. I'd wish for you to talk to me like you did before I got my powers back. "

Ella still feeling uncomfortable looked down blinking rapidly not focusing her eyes on anything, " I... Okay. But aren't you curious about her in this life Al? "

He asked while raising one of his eyebrows, " Who? "

Ella quickly looked up at him and faced down again, " Ah! You don't know? Min.. Lady Minerva is also here in this time, although I believe she doesn't remember about her past. "

Al looked at her like she was talking about something completely foreign, " Oh! Maybe she'll no longer come back, it might just be someone who looked like her. "

" Yeah, but she still looks exactly the same and even her character is so similar, she's still wise and kind. " She gave a nostalgic smile.

Al tilt his head sideways a bit and with a curious face he asked, " Do you like her that much for you to smile when talking about her? You never smile at me. "

Ella was taken aback and said, " No, I just admire her and you're the one who like her so I was just sa..... " She didn't mean to tell him that, it just went out of her mouth when she tried to defend herself.

Al raised his eyebrows higher and said, " Me? I like her? Minerva? Why? " He said it calmly with a tone of absurdity.

Ella who was at the peak of her flustered self, she looked up straight at him and with a confident tone said, " Well you do don't you, you married her in the past, I mean you almost did... " That was the last thing she wanted to remember about.

Al remained silent for a while and finally he chuckled while rubbing his temples and looked at Ella with a hopeless smile. " Hmm... So you always thought that I love her? And that's why we were getting married? "

Ella: " We'll is it not like that? I always thought you were a good pair and everyone did as well, you were a match made in heaven. "

Al: " Really? How come I never thought like that? Did you really cheer for us at our marriage? "

Ella's answer got faster and more flustered, " Yes, she also loved you deeply. "

Al, maintaining the same expression the same smile asked, " Only her? Was she the only one who liked me? "

Ella didn't understand what he really meant so she guessed and replied, " Well the other ladies might but, I don't know about them. "

He looked down and said in a deep voice, " Liar! "

Ella was puzzled and asked, " Hmm? "

" You! You loved me too, you love me the most and you know that. Well? " He didn't need her confirmation, he knew she would never admit to her feelings until she was backed into a corner and maybe not even then.

Ella looked horrified and took small steps back, not knowing how to react or what to say, she denied him and also her feelings, " No, ... No, I didn't. You're mistaken. "

Seeing her retreat, he took small steps towards her, " No I'm not. I know I'm not and there's one more thing you didn't realise Ella. "

He continued walking towards her and said, " One more thing you need to know, you must know about.... Do you know what it is?"

She finally stopped herself when her back hit the door and shook her head showing that she know nothing and not daring to say anything out.

He went closer to her saying, " The one I love and always loved was never and has never been her."

He leaned his head down and rest it on her shoulder smiling a little hopelessly and said, " Ella.... The one I had always loved and will forever love is you, my dear Ella. "