Once upon a Time

Chapter Twenty:

***

She finally opened her eyes to her environment tiredly. Staring at the ceiling, then the curtains, her brains finally gave out where she was. She eventually sat up, in an attempt to get ready for the day but the hand hanging loose on her waist made her pause.

"Who would have thought you to be this caring?" She said to herself, fighting a smile. She replayed the events of yesterday. Starting from when he indirectly told her that he liked her.

He liked her.

She smiled. "Daniel," she called softly yet firm enough to wake him yet he didn't bulge. She brushed away the strands of hair that covered his lid. Liking the silkiness of it, she didn't resist the urge to comb his hair with her fingers.

He liked her.

"I love you so much it hurts," she said mainly to herself but he whirred in response leaning further into her touch. She almost thought his eyes fluttered open but she thought it to be nothing.

Carefully, she removed her hand from his hair and laid back down with her hands above his, memorizing his features all over again, hoping to notice when he woke. She didn't even notice when her eyes shut and she went into slumber again.

__

He dreamt about her soothing touch, unconsciously smiling in his sleep. His body craved her touch more than he imagined. He adjusted in his sleep again. He began to wake reluctantly, never wanting to leave the fairytale dream he was having.

His eyes fluttered open eventually, scanning the room in confusion for a while before he actually remember why that view was weird. He remembered falling asleep besides Clarissa last night. He sat up immediately.

"Rissa?" He called when he noticed the empty bed. He didn't fail to perceive her body fragrant showing that she should be prepared for the day.

His head ached from being awake all night. Still he got up, staggering a little on his way to the bathroom to prepare for the day too.

..."put it over there, thank you very much." He put on his T-shirt before walking out of his dressing room. He took in the scene before him.

"Oh he's here already, go on." She told the maids.

"Good morning sir!" They greeted before scurrying off not waiting for his reply. He watched them walk away from the room before turning to Clarissa.

"Good morning,"

He nodded. "You are okay." He stated, motioning to her.

Moving a bit closer to him, she smiled. "Yes, and I owe it all to you. Thank you for last night."

"It's no problem, what's that for?" He motioned again to the tray of assorted fruits.

"Everyone already had breakfast Daniel. You were sleeping too deep for me to wake you so I brought a little bit of everything since I didn't know which is your favorite." She answered.

"Mostly all of it," he said.

She breathed out in relief. "Thank goodness, I almost thought otherwise. Enjoy your breakfast Daniel." She told him.

"Clarissa,"

She raised a brow in curiosity. "Yes?"

He paused then said, "You scared me back there, I really hope you are okay now."

"I'm sorry that I made you go through that, I didn't realize that I was running temperature until you came."

"I promise I will be more observant next time even though you tell me that you are already."

She cracked a smile. "Really Daniel, thanks." She went and poured him a glass of water.

"Here, eat up."

"Well-" she stopped her movements to listen to him. "I really shouldn't bring this up again but, I'm glad that yesterday happened so we have something to talk about."

"What I mean to say is, do you have something important to do today? I was thinking we should grab some pizzas at the restaurant and talk." She blinked in surprise trying to take in what he just asked. He scratched the back of his head nervously. "If you are free that is, if you're not then-"

"I would love to." She interrupted, a lot more eager than she thought. She giggled when she realized herself and he smiled at her.

"That's great! It is a date then. Be ready by 4." He told her.

__$

.....(flashback)

The woman stood in anger.

"What did I pay you for? I asked you to do one single thing and yet you proved yourself useless." The woman yelled.

"I did what you asked. I burnt it down, I took the building down. It was what you told me to do, wasn't it?"

She cursed. "Then why had she run away?"

"Maybe, if you had thought about a substitute marriage as a plan b on their side then this wouldn't have happened!" The man retorted. "I must say that I am disappointed with your idea Kara. If only you had thought harder."

"Watch your mouth peasant!" She growled in annoyance and the boy frowned. Both of them were stressed out and significantly, both were pointing faults. How could she be so cruel? One would ask. So cruel as to burn down the PK groups so as to make them crawl at her feet in submission.

"I paid you for this job and I can relieve you of it. I bet you had find a better one after all, so you better watch so you don't cross your limits do you understand me!" The man wore a facade of being merely angry and for the sake of everything good kept his goddamned mouth shut from spilling curses at her.

But she was forgetting something, Something really important.

Who he was, Maybe. But who was he? Jack Roberto, the guy with a furious scar running down his face to show how much he had been through and how he was willingly to go to any extent to prove his lack of heart. He glared at the pacing woman for disrespecting his status and for cursing at him.

He leaned back and smiled in content when his psychotic mind began buzzing with ideas on how to get back at her and he just found how.

(Ends)

___$

He watched her in amazement as she ate the last piece of Pizza. They had spent the last two hours walking around and having fun. They even went shopping for a perfect necklace and now, they were having Pizza when the sun was beginning to set.

She noticed him shake his head at her amusingly.

"What?" She raised her brow in innocence and he chuckled.

"You have something on your ....em." He slightly touched his chin. She took her napkin and touched the wrong part of her chin and he tusked with a smile.

"Let me," his hands embraced hers. Taking it to her chin, he wiped. He smiled when he noticed this that she now flushed in embarrassment.

"Thanks,"

"I never knew you loved pizza this much."

"Well I do, I do a lot."

He asked. "So, what else do you like?"

"I like to swim a lot. It is part of my hobbies but it's like you beat me at it so well." He laughed.

"I used to take swimming lessons when I was very much longer, maybe that's why I'm so good at it."

"Not maybe, that is why you are better at it."

"But you should have taken too, girls those times love swimming. They always love the beaches and all that."

"Don't get me wrong, I do love the beach a lot-"

"Noted." He interrupted.

"What? No, no, no don't tell me- oh my Goodness." She chuckled.

"I said nothing wrong did I? Just keeping your likes in my head." She slapped him on the chest, not hard enough to cause pain.

"But you hardly took swimming lessons when we met," he told her.

She replied. "Yes, but I stopped."

"And why is that?" He asked in curiosity.

"Things changed Daniel."