CALLEA'S face was devoid of expression while descending the grand staircase.
It was around seven in the evening when Marina announced that dinner was ready. Her friend's jaw dropped when she passed by her to check if everything was okay. .
"Are you okay, Señorita?" asked Marina while she was inspecting the cutlery and the hot meals served.
"Yes, of course. I never felt better. "
"What happened to you? You were locked inside your room the whole day then you go down looking like that."
She was wearing a bloody red medieval gown. She laid her long hair down. But she curled the ends of her hair. She put on her black choker with ruby flower accent. She had thick black mascara and eyeliner to accentuate her beautiful eyes. Yet her lovely face held no emotions and all. She did not want to feel. All she needed was fangs to maker her look like a vampire.
She loved it. Her heart was frozen. All day he tried to devise ways how to resist Deive's charms. She was "shaken" to the core the whole day. It's okay to be cordial to him or even mean to him. She could handle all those. No to his charming ways.
She got goosebumps all over her body whenever she thinks about how to could make her weak.
"Is he feeling better now?" Callea referred to Deive.
She did not attempt to approach his room earlier. She drowned herself in the sketches and new ideas. Bloody and gross ideas. It was the only way she could erase her attraction to him and she would return to normal.
When she thought she was in full control of her emotions, she went down to prepare dinner. But she won't be a nice and sunny girl she was earlier. She wanted him to get a glimpse of the real her.
"He would join us in a bit. He said he is feeling better now."
She clapped her hands. "Everything is ready. All I have to do is set the mood for the evening. My fingers are screaming for a Beethoven piece."
She was not in her elements despite her gothic look. There was something missing. She was not sure if she could face Deive without drooling on his gorgeous face. Playing the piano could help her relax a bit.
As if with a mind on its own, her fingers automatically moved over the keyboard. Beethoven's Pathetique. It was her favorite classical piece. The notes took over her. Her fears were blown by the wind and the music.
Oh! That feels good!
After she played, she noticed a pair of eyes focused on her. Her eyes flew to the grand staircase and clashed with Deive's who was staring at her. He was as still as a statue. He was not blinking even when she approached him.
"Hi! Have you been standing here for long?" Callea asked in a smooth voice.
He gulped and nodded. Terror was written all over his face. As if that lovely song was a terrible ghost. He couldn't even speak.
"Are you feeling better now?" she asked again.
"Y-Yes. Thank you for taking care of me. I didn't know that you can play the piano. "
"Yes. It helps me relax when I have a lot of things in mind. Do you play? "
He slowly shook his head. "I am afraid not. I am also not a fan of classical music. It gives me creeps. "
"Too bad. I love classical music especially the one I played a while ago. "
"Pathetique," uttered it softly. "The piece is indeed gloomy."
Callea raised an eyebrow. "For someone who hates classical music, you sure know the piece."
He shrugged his shoulders and put his hand inside the pocket of the pants. "My grandfather likes classical music." He walked toward her
"Do you want to play me to play more?" She had tons of gloomy classical songs in her repertoire. Those songs speak about her personality.
He threw his hand in the air. "No."
"You don't want to hear me play?" she asked. Could she tolerate a man who didn't appreciate her tastes in music?
"It's not that I don't want to." He caressed the back of her palm. "I don't want you exhausted because of me. Yesterday you were tired of cooking for me. This morning you took care of me while I was sick. Now you played the piano for me. "
"I should keep you entertained. You are my guest. "
He squeezed her chin. "I am just a guest to you? I thought I am the man that you are about to marry."
If she felt lost having him as her guest, how much more as the man she would marry?
Then the image of his bare gorgeous body flashed inside her head again. She shook her head. She didn't even want to go there.
"Dinner is ready. We'd better eat before our food gets cold," she offered.
He took her hand. She wanted to pull away but he tightened his grip as they walked towards the dining area. "You look beautiful tonight. Really beautiful. The gothic look suits you," he whispered and it tickled her senses. She felt heady when she sniffed her manly cologne. Drat! This man was her undoing.
She smiled a bit but didn't attempt to meet his eye. She only spent a few moments with him and she was already hit by Deive Hontiveros Syndrome – clammy hands, trembling body and she felt as if she was about to have a fever. Her body was getting hotter.
She hoped she could still live with her sanity intact after that night.