2017, Marcus' Apartment
Nikka woke up the next morning with a throbbing pain in her head. Her eyes were swollen for crying so hard last night. She went out of the bedroom and saw her luggage. It hasn't been moved since yesterday. She took it and tried to find some decent clothes to change into and jumped in the shower.
The memory of the night before still made her feel vulnerable. After all these years, she didn't know that Marcus can still made her feel those emotions she bottled up. Every kiss made her feel special... and yet it awakened every painful memory he had inflicted in her.
She had put her defenses up for such a long time since her brother passed and having them tore down by Marcus made her hate herself. It seemed like no matter what she did, there was a still a part of her that longed for him... that wanted him...
She went out of the bathroom and got dressed. She combed through her hair and stared at the mirror. The sweet innocent face she used to have was now suddenly replaced by a miserable and sunken-eyed woman. Somehow she wondered if she could ever go back to the same person she was three years ago but then, she reminded herself that she was stronger. That Marcus made her like this...
She drew a deep breath before getting out of the bathroom. Whatever happened last night was just an impluse and nothing more. She wouldn't let him see her vulnerability again. No, not anymore...
She was determined to show him that she was not affected but then she saw Marcus setting the table. Her heart sank as she saw him placed a pancake on a plate. She remembered how her dad loved pancakes and her mom would make so many so he could eat them everyday. Sadness swept over her and she felt a tear started to fall. She swallowed hard to stop the urge to cry.
She walked towards the dining table and Marcus looked at her as she approached.
"Oh, there you are," he greeted. "I've been waiting for you to wake up." He pulled out a chair for her and she sat on it without saying anything. She just stared at her plate, eyebrows crossed as he started putting pancakes and some sausages on it. He then poured out some orange juice on her glass before sitting beside her.
"What are you doing?" she asked finally. She couldn't hide the irritation in her voice. Whatever he was doing made her feel more upset with him as he tried to relive some of the memories of her parents. Not that she didn't want to remember them, she just didn't want Marcus to do it for her... it was just too painful.
"What do you mean, Nikka?" he asked surprised. "I just made breakfast for the both of us."
"What is this? A peace offering or-"
He took her hand and she stopped.
"Nikka, please," he pleaded. "Can we just have a normal breakfast together?"
She stared at him for a momemt before taking her hand from him and looked down on her food. She sighed and started eating. She did not want to argue as well early in the morning, but after last night, she just did not want to do anything with him.
Marcus stared at her as she ate all her breakfast. She probably was famished as she gulped down that food like it was nothing. He smiled as he remembered how she loved to eat anything that was served to her. Until now, he was still amazed on how her body never changed even if she ate so much.
"I wonder where you put all those food in your body. You never seem to gain so much weight," he teased and smiled, trying to lighten up the mood.
She smiled faintly and looked at him.
"Nikka," he started and took her hand once again. "J-just give me another chance okay? I promise I won't do anything stupid this time. I'll respect your boundaries. I won't force you if you're not ready. I just want us to start over... even as friends. We can even get a new apartment-"
"Your apartment is fine," she stated. "But I need to go home."
He kept quiet for awhile thinking then, "Okay."
"So can I have my things back?"
"Only if you promise one thing."
"W-What?"
"After we get married, you're going to move in with me."
She took her hand away and stood up.
"What is this?! Is this some kind of trap?" She raged and stood up abruptly. She started pacing around the room.
"No, Nikka. I'm not trying to trap you but I just want to protect you and Dad. We don't want to raise any kind of suspicion to the press or anyone else that this... this marriage is just on paper," the last word made it sound unbelievable for him. He wanted it so much to be real but he could not force Nikka to feel the same way.
Nikka stopped pacing and thought for a moment. She could not let anyone know it was a sham marriage especially with the Jones' reputation. Alfred had been very nice to her and her family, and she could not bear to give him something to worry about because of this. He had already lost a wife and was probably still grieving, and now her parents who were so close to him died as well.
She sighed and said, "Okay but in one condition."
"I promise to respect your boundaries, Nikka. You can assure of that," he finished.
"I want a divorce once I get my green card."
Marcus was stunned. He felt his heart crushed with that statement. All he ever wanted was for her to give him a chance, a chance for him to prove how much he loved her. But somehow, she was really determined not to let him in again in her life and... he was more determined not to let her go that easily this time.
"Okay," he agreed and smiled as a plan formed in his mind. He will make use of that time to make her fall in love with him again.