Darius remained dazed, not knowing how to react. Didn't she want him? He had never been rejected before. It was a new feeling, a strike to his ego.
Now that he knew how it felt, he didn't like any moment of it. Especially because of the fact that he wanted—no, he needed—Astrid.
He walked out of the room and locked it, walking towards her room. "Astrid?" He knocked on her door.
"Go away." She replied.
"This is my house." He snapped, quite aggravated that she was ordering him around.
"Well, maybe I'll go away." The door swung open and she walked past him, heading to the staircase.
"Why do you think I came here in the first place? I need you to communicate your feelings with me." He followed her down the stairs.
Astrid turned to face him and sighed. "That's the problem with this whole thing, Darius. Feelings. Am I supposed to even feel something? Why did we just do that? It's been three days and you've already seen me naked. And you made me feel something I didn't know I could. It felt so right, but we both know what it is; wrong." She expressed.
"Is that why you're running away from me? You're running away from this because you don't want to feel anything?" He asked, confused.
"Maybe. Besides, we need to focus on the fact that as soon as your mum gets back in here, I'll be gone. And come on, we both don't want to be heartbroken, do we?" She crossed her arms.
"Heartbroken? I don't feel anything for anybody. Loving someone isn't something I plan on doing." He admitted bluntly.
"Oh, so your plan was to sleep with me and then act like it never happened?" She questioned. The emotions flowing within each of them were getting too intense and thick to handle.
"Not act like it never happened. We could always stay together for the short while that you're here." He shrugged casually.
"Are you even listening to yourself? You're speaking like a child right now. I feel like if this continues, I'll probably walk away and quit this whole act we're both putting up." She told him.
Taken aback, Darius stared at her. "Quit this? You wouldn't dare." His voice went a tone deeper.
"I don't want to talk to you right now. Let's just keep our distance. Stick to the original plan; lovers on the outside, strangers behind closed doors. You already said I don't mean anything to you. Besides, if we even do anything, I'll lose my dignity." She said.
"Dignity?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "You lost your dignity the day you accepted this, but you're right. You don't mean anything to me. Let's stick to the fucking plan." He scoffed and walked away, purposefully toppling a vase that sat on a pillar.
The vase shattered across the floor, glass splattering everywhere. Astrid felt like the broken vase was similar to her broken heart—all over the place, some pieces missing.
Mary and Sky ran up the stairs, holding brooms in their hands. "Ma'am, we heard shattering of glass. Is everything okay? Are you hurt?" Mary checked for injuries as Sky started to sweep the glass away.
"I'm fine." Astrid walked into her room and just decided to take a nap to escape the painful reality for a while.
.
"Finally, you're here for dinner. Since you skipped lunch, I was thinking you weren't doing well. Come sit with us." Nikoleta invited as Astrid joined them in the garden for dinner.
The only seat available was the spot beside Darius. Although dreading it, Astrid sat down there. "Are you okay? I already told Cassia we'll be there for the dress-shopping tomorrow, instead." Nikoleta informed, sipping her warm soup.
"I'm fine." Astrid smiled slightly. Nikoleta looked from Darius to Astrid in suspicion. Darius was frowning more than usual, which was a lot, and Astrid looked uncomfortable. Did something happen? She couldn't help but wonder.
"Aren't you eating?" Rose asked her daughter. Astrid snapped out of her thoughts and saw that the chicken drumstick and salad that was on the plate in front of her was still untouched.
"Actually, I'm not that hungry." Astrid announced, pushing the plate away from herself.
"But you missed lunch." Darius said, partly glaring and partly smiling at her, seeming to make the two opposite looks work on his face.
"I was asleep." She gave him a tight smile.
"And you weren't avoiding... anything?" Nikoleta asked, still staring at both of them.
"Not at all." Astrid answered, taking a hint of Nikoleta's suspicion.
"Hmm. Can I speak with you, Darius? Alone." Nikoleta stood up, leaving. Darius walked behind his mother immediately.
She pulled him into the kitchen and stared at him for a very long time, making him uncomfortable. "What?" He mustered enough courage to ask.
"What happened between you two?" Nikoleta asked.
"What do you mean? Who?" He played dumb, even though he knew it wouldn't help.
"You know damn well that I'm talking about you and Astrid. Why does she look so uncomfortable around you? What happened?" She crossed her arms and waited for an explanation.
"Nothing happened." He lied, looking away from her intense gaze.
"You are my son. I know when something's bothering you. Speak or I'll ask her instead." At that, Darius returned his gaze back to his mother.
"Mother, do you see me as someone capable of falling in love?" He asked.
"Everybody is capable of love, as long as they want to. Do you love Astrid?" She asked.
"How do you know when you love someone?" He asked, feeling like a child asking where babies came from.
"You just know, sweetheart. It's just like some fingers finally snap in the back of your head and you figure it out." She answered him.
"I don't know if I love her, then. I haven't felt anything. Forever is a very long time to be with someone." He looked down, frowning as usual.
"Will you ever get tired of seeing my face?" She asked him after a long moment of silence.
"Never." He replied immediately.
"That's because you love me. Then how can you say forever is too long?" She asked.
"You're my mother. What I mean is... someone you feel like you're in love with. Isn't forever too long? How do you know you'll stay committed to that one person? How do you know they'll stay committed to you? How sure are you that you'll not get tired of waking up with someone every day, for the rest of your life?" He asked, not understanding the whole marriage and together-forever concept.
"You'll just know. You'll be sure and confident, trust me. If you didn't feel like that, why did you propose to her?" She frowned.
"I just wanted an assurance that someone wanted me." He told her a tiny part of the reason.
"And me? Am I not enough for you? I want you everyday. Don't make hasty decisions when you're not sure, okay?" She used her thumb to rub his cheek. "Oh, and... you never really know how much you love someone until they're absent from your life. I know that much." She smiled, remembering her dead husband.
After the talk, they both returned to the garden, where Astrid's parents were still talking her into eating. "I'm really not hungry, you guys." Astrid laughed lightly, keeping it together.
"If you don't eat, I'll be mad. Very mad." Nikoleta threatened. Astrid slowly put a spoon of rice in her mouth and gave Nikoleta a thumbs up. Everyone at the table, including Darius, smiled at her.