"THE BREAK-UP WILL HAVE TO BE REALISTIC, but not to make it more sour, we can just say we had a mutual agreement to not take it further because we weren't having feelings for each other anymore. And we should do it on the second day of the year. On our last day there, so we can leave in parted ways. We shouldn't prolong their misery, because two weeks bonding is way too much."
A nod, "Got it. We can just fight and lie about it."
"We'll also have to pretend to be serious about it. After all, our families will be meeting and all. Papai will probably question you about your intentions and that overbearing stuff. He's quite serious, and overprotective of me."
"As all good father's should be. And I was already planning to do that. I could tell, just by the call, that he would, one hundred percent, ask me about that. Oh, and Thays, you know we'll have to kiss, right?" Why does he has to remember me of that?
I gulped and looked away, "I'm aware."
"Touch each other in front of them too," he added.
Sigh, "I'm also aware of that. Aaron, I've dated before. I know how couples act in front of others. Don't worry, I'll play my part like an Oscar actress," but my tone came out more sour than I wanted. "I'll do my best. You are paying me with more than 200 books after all. I'll make it worthy."
He came closer to me again, "And we need to look comfortable near each other. You can't look stiff if I get close to you."
Well, that will be kind of difficult, but I'll manage. "As I said, I'll do my part," I turned to him, looking up at his eyes. "Just like I did before when your mother came here. It looked natural, didn't it?"
Aaron cornered me on the fridge, bending down with both of his sculpted and beautifully tattooed arms on each of my sides, and I gulped. "Don't tense up. Relax."
Easier said than done. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to get used to your ugly face so close."
I grinned and made my body relax as much as I could, feeling more confident, "Now, that was a lie. You made despise my personality, and my manners. And I may not be your type. But you cannot say I'm ugly," I got closer, pausing my hands at his waist. "When you obviously doesn't think that."
"How would you know?" He whispered.
I got on my toes and looked at his eyes in a closer distance, "Because your eyes told me," I whispered back. "And I'm very self aware. I know how beautiful I am, Aaron. Just as I also know how to realize if someone thinks I'm pleasant to look at or no, without them saying a word."
His full lips opened in a slow smirk, "You are good."
As he backed away, I felt like I was able to breath again. "I told you. I can play my part well and confidently. It'll be believable. I'm a good liar."
"I don't doubt that."
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue.
"Should we know trivial things too?" Definitely. "Like favorite things and all."
"We would know that if we were in a relationship. So, yes. We probably should. But we can talk about it later, you already gave me a headache that will probably last the rest of the day. And your presence here is making my headache worsen."
He rolled his eyes, "We should finish those stupid topics today, Thays. We don't have much time for this, and we'll have to do more important thing on these 7 days before we go to the island!"
I hate that he is right. "Ugh, you are really getting on my nerves with this. If you keep this going, I'll make it 15 books instead." Then I walked out of the kitchen and I felt as he followed me. When I sat on the couch, he sat on the other in front of me. "What do you think we should know?"
"Favorite stuff. Book, movie, show, song, group, singer, actors, color, food, flower, memory… those type of things that we should know about each other."
This is getting complicated.
"I don't like the idea of you knowing that much."
He chuckled and I got a view of the dimples on the sides of his mouth, making his smile irresistible. I hate it. "I wouldn't want to know those things about you either, but it's necessary. Neither do I feel good about telling you so much about me. But we are already here, so let's just do this right."
Tsk. "Color, flower, and scent. Red, red rose, and the smell of rain and of Nutella. My favorite songs are Middle of the Night by Elley Duhé, Escapism by Raye, and Black Swan by BTS. Band, group, singers. Chase Atlantic, Enhypen, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd."
"You do suits red. Red and black."
"Black is my second favorite color. Most of my clothes are either red, black, or with too much information and themed."
He scoffed, "Like your unicorn pajama pants?"
"Exactly. I can't chose just one book. My favorite are Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, Crescent City by Sarah J. Mass, Silence Waters by Brittany C. Cherry, Blood & Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle."
"Sci-fi, romance, mystery, and mainly fantasy."
"Sim. Fantasy is my favorite genre to read. Dark fantasy, to be precise," and always with some romance in it. "I also love epic fiction such as Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, and Dune."
"That's also more my type of book," he likes to read?
"Animation, movie, tv show, game. Tangled and How to Train Your Dragon. Pirates of the Caribbean and The Ugly Truth. Game of Thrones, The Witcher, and Moon Knight. Assassin's Creed, Fall Out, and God of War," bored, I laid down and stared at the ceiling. "Now, western animated series, I like Sponge Bob, Arcane, and Amazing Spiderman."
"You said you like anime, right?" Oh, yes.
"One Piece, Black Clover, Charlotte, Kuroko no Basket, and Hunter x Hunter. My favorite manga are also Black Clover, plus Mashle, Spy x Family, and Record of Ragnarok."
He mumbled something, "Asian media?"
"Chinese dramas are The Untamed and Love Between Fairy and Devil. Korean dramas are Alchemy of Souls, It's Okay to Not Be Okay, Vincenzo, Big Mouth, and The Glory. Japanese drama is Alice in the Borderland."
"You said you read comics too, right?"
So, he paid attention to that? "Western comics would be the Guardians of the Galaxy, The Umbrella Academy, and Heartstopper. Korean webtoons are The Beginning After the End, Death is the Only Ending For the Villainess, and Eleceed. Chinese manhua would be The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Heaven Official's Blessing, and Yuan Zun."
A soft giggled came from him and I did my best not to look at him, "You read like a freak."
"I'll take it as a compliment."
"Lucky number?"
"Seven. Yours?"
"One," oh?
"Is that why you have a number 1 tattooed on your lower back?" I suspected that was the reason, but I wasn't be sure.
"Mm-hm. Why is 7 your lucky number?"
"I'm the 7th daughter, born prematurely when mamãe was 7 months pregnant of me, on the 7th day of March, at exactly 7 am, on a Saturday the 7th day of the week, and the last digit of the year I was born is also 7. Lots of things happened to me when I was 7 years old. I founded my first hotel when I was 17, on 7 of July, the 7th month of the year. It was also on the 7 day of the 7th month, and at 7 pm, that I broke up with my ex. Oh, and I graduated in July 7 as well. And coincidentally, I'm 27 years old and I say this, which ends in 7."
He gasped, "Damn, that's a lot of coincidences, although not all of them seem good ones. And it's actually similar to my reason for having 1 as my lucky number."
"How so?"