“I’m leaving for office, Angel. I will miss you there. Miss me here.”
What has gotten into this man? Is he possessed all of a sudden? I look at myself in the mirror. And what has gotten into me, why is this affecting me?
I sigh and pick up my toothbrush, chanting my mantra: “Ignore Matleon. Ignore Matleon. Ignore Matleon.”
I can’t stick to the mantra for long because, as soon as he comes in and sits beside me with that grin, the mantra disappears.
“You come home early,” I mutter in a low voice. Wen is playing the piece on the piano that she will perform in her concert, and I’m here to judge her.
He answers with a smile, “I couldn’t stay away from you for too long.”
My heart does the same useless thing, forgetting its only job:beating.
I look away from him. He shifts closer, putting his arm behind me, his side pressed against mine.
I force my focus back to the beautiful music, but I can’t manage it. I’m looking straight ahead, yet the sight in my peripheral vision has completely seized me. All of my attention is on the smiling man watching me, and the music fades into nothing more than a backdrop.
“Will you dance with me?” he asks.
The music is slow and romantic, the kind of dance we could do to it is the one I had dreamed of sharing with him countless times when I was a naive girl.
He takes my hand in his and rises to his feet. Even after asking, he doesn’t truly give me a choice. That’s how Matleon is.He takes what he wants, doesn’t ask. He will play with my heart any way he desires, until he grows bored and discards it.
I push down the negative, too-close-to-reality thoughts and stand. He places his other hand gently on my back and guides me into the dance, moving slowly.
I meet his eyes. He’s looking directly into mine. There’s no amusement, no teasing. Only determination shines there, alongside another emotion I don’t dare misread asaffection.
He presses his face against my head, just above my ear. “Do you know, Angel, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And I want to see you every day until the day I die.”
My chest tightens. “Is this your new hobby? Saying things like that?” I manage to sound unaffected.
He chuckles. “I’ve decided to be a little romantic. And it’s not a bed thing to do. Don’t tell me you don’t like it.”
Moving with the music, I press my hand against his chest and meet his gaze. “I don’t like it.”
He sighs. “You don’t like me romantic, you don’t like me unromantic. How will you ever fall for me when you can’t even like me?”
I look away. “I’m not falling for you, not today, not tomorrow.”
“I’ll wait for day after tomorrow.”
I look back at him. “Is everything a joke for you? Can you be a little serious? Other people have hearts, they are not logical robots like you.”
He frowns. “I’m not a logical robot. I also have a heart and feelings, Angel. I’m a little new in this emotions department, that doesn’t mean you can bully me like this.”
I purse my lips. “You’re joking again.”
“This is not… fine… this is my default state.”
We stop moving when the music ends. Wen looks between us. “You both were dancing?”
Matleon wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Yes. Any problem you have?”
She rolls her eyes, then asks me, grinning, “How was it?”
“It was perfect,” I answer back with a smile.
Matleon
