The Royal Contract

“What is wrong now?” She asked, mumbling in front of her vanity mirror, grabbing the brush at the corner.

Slowly, she untangled the knots on her hair, letting the bristles slide smoothly down her side. She held a few strands of her hair in her palm and noticed the glittering rock that weighed heavily on her finger.

He finally proposed to her, staring at the big rock on her engagement ring as she flattened her hand on the table. But why did she feel like something was still missing in their relationship?

“What am I going to do with you?” Jacky rotated the ring and her finger before finally deciding to remove it and place it on the top of the table.

She finally stood from the chair and walked to her closet, choosing something comfortable for the evening. She had no idea if Marcus would drop by tonight after what happened.

After Haley announced her connection with Marcus, Jacky found herself more confused than ever. It did not make sense that they should keep such a relationship a secret.

.....

Then, Marcus kissed her and excused himself, dragging Haley out of the office with him. Jacky wanted to ask what was all the fuss. But the supposed siblings were gone when she snapped out of her initial shock. She had stayed in the room feeling left out, unsure of what she had witnessed.

“What is going on with you, Marcus?” Jacky looked at the picture of the two of them on her bedside table. She had it framed after they had become an official couple.

She moved out of her room and strode to the kitchen, planning to prepare something to eat. She left her phone in the room, not expecting anyone to call. She just wanted a quiet night, meaning away from her thoughts.

She put loud music on the speaker, something upbeat. She wanted some distraction. As soon as the beat hit the walls, her heart started pumping harder, making her blood flow more rapidly.

The next thing she knew, her feet were tapping to the rhythm, and her hips were swaying to the tempo. Suddenly, she missed her friend. Dani would be joining and dancing with her.

“Can I join the party?” A voice behind her slightly startled her, abruptly dropping her hands down to her side. But it was not enough to frighten her, recognizing the man behind her.

Arms snaked behind her, wrapping them around her slender waist. She did not resist, letting them pull her to a warm solid body. Then, her hands automatically lifted, sneaking behind her back until she felt his skin against her fingers.

Then his head rested on the crook of her neck as her head leaned on the other side. Then, carefully, he guided her to the music, but the upbeat music suddenly turned mellow, at least in their head, swaying her gently to the loud tune.

“I thought you were not coming tonight.” She whispered, laying her head back until it rested on his collar bone, enjoying how his hands wrapped around her body, cradling her like a delicate flower.

His feet gently bumped into hers, guiding her to the song as it stepped on the tiled floor, avoiding bumping into the few pieces of furniture around them.

“I am sorry about what happened with Haley.” He uttered in his low voice, letting his lips brush through her hair and land on the side of her neck. “I know I should have told you everything from the start.”

His voice was apologetic, presumably feeling guilty about the earlier incident. “You should have told me, Marcus.” She was not going to let him off the hook that easily.

As his girlfriend and now his fiance, she believed she deserved a little honesty from him. He needed to trust her about his life, not just his feelings, but everything that could affect their relationship.

Come to think of it. Jacky still did not know anything much about his family. Until now, it seemed the only family member she had met so far was his sister.

She suddenly wondered if he was ashamed to introduce her to them, knowing that he came from an affluent family. After all, she was not Daniella Hamilton, heiress of a fortune five hundred company. She was just the secretary.

“I planned to tell you everything if you will forgive me for another of my shortcomings.” Marcus hugged her tighter this time, stopping their bodies from moving.

“You have to learn to trust me. You have to tell me everything because I could not keep finding out things about you through somebody else.” She explained to him.

This time, she gently squirmed from his hold, turning so that they would end up face to face. Her eyes searched his face for answers, tilting her head, directly gazing at him.

“I know. I am sorry.” He placed his hands on her cheeks, cradling her face as their eyes locked, not wanting to lose their connection.

“I know I could not make an excuse every time I screwed up that I am new to this relationship thing, but I am trying hard to make this work.” He continued, not waiting for her response.

She could feel the sincerity in his voice that melted all her reservations about him. Her doubts that he might be ashamed of her had suddenly vanished into thin air. Maybe he had another reason for not telling her sooner. Her heart defended him against her reasoning.

“I guess we are still both learning,” Jacky admitted she might not be an expert in relationships just as well. “We just had to work together to make this work.”

Suddenly, she remembered what Dani had told her many times. Nobody could make any relationship perfect, not the first try, not the next, or even after many years of working on it together.

But many managed to stay together happily despite all the imperfections and flaws of their relationships. It was not magic, but through communication, respect, understanding, and love.

She rested her head on his shoulder, continuing to sway to the music. This time, allowing their hearts to communicate as their minds prepare for their long discussion.