Chapter 130 The Honeymoon
‘For once, just for once, William, notice me and my love. Don’t neglect me anymore, especially when you feel the same too…’
Arabella thought, her eyes were affixed on the peaceful valley before her, the view clear from the terrace, creating a tranquilizing environment.
For once to regain the love she only dreamt of, Arabella swore to do anything. No matter how difficult it would be.
Humming a melody to herself, she was preparing a fruit bowl with a tender smile as William stepped onto the terrace.
In a loose casual shirt and trousers, hair wet to show he just freshened up. Inhaling the crisp air, his arms stretched.
“Morning,” Arabella greeted a soft tune, arranging the fruits just the way he liked it.
He glanced down, arching an eyebrow, munching on a slice of an apple.
"You like this type of breakfast, don’t you? I know it’s not the best but I tried," She pushed a plate toward him shyly.
William sat, his expression unreadable, watching her lick fingers, stained slightly pink from the juice from an orange.
The movement of her tongue, the moment was so perfect.
Too perfect?
"You didn't have to do this, Arabella," He murmured, eating an unevenly cut strawberry nonetheless.
"The staff is literally paid to do all this." He continued, eating one fruit after another, a faint, unnoticeable smile touching lips.
"I know," She whispered, slyly leaning in to pick a slice of apple and bring it closer to his mouth.
"But I wanted to be the one to do it for you." She purred, feeding the slice to him herself.
William took a bite, the sweetness sharp on his tongue. A mellow sensation rushed in her veins when his fingers locked around her wrist.
“Is this a thank you gesture or an attempt to make our relationship normal?”
“Both,”
He wanted to believe the warmth in her gaze, but a small voice in his head wondered if she had practiced that specific smile in the mirror.
To submerge in the sweetness of the moment was hard for him.
“Ever since I had arrived, not once I saw you preparing that for yourself. Do you not like it anymore?” Arabella smiled, trying to maintain the conversation.
“I only liked it when someone did this for me. I didn’t want to prepare a tray myself.”
Her face was only inches apart from him, “I can do it for you. Everyday.”
“You don’t have to. Not when I find it extremely hard to trust,”
He shrugged, almost finishing the tray before rising coldly and turning to leave.
She tugged onto his sleeves, eyes narrowing, “What can I do to get your trust? To make you treat me like a wife? To make you love me?”
He didn’t reply and walked away, leaving her disappointed but that didn’t falter her resolve.
“I will see how far can you run from me, Mister,”
Watching him leave, a smirk crept as she finished the rest of the fruits herself.
Shaking her head to not let any dejection brim between them, she got up after changing into a nice dress and went after him, maintaining the brightened face.
“William!”
She grabbed onto his arm, matching steps with his when he was walking in the garden to enjoy the clean air.
“Hmm?”
“Can we go to Venice too? I heard it has water everywhere, I want to see it,” She asked sweetly.
He stopped in his tracks, glancing down at her with an arched brow.
“You want to?”
“Mhm. Please?”
He pondered about it for a moment, holding his chin and shrugged, “Sure, in the last few days. We can check it out as well.”
“Yay! Thanks,”
Grinning, she kissed his cheeks and walked away with the same thunder speed. He turned abruptly, holding his hand out to her.
“Bella-”
She glanced over her shoulder gracefully, “Yes?”
“Nothing,” Curling his hand in a fist, he shook his head and affixed his gaze back on the horizon when her retreating footsteps came.
His hand caressed his cheek, experiencing a strong pull he was unable to discard, unable to control but all he could do was to stop.
Stop before he could get hurt- According to him.
But, within these four walls, in the lush vallies, where he was supposed to run?
The following day, William was at the terrace, his eyes were intensely connected to the woman before him in the garden. Placing his hand over his heart, when his gaze softened, he didn’t realize.
Pouring all his mesmerization in his gaze he watched her swinging and laughing, drowning in her entirely.
“How exquisite…-”
And he snapped back to reality with a soft gasp releasing to realize how he got lost and walked away.
Later in the evening, when William entered his room, “Have you seen my phone, Bella?”
“Uh-huh. I am watching a video,” She nodded, gesturing to him to come and sit beside her.
He was observing the scattered wild flowers on the bed while Arabella was attempting to create a flower crown by sewing them together.
“Here, I made one for you.” She placed a flower crown over his head, baffling him before placing her attention back to her in-progress one.
“Mine is almost finished-”
"Stop it, Arabella."
His voice was a low growl, cutting through the focus. She froze when he grabbed her wrist, snatching the needle and flower from her hand.
She turned slowly, her expression soft, questioning.
"Stop what, William? Did you not like-"
"The act. The fruit trays, the smiles, the closeness."
He shifted into her space, his presence looming and restless.
“I am not acting.” Her body was tense but her features hardened, facing him too.
"Are you trying to make me feel guilty? Are you waiting for me to snap so you can say you tried and I was the monster who pushed you away?"
Arabella didn't flinch. She cleared the flowers as her hands steadily rested on the side of his neck gently with a too gentle murmur.
“I won’t blame you for my actions
"Then what is it?" he pressed, his voice rising with a mixture of frustration and genuine pain.
"Because the woman I married didn't look at me like I was her whole world. She didn't stay up to watch me sleep. Why now?”
A strong glimmer of pain flashed in her eyes with a silent reply, ‘It always did, today I am only making it transparent,’
Though she knew if she said it, it would only be a lie according to him.
He shifted to his knees, right above her with their unstable breaths colliding while pressing her palm harder into his neck.
“When I have finally learned how to live in the cold, are you trying to set everything on fire?" He growled, losing his composure.
His hands locked on her arms as a strong powerlessness strangled him. He intended to frighten her with his glare.
Instead, in one swift motion, she pinned him down on the bed with an unbreakable resolve shining in her eyes that defeated him entirely.
“Because I want you to burn me along. If not, let me burn for you,”