Chapter 9

Nova opened her eyes when one of her cats landed on her stomach. She stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up, but she did not leave the bed yet. She stayed seated, hugging her legs in silence.

She did not have a decent sleep last night. Her mind kept thinking of scenarios between her and Aldous if he ever said yes to her offer. The thought that she will be able to claim the inheritance and save the animal shelter from being kicked out excites her, but she could not help but feel anxious too. Deception—it was her last card.

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and called Gianna. Her friend immediately answered.

“What did you do to Nova? Did you kill her? I will make sure that you’ll pay for this!” Gianna exclaimed on the other line.

Nova burst into laughter. “Crazy!”

“Crazy?” Her friend breathed out exasperatedly. “You call me crazy for worrying about you? Did you know that I didn’t get a decent sleep because I’ve been thinking about you the whole damn night!”

“Same, Gianna. Same,” she said before heaving a sigh.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” She heard meows in the background. Gianna was always the first one to arrive at Rainbow Village to feed the rescues. “Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you—”

“I’m not. He’s a good guy, Gianna.”

“What are you talking about? I doubt he’s a good guy. How come he came to your apartment like that if he’s a good one?”

“Because we already talked.”

“Ah, and you believed in his lies.” It was clearly a statement. “Nova, you’re not a good judge of character. I remember how you talked about Jayden back then. He’s almost perfect whenever you talk about him, yet he was one big bad wolf who just wanted to devour you.”

“Stop, Gianna. Don’t ruin my morning,” she said in a cold tone.

“Anyway, the clock is ticking, Nova. We still haven’t found—”

“I found a way,” she told her friend confidently.

“And what is it?”

“I couldn’t tell it now since it isn’t final yet.”

“Nova…you know I’m starting to think that you’re unfair. I’m not just your partner. I’m your best friend too. How could you hide things from me that easily, huh?”

“Stop acting like I’ve forsaken you. Drama doesn’t suit you, Gianna.” She finally leaves the bed and headed to the bathroom to fix herself. “Anyway, I can’t make it today. I have something important to attend to.”

“Don’t worry, we have enough volunteers to help me out.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“Yeah. I’m hanging up now. I’m going to feed the cats, or they’ll eat me alive.” Gianna laughed and ended the call afterward.

When she got out of the bathroom, she rummaged her cabinet and looked for clothes that she could lend to Aldous. Good thing she was fond of wearing oversized t-shirts and unisex shorts. She found a decent pair that could fit his built. Then, she headed downstairs.

Aldous was in front of the stove when she arrived at the kitchen. He was making coffee on the stovetop espresso maker that she got from her parents’ home when her coffee maker broke. It was easy to figure out how to use it, and he was intelligent enough. Well, he was a civilized man, after all. Things like that were one of the basics in life, wasn’t it?

She put the clothes down on the tabletop and strode towards the sink.

“How do you like your coffee?” If he would marry her, she must know the basics about him too. She grabbed two cups and brought out the jar of creamer and sugar from the cabinet.

“Just plain coffee.”

She abruptly turned in his direction. “No sugar? Just coffee?”

“Yes. Why?”

“What are you?” she mused.

He laughed. “I’m human. Isn’t it obvious?”

She looked at him from head to toe. No, he did not look like a human at that moment. Aldous looked like a Greek god with that piece of cloth wrapped around his waist. Nova feared that if he continued to stand beside her wearing just that, she would lose it. She gestured to the table.

“I found something that fits you. Get dressed, and we’ll talk later.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Aldous turned around and grabbed the clothes when he walked past the table. He then went inside the toilet to get dressed.

Nova sighed and turned off the stove when the coffee was done.

I’m the only human in this apartment, she thought. And there goes the temptation…She swallowed hard and shook her head. The thought suddenly made her cheeks burn.

“Why is it so hot this early?” Nova whispered. She decided to open the air-conditioning unit. “There…”

She went back to the kitchen and filled their cups with coffee.

***

Aldous stared at Nova as the woman stared at her cup of coffee. It seemed that she did not get enough sleep last night, just like him. It was evident because the dark circles on her eyes were visible.

He cleared his throat to break the silence between them. That was when Nova reverted her gaze on him. He kinda expected to see something in her eyes at that moment, but he could not find any. Perhaps this woman was good at hiding her emotions in front of strangers.

“So, have you decided…if you will take my offer?”

He could not sleep last night because he thought about it for, he did not know how many times.

Aldous fixed his eyes on her. Now he was able to see a reaction from her. She was nervous; the involuntary quivering of her upper lip showed it so.

“I won’t lie to you. I am desperate to get that money for my mother’s medical expenses. She’s ill. But I have—”

“Demands?” she cut him off. “It’s normal for you to have demands.” Nova blew her coffee and took a couple of sips.

“Yeah…” He sighed and took a sip of his coffee too.

“So, is it a yes?”

Aldous gave her a slow nod.

The woman’s face lightened. It seemed like she saw a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Then, there was this feeling—a ticklish one—that crept on his chest. But he did not pay attention to that. Maybe, just maybe, he was thrilled with the thought that he was about to get the money that he needed. It seemed like he was scammed for a reason. He was still lucky.

“Tell me your demands, and I’ll tell you mine,” he told her afterward.

Nova clasped her hands above the table.

“First, we will not consummate our marriage. You know, it’s marriage out of our convenience. If you happen to feel…” She cleared her throat and wagged her brows. “You know…It’s your business, not mine. But be discreet. I don’t want our marriage to end early.”

“Great. Then, we’ll sleep in separate rooms,” Aldous added.

“There’s only one room in this apartment. I live here.”

“Oh. I’ll sleep downstairs then.”

“Yeah. Next, you and I must sign a contract.” She tapped a finger on the table. “For our protection, of course.”

Aldous just shrugged. “I don’t mind. Deals should be bound by contracts anyway. But what bothers me is how we can make them believe? You know, they will surely ask us how we met and fell in love.”

Nova grinned as if she did not consider that as a problem.

“I’m a novelist, for your information. I can make a great storyline for our love story.”

“Okay. When should we get married?”

“As soon as possible. So, you better take a bath and fix yourself now so we can proceed with the wedding preparations. We’re not in Vegas, you know.” She rose from her seat and brought the cups to the sink.

Aldous followed.

“Nova…” It was the first time that he mentioned her name.

She turned to face her with a smile on her face. “Hm? What is it?”

“I’d like to know if I can have the money in advance—a little portion will do for now. I badly need it for my mother’s operation.” Aldous was a bit shy to tell her that, but he mustered all his courage to do so.

“Oh, that. How much do you need?”

“A hundred…thousand.”

“Okay, then. I’ll wire it to your bank account when we got home.”

“Thanks.” Somehow, he felt relieved. “Ah…I have one more problem.”

“What?”

“I have nothing to wear.” He doubted that she still has clothes to lend him.

The doorbell rang, and they both turned in the door’s direction.

“Speaking of your clothes…” Nova gestured to the door. “I think they arrived.”