Chapter 61 Confessions At Midnight
"Ermm. It..it is.." Amanda stuttered.
Rowan scoffed. "Oh, I forgot. You can't tell me." Amanda threw her hands in the air to show her protest but Rowan ignored her.
"Anna told me you are up here waiting for me. I am here now," he directed her with his hands. "You can go to bed now."
"Rowan!" Amanda tried to talk to him but interjected immediately. "It's fine. See you in the morning" he said before walking away.
"That was pretty bad," Mrs. Roberts said, suddenly catching Amanda off guard.
"Mother!" She exclaimed. That's creepy. I didn't know you were still on the phone."
"You didn't drop the call so why should I?" Mrs. Roberts responded. "I can see you are not having fun there like we are. Just go to bed like he said. He seems like a weak fighter. He will come around in the morning."
Amanda sighed. "Thank you mother" She then dropped the call.
The following morning, Rowan was out of the mansion before Amanda woke up. She decided to keep herself distracted by getting to know his employees.
That evening, Wilson and Mable agreed to meet at the bar again to discuss how she would help him win Amanda back.
Wilson was there an hour earlier waiting for Mabel. Mabel located him the moment she entered the bar.
"Hey, tell me you just got here," Mabel said, cheerful.
"I have been here for ages," Wilson said. "But I don't mind, let's get to business" he added.
"Sure," Mabel said. She began to trace Wilson's leg with the tip of her fingers, starting from the knee to his upper thigh.
"What are you doing?" Wilson asked, surprised.
"Getting you what you want," Mabel responded seductively.
"This is not what I want" Wilson snapped as he pushed her hands away from his thigh. "I want Amanda back, not an affair with her best friend.
Mabel bursted into a mysterious laughter. Wilson watched in confusion. When she was finally calm, she continued. "I figured your brother is richer, more handsome, more intelligent and of course more influential than you are. Convincing her to leave him to be with you would be difficult."
"You are right. But this?" He pointed to Mabel and himself, trying to describe a relationship, "It will make things worse. It is just going to pull her farther away."
"You don't know that," Mabel exclaimed. "One thing Amanda can not stand is betrayal and that is exactly what we are going to give to her. We can start a relationship to oppress the hell out of her until she succumbs to her feelings and comes running back to you."
Wilson was quiet. He tried to process what Mabel said. It seemed like a good idea to him. "You know she is really going to hate you for this right?"
Mabel smirked. "Not going to be that bad, we already had a fallout."
"You did? I thought.." Mabel interrupted Wilson that he couldn't finish his statement.
"You talk too much for a man that would be mine for the next couple of days"
Wilson sighed. "Okay, no more questions." He paused, "Sorry, last question."
Mabel smiled and he continued. "How do we go about this? Are we making it real or are we acting the whole relationship thing?"
"There is only one way to find out," Mabel answered seductively. "Which is?" Wilson asked softly. One could detect the curiosity in his voice.
"How about we go home to your house, of course, have some drinks, and get down to business?" Mabel teased.
Wilson puzzled for a moment. It was as if he was considering the weight of the decision he was about to make.
"I am not that patient, I can change my mind in the next minute." Mabel said, still teasing Wilson.
"Let's get to it then," Wilson said, grabbing his car keys. They both walk out of the bar to Wilson's car.
Back at Rowan's house. Amanda had fun with the staff but reality soon struck her when Rowan did not return until late in the night.
As he entered the house, he was surprised to find her in the living room sitting on the couch. Amanda looked up as Rowan entered and their eyes met.
"I didn't know you were such a night crawler," Amanda said sarcastically
"I was on a business trip. I just got back" Rowan responded.
"Well, I would have known if you had not relieved me of my job." Amanda snapped.
"You were sleeping when I left. I didn't want to disturb your sleep." Rowan remarked. "Are you angry about that?" He asked, seeing her expression.
Amanda maintained her sarcastic tone. "Of course not, why should I be when there is only one person in this house that has the right to be angry? I am just a refugee here, hiding from possible danger. My keeper does not owe me any attention I guess."
Rowan wanted to respond but he kept quiet. He was obviously angry but was avoiding an argument with her. "See you tomorrow, Amanda," he said, walking away.
"Please!" Amanda exclaimed. "Don't walk out on me" she pleaded softly. Rowan halted in his tracks. He turned back to face Amanda.
Amanda sighed and continued. "It's been over 24 hours and you have been ignoring me. Are you really not going to talk to me?"
Rowan threw his hands in the air. His frustration was gradually building up. "The last time I checked, you were the one who wasn't willing to talk."
"That is because you have to understand that I can't tell you everything. Not yet!" Amanda interjected.
"Even things that concerns my brother? Things that get you worried? What kind of a lover would I be if I turned deaf ears to your concerns? Rowan said but he didn't realize he was yelling.
The word lover caught Amanda's attention. "Lover?" She asked.
"Oh!" Rowan exclaimed. The word came out of his mouth as a reflex word. He sighed then walked over to her and he sat her down on the couch. He then sat beside her on the couch.
"Amanda, this is not how I pictured this but…" he hesitated for a moment. He took a deep breath, his heart racing, and said, "Amanda, there's something I need to tell you."
Amanda looked at him, although her eyes were filled with curiosity, she seemed to know what Rowan was going to say. "You love me," She said softly.
"I bet you know that already, it's quite obvious" he mumbled under his breath but Amanda heard him. She smiled. "You know I heard you right?"
"Listen," he continued. "About what you said at the dinner with my parents. You mentioned how you waited a long time for me to ask you out. You were right." Amanda wanted to respond but he stopped her.
"Just listen, please," he asked politely. Amanda nodded.
"I have been a jerk, I know I really suck at this love thing but you deserve better. You have waited all these years for me to be a man and ask you to be mine properly and not lord over you." He adjusted his posture on the couch.
"Going through those years, I've come to realize just how much you mean to me." Amanda's heart skipped a beat as she listened intently.
Rowan smiled, his voice tinged with emotion. "Amanda, I'm not just in love with you, I'm in awe of you. Your strength, your resilience, your kindness, they all make you an incredible person and I'm grateful to have you in my life."
"I asked you to pretend to be my girlfriend because I was a coward. I was scared you might say no if I asked you to be my girlfriend. I was scared I might not be able to handle the rejection" Rowan continued. He was teary but he fought it with all his strength.
He grabbed her hands and squeezed them softly. "I love you, I want you, I promise to stand by you, to support you and to cherish every moment we spend together. Amanda, you are the love of my life, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Amanda's eyes welled up with tears of excitement. "Do you know how long I have waited to hear those words from you?" She said, trying to stop the water from falling down her cheeks.
"I want us to quit acting as a couple and be a real couple. Go on dates, go on vacations, all the telenovela kind of love, and get married, maybe have kids, you know? Will you do that with me?" Rowan asked, smiling sheepishly.
"No," Amanda said abruptly. The initial smile had disappeared from her face.