As Shelby walked down the corridors towards her room a little while later, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing, causing a few people to stop and stare stupidly at her. She stopped and placed her hand on the wall, laughing so hard that she felt herself tear up. ’I didn’t know Mrs Geneva Thornston had this side to her. She is unbelievable!’ she thought, letting her mind drift back to a few moments prior.
"What’s this?" Geneva had asked as she picked another ’grape’ and popped it into her mouth. Her face slightly flushed, and her eyes closed as she licked her lips.
Katie could not respond, staring at the older couple in amazement as the small platter of ’fruits’ disappeared so quickly that her eyes could not keep up. She even forgot that she had been asked a question. She shook her mind back into focus and replied,
"It’s the ’fruits’ that Miss Shelby brought back."
Geneva thought back to the words she had said to Shelby earlier about the food and regretted it considerably.
"Where did you buy these, Shelby?" Her entire focus was on Shelby, making her squirm in her seat. Shelby knew that Ava was a good cook, but was it that good? She had no idea as she had not been able to eat it.
"I didn’t buy them. My friend gave them to me. But she currently works part-time at the Dream Menu, so maybe we could buy some fr-"
"Why would I go buy? Did you say that your friend works part-time?"
"Tell me about this friend of yours."
Shelby did not understand what that was about until she heard Geneva say,
"Of course. Check if she can come here today-"
That was when she realized that Geneva wanted to see Ava for different reasons. Almost as if she had just thought about it, Geneva added,
"However, it’s quiet late today. Call her over tomorrow for dinner. It’s about I met some of the people around you."
Alex nodded as well, and Shelby affirmed.
Their dinner after that had been uneventful, except that she had not been able to taste much once again. So, Shelby excused herself very early and then returned to her room. She did not want Geneva to comment on the fact that she had eaten only a little.
She gazed long and hard at Ian’s door in the corridor between the doorway to Ian and her room before she turned and entered her room.
A disappointed Ian stood on the other side of the door, listening to her.
"She did not come in..."
Currey wisely did not say anything. ’Baby steps! He will get there!’
Shelby longed for him throughout the night but did not know what to do. She was a little confused as she was puzzled about her husband. The ring on her finger glowed brightly through the night till the next morning. She woke up a little hungry and tired as she did not have much rest.
Nonetheless, to her amazement, she found herself back in Ian’s room again. She returned with more confidence with time. She brought along his neatly folded clothes too.
Ian turned his big frame on the bed just as Shelby finally found the light switch and turned it on. He had already been long awake, but the sudden light made him squint his eyes.
With the light on, her side profile looked soft and alluring in the room. The scene caused him to narrow his eyes and,
"And good morning to you too..."
Currey, in the shadows, face-palmed himself. He had witnessed how much his master had ’suffered’, and he, Currey, had been at the receiving end too. He did not know the number of times during the night that his master had asked him when Shelby would come in.
In fact, Ian had even gotten up pretty early that morning waiting for her. It was when he had returned to bed that his wife had come in. In essence, Ian was a bit angry that she had not come to see him the night before. But instead of welcoming her, he returned to being an asshole!
Shelby could feel the coldness of the voice and flinched but maintained her calm demeanour. Even his cold demeanour was enough to calm her restless heart. On the other hand, Ian had thought that she had given up. He secretly smiled and averted his gaze so that she would not see it.
"What are you doing here, and do you not know how to knock, little girl?"
Shelby became visibly upset about how he addressed her, but she maintained her resolve.
"You know, I read this in a book! It stated that there is nothing like personal space in marriage! It said that, that concept is a myth! Non-existent...."
Shelby said casually as if having a nice chit-chat with him.
"Good that you read books, but please get out!"
She peeked out a pink tongue and walked over to the bed. She didn’t bother sitting on the floor as she had done some time back.
"If it’s possible to live in your skin, then I will do that! So, Ian, if you want space, I suggest enrolling in the going to the moon expeditions!" She looked him square in the face and added the last part.
Currey almost revealed himself. He laughed so much that he decided to give them space by leaving.
Ian sat up in disbelief. His heart was beating so fast that he did not know what to do.
’Live in my skin?’ He did not know why that excited him so much!
Ian woke up more ’sane!’ that morning, especially when his thoughts revisited Aliya’s abrupt passing!
Outwardly, his indifferent eyes raked her, and he said instead what he felt like were his thoughts, he said,
"You are nothing like her!" If Currey was around he would have let his hands up and given up on his master.
"Excuse me! I do not want to be like anyone but myself! I have said this time without number and my answer will remain the same. Shelby will be like no one but herself!" She retorted. Shelby smiled inwardly with one single thought,
’He opened up! That is the first step. Communication!’
Ian studied her beautiful blond hair, itching to run his hands through them but using all of his self-will to hold back. ’Focus Ian! It’s just the oath talking.’
"I promised to be with her to her last heartbeat, and I could not even do that! What is a man without his words?!"
That was a bit of surprising information for Shelby, but considering what she had heard him utter out in his fever, she pieced a few things together.
"I’m sure she will understand that you tried your best..."
"How would you know that?"
"I don’t. I just know that all our loved ones give us that leeway of understanding. That is what makes reciprocated love worth it!"
’Reciprocated love?’ Ian’s face fell, and he turned away from Shelby.
"Do you wanna talk about it? I mean about her?"
Ian shook his head, "Not now..."
"Did you come to a conclusion yet?"
"About?" He asked, pulling himself up and then sitting up on the bed to give her his whole attention. When Shelby was close, all his efforts to put thoughts and reactions about her at bay just went out of the window. Ian also noticed that he emotionally felt closer to her than ever. His thoughts were clear; the internal fight with himself was gone, and he felt more like himself before the emotional distress had kept him secluded from the world.
"You seem to want some time to yourself after I told you about my accident."
She did not add the part about wanting to ask him why he let her re-tell when he was there that day himself.
"You’re not going to ask me about what that conclusion was?"
"That’s your decision, and you will tell me whenever you want or if you want to."
Telling her was the right thing, but he could not bring himself to.
’What if she leaves after she comes to know? Or, most importantly, what if she comes to think of me as a freak? But she has to know as it involves her too. I need to. I must tell her!’
They both started talking simultaneously and then paused.
"You first," he said. However, Shelby’s stomach growled.
She smiled embarrassingly.
"You’ve not had any meal yet?"
She nodded, "All the food tastes so bland these days, almost as if I was chewing a cardboard. I am planning to tell Suzie to help me arrange for me to go see a doctor a-"
Shelby looked at him strangely. The things happening in this estate keep getting more confusing than ever.
’Why is he reacting this way when I am the one who has the problem?’
"It looks like I have to take absolute responsibility for you from now on..."
"What?! What have you taking responsibility for me got to do with me not tasting food?"
Ian just smiled weirdly. It was almost filled with glee, which was absurd considering the circumstances.
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