Chapter 18 - Breaking Bored

• Have you added That Royal Betrothal to your library?
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• Zara
• “There is no you, Zara. There is only us”, he retorted smartly. Zack was alluring and at the same time confusing. One moment, he shut me out. The other, he’s all around me flattering.
• “How true it is”, I let out in utmost sarcasm. It didn’t seem to affect him as he slightly grinned with an amused expression.
• “There you go again”, he says reaching out for my hands. I sway to the other side, stepping on the stairs that led down the temple.
• “Are you coming or what?”, I ask tracing the stair way then looking back. He seemed lost in thought. Springing forward, he catches up with me and wraps his hands around my waist.
• I’m quick to roll out of his hands swinging it in the opposite direction.
• “God, Zara. You’re way too defensive”, he simply says. This makes me bite my tongue in a bit of fit. “I’m not always like this. Guess you turned me into this, if that’s the case”, I utter untying my jacket from my waist. It had started to loosen and I was beginning to get more frustrated.
• “Why would I do that? How would I even do that?”, he asks arching a brow. I smile mischievously then eye his muscles through his V-neck cloth. There was this way his muscles actually flexed beneath his shirt.
• “You want to know how?” “Yes”, he says replying briefly. “Every time I give you an inch, you end up taking a mile”, I reply. I see something flash through his eyes for a moment. It was like he was trying to control himself. Facing back, he breath in fast paces then faced me again. “You very much know I didn’t start all these. You kissed me first”, he mouthed out, making me let out a ‘Psst!’ sound.
• “No, you did actually. On our wedding night and in the royal library. You did it twice”, I alert him. He seemed to have forgotten all that from the way he sounded. “Look, Zara. That meant nothing”. I felt my heart tighten and my teeth clench, grinding.
• “I did it to speed up things so we become more used to ourselves. This betrothal wasn’t good for us both. We are polar opposites and can’t stand each other’s gut”. He adds as we approached the statuesque in front of us. It was a beautiful sculpture in which she sticklike figure with her hands, all clothed in the ancient attire.
• “For the first time, I think you’re right about that. Why were we betrothed in the first place?”, I ask still calculating our every move so that we don’t end up getting lost.
• He doesn’t reply my question.
• “Hey, check this out”, he says as we sight the statue. It’s a greyish sculpture molded in a godly manner.
• “I guess goddess Juno showed up at the right time, isn’t it?”, I let out watching as he stares in admiration. He looked so into the figure in front of him. I couldn’t deny the fact that I was amazed too. It was such a beautiful sculpture. Like the Carver took every single time to highlight the features.
• “Why don’t we ask her? Perhaps she could give us some clue as to why we are together”, he said scratching the back of his head. He looked like he was contending with himself about something. He couldn’t possibly be re-thinking about what he said, could you?
• I shrug it off.
• Moving forward, I curtsey, paying my respects which he does too.
• “Hey goddess”, he begins. “My wife and I have been questioning why we are together. We would like you to tell us. Not immediately off course but somehow”. I feel a chill run through my veins at him voicing that I’m his wife.
• “Are you done now?”, I say yawning. “Cause I’m tired, bored and hungry”, stretching my muscles, I drop to the floor. My leg had worsened and won’t bulge a bit. “What’s the fuss about?”, he says eyeing me and studying me intensely.
• “You heard me right, Zack. We are stuck here and from the look of things, I’m stuck with you”, muttering words in different languages, I unpin my hair in annoyance and a bit of paranoia.
• “There’s some food outside. Just wait here while I go get it”, he says in encouragement. I scoff loudly mentally slapping myself for the present pain. I should have just let him give me a back ride. Or what was that he called it? Back ride piggy? -- Piggy back ride.
• He walks back outside and I’m left with the goddess Juno staring back at me. The sculpture had a hint of mockery presently. It was she was laughing at my defiance and what it led to.
• “It’s not my fault, is it goddess?”, I let out. I’m met with silence. This eats me up with guilt. “Should I tell you a secret? I think this is all my fault. Not all of it but part of all these”, I say crawling to the figure. My hands are on the floor and my hair sprawled back too. “But I’m not going to admit, you know”, I say. I was actually not going to let him win. Not even for once, no.
• “Another one, goddess?”, I say looking around to check if he was back. I didn’t want him sneaking on me when I confessed.
• “I think Zack’s cute”, I whisper in the silent building. It seemed serene and calm. Not even a pin drop was heard. Well, except the waterfalls around, I guess.
• “Wait, you do?”, a voice suddenly says. I exclaim at him as he strode forward. He was holding some fruits and leftover roasted fish. I feel my stomach churn in hunger as I licked my lips. “What did you hear?”, I ask shocked.
• “That you think I’m cute. Am I, yes?”, he grins, squatting to my eye level. “That wasn’t you”. I let out. Liar, liar, pants on fire. My subconscious accuses.
• I facepalm myself.
• Why me?
• “Then who was it? I’m the only Zack here”, he asks. I search desperately for answers…anything. “Black’s my pet dog back at home. Isn’t it a coincidence that you both have the same name?”, letting out a fit of fake laughter, I glanced at him through the corner of my eye. He looked unconvinced. He definitely didn’t seem to have believe my bull story but I didn’t care.
• Taking a fruit, I immediately bit it down as its juices dripped down my chin. He did the same.
• Awkward silence.
• “You see, why don’t we just break this boredom code? We play 20 questions to pass time?”, I hesitantly said hoping he would agree.
• “Sure”, he surprisingly says waiting for me to start.
• “What’s your favourite color?”, I ask. I had this strange habit of making it my first question. Most people said it was a little childish but as always, I never minded. “Black”, he lets out and I scoff. “Really? Why would you pick black of all colors?”, I ask.
• “Your time is up. It’s mine”, he says.
• “Okay, ask”, I say which renders me speechless. I take some roasted fish, crunching loudly.
• “Do you actually have a pet dog with the name, Zack?”, he asks looking at me with a hint of mockery in his eyes. I now perfectly understood why he had agreed to play 20 questions with me. He wanted to know the truth… What an ass!
• I facepalm myself.
• Did I really have to tell him?
• “Okay, I lied. To keep you from thinking I’m into you because I think you’re cute”, I stylishly say and look down, facing my fish. “Cute at making disasters though”, I mumble but loud enough for him to hear me. “Whoa”, he simply said. “Guess I guessed right then”
• “It’s my turn”, I say. “What did you mean by ‘I want you’ earlier today?”, I ask. Definitely that had sexual chains but I didn’t want to jump into unhealthy conclusions.
• “Oh, that”. He said with a slight grin. “Just wanted to use a hot pick up line. I heard that phrase was pretty good and I tried it out”. Zack uttered which made me inwardly roll my eyes. And here I was, thinking about multiple things since he had said that phrase.
• “So, you thought that ‘I want you’ was actually going to freak me?”, I asked weirdly. “You’ve used your question, my turn”. He voiced out shifting nearer to me but I didn’t give him the reaction he wanted.
• “What’s your favourite kind of meal, amor?”, he said making me narrow my eyes at his choice of words. I literally ignored it and pretended like I didn’t hear what he was on about.
• “I don’t have a favourite meal. I like all – balanced diet”, I said.
• “You don’t have a favourite meal?”
• “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
• “Everything”. I fold my hands as I ate my last piece of fish. “Not even a snack?”, he asks again. He could be so persistent at times and I found it annoying. “Fine, truffles. I love truffles”. I admit.
• “Yeah, I knew it!”, he exclaims.
• “And you?”, I ask. “Sorry?”, he replies asking too. “I’m asking you what you like best”, I let out. He still arch’s his brows. “Food. Your best food”, I add. “Grilled chicken, along with bread and salad”, he says with a hint of Spanish accent in his voice. I presently don’t know how to react cause that was so unexpected.
• Well…
• “Okay, your turn”, I say. Muttering a ‘fuck it’ under my breath. “So, you have all that programmed?”, I add, asking him again.
• “No Zara. Who has a favourite food programmed?”, he asks rhetorically, making me roll my eyes once again. “Zack Moretti”, I reply in mockery. He is quick to open his mouth in defense but closes it back.
• Just smart Zara, you’ve just rendered Mr know-it-all silent. Kudos! I praise myself.
• “I have been wondering, why do you have an Italian surname?”, I ask. “What are you trying to ask, Zara?”, he says. “M-o-r-e-t-t-i. That’s Italian not Spanish, Zack. Could you enlighten me on why?”, I ask him. Ever since I had known the same thing, I’ve been wondering that exact thing.
• “This might sound crazy but we have roots to Italy”, he says emphasizing the ‘Italy’. Flexing his biceps, he puckers his lips making me wonder what it would be like to touch them again.
• Us getting lost on an Island was a mistake.
• I was beginning to not know what I felt again.
• Oh, be still my heart.
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