The Royal Contract

She heard him call his driver to follow them to the hospital earlier as he had ridden with her in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. He said that he did not want her to be alone.

However, she had noticed that since they had left the hospital, he barely had spoken a few words to her. He only asked her if it still hurt, but when she replied that she was fine, he had returned to his silence.

“I am just probably tired. Aren’t you?” He asked, avoiding answering the silent question in her eyes.

He could see that she was trying to read his expression, but he was not entirely sure of what he actually felt at the moment. In truth, he was frustrated, guilty, then mad at himself for letting the first two emotions control him.

He felt that he was failing with this relationship. He had no idea what he was doing or if he was doing anything at all to make sure that this relationship was going on the right track.

“I am. But still, I think we can still talk about anything.” She told him, sensing that he was not in the mood for any form of conversation. Still, she would like to try to lighten the mood.

.....

She had noticed the tension inside the emergency room while she talked to Sebastian. Well, it mostly came oozing out of him. But she was too wrapped up in her fear to deal with him earlier.

Now, she could see that he was still bothered by it, and she did not like that he was keeping it bottled up inside him. One thing she learned from Dani and Alex, communication was the key to making things work between them.

“You have been through enough for one night. You should rest for now. We can talk later.” Marcus insisted, wrapping her in his embrace as he closed his eyes, indicating that the conversation was over.

He also wanted to talk about his feelings, but he was unsure how to convey them to her without sounding accusing. He did not want any misunderstanding between them.

He could not afford to lose her again. He had been in that situation, and he did not want to go back there. But he still had no idea how to deal with his current predicament.

“Ok.” She conceded, keeping her eyes focused on the view outside her window.

She decided not to insist on talking about it during the car ride. But she planned to tackle it again once they were back in the privacy of her apartment.

She would give him this moment to think about whatever was bothering him and deal with it by himself. But she would not allow it to sit and rot before they resolved whatever was the issue.

She might have an idea what it could be, but she was not about to preempt his feelings. She would not jump to conclusions and assume anything.

“Hey, we are here.” She tapped him on his thigh, notifying him that they had arrived at her apartment.

It had been a short ride, so she knew he was not sleeping. He assisted her out of the car and instructed his driver to take the night off. He was planning on staying with her for the night.

The doctor did give specific instructions that she should not be left alone. Although she seemed fine, she was still under observation for twenty-four hours.

“Do you want something to drink? I am going to get myself a glass of water.” She offered once they were inside her apartment.

She suddenly felt her lips parched and her throat itching. She assumed it was because she had been silent and tensed the rest of the ride.

“Why don’t you sit down and rest? Let me get the water for you.” He ordered, guiding her to the couch while he proceeded to the kitchen.

He felt he needed a drink to lessen the anxiety boiling inside him. He could sense that Jacky was not done talking, and he was still confused about how he was handling his emotions.

He left her on the couch, using the few minutes to get his thoughts straight. At least an idea of what he would say to her once he returned to her side.

“What is wrong?” She finally voiced out her concern once he returned with her water. “I can tell if something else is bothering you.” She was not going to accept any more excuses.

She could see the bottle of beer in his hand, she would have joined him, but the doctor advised against consuming alcohol in her condition.

“Honestly, I am not too sure.” He admitted, looking at the window behind her instead of directly at her.

He finally sat on the chair adjacent to her, rubbing the back of his neck with his fingers, easing his nerves. He suddenly remembered the first time that he courted a girl. It was something like this.

He took another swig of his drink before placing them down on the table. He stood up again and paced around the living room as if he was figuring out what to say.

Today’s event seemed to be an eye-opener to him. He discovered things that he had never thought of before. He seemed to be lost, at the same time, enlightened.

“What about? If it is about Sebastian, I assure you that nothing is going on between us. We are just friends, and...” She tried to explain her relationship with the doctor, thinking that he might be bothered by their friendship.

She did notice the way he had been looking at Sebastian. She sensed that he might be jealous or something. But there was nothing between them, never had been and never would be.

“It is not that.” He interrupted her, immediately reaching her and kneeling before her. “I am not jealous in that kind of way, but I envy the closeness that the two of you seem to have.”

He knew many things about her, but not on a deeper level. He did not even know that she was afraid of needles. He was so clueless about her and her likes and dislikes.

“He seemed to know more about you than me.” He quickly added, eventually disclosing what had him twisted in a knot.

He knew he had to work harder into this relationship if he would make it work. However, he still had a lot to learn about being a boyfriend. A good one.

“Well, all you have to do is ask.” She smiled at him, realizing what was bothering him.

She ran her hands on both sides of his cheeks, relieved that it was not what she thought of initially. She gently pushed his face up until his eyes met hers.

She was not taking his apprehension lightly, but she believed it could be resolved through good communication. Anyway, all p

“I felt like he seems to know you better than me, and it sucks,” Marcus explained, referring to the doctor. “I guess it is as simple as that.”

He finally realized that he should give more time to get to know her. Not just giving her gifts and things that he thought would make her happy.

“I don’t even know what color you like or if you even like the things I have been giving you.” He mumbled, feeling slightly ashamed of his actions.

“Red and bold colors.” She answered him, but he looked at her, slightly confused. “My favorite colors.” She clarified.

“And, I love most of the gifts you sent me because your secretary asked me frequently what I wanted.” She answered him, slightly reprimanding him with her stare.

Once he heard her response, he smiled at her with those seemingly innocent eyes but underneath, he knew it was a lie. Then, both of them ended up laughing. Because admittedly, he was once again guilty as charged.