"Would you like to share some of your joy, Miss Graywood?" the therapist inquired, observing Cherry's feet swinging back and forth. Cherry's face was beaming with a wide smile as she gazed at the new purple cast that covered her entire leg.
Her leg finally healed enough to the point she was allowed to wear a light cast. The doctor even informed her that walking on it for a short time was fine. At this rate, she will be fully healed and running in two weeks!
"He, he." Her joy bubbled out in a series of silly giggles, which soon had Doctor Gildes chuckling along.
The therapist's smile soon faded as her sharp eyes traced the grip on Cherry's waist, following it up to the person seated next to her.
"Something good happened to your wife, Mister Graywood. Why the long face?"
Indeed. Why? Cherry wondered, studying the handsome forehead currently marred by deep lines. His mien, unpredictable like the seasons, withered into something icy during the doctor's explanation. It caught her off guard.
The man had been acting weird ever since they came back from their date. He stayed glued to her side, his body tensing whenever it seemed she would move away. Whenever she voiced her concerns and asked for some space, his face would contort with fear like a puppy abandoned in the drumming rain, causing a pang in her chest.
We seriously need to talk.
His silence hung in the air until he grunted, "Are you a fraud, Miss Gildes? Because you're horrible at reading people." His lips curled as if to tell them he was joking, but they could never miss how the derision chiselled his tone.
With a dismissive eye-roll at the childish man, Gildes focused her attention back on Cherry. "Did you do your homework, Miss Graywood?"
Cherry stole a side glance at the brooding Brandon and quickly lowered them when he noticed her gaze. A soft sheen of pink dusted her cheeks as she murmured softly, "Yes, I did."
"What were the results?" Given Cherry's reaction, Gildes already knew what the answer would be, but she had to keep her eyes trained to catch every reaction — to make sure no words coming out of those hesitant lips were a lie.
Results? Cherry's gaze drifted, lost in thoughts and met Brandon's curiosity-peaked eyes. It would be a lie if I'm still not worried about the secrets that Brandon is hiding from me, but…
Her mind combed through the fresh memories, each of them ending with her turning herself into a marbling mess. It is like a high school girl discovering love for the first time.
The curve of her lips softened her face. The longer she stared at him, the more her eyes curved into half-moons. Those brown eyes shimmered with endearment as she hooked her arm around his bulky arm, feeling the muscles strain under her touch.
"I like him." Brandon's eyes grew unmeasurable wide as his mouth fell open in an 'O' shape.
She grinned childishly, tightening her hold on his arm as she turned to the therapist and asserted with confidence again, "I love him."
The timer went off, signalling the end of their session. "I see… good to hear that everything worked out. I'll see you again next week , and hopefully without your husband." She glared at Brandon, but the man was a lost cause as the unbridled words from his wife had put him in a daze-like spell—allowing him to be dragged out of the room like a doll by her.
….
Inside the car, the gentle thrum of the engine filled the space. Brandon's eyes were glued to the road stretching out before him, completely ignoring Cherry. And as strange as it was to admit, this unusual behavior, the silence making her fidget uncomfortably as if it were prodding her unsettled Cherry.
"You know…" Cherry chimed through the silence. "No matter how many times we drive down this road, I still can't believe that our house is so far away." She regretted those timid words the moment they left her lips because they made her sound stupid, but what made her even more sorry for herself was Brandon's lukewarm response.
Despite her best efforts, Cherry couldn't suppress a pout at his dismissive demeanor. Making one more attempt to lighten the mood, she edged closer, but he instinctively moved as far as a driver could away from her. At this point her bottom lip was bruised from her gnashing.
And when the tires skittered to a stop in front of their familiar home, she couldn't help but pinch at the thin fabric of sleeve. Her eyes flickered with worry as they stared at him. "Um, Brandon, are you mad at me?"
For the first time since they stepped inside the car, Brandon let out a weary, troubled sigh. The color returning to his calloused fingers as they let go of the steer. He removed the key, silencing the car.
"I could never be angry with you, princess."
"Then?"
He brushed his bangs back and shut his eyes, controlling the reverent pulse of his neck's branch-like veins. "I'm afraid that saying too much will wake me up from the best dream ever."
"Wait…are you talking… about me liking you?"
The tips of his ears carried the shade of red as he hid his face behind his hand. "I know it's dumb that I'm this bothered that my wife, who has amnesia, may divorce me when she realizes—"
"Brandon, look at me," Cherry demanded.
God, he's so stupid.
Reluctantly he lowered his hands and turned to face her, but kept his eyes on her lap. "Yes—!!?"
Her dainty hands cupped his cheeks, turning his face towards her, and before he could ramble off, her lips sealed his.
So stupidly cute. She grinned against his lips before she pulled away from the kiss. Her gaze met his, and those oak-colored eyes were now on fire, their intensity making her core shiver. "I love you," she whispered. "Does this still feel like a drea— "
One hand framed her cheek, and the other clasped behind her neck, pulling her back to the mind-numbing kiss. This kiss had her begging for air. His skin was hot, and his tongue rough and demanding as they tangled with hers. With a fluid motion, he positioned her body across his lap, her weight barely registering.
Only when her body, plagued with tremors, and her face flushed red from lack of oxygen did he allow the kiss to stop, but never eased the grip on her neck.
He closed his eyes, reeling back his dark desires as he bumped his head softly against hers. "No, this feels very real." Excited, fluttering giggles filled his ears and made his heart pound, and he longed for the moment to last forever.
He clasped her hand, bringing it to his lips and planting a chaste kiss on it. "You don't know how much leverage you have over me, princess. Everything I do is to keep you by my side."
"And you succeeded. I'm not going anywhere."
Brandon wrapped his arms around her torso, encasing her in an impenetrable hug. He rested his ears against her chest; relief washed over him at the fast pacing odd, rhythmical beats of his princess's heart that resembled his own.
"I love you, Cherry."
She hummed, "And I love you."