The Royal Contract

“What if I am?” Suddenly all his nervousness was gone as he continued to look into her eyes. He wanted to be her support through all of this and throughout their lives.

Then, his goal became as clear as daylight, as if he had known it all along but was too afraid to confirm it. He wanted this girl to be his for a long time.

No, not just a long time.

He wished to be with her forever.

The world seemed to be just him and her as everyone else disappeared from his sight. His eyes could only see her face and hear her loud breathing and beating of her heart. But then again, those were probably his that he was listening to as he pulled her hands to his lips, planting a single kiss.

And there was nothing to fear as long as they were together. Finally, understanding what Alex had been saying all this time. If fate meant them to be together, there was nothing that would stop it from happening.

.....

“No, don’t do it.” She whispered with her face, full of doubt in them as if she was afraid to hear what he was about to say.

He could not blame her when all he did to her was hurt her in the past. But he had hoped they had found a way to get passed that.

He had planned to propose to her at the cottage, but he could not seem to get good timing. It felt it did not feel right for him to do it during that time. Today, at this moment, it was different.

“Why?” He wanted to know because he could finally feel it in his heart. He finally knew this was it. Then, he noticed her eyes landed on Haley, who looked as surprised as she was.

Could she be hesitating because of her? What did she learn about the two of them? Did Haley tell her anything? Another thing that he should have told her. What was the relationship between him and her?

“Because you are not ready.” She blurted out as her hands flew in the air, looking exasperated by the entire situation.

She did look tired. Probably from all the days she had worked to make all of this work. Then, this whole day she operated like a robot to deal with all the problems. He could not be more proud of what she had accomplished singlehandedly.

However, he could not blame her for how she felt, but he could not accept her reason. It was not her to decide if he was ready or not. Because at this moment, he did not doubt how he felt.

“Why would you say that?” His hands quickly grabbed her by the shoulders forcing her to look at him. “What did I do to indicate that I do not wish to marry you right now?” His words came out of his mouth without waiting for her answers.

Because it was the truth, he would marry her now if that was what she wanted. But if it was what he wanted, he wished to prepare for a grand wedding where she could choose whatever she had dreamt of when she was young.

He heard that most girls had this childish wish to be married in a white dress with many flowers, and all their fantasies come true. He had attended such weddings. The best example was his best friend’s wedding.

“Because you did not propose on the cabin.” Her eyes had a few tears threatening to fall when she admitted that. It was quite a surprise to hear her say that because he believed he had not mentioned anything about proposing to her.

Marcus suddenly looked at his friend, but Alex quickly denied saying anything. But she quickly explained the situation, shedding light on his inquiries.

“I saw the ring and thought you would propose, but you did not.” She mumbled, fidgeting with her hands as if he caught her going through his things. “I found it lying on the floor when it fell probably from your pants.”

Now, he remembered wondering why it was in his pants pocket when it was supposed to be under the bed. It must have fallen from the bed and landed on his pants on the floor, which Jacky assumed was the hiding place.

It had all made sense now. The way she oddly behaved on the island from time to time. She had expected the proposal when he decided it at the same time.

“I did not propose at the time, not because I was not ready.” He pulled Jacky into his embrace, wanting to assure her that it was not the reason. “I only merely postpone it because I felt it was not good enough.”

He could feel her small sob on his chest, realizing that he had made her cry. He forced her to tilt her head, using his fingers until she gazed into his eyes.

Slight tears glistened on her cheeks, but her eyes were as clear as the morning sky as they looked back at him. They searched for the truth in his eyes. Hope was evident in their depths.

“I love you, Jacky.” His words flowed like silk out of his mouth. Those were words that did not come from his brain but directly from his heart.

Those three-letter words had always been something that was not part of his vocabulary before. He never believed in them since he never had good examples of good relationships.

That was until he met Alex’s parents. But he always thought that they were the exception to the rule. Couples like them were a rarity that happened only on a few occasions.

But when he became witness to Alex and Dani’s love affair. He felt that it might not be as rare as he thought. Maybe love could also be possible in a man like him.

“I said I love you, Jacky,” Marcus repeated as if he had said those words for a long time, finding her silence adorable.

Her eyes were big, and her lips were wide open as if she was more shocked by his admission of love, comparing it with the proposal he did earlier.

“Will you marry me?” Taking the chance while she was speechless to continue with his plans.

He knelt before her, taking the ring out of the box and displaying it in front of her. He tilted his face, staring directly into her eyes, fixed on the ring in his fingers.

He could tell that she was not sizing up the size of the stone in the ring. She would not care if he gave her a fancy one. It was one thing he had loved about her.

She was digging deeper into herself, assessing her feelings for him. Her eyes might be looking at the ring, but her heart was looking directly at his.

“I love you, too, Marcus.” She placed her fingers into his cheeks, caressing them with her soft touch. “I will marry you.” Suddenly, nothing else mattered. It was just the two of them.

Two people, coming from different walks of life, stumbled into a complicated relationship. But in the end, finding themselves falling in love.