My mind was messed up as I returned to my flat. Things went well, no complaints, and I tried to ignore my mom for now. She needs medical attention, and I can take her only if she agrees. I won't say that out loud, but I'll make time to coax her into agreeing to meet with a specialist.
I called Dante as I woke up about our next real move. After breakfast, I waited for him on the couch, thinking about the days ahead. Things are going to get real, Rowan; you'd better be prepared for everything. For Dante's every strike, for Dante's every move, there should be a countermove from you. I nodded my head in firmness. I am ready for this game. I hummed as I leaned back on the couch, and he was going to regret provoking me. Once again, I nodded in resolution. Where did I hide this side of myself?
The doorbell rang, and I got up from the couch to open the door. Dante smiled as he saw me, and I nodded in return. I welcomed him, and we sat on the couch.
We were silent; I knew Dante was waiting for me to speak up. "So, how is this going to work? I mean, you know, should we go on a date or something?" I spoke hesitantly. Dante arched an eyebrow at that. "First of all, why are you antsy?" I shrugged at that, acting nonchalant. Am I? I was acting like a normal person would act; he was acting damn cool about everything. "We know each other, and we are taking things slow." I hummed at that, leaning a little on the couch. "And you are staying with me." My eyes went wide at that. "Are you mad? No, that's a bad idea." He looked confused. "Why? We were staying together in my room, and we were just fine." He is being so nonchalant about things; it's getting on my nerves. "Because we were faking things," I stated matter-of-factly. "Well, things won't change if we are dating for real, because nothing goes against your will." He said so plainly. I was out of words hearing that. "I will never cross the line if you are not on board with anything, and you know it." He watched me with those intense eyes, and I couldn't contradict him.
"We are skipping the steps. There is a procedure while dating someone." He hummed at that. "I may not have dated anyone, but moving in together is the ultimate step." I groaned at that. "Dante." He sighed at that. "Rowan, we are running a company, and most of the time we will be busy. I want to see you whenever it's possible for me. Distance distracts us—not that I would get distracted, but I don't want to take chances with you. I want to learn more about you; I want to know everything about you; I want to pour my fullest into this relationship; I want to give the best into it, and that's only possible when you are closer to me. Whether you like it or not, I want us to work, Rowan. You don't have any idea how much I want you in my life. Please don't argue about moving in anymore." I watched his face, without blinking, and I was awestruck. I gulped when he finished the sentence. I averted my eyes before he could catch me, feeling so much warmth. I smiled, unable to hide my giddy feeling. "Besides, your voice would be more horrible." I faced him, not getting his implication. "I know why you agreed to date me; maybe I pushed you a little, and you want to prove me wrong. I can see through you, Rowan. So, when you shout that I told you so, this shit doesn't work; I should hear right. If you are this far, your voice would not be horrible." He smiled, leaning back on the couch, and I averted my eyes and scoffed at his words.
He got up from the couch, his hand roaming over the already tied-up clothes, making them tidier, and spoke. "Are you ready?" He stretched his hand in front of me, and I swatted his hand, and he chuckled. "Your clothes and everything that belonged to you are safely kept as they were." He added. "If you want anything else, grab it before we make a move." Finally, I got up from the couch with a long sigh. "You planned this; that's why you didn't let me carry anything," I grunted, and he chuckled. "Trust me, I never planned this far. I had a wishful thought. For years I was wishing for this to happen, dreaming with longing. All this feels surreal, Rowan." My breath hitched, and Dante went silent. "I always wanted you, Rowan. Thank you for giving us a chance." There was so much sincerity in his voice; I felt lost for a second. "I will make sure this is worth it and also that I am deserving and an excellent partner to you." This is too much on one day to digest. There are so many days ahead of us; he could give me a daily small dosage of these cheesy lines. Who knows, I may fall for real?
We were in the car, on the way to his mansion. This time, it's a different feeling; I was a little giddy, which I won't admit for sure. As we entered, Mr. Bradley looked at us, perplexed. As usual, Dante didn't give any explanation to his dad and started taking the stairs. "Don't you take a break?" I halted my steps, glaring at him. "What are you doing in my mansion?" "You should ask your son; he dragged me, once again." He sighed at that. "And you followed him like a puppy. " He taunted. "Hey, in no time I will be out of this mansion; don't worry." He rolled his eyes at that. "I feel like I heard that sentence before. " Did I say that before? I started to scratch my trimmed beard, not that I could remember. "Well, we are dating. What could you expect?" "Am I missing the point here?" He watched me with that stare, like he was not taking any crap. "We are dating for real." I meekly filled the gap, and he didn't waste a second before coughing. "And as I said, I will be out of your hair; don't worry." With that, I followed Dante's footsteps. "Good luck with that." His dad's words were loud and clear.
I barged into his room. Dante was scrolling through his phone while sitting in the chair. "Your dad hates me to the core." I burst out. "Yeah, we came to terms with it, right?" When did I come to terms with it? All hate directed toward me, and I am basking in it, alone. "Maybe this whole thing is a bad idea." I nudge my stance about this dating, and Dante rolls his eyes. "Smooth, Rowan." I huffed, gave up, and lay on the bed, glaring at the ceiling.
"If this age shit surfaces once again, I am going to become a murderer, and you are going to see to it that I am not going to end up in prison," I said in all seriousness. Dante took his eyes off the screen, giving me his full attention. "Ignore them, Rowan." "I can't ignore them like you do, because I am at the receiving end of their hate," I replied, with a little bit of dread. "You were just fine before." "Because I didn't give a damn, as we were faking things", I grunted. "Ignorance is bliss and all, I know, but I can't be like you. I am not going to shut up; my words were cut in short. "You will not end up in prison, not even for a second, and I am going to make sure of it." He met my eyes while saying every word, like he meant it and he would keep his word at any cost. I was the one who averted my eyes first. I was swooned by just his words.
I cleared my throat a few times, trying to get the situation under control, but my whole body was getting out of control. "Well, what are your plans to woo me?" He chuckled at that. "You better prepare, as I am hard to crack and all." I watched Dante for some reaction, but I only met his smirk in return. "There is no plan, and I am not wooing you or anything." I was baffled at that. "I am going to make sure you are falling for me without doing anything." I rolled my eyes at that. "Dream on," I grunted, and once again, he chuckled in return.
Dante slowly got up from the chair and kept his tie on the table; slowly, he started to tower over me. I didn't react, too occupied to see what he was going to do. He was face to face; his smirk was evident as I gulped, watching him in anticipation, but no such thing happened. He slowly crawled down and lay on my chest, wrapping his hands around my waist. "Nothing needs to be done, Rowan." He spoke with a contented sigh. "We will be together most of the time because of the new project on hand," he further stated. "I won't do anything, not that I don't like you; it's more like I like you, and I'm not willing to push you to anything." One of his hands was circling on my chest. "I may have pushed you into this dating, but I am going to give you enough space to think and to ponder about everything." My heart has its own mind; from the time he lay on me, it started beating so fast, as if it might roll out of my chest. If it makes any sense. "You will not be forced to do anything." He slowly got up and faced me, where our breathing fanned each other. "I am not going to cloud your decision." I gulped as he covered the distance and his forehead met with mine. "And you will be mine." When his breath fanned all over me, I basked in it. The air and the smell are kind of addictive, and I want to savour it till the end. Something always stirs in me when we are too close to each other and pushes something from me. "Rowan," he whispered my name, and a moan would have escaped if I didn't have a tiny bit of control that's still limping. "I could be this way forever without expecting anything more from you." He kissed my forehead, and once again, he lay on my chest. "Hugging you tightly." My hands had a mind of their own as they tucked into Dante's hair and started roaming.
It's only been a few minutes since I heard a steady breath from Dante. He railed me up and slept without being aware of my state. It's not even a day, and things are going in the opposite direction. This is not my original plan. I wanted to groan but held back, as it would disturb Dante. Things are not looking promising to you, Rowan; you are a lost cause. Just hearing his words and seeing his actions would make you putty and smitten in no time.