Chapter 14 Tamara Ramirez

The kiss was slow and sweet. It was full of passion. I felt like Dustyn was taking his time tasting and devouring my lips when we kissed. His right hand were caressing my arm and his left was placed on the back of my neck. Like he didn't want me pulling away without his consent. I didn't know what exactly I needed to do. Instead, I mimicked every move of Dy's lips. He seemed very experienced. 

I didn't know how long we were like that nor did I care. The only thing running through my head are his words. I wasn't wrong after all. Dustyn did like me more than a brother would and I was glad he felt the same way as I did. Because confessing to him was nerve wrecking for me.

As Dustyn pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine. Our nose were almost touching by how close we still are to each other. He's smiling, his eyes closed like he was in total bliss after the kiss. 

"Dy.." I called to him in a daze. Slowly his eyes opened and he stared at me for a long time. Its like he couldn't believe that he just kissed me. It felt weird to be regarded as he did.

"I love you shortcake." He declared with a soft smile on his lips.

My eyes widened at his words. I try to open my mouth to reply but I only managed to hitch my breath as Dustyn continued to stare at me intently. His confession struck me by surprise and it rendered me completely speechless.

His eyes twinkle in amusement at my lack of response. But Dustyn, being Dustyn reassured me completely with his next words. "It's okay. We'll get there." He told me softly.

"Earth to Mara?" I snapped out of my day dreaming and into reality. Artemis is staring at me with confusion all over her face while Apollo is glancing at me with worry.

I must've spaced out for too long.

They've caught me spaced out a lot of times since we got back from vacation. I couldn't for one second get the memory of the kiss out of my head. It was my first kiss and it felt amazing. Like I was floating in cloud nine, even a week after. It played in my head every chance it gets, making me reminiscence on Dy's soft and gentle lips on mine.

"What have you been thinking about? You space out a lot these days." Artemis pointed out, not holding back on her curiosity despite the fact that we are in the library. To study and also to stay away from the prying eyes of our school mates.

My schoolmates were not discrete about the whole ordeal. They were looking and staring at my hand where the ring was. Even some of my professors stared before catching themselves and continuing the lecture. As days go by, the ring on my finger felt heavier and heavier. It stood out like a sore thumb and I have no way of hiding it from everyone's eyes.

Alec, however, was all too protective. He sent two bodyguards to watch and protect me while I'm in school. He wasn't discrete about it either. When I asked why, he just smiled and ruffled my hair before walking away.

It was weird but at the same time I understood.

The media went berserk. They haunted me everywhere I went. They didn't care where or who I was with. They snapped pictures after pictures of me and broadcasted it to the whole nation. Crazy headlines were made from my tracksuit which were apparently 'not something you wear to class' or the expensive and designer shoes that they always seem to see on my feet.

Speculations on why I was marrying Dustyn were endless. From being a gold digger to it being a merger between two huge companies. They even dug so deep that they almost dugged up my past stupidity, which they didn't get to because of my awesome, loving brother.

Everything blew up in my face like a fucking bomb.

I shrugged my shoulders in response to Artemis. I wasn't ready to share what happened in that party with anyone. I like having the memory just between Dustyn and I, and maybe some of the bystanders when it happened. "Finish your paper." I told her instead.

She rolls her eyes at me. "I'm almost done. Just tell me already!"she exclaims which resulted to the librarian glaring at our table. Art ducks her head and covers her mouth.

"Just leave her alone." Apollo said, who was busy studying for the midterm examinations. "Annoying man is coming."

I whipped my head to the direction where he was looking at. Not surprised to see Noah Natividad coming directly to our table. I watch as he pulls the chair beside me and sat down without asking for permission.

"Missed me?" He said arrogantly with a smirk as he looks at me. I rolled my eyes at him and went back to the research paper I needed to finish for a class for my Photography degree. "Aww. Don't be like that beautiful. I almost won a dance."

I looked at him confused. "What?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I almost bid millions for a dance you know."

Then I remember the man who tried to compete with Dy during the charity ball. The one who kept bidding until someone stopped him. I wasn't able to see his face from afar but he did have the same shade of hair as Noah and the same height.

"Y-you.. you were there!" I whispered angrily and accusingly to him, as quiet as I could. I cast a look to the librarian and was relieved to see that she wasn't looking at our table. We're making quite a noise inside the library where there are a hundred signs about staying silent. "What the hell?"

"My Dad is a business associate of one of the guests and he was invited to the party. We're mostly into mining but Dad has been expanding the business these past few years. Technology is a good investment." He explained like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

I, on the other hand, did not care. I just want him to leave me alone because seeing him reminded me of someone who I'd rather not think about. That person gives me nightmares and it's scary how Noah resembles him. It gives me the chills.

A hand on my shoulder made me jump. Looking up, I found Emil, one of the bodyguards Alec assigned to me. He looks worried as he casts a glance at the man beside me. "Are you okay, Miss Mara?"

I shook my head. I'd been very careful around Noah because of my fears due to their resemblance. I don't want to spend another minute with him. "Make him leave, Emil." I ordered him.

Emil, dressed in casual clothes, approached Noah and motioned for him to leave, as per my request. "Please, sir. I don't want to use force against any student. But I will if you don't obey."

Noah snickered. "Seriously? What are you so afraid of beautiful?" he asked, putting emphasis on the word beautiful. Unconsciously, shivers ran down my body. "Hey! I'm going." I heard him say angrily before stomping away.

"Should I take you home Miss?" Emil asked worriedly. I looked at him and I understood why he asked me that. He knows what happened years ago. He knows why I was so afraid. Maybe, he saw the resemblance too? I certainly did. I don't think I would ever forget that face.

"Is everything okay T?" Now, it was Apollo asking about my wellbeing. The twins doesn't know what happened then. They don't know anything. I would like to keep it that way. 

Instead of telling them the truth, I settled for the white lie that came out of my lips. "I'm needed for some wedding details. I'll text you guys."

THANKFULLY, Noah didn't push to talk to me again for the rest of the midterm examination week. It was a peaceful week. No one dare to bother me or come near me. It might also be because Alec has expressed said his disappointment to the media people who kept hounding me through an interview he did. None of my peers have had the courage to question me again after Alec decided to have Emil attend all of my classes despite my pleads.

Finally, it was the weekend after our midterm examinations. The university gave us a five day break since they found a leak that would take almost a week to get fixed. I'm thankful for the break, managing two degrees is not easy and I was stressed enough during the examination. I had to walk building to building, almost taking two to three exams a day. 

I'm looking forward for the break, but I am not looking forward to wedding planning with Amelia.

I know Amelia will be hogging me with wedding plans. She was just all too happy to attend to the plans like she was actually a good mother. It was a gag worthy sight when she squealed in happiness as my Dad handed her his black card. I could swear I saw dollar signs in her eyes when she snatched - not grab, snatched - the thing right out of Dad's all too wiling hands.

"So how does it feel?" Artemis asked me as she plops on my bed on her back. Her rich blonde hair is up on a neat and stylish ponytail. She's been holding that question since she found out I got engaged. She didn't know how to approach the subject when the exams came around the corner. I know she's been dying to know what I think and feel about this whole fiasco of a wedding that everyone is only too happy about to care about one's feelings. She also still doesn't know about the kiss and it's been weeks since then.

I looked down at my left hand. Specifically, on that ring that seemed to weigh down my hand all together. It was dazzling under the sunlight that entered through the bedroom window. It was blinding and binding.

It looked surreal.

It felt surreal.

I still couldn't beleived I am about to marry Dustyn in a few months. Someone who I used to think of as a friend and an older brother. Someone who never did anything to show me he had such desires or feelings for me up until a few weeks ago. Or maybe I just didn'tnotice because I already placed him in a category.. Someone I didn't think I would fall for.

It was fast. I fell and I fell hard. But Dustyn was already there when I did. I can feel it and I can see it in his eyes now. Now that I have started to like him like a woman would like a man. It was weid at first. I was in denial of my feelings for him/ But the more time he spends with me, the more I fell for his gentleman moves and his captivating eyes.

Dustyn has been spending time with me. And by that, I mean, picking me to and from college. Getting lunches or dinners with me. He even helps with the planning of the wedding --- our wedding. He has been very hands on with this. He asks me about everything before making a final decision. However, he has been holding out on questions because of the midterms I just had.

To be honest, he's been an amazing fiancee so far.

Recently, I've been getting more and more shy around him too. It's like I suddenly care about what he thinks about my clothes or the way I do ny hair or if he even likes spending time with me or if it was all just an act for the press and for my father and brother. Every move I make when I'm around him, I second guess. Every word I say feels like its too important.

I've also noticed all the little things about him that I haven't before. For example, I noticed he has dimples, not deep but it is there once I looked closely. Or how he hates nuts on chocolates. How he doesn't like to overtake when he's driving. How he doesn't play loud music while driving. He doesn't like to be late to anything. He always has to be on time or early. Or how he always, always, finishes his food no matter how little amount of time he has. Or the way his eyes shine differently when he stares at me. How he holds my gaze and smiles genuinely at me.

It's the little things I haven't known about him before that I've come to notice.

"Uh..Helooow? Earth to Tamara?"

"Sorry.." I smiled sheepishly at Artemis once I came back from my thoughts. She rolled her eyes at me and motioned her hand for me to answer. "Surreal. I feel like things are going too fast." I admitted to her.

She smiles at me. "I'm here for you, you know that right?" she said comfortingly.

"Yeah, I know." I said smiling back at her.

She clapped her hands together in excitement. "So, when do we pick out your wedding dress?" she asked with a grin on her face.

I chuckle at her. I open the pictures of the sketches that Rory has been sending me since the day after the engagement. ITS A LOT. She flooded my inbox with designs after designs. She said, she would only make one of my wedding dress so it would be special for me. Her little sister, she said.

But with the judging eyes of the media on me 24/7, it would be a blessing to not open the news and be bashed about my clothing choices. It would be a breathe of fresh air for me.

These days all I can think about is getting away from all these chaos. I want a few peaceful days where I could wear anything or nothing. A few days with no one judging. watching and pressuring me about the wedding. It was all just too much for me to take.

Shaking my head to get my thoughts back to reality, I show Art the designs of a few which I genuinely liked. I watch as her eyes widen as she scrolls through each design. "Dude. These are fucking awesome!" she exclaims. "How are you going to pick one?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Rory assured me it would be fine as long as I tell a month before the wedding."

"Did you just say Rory? As in Aurora, the woman Alec was engaged to?" She asked, her eyes widen in a significant amount. I laugh at her surprised state and nodded my head. "The news was true!" she exclaimed as she practically shoves her phone to my face.

"I already saw that. I had no idea they went out for dinner."

"How can you not know? You live in the same house." She said, not believing a word I just said.

"They're older than me. I don't keep track of their whereabouts. As long as Alec comes home every night, that's fine with me. Besides, I quite like Rory for Alec."

"Talking about Alec's love life?"

I almost fell from the chair I was sitting on when I heard his voice. My heart started beating fast and all of a sudden, I feel nervous. Turning my head to the direction of the door, there he is. In a khaki shorts and a blue shirt. Dustyn is looking marvelous as he always does.

"Hi, Dustyn." Artemis greeted him with a smile and a wave. Although they haven't really talked much, Dustyn knows her from the times we still used to talk. That was before we completely lost contact because he had to start his training to take over their company right after college.

"Eavesdropping is a bad habit." I tell him and his attention snaps back to me. His lips lift up into a smile and he walks in deeper inside my room. "Alec would not approve." I added.

"Well, shortcake, there are a lot of things Alec would not approve of." He said as he stopped right in front of my chair. Now, I was looking up at him. "One would be gossiping."

I rolled my eyes and looked at Artemis who is grinning from ear to ear. She wiggles her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "I should go. The sexual tension in here is too much for my single self." She said and practically ran out of the house, slamming doors as she does.

"Artemis!" I shouted after her but with no response I sagged in my seat in defeat. When she finds her man, I would do this to her. Payback's a bitch.

"Now. What do you say about those wedding plans?" He asked with a smile. "We're going to pick flowers." He added.

I groaned. I was not ready to spend a day with Amelia. She's annoying and I hate her. "Can we not?"

He laughs at my misery. "Don't worry shortcake. Just you and me today." He said with a wink.

I released the breath i was holding. It's a blessing and a curse to be engaged to this man. "Which flower shop?" I asked him.

"Oh. I never said it was just a shop." He said with a smirk, his eyes shining with mischief.

"No way!" I exclaimed.

"Yes way. Get dressed." He said and winked at me before walking out of my room. 

I almost jumped in excitement. I remembered he told me he met someone who owns a plantation, every flower possible in their area was found there. Dy has told me how it was a paradise, especially when you got deeper in the property.

I quickly got dressed in the most comfortable outfit I could find and went out to meet Dustyn who offered his hand immediately. Once I took a hold of his hand, he pulled us out of my apartment.

We were almost at the door when Amelia interrupted us with a shout of my name.

"Tamara!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as Amelia's loud and irritating voice echoed throughout the house. I turn my head towards the living room and found her in one of her skimpy outfits which I think is highly inappropriate for her age, not that she really cares about my opinion. As Dustyn and I neared her, I noticed the hundreds of wedding magazines opened on our coffee table and around her. Raising my brow at her set-up, I ask her, "What's all this?" motioning to all her magazines.

"Oh, dear." She said in a motherly voice that had me choking down on my own urge to vomit. "I was looking for a wedding gown for you. I was thinking maybe we should get you a figure hugging dress with a bit of Swarovski as a design. Like this." she says, showing me a dress which was way too expensive for a one day use. I look at her like she has lost her mind but she continued to look at me with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "What do you think?"

"I think this looks like trash."

"What did you say?" she asked angrily, nose flaming with anger. Her sweet smile is long gone and the true Amelia stands in front of me again. "You ungrateful little-"

"I'm very grateful for your help, Amelia. But we already have a designer in mind for her wedding gown." Dustyn says, his voice calm but dangerously low. "You do understand, don't you?"

"My husband asked me to plan this wedding. I intend to do so." She said with fake braveness showing in her face, If Alec could scare her, I doubt Dustyn has to do much to do the same.

"Yes. But then again, I'm sure you won't mind id I tell Dad about that accident." Dustyn said, putting emphasis on Dad and that. I stared at them in wander and confusion.

"Jack will hear about this!" She threatened us but it fell on Dy's deaf ears as he pulls me away from the irritating woman.

"What was that?" I asked him once we were both safely inside his car which was being driven by Emil and Andrew.

He smiles at me but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry about it."

I wonder what that was all about. However, threatening Amelia never did end well. Not for me, at least.