He took a deep breath. "They would definitely gain a lot of money, at least over a million. And a lot of people's work and personal information." He shook his head. "There's too much at stake."
"And, this company," he pointed at his laptop. "helps small businesses, artists, and people who want to climb higher in any industry. The others are a lot more complex…" He muttered the last part, not caring if she heard him or not. He was focused on his work.
She looked over his features, green eyes softening at his words. “I see…” she murmured, curling up against the couch’s back and watching him carefully.
After a few moments her eyes began to droop closed. She was exhausted from the amount of crying and stressing she had been doing.
It was obvious Arabella was not happy and she was definitely not doing well at all. Dark bags rested under her eyes, telling of the many sleepless nights she had experienced worrying over their wedding; her once soft and shiny hair was tangled and dull; and her small form looked more skeletal and sickly than before.
And yet in this moment as she slept, she looked peaceful and somewhat happy.
A few hours later, he looked up at her and smiled to himself. Cute… He finished up his work and put his laptop away. He quietly got up and approached her. He gently moved the hair out of her face and made sure she was fully covered with a blanket.
Deciding it was best not to wake her by getting in bed, he just went back to the couch, passing out the second his head touched a cushion.
The next morning Arabella woke with a splitting headache and a dry mouth. She yawned, sitting up with a wince and rubbing at her temples.
She made her way over to the small kitchen area and downed a few painkillers along with a whole glass of water. For a moment she had forgotten about Mel until her eyes fell upon him on the couch. She let out a long sigh and moved to look down at him.
This wasn’t his fault - well, not entirely - so she could not figure out for the life of her why she disliked him so much. He looked perfect on the couch, sleeping away like a child, his laptop put away neatly by him. She smiled softly, placing a hand on his warm cheek. Maybe she could live with this…
Mal groaned slightly. He was only half awake, drifting in and out of consciousness. He felt something cold on his cheek. He didn't care though. He hadn't slept for as long as he would've liked. He would just give himself another five minutes…
If I do that, I won't wake up till noon. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Arabella standing over him. "What…?" You could tell by his voice alone that he was tired.
She blushed lightly and pulled her hand back into her side. “Nothing… you looked peaceful…” she murmured softly, sitting down on the floor in front of the couch. “Why didn’t you take the bed?” She asked sternly, looking him up and down, an annoyed expression on her face.
She couldn’t fall for him. She wouldn’t. He was the one who agreed to take her to wife, the one who took her captive in a marriage she didn’t want.
He slowly got up, slightly wincing when he did. "You were sleeping so peacefully. I didn't want to wake you." He massaged his shoulder.
He got up and looked down at her. "Did you want to eat?"
She avoided eye contact with him but nodded gently. “I do… I am hungry and you’re a good cook.” She murmured, hugging herself. “I’m going to shower real quick.” She told him gently as she grabbed a pair of clean clothes and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror.
“Peaceful…? Yeah right… he probably just doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.” She said quietly to herself, sighing sadly. She longed for love, for her soulmate to come and save her but she knew those were only stories and she couldn’t escape this. It was her ‘duty’ after all.
Arabella was in and out of the shower quickly, dressed and drying her hair with her towel. “What’s for breakfast?” She asked him coldly, moving to sit at the table.
Mal grinned and handed her a rather large plate with bacon, pancakes, syrup, strawberries, and the rest of the common breakfast items. "Eat that." He commanded her. She looked too skinny, and he wanted to help with that.
He walked over to the bathroom, taking his clothes with him inside. She better eat all of that. I made it especially for her.
She thanked him softly, looking down at the food softly. It was a lot but she would try and eat it all. Especially because she was starving.
She sat down and placed a strawberry in her mouth, humming at the sweet taste of the fruit. She mentally thanked him again.
Mal finished his shower in a matter of 10 minutes (to be exact.) He walked out, fully clothed and saw that she was still eating.
"Is it good?" He went behind the counter to find something that he could eat.
Arabella had a mouthful of pancake when he exited. She blushed lightly and swallowed quickly. “It’s good…” she murmured, looking up at him with slightly narrowed eyes. “What do we have planned for today?” She asked him in a business tone.
“This is our honeymoon…” she fell silent, finishing up her plate with a soft - and very sad - sigh. “We should at least try and enjoy ourselves, yes?”
He grabbed a PopTart and started to nibble on it. "Is there anything you'd like to do?" He leaned on the table with his elbows.
Mal glanced out the window and smiled. "It is quite lovely outside."
Yeah, divorce you… Arabella refrained from saying what she really wanted to say and instead took a look out the window and sighing. “I’d love to take a walk outside… the gardens are beautiful and I really just want some fresh air.”
She played with her wedding ring, staring down at it. It was rather beautiful, whoever had picked it out had good taste. “Or we could go to the hot springs or whatever they have and just go for a swim.”
"We could always do both," he gave her a toothy smile and looked outside again. "Though it might not be nice tomorrow, so I say we go for a walk here pretty soon."
He threw away the crumbs of his breakfast and started to wash her plate. He enjoyed cleaning. It was instantly gratifying. And it not only does it help relieve stress, but it also gets stuff clean.
When he finished, he turned to her and asked, "You ready?"
She stared out at the sky, listening to the sound of the water hit the dish as he cleaned. The female was wondering how hard it would be to find a job with long hours. Of course they didn’t need money, he was rich after all, but she didn’t want to be home with Mal. She’d rather not spend every waking hour with him.
Her head turned to him as he spoke but her eyes never left the scenery. “Yes, I’m ready… let me just slide some shoes on.” She murmured, scuffling over to their shoes and sliding her flats on.
Mal put on his shoes and opened the door, holding it open for her. "After you milady," he grinned and did a slight bow.
Arabella scoffed at his words and rolled her eyes, sliding on a small jacket. When she passed him she smiled slightly, amused by his words and actions. He was playfully cute sometimes, she had to admit that. “Oh hush, your royal highness…” she returned, putting a bit of poison behind her words.
Once again her eyes fell to her wedding ring. She sighed loudly at it and bit her lip. It was a symbol of her chains, of the metaphorical prison she was stuck in. At least it was pretty and he wasn’t a complete asshole.
(Sorry that took so long! I've been getting way too behind with my rp's)
Mal heard her sigh. Closing the door behind him, he asked, "Something bothering you?" He opened the door leading to the park (or wherever) for her again.
He felt kind of bad. She clearly doesn't want to be in this marriage. Was it fair for him to just marry her like that? He is helping out her family, and he is a great husband. But she seemed so unhappy, it made his heart ache. He wished that there was a way to make her like him.
(Youre ok!!)
“No, I'll be Alright… I just… I didn’t think I’d be married so young.” She replied simply, looking at him with a sad light in her eyes. “I really shouldn’t be so rude or so bothered by it… you’re helping my family.” She murmured, pulling her jacket more around herself for comfort.
“I am sorry I am so cold towards you… but, I just can’t love you, Mal. You are a wonderful man, a kind one with a lot of skills, but you aren’t someone I can fall for.”
Mal winced internally. Ouch. He didn't let his slight faltering show though. He smiled at her and tried to lighten the mood by changing the subject, "I'm wonderful, eh?," he chuckled. "I already knew that, dear."
He was wondering if maybe he should divorce her. He didn't want to let her go. But that was being selfish, a trait he hated with a burning passion. Besides, it was too early in the marriage to divorce her right off the bat. That would be weird, and it would damage both of their reputations, hers more so. Maybe, later on, I could let her see other people. Like an open relationship… He shuddered at the thought of sharing a human person. We'll see.
She flashed him a small smile, laughing softly. “Yes, I can’t hate you. You’re a good man.” Arabella stared up at his handsome face, wishing she could have met him under different circumstances. In all truth, he was someone she could have fallen for. It’s just the way she was forced into his hands that she didn’t like.
Arabella shook her thoughts away, hugging herself once again as she looked around. “It’s pretty…”
(whaT i thought i replied to this-)
"It's alright," he commented. Mal didn't actually care about their surroundings. He didn't tend to enjoy scenery like others would. To him, it was just more land. Who cares if it was pretty or not?
He looked at Arabella and tilted his head. "So, what do you like to do for fun?"
(It’s okkkeeyy I’m back home early from vacation already btw. Our car had troubles.)
She glanced at him when he spoke up, her eyes wide and questioning. “For fun…?” She asked, blushing lightly when she processed his question.
“Oh, well, I like painting… a lot. I have a few pieces hanging at my family’s house. I also really enjoy fantasy novels. And walking alone, or at least in a place like this. I don’t mind some company. I never really had real friends.”
(Oh welcome back!)
He grinned at her. "You could become a painter if you wish." He frowned when she said 'real friends'. He knew exactly what that felt like. "Those 'friends' of yours probably weren't even worthy." he said, seemingly bitter.