My parents are already at the dining hall as Sam had told me. I almost didn’t notice them because of the intricate architecture of the arch ceiling, and the complete aura of the room. As expected, the people dining here are all garnered up on their formal attires, and I couldn’t help but notice the casual stares of the other diners at our direction since I and Sam arrived. But when I finally focus onto my parents, I realize that they even tried their best for the formality that this have even in a very, very short notice.
Mom was dressed in a floor-length dressed, completely an opposite of mine; and Dad on one of his tailored suits. The two of them even stand up when we are within sight, and both of them embrace me casually, giving me a quick peck on my cheeks. I am glad that they didn’t greet the two of us with the question of what this dinner is all about. But with how Dad and Sam had a stern nod at each other, I could tell that Sam had already met and talked with them two before he even fetched me.
Sam ushers me to the vacant chair opposite to Mom’s and ensures that I find myself comfortable at first, before he finally settles next to me. I keep my mouth shut when Sam draws his chair closer to mine.
At the very instant then, a group of waiters start bringing in the food. For starters, we have a Country Style Terrine; a Pan-seared Union Hall Hake Fillet for the main course; chocolate and orange for dessert; and a Romanée-Conti wine. I try to imagine the expenses as we dine, and I couldn’t even comprehend how much the cost will be.
As we eat, I could still feel the shy glares of people at our direction, and it almost make me cower. But what’s much more embarrassing is the fact that my father realize that I am much busier on completely acknowledging the gossips than to the food.
“Are you all right, Ada?” Dad asks as a frown appears on his face, a visible crease on his brow.
I try to act fine and smile. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been wondering what will happen since I didn’t attend school today.”
“Ada,” my mother calls softly. She smiles at me, looks at Sam for a moment and then to me again. “UCD doesn’t tolerate Chitchatted at all. I’ve talked to your professors if they could go easy on you and Sam. They understand the situation the two of you are currently in. Though I can’t assure when will the gossips completely vanish.”
“That’s the very reason why I asked you for this dinner, Doctor Weston and Doctor Lowe,” Sam instantly remarks intently. His voice is stern and completely undaunted, causing not only my parents to look at him, but also me. “I want you to know my intentions before I could even make a move that might shocked you just as how things had been for us today.” He looks at me, and I could realize the gentleness on his eyes despite how focus he is on looking at me. “I have every intention, if you will allow me, to one day take your daughter as my wife.”
My eyes widen at his revelation. Well, I don’t actually see this coming, or I even imagine this happening. After all, the only thing we manage to agree into is the fact that we’ll talk to my parents if we could enter into a relationship as a boyfriend and girlfriend so that they wouldn’t be surprised if Sam reveals it to the public in order to protect me. But then, now… what’s this talk of making me his bride?
Though I won’t deny the fact that I once remember promising to him that if in the future we end up not settling with a partner, we’ll marry each other instead. But that vow is not yet due; well, not at least with me. Since we promised that we’ll wait until we’re twenty-one, and hell-bent, Sam is turning twenty-one in less than four weeks!
“I keep denying it to myself,” he continues on, still looking at me straight to the eye. “That I don’t love her. But it appears that I’m only making a fool of myself when I try to make myself believe that, because ever since I first saw her, I know that my future rests along with hers. I know too well that the very reason why I continuously avoided the media’s spotlight on her is because it will be much easier for me to protect her that way. And now that the public learned about her, I couldn’t simply abandon her. I couldn’t take the gossips about her alone. I thought of it that I much wanted to protect her now more than ever. I absolutely love her with all my heart. I am the scar of the Milky Way, and Ada makes me feel completely free, completely healed.”
A whole full minute passed that neither from my parents nor me try to break the tension of silence that followed Sam’s words. If I’ve been not looking at him straight to the eye, I am certainly laughing already on how ridiculous he sounds. But I know too well that Sam might be one big tease, yet, the truth still lies in a person’s eyes. And I can clearly see it now what Airin had told me earlier. Sam always looked at me as if I am all that there is, as if I am the only person in the world, as if I am the entire universe for him.
That alone makes my heart swell with countless emotions that I also try to deny myself countless of times.
I hear my Dad clears his throat, causing me to break away from Sam’s stare at me. A few seconds later, Sam also follows my gaze as both of us look at my parents. “Well, Sam… you know too well that we’ve always treated you like a part of our family.” Dad smiles uneasily. “Though I won’t say that I disapprove, but aren’t you both still too young for talks about ‘marriage’?”
Mom waves a hand away from Dad and smiles warmly at us. “Oh, don’t mind him. He isn’t just listening when you told us that you intend to marry Ada in the future, not right away. Is it not, Sam?”
“Yes,” Sam answers with a stern nod. “I won’t do anything if you don’t want me to, and of course, if Ada don’t want me to. But I’d like to inform you that my intention is clear. I don’t want for the two of you to be surprised if any day from now you hear from the news that we are in a relationship already.”
“What?!” Dad blusters, earning us a few glances from the diners near us. I am glad that I didn’t flinch and Dad manages to regain his controlled composure with few deep breaths. He turns to me with complete question on his face. “Ada, you allowed Sam to court you without us knowing?”
“Well, Dad…” I mutter.
“Oh, my girl,” he interrupts as his voice softens. “You truly are turning to a lady. I can’t imagine that…”
“Darling,” Mom chides Dad.
Dad suddenly looks at Sam again and as threatening as he could, he states, “I won’t object if you are Ada’s boyfriend already. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind going to prison if you hurt her. Is that understood?”
To Dad’s credit, Sam didn’t even stutter when he firmly holds his head high and nods sternly that will match one junior in the military to his senior. And Sam’s voice didn’t quiver when he replies, “Yes, sir.”
When dinner ends and Sam walks the three of us to the Merrion Hotel courtyard, my parents told me that I better stand by and they’ll be the one to pick up the car. They’ll simply fetch me by the main entrance. But I know too well that they are searching for an excuse for me and Sam to have a time of our own for a moment.
“Thank you,” I say awkwardly, looking up at him, since he won’t even remove his hand by my waist at all, keeping me still close to him. I am still so troubled of whether I must believe in his words or not, but I couldn’t still help not to blush whenever I remember everything he just said.
“It’s nothing,” he answers, smiling at me. “You don’t know how happy and relieve I am to gain the approval of the parents of the person I love.”
“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” I chide, raising an eyebrow at him.
That only makes him sigh and frown at me. “You still don’t believe me, do you? I like you, okay? It’s more than that. You don’t know how much confidence I’ve built up to tell my love for you in front of your parents who’ll certainly judge and condemn me if I am the right man for you. I adore and love you truly, Ada. There, I said it. I hope you get it now.”
I gulp in hard. It’s different all the same now that he is explaining to me again. How a fool I am then to completely question him and his actions every single time? But for someone like Sam whom I’ve known to always make fun of me every single time, I can’t help not to doubt. Yet, I feel so guilty in questioning his feelings. I am just so unsure… I just didn’t thought that it will come to this.
He stands in front of me and places his hands by my cheeks, his fingers brushing away a loose hair that frames my face. He looks at me straight to the eye as he says, “And I completely mean it when I told them my intention of marrying you one day. I want you to be my wife.”
“You asked me to be your girlfriend just about ten hours ago, and now you’re proposing? That’s not how I expect you will do that, knowing how romantic you are,” I joke, slowly easing the tension that I’ve probably caused on how I question him. But my statement… majority of it is still a joke. I am not sure on how I should take everything in. I still can’t believe it. Just at the same time that I don’t know if I must believe his words or not. But right now, a bigger part of me is telling me to believe him, because I know that he is saying the truth.
“One day.” He smirks. “I will.”
I chuckle shyly.
And before I could even know it, Sam had already leaned his face closer to mine. He brushes his lips against mine, gentle at first. I can’t help myself not to succumb to how soft his lips are against mine, how he tastes and how I could tell his impatience and hunger. I didn’t realize when I close my eyes. To admit, I only realize about it by the time that we both pull away and I open my eyes to look at him.
He keeps one arm around my waist, drawing me closer. He reaches for something from his pocket and hands me my phone and a key along with it.
I take them and frown at the key.
“Text me when you get home. That key is a duplicate,” he explains.
“Is that even allowed in hotels?” I inquire.
“That’s a key to my apartment. I’ll show it to you by the time I am all settled there.”
“But I thought that…”
“You thought that I’m staying in a hotel for the rest of my life?” He laughs. “I guess Andrik got the wrong idea. I am not returning to Roebuck but I’ll be staying in an apartment that will still be close to UCD.”
“Then, if that happens…”
“Don’t worry about your clothes. I’ll see to it that it will all be returned to you as much as possible.”
“Hey, don’t you—”
“I won’t. Trust me.”
I smile.
“By the time I finally show you my apartment, come over whenever you feel like it,” he says.
“Okay.” I nod.
My Dad’s car stops by the main entrance of Merrion Hotel. Before I could even take a step onward, Sam kisses me by my cheek and mutters, “Don’t forget to let me know that you’re home safe. Goodnight, a mhuirnín.”
“Goodnight,” I reply with a much wider smile. And when he finally let me go, I start to realize how my heart starts to swell with longing again to be close to him.
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