Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 155

He’d lost his girlfriend to a television.

Goodness, this was embarrassing.

“So we’re watching movies,” Blaine nodded slowly.

Clarisse furrowed her brows, sensing this wasn’t what he’d expected.

“Yeah, we are. Any problem with that?” She asked curiously.

Blaine immediately shook his head, “No, of course not. I was just… confirming things.”

Snuggling up together on his bed, Clarisse nuzzled her nose in Blaine’s neck, causing him to feel butterflies in his stomach.

“I’m glad you had the entire day free,” Clarisse whispered.

Blaine pulled her closer to him.

“I am too,” he agreed, trying to place a kiss on her forehead before missing entirely.

He laughed before his attention was caught by the show he was supposed to be watching with Clarisse had he not been daydreaming and spacing out.

“You watched so many episodes already,” Blaine realized.

“Who did you watch it with?” He questioned curiously.

Knowing Clarisse, she watched most of the episodes with someone, if not all. She never liked being alone in the first place anyway.

Clarisse immediately froze.

Oh crap, she’s forgotten she had watched most episodes with Oliver already.

‘I can’t lie to my boyfriend. Besides, I can’t say I watched it with Sophia since she’s not here and mostly busy. Louis was busy with Marcus yesterday, and I can’t tell him I watched them with Oliver. Lying to him in general is a bad idea. Gosh, what do I do?!’ She panicked.

“A friend,” she answered.

“Ah,” Blaine said – not asking who this friend was.

He had complete trust in her, he didn’t bother asking who.

It made her heart melt.

Blaine was jealous of Oliver – and how much time he had been spending with her.

‘I shouldn’t be keeping secrets,’ Clarisse knew.

‘Well, I didn’t lie saying I watched ’em with a friend. Oliver does count as one,’ she tried reasoning with herself, hoping it’d make her feel less guilty – which it didn’t.

Then, she reminded herself Oliver was also the man she was supposed to marry. So much for not feeling guilty.

Relief washed over Clarisse when she saw lunch being prepared in Blaine’s room. Watching movies with him had turned from romantic to plain awkward.

She didn’t know what it was that made things so awkward nowadays, but she was hoping that wouldn’t be the case since she missed having someone to talk to.

All things aside, Blaine was the one person she confided in, other than Sophia and Louis.

He was Mr Perfect. The man she undoubtedly wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

So what was it holding her back?

It was an invisible force she couldn’t recognize.

“Eat,” Blaine said, holding a spoonful of Clarisse’s favourite food.

They took turns feeding each other.

“I’m full,” Blaine whined.

Clarisse placed the spoon down.

“Oh alright,” she gave in.

“What do you reckon we do next, hm?” She asked, wriggling her brows at Blaine.

Blaine bit his lip.

Was she actually suggesting what he thought she was suggesting?

“Do you have something in mind?” He asked, trying to confirm what he sensed.

Clarisse gave him an adorable-looking smile.

“Maybe I do, and maybe I don’t,” she said.

__

“Eat,” Nicholas coaxed.

“I don’t feel like eating,” Sophia pouted.

“Regardless of whether or not you feel like eating, eat,” Nicholas convinced, holding a spoonful of food.

Sophia bit her lip.

Placing the spoon down, Nicholas realized, “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

“You’re doing that thing you do whenever you’re bothered, biting your lip like that,” he noticed.

Sophia shook her head, “It’s nothing too important.”

For a moment, Nicholas was beginning to panic. Was it something he did? Something he said to her that made her this way? Why was she bothered anyway?

Realization dawned on Nicholas.

“I’m sad to see you go too,” he said to her.

Sophia blinked, looking up at Nicholas.

“How did you…”

She trailed off.

Nicholas tilted his head.

“I’m your boyfriend, of course I’d know.”

She didn’t want to leave for Beldovia tomorrow. It wouldn’t be for another couple of days before they saw each other again, and that was torture enough.

“I’m going to miss you,” Sophia said, in a grim mood.

Nicholas placed the spoon down, cleaning his hands with a napkin before patting her on the back.

“I know, and I’m going to miss you too but we have duties to attend to,” he reasoned.

Frowning, Sophia replied, “Still doesn’t make me miss you any less.”

Nicholas sighed, “We still have a day or so together, why not make use of it while we still can?”

Sophia’s gaze softened.

Sophia envisioned a life without being royalty and simply being too ordinary people who were in love with each other.

How would they meet in that reality?

They met because becoming queen required a spouse. For citizens, arranged marriages were scarce, and little to none – so Sophia had learnt.

If she had the chance to change how things played out, she wouldn’t change a thing. Nicholas was more than she ever thought she deserved and dreamt of having. Then again, she never wished for a lover. But now that she had one, she couldn’t feel more blessed.

Nicholas looked over at her.

If only he could tell her he’d give up being king to be with her in a heartbeat. Less even.

He stared at her. She was the one. There was no doubt anymore that it was her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Their love was strong enough to withhold all sorts of challenges. They spent less time together, what with fulfilling more duties, but that hadn’t even put a dent in their relationship.

Nearly losing each other only made their bond stronger.

What started with a ruse, was now this.

“We’ll figure it out, won’t we?” Sophia asked hopefully.

“A way to see each other more often when we’re swamped with work,” she clarified.

Nicholas nodded, “Of course we will.”

Sophia had hoped things would end differently compared to Clarisse in terms of relationships.

Clarisse had gotten bored of her perfect relationship. Sophia had hoped she’d managed to patch things up, but it left a small patch of worry regarding her own relationship.

Nicholas was well… perfect.

But never would she have thought there was even the possibility she could get bored.

Neither did Clarisse, but here she was.

“Did we ever consider this possibility when we started the ruse?” Nicholas questioned, lacing his fingers with hers.

“Hm, I don’t think so,” Sophia admitted.

Nicholas asked hopefully, “So, will you eat now or do you still insist not to?”

Sophia blinked – she momentarily forgot she was in the dining room.

Being caught off guard, Sophia stuttered, “U-uh, yeah.”

Nicholas chuckled.

Sophia rolled her eyes.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that,” Nicholas said.

“Eat,” he fed her a spoonful of food.

Sophia flinched once the spoon came in contact with her mouth.

“Hot,” she waved her hand in front of her mouth.

Nicholas furrowed her brows, “But the food’s been out for long.”

Sophia flipped her hair and placed her hands on her hips.

Shamelessly, she retorted, “That’s because it’s not the porridge that’s hot, but you.”

Nicholas got all flustered by her words.

He sucked his cheeks in.

“Tch,” he pouted.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Sophia said.

“I’m only telling the truth here,” she said, no ounce of regret in her tone.

Nicholas’ eyes twitched.

“I was just trying to feed you,” he facepalmed.

Hours later… in the middle of the night…

Sophia whimpered in her sleep.

It was the same dream she had a year ago, except more detailed than before, including the events that happened before.

She tossed and turned – waking up Nicholas in the process.

Imagine Nicholas’ shock, waking up to his girlfriend trembling beside him.

He’d never seen her like this.

He heard her whisper hoarsely, “Don’t go. Please don’t go. Don’t leave me.”

“I love you. I love you, so please don’t go!” She cried.

She started sniffling, startling Nicholas.

She was having a nightmare.

He wrapped his arms around her, hoping she’d feel safe if he was there.

“Shh,” he hushed her, managing to shush her.

She ceased sniffling, still trembling but calmer now.

“It’s okay,” he said, making sure Sophia was comfortable and warm. He made sure she was draped in a blanket, even if it meant he’d freeze.

A couple of minutes later, his eyes drooped to a close, and he allowed darkness to swallow him whole.

__

When he woke up, he felt something on his waist. He realized it was Sophia hugging him tightly.

The nightmare must’ve been that bad for her to do such a thing. She wouldn’t let go of him.

Not wanting to wake her up too jarringly, he ruffled her hair, whispering to her in his deep, husky morning voice, “You alright, Soph?”

Sophia’s eyes opened slowly, as though she was taking in she was back in the real world and no longer in her dreams.