"Shall we go?" Felix said to Yelena as soon as he came out of the room. Yelena nodded and hold his hand which he offered to her.
"Take care, Lex. See you again soon." The Prince bid goodbye to his cousin and walked away with his fiancee.
They left the hospital building and when they see the darkness of the outside, they only realized that it was quite late now.
They ride the Prince's car and left for the restaurant which they already picked in the morning.
During the ten minutes drive, the Captain was so quiet, unlike the other days which the Prince's finds it quite strange. He wondered if anything was going on with her.
However, Yelena was not aware of the Prince's thought. She only sits still, all because she doesn't know what to say. When she recalled her fiance holding that woman's hand, there was something inside her that she never felt before. The exact scene was replayed on her head again and again.
Was this jealously? She hated to admit but that pain lingered in her heart. She was not upset. It's just that she felt awkward to strike up a conversation. While she was busy wondering about these things, Felix words aroused her.
"Is something wrong?" He calmly asked her with his voice as gentler as ever.
Darting her eyes to him, she slightly smiled. "No. I'm fine."
He was driving yet he keeps on glancing at her once in a while. That goes on for almost a minute until he stopped the car and pull over to the side.
He saw her nervously narrowing her eyes at her hands that couldn't be still. "Look at me." He said to her with a calm voice.
When she finally turned her head to face him, he saw her eyes which he finds it hard to read. "Are you sure that everything's fine?" He asked her again, patiently.
"I know that I should not feel this way. But I - I..." She stumbled upon words but she didn't want to lie to him. When she met his patient gaze, she felt the warmth and finally get to compose herself. "It's hurt to see you holding her hands and gently wiped away her tears." She muttered, narrowing her eyes again.
"Yelena, you don't -"
"I know. I know where your heart belongs and I also trust you wholeheartedly. But it still hurts. I don't..." She instantly stopped talking when she felt his palms on both her cheeks. Then she finally realized that she was blabbering with a nervous face.
"Hush." He said and looked at her right in the eye. "It's fine but you don't even let me finish my words." He said with a little smile.
Realizing how messed up she was just now, her face turned red in embarrassment and his smile grew wider.
"I will say what I couldn't finish just now." He said with a teasing smile to make her even embarrassed. "You don't have to feel sorry for feeling that way. That's just a part of love and relationship. You love me, that's why you feel that way and... I'm sorry for hurting you. It won't happen again." He said to her in an apologetic face.
Yelena asked herself why she lost her composure. Maybe it was the first time she felt hurt due to that kind of gesture shown to another woman by her lover.
Even when she was the fiancee of Maurice Serano, she never experienced that feeling, much more like they were not given a chance. They used to spend time together without the involvement of any other women. And even with Felix, it was the first. It even made her wondered how Felix would felt during Maurice was there.
Did he felt hurt by his presence too? When he let Maurice met her, will it be hard for him to make such a decision? She bet that it won't be easy.
Hearing the Prince apologized to her, she suddenly felt more sorry. She was the one who told him to meet her. "I don't mean that way." She quickly said. "I have nothing against you and it's not your fault."
Without answering her, he simply pulled her in to a hug. "I'm aware of how you feel. I know you well." He said with a smile. "I think I should follow your footsteps and try harder to be more honest." He remarked.
"I think you forget that you're the one who says to be honest and to always talk it out." She blurted out which made him laughed.
"I will remember that." He chuckled and then pulled back. "Now that we have talked it out, let's continue the drive. No more awkward silence, right?" He teased her.
Yelena nodded with a smile. "No more."
This was what she really loved in their relationship - they often switched their role. He would sometimes take the lead and at times, he would follow her lead. No dominance or crazy controlling of one another while still deeply care for each other. That's the best kind of relationship she would ever ask for.
After another ten minutes drive which was filled with gleeful chattering, the couple finally reached their destination. They walked inside and sat in the room they reserved. As soon as dinner was served, Felix started the topic which he eagerly waited for the whole afternoon.
"Over dinner, right? The time has come." He said to Yelena with an exciting face.
"You won't forget." She commented with a chuckle and hopelessly shook her head.
"Impossible." He added with a laughter. "What did you talk about with my father?" He asked again for the many times in a day.
"Not much. He asked me some questions and I answered him." Yelena simply said.
"What questions?" Felix asked. What he wanted to hear all the details. He even wondered if his father's purpose was interrogating her. What's with the questions? Did his father think that he was an interviewer or what?!
Yelena thought about the bunch of hard questions that were thrown at her during the day. "Why I joined the army, will I be okay with leaving everything, what will become of my duty and if you said to me anything about him." She said what she recalled though they were not the only ones she was asked.
Felix knew right away that they were not trivial questions for her. For more than the tenth time in a day, he wondered what would be his father's motives.
Why did he ask her such questions as if he was trying to discourage her? That was very unlike his father. His eyes widened when one probability came to his mind. No way! Did his father tried to split them apart?! There's no way Felix would allow that!
But when he saw Yelena's surprised face, he maintained his composure again. "Then how did you answer him?" He asked.
"Your father should be the one to tell you that." She responded and continued with her dinner.
"Can you at least give me a hint?" He pestered her with a pleading face. He doubted that his father would tell him. That old man won't even answer his phone!
Well, he may not be that old. King Lawrence Valestra was still in his early 50s.
"You're quite bothersome today. You should really stop behaving like a kid." She bluntly stated as if she was annoyed. In fact, she only loved to teased him around and playing with his impatient behaviour.
He grunted when he heard her changing the topic. She was always so cruel, testing him every now and then! But when one thing crossed his mind, his face brightened up again. "I always want to ask you one thing. I have a clue but I always wondered how you would answer me." He said.
"What is it?" She asked. She admits that she was curious. What was the question that he truly wished to ask her?
"How long will you love me as you did now?" He asked.
What a ridiculous question! That's what she thought and it almost made her laughed but tried her best to suppress it. "As long as I'm Yelena Arista." She responded without much thought. She thought that her answer was okay but when she saw his displeased face, she raised a brow. Was that not the right answer?
"That short?" He scowled in disappointment but she didn't get it. Why would he respond like that?!
"Am I wrong?" She dumbfoundedly asked.
The Prince's face was still gloomy. "What will happen when your name becomes Yelena Valestra? You won't love me then?" He tilted his head and suddenly, his lips curved into a playful smile.
She finally understood what he was saying! After marriage, she will be a Valestra, not an Arista! She blinked in realization and then scowled. "Are you playing with me? You should just correct me as soon as I said it."
"It's always fun to play with you." He remarked. "Then I will ask you once again. How long -"
"Let's keep that aside. Didn't you say that you want to know how I answer your father?" She chimed in and made him stopped whatever he was trying to say.
"Yes." He quickly responded.
"I told him that I'm betting everything on your love for me. So, beware. If you ever have a change of heart -"
"You will shoot me. I memorized that too." He finished for her which made her burst out into a laughter.....