Chapter 52 - Signs Of Being In Love

When that realization dawned on Marcellus out of nowhere, he was pulled out of his reverie unceremoniously. 

Startled, he had to double take for a moment and blink for a few times. He had no idea how all those thoughts went down to that certain conclusion. Only when he zeroed in on it did he realize that he claimed something preposterous - him being in love can only be preposterous.

'Me? Fall for someone? That can't be serious. I'd been playing around with different women for a long time. I can't seriously be the one falling now...' Marcellus thought and grimaced before turning to look at Winter.

'But then again, what do I know? Love used to be a non-existent word in my vocabulary, so I went ahead and made my own meaning of it. Flirting around, using others, and breaking hearts - falling in love will only be some sort of payback to a guy like me.'

He then recalled what she told him earlier - about how he will be able to know that he is in love with someone, that is. She said that he would be the only one who could figure it out. And now that he's thinking about all these things, he realizes that he might have already figured it out. He's aware that these feelings had always been there within him, but he never paid attention to them for he didn't know what they meant.

And it's a little bit scary. 

Just like the darkness as well as the unknown that he fears so much, these incomprehensible and intelligible emotions of his are frightening - not only does he not know how deep it goes on, but he also doesn't know just how far he will be willing to go for her.

All he is certain of is that he wants to protect her and make her smile.

"Marcellus Lexington, you've been zoning out for a while now..." Winter chimed in all of the sudden, making Marcellus snap out of his thoughts.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Well,  uhhhh... No, there's nothing-"

Then, he froze.

At that very second, he recalls that she is in her cami top. But then, it's already too late for him as he already catches sight of how that low-cut garment exposes much of the hollow of her chest. He ends up blushing furiously right then. Then comes the struggle to gather all of his remaining will power to keep himself from staring too much. 

'Goodness...! I had already seen half-naked women before! Many times even! Why am I being embarrassed now?! And if anything, she's the one who should be embarrassed between the two of us! Is she that dense?!' Marcellus exclaimed inside his head, already breaking down in a mental panic.

"Ummm... Hey, can I borrow your jacket now...?" Winter asked a little timidly and chose to ignore how he started acting all bashful out of nowhere.

"Even in my camisole, it's still cold in here."

"Oh, sure. Of course, you can."

He tried to pull himself together - he seriously had to man-up. There's really nothing about this that he should make a big deal about. He feels like he's being too childish. It's a good thing that she didn't notice that, though. As usual, she's indifferent to those that don't make sense to her. 

"Here. Let me," he said as he stripped his suit jacket and scooted closer to her to drape it around her shoulders.

Winter blushes a little at how Marcellus does such a gentlemanly gesture in all seriousness.

Unlike earlier, he seemed to have regained his calm and cool. He had not even noticed that he leaned down to her when he put it on her - or at least, he did not at first. As soon as he locked eye contact with her, he suddenly went still and fell silent. He appears like he has been knocked out of breath at that moment.

He stares straight into her brilliant viridescent irises, feeling like they are the most precious emeralds in the world that he has ever had the honor to behold. 

"S-Sir Lexington, you're too close," she tried to call out to him again, taken aback to see him getting more and more mesmerized. 

"Say, Ms. Agreste..." he started once again as he continued to fill the gap between them.

"Don't you see me as a man?"

"Huh? W-What are you saying?" 

"Is that why you can take off your clothes with so much ease? Without any worries that I might do something 'funny' to you - or so you called it?" 

"I trust that you will not do such a thing. That is all. Now, if you want to prove that I'm right, then can you please go back to your seat-"

"You really didn't answer my question."

Marcellus keeps drawing closer and closer to Winter.

That's until the back of her head hits the car window. Now, she can no longer move further away. All that's left is the small space in their midst that keeps them apart by a hairbreadth. She's been trapped even more when he reaches out his arms to her sides and corners her in that spot. 

Confused, Winter can only look back at Marcellus that whole time. 

She can smell his spellbinding scent embracing her senses. And as if that is not enough to take her breathe away, she soon finds herself lost in his golden-yellow orbs. They have this compelling luster to them which fascinates her to the point she almost forgets about reality. But more than that, she can see his earnestness and sincerity in that gaze of his.

Whatever he's doing at the moment is no mere play - he's serious.

"You're not saying anything. Does it mean that you really don't see me as a man, after all?" 

When Marcellus brought that up again, Winter was struck dumbfounded. 

That's when she realizes that it's what this is all about. He's actually concerned about a trivial matter. It's not like she doesn't see him as a man - it's common sense that she does. So perhaps, there's a different meaning behind that question. She's not so dense that she wouldn't catch on that.

"Whether I do or do not, does it even matter to you? Surely, you're not trying to imply something here, right...?" Winter eventually replied after a moment of silence on her part.

"You're a man, and I'm a woman - we can be in 'that' relationship. Surely, that is not why you are asking this thing, right?" 

Marcellus did not respond.

Instead, he takes time to regard her and study how he feels.

Even now, his heart keeps pounding in a wildly rapid pace. It hammers against his chest, nailing a certain emotion that has built up within him over the course of time. And as he thinks about all the things that he can do to her at that moment, he is afraid that his heart will eventually burst out.

She just looks so kissable right then. He's starting to find it difficult to control himself.

"I see you as a partner, Marcellus Lexington. I see you as someone I can get even closer with..." she then trailed off and smiled a knowing smile, much to his surprise.

"And who knows? Perhaps, we'll be in that relationship someday." 

While Marcellus can't help but blush at that, thinking that he is actually being seen the way he wants to be seen by her all along, Winter only continues beaming at him while thinking about their probable future as fiance-and-fiancee - it turned out that their arranged marriage was that 'relationship' she was pertaining to and not what he had assumed.

--- 

"M-Ms. Agreste?! Why're you here?"

"Uhhhhh... Because I have to meet up with Sir Lexington?"

On the next day, Winter went to the headquarters all on her own - without Marcellus escorting her like what he always does.

Claude was stunned to see her walking down the hall and heading straight to the office of the boss. There's really nothing wrong with that since said boss more than welcomes her as a guest. But they do have that agreement in which he'll be the one to go to her school and get her instead of the other way around.   

But more than any of that, today just happens to be not a good day for some surprise visit.

"The President has a guest at the moment. I don't think he'll let you in," Claude told Winter with a little bit of hesitation, looking somewhat on the edge.

"Oh, I see. It's alright. I can wait at the lounge."

"But, seriously... Your last class usually dismisses later than this. Aren't you too early?"

"That's because it did dismiss early today. I really don't wanna wait for an hour more or so, and I feel like commuting every once in a while."   

"I understand. Then, you can just wait at the lounge."

"Sure. No problem-"

"At the lower floor."

"What?" 

She's well aware that the current floor they're in has more than one lounge. Him telling her to take the elevator again and find another one down there is giving her the impression that he doesn't want her to be around there. She is not only baffled, but she is also getting suspicious.   

"Hey, Sir Claude, are you hiding something from me?" Winter then asked Claude, making him tense up and look away.