Chapter 297 - Conviction

The apples here were rather on the pink side. 

And there were plenty, like a lot!

"You can have one if you want. This tree was planted by my mother- or so she claimed."

"Don't mind if I do." I jumped up high and plucked two apples. 

I gave one to Marg and took a bite of one myself. 

Sweet, crunchy, and tart. Perfect. 

Delicious. 

My heart was pounding. I was desperately trying to hide the fact that I couldn't even breathe properly. So, eating an apple did distract me for a second. 

Something was different though. For one, Marg wasn't running away. 

She was here. Right here. 

Just waiting for my response. 

And I had to do this. 

My breath shook, my chest shivered. 

This was it. I took another bite of out the apple and chewed.

Finished chewing: "I love you." I looked straight into her eyes. "I'm gonna be honest. I did that on my own. And I'm reflecting. It hurts, it really does when I think you were hurt. I'm sorry. I won't say I don't have feelings for them, cause I don't want to lie. But, but I do love you. And my love for you won't end. I'll limit my interactions with them and try to distance myself. I'll only marry you and stay by you and-" I took another deep breath, got on my knees, and moved my apple forward. 'Where's a ring when you need one?' "Will you marry me?"

We'd actually talked about rings before. But Marg said she didn't need one. Besides, no one wore rings these days anyway. 

She didn't say a word. She just stood there, looking at me. she didn't show any emotions. She just stared straight ahead. 

Every second felt like an eternity. 

Every second hurt. 

What if she said no?

What if she left me?

What if she thought I was lying?

But I wasn't. 

I was prepared.

And-

"Of course!" She jumped in my arms, hugged me so tight it actually hurt. "You dummy." For a second her emotions ran wild. 

And now I realized she was also shaking. 

Her heart was racing faster than mine. 

She'd been through a lot too. Of course, she did. 

I gently grabbed her back with my palm. 

Neither of us said anything. 

I was glad. 

Too glad. 

I was so afraid. I thought she'd leave. I did want to believe she wouldn't since we loved each other, but I couldn't stop fearing the otherwise. I couldn't stop fearing the unknown. 

"I know you love me. And I might have overreacted a little," she said, after a long pause. 

"No," I rubbed her back. "You didn't. That was a totally normal response."

If anything, that was a mild response. If I'd seen her with someone else, in bed, I'd have been more than just furious. 

And yet, I acted like a hypocrite, told her I loved her and ended up sleeping with another girl. 

So, yeah, her reaction was mild if nothing else. 

"Even so." She let go of me and just stared at my eyes. "I'm really selfish and that's why I want our wedding to be just ours." She paused for a moment. 

"I did say, I'd limit the interactions and-"

She put a finger on my lips. "I'd love to have you all for myself. But, I can't deny their love for you and I know you have feelings for that snake already."

Well, I certainly couldn't hide that from her. 

But wasn't she the one who wanted to chop their heads off or something?

And yet, she was sacrificing her happiness- for mine or rather, she was thinking about the bigger picture. 

"Then you're saying-"

"You're free to flirt and stuff but for our first month, don't sleep with them. And for the first two months of our marriage, you're not allowed to get married again." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Deal?"

"Deal." 

I was totally prepared to forsake everything for Marg. And yet- and yet, she was more prepared than me. 

"Also, these apples are still unripe." Marg finally took my apple and gave it a bite. "They're good though." The way she talked with a mouthful was far too cute. "But maybe a bit too sour."

"Well, I liked them." I always had a soft spot for sour things anyway. 

I let Marg finish eating and when she did, I gently held her and our mouths connected.

She smelled like apples. 

She also tasted like apples. 

'Okay, apple thoughts, out!'

I could feel her pulse. Her heart was racing and so was mine. 

I was getting hot again. And just when the sweat had dried too!

Exhale!

Marg broke into giggles and the kiss ended but we couldn't look away from each other. 

"Since you're here and all, you'd have to meet father," Marg said, after a while. 

We took a seat by the apple tree, looking at the distance. 

There was nothing here but just grass and some apple trees here and there. 

Some birds were flying in the sky and maybe one or two wild animals were around. But for the most part, this place was quiet and tranquil. 

"Yeah, I guess I had to deal with him and thank him sooner or later."

Marg giggled. "Let's not complicate things too much, okay?"

"I'll try my best."

We still had our wedding tomorrow. It was better to not antagonize the guy now. 

She giggled harder and rested her head on my shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The fragrance of the apples and the grass around us enveloped the whole area. I just hadn't paid attention till now. 

And then I saw something just a meter away from me. A green caterpillar. 

And then the thought dawned upon me. 

'Holy shit, we're in bug eutopia!'

"Maybe we should go?" I said, trying my best to contain the chaos and not shiver like a moron. 

"Just a minute longer." Marg was smiling, looking at the distance. 

'A minute, just a minute! Just a minute…'

Yeah, it wasn't working.

But for both our sakes, I tried to focus only on Marg and calmed my heart. 

It wasn't having much effect but I still tried my best. 

'One Marg… two Marg…'