“A party?!” Delia hears the squeak in Theo’s voice. “A party—where Delia and I have to leave the hotel—yeah, can I call you back?” He hangs up. “My grandfather wants me to come home for a party to celebrate my engagement—tomorrow,” Theo says, staring at Two. “You gonna let us leave?”

“I don’t see why that’ll be a problem. We can work our group into the crowd while you work your magic on the feeble old man.”

Theo turns to Delia, exhaustion laces his expression. “He’s excited to meet the girl that captured my heart, despite knowing very well who you are since it was our grandparents that arranged this.” He gives Delia a deadpan stare. “Pretend that you love me, okay?”

He didn’t have to sound so sick about it. “I can, despite you giving me no incentive to.”

Two chimes in, “Sounds like a plan. Call your grandfather back and tell him it's on—and rest up, because the grand stage will be yours in the morrow.”

It's only been half a day but Delia’s gotten used to Two's strange antics. She would prefer this treatment over his boss's any day. He takes the phone back from Theo, bidding his farewell. 

Delia and Theo part ways for the night, her hand still on the crook of the door. Finally, she can lull herself to sleep in the bed before her. The wide sprawling king-sized frame was a magnificent sight to behold. Easily big enough for the two of them, but the couch is also comfy. No need to feel his weight shift around so much in his sleep if she didn’t have to. Delia changes into a chemise, the fabric flows down to her feet, barely covering her toes. Its thin material doesn’t hide much, but it’s light enough to sleep in without getting too hot. Delia lifts the luxurious satin cover and tucks herself into bed. She sinks into the plush goodness of the mattress, letting out a relaxed sigh. She didn’t realize how much she missed a simple blanket, and how it cradled her body. Finally, some normalcy in this bloody mess.

She lays there, blinking at mini ornate chandelier on the ceiling. She turns to the clock in the room, she's laid awake for over forty minutes! This…isn't good. Delia flips to one side, then her other, until the blankets are too warm. She kicks it off, feeling the familiar chill of the basement room from last night.

Does she dare ask Theo to share her bed? Her cheeks flush—what if he's naked again? It wouldn’t matter, as she tells herself time and time again—he won't touch her. She's going to marry a man who is most likely not interested in women. And, that has to be okay. It's the most normal thing going for her right now.

With her decision made, she hops out of bed, walking to the living room where the couch is. To her surprise, he's not there. She faces the balcony, his bare back outlined by the full moon's light.

He's wearing flannel pants this time.

Thank god.

He turns to face her, his golden eyes almost glowing in the dark. She tenses, unsure of him but he waves her over. She follows his direction, joining Theo as she looks up into the starry night sky.

“Couldn’t sleep either?”

“Nah. It’s too quiet.” Theo states at her. “You?”

“It was too warm, couldn’t get comfy—wait, why was it too quiet for you?”

“I got used to your snoring. It's the perfect white noise …drowns everything out.”

“I-I do not snore!” She raises a finger to him. “You clearly mistook that snoring noise for something else.”

“You and I both know that my ears weren’t mistaken.” He says with emotionless conviction, but his face dips a bit as he says, “I found it too quiet, perhaps we may share a room so I can be lulled to sleep once again by that scrupulous sound.” Theo’s face did not move an inch as he spoke. He's being serious.

“Don’t make fun of me—and I don't snore!” Delia crosses her arms against her chest and tucks her leg behind her other one. “But…if you want to…we can share a room. I know your secret.”

“What secret?”

Delia’s violet eyes glint with mischief. “That you're into men. It makes sense, given that you don’t act like a straight man would in these kind of circumstances.”

“You think that because I don’t leer at you, I must be gay? No. I'm polite and respectful. I have a little sister, and I treat women how I would treat her.”

“You treat her with criticism and rudeness? Interesting.” Delia turns around, letting out a disappointed sigh. “I must not be your type, then.”

“I never said you weren’t attractive. I wouldn’t have agreed to marry a woman I wouldn’t wish to bed.”

Delia's face is stained red…this guy has no filter. “I-I…see…I guess it's good to know you find me somewhat appealing.”

“Do you find me suitable? I figured you did from how you would gawk over my presence but…I could have mistaken.”

She does not gawk! Delia closes her eyes, “Yes, I do find you suitable so let’s not dwell on the subject. I'm going to bed, I’ll leave the door open for you to join me.” Her cheeks burn as her stomach tingles with excitement.

Theo thinks she's hot! That shouldn’t excite her! This was the wrong time for such thoughts, especially since she invited him to her bed. She scurries back to the room, jumping under her covers…maybe it's because having his presence around made her feel safe. Being watched from potentially every corner was nerve-wracking, but being alone was even more so. She relaxes when she hears Theo enter, the familiar weight shift of the mattress brings her relaxation. She also notices that he doesn’t get under the covers—which is suitable for her.

Delia smiles as she says a simple, “Good night!”

“Night.” Theo adds, “That gown you're wearing has the texture of a thinly veiled curtain. Consider covering up properly next time.”

Delia can feel blood rush to her face, engulfing it whole. “It’s supposed to be for sleeping not for public view. If you don’t like what you see, don't look.”

“Who in their right mind wouldn’t appreciate that kind of view—erm—good night.”

“What’s wrong, haven’t seen a woman's body before?” Delia chuckles lightly at her throwback, but Theo remains still. There's a bit of pride knowing she struck a chord within him.

Good. It might teach him next time to keep his mouth shut and filter his bloody words!

This is the first time Delia has ever visited the Avangard Manor. It’s a fine sprawling estate that was bigger than theirs—the long winding driveway intimidates her from by the sheet length alone. She and Theo ride in the back of a limo, driven by one of their captors. It wasn’t Two, which compared to this guy’s “you better not blow our cover” and “get that island”, he would have been better company. Honest to god, if she hears the word island one more time, she’s going to stab her ear-drums out with a fork.

Theo sported a similar outfit to yesterday’s, swapping out the burgundy dress shirt with a violet one. Delia coincidentally had a violet cocktail dress stashed in her things, so she chose that for this occasion. It's better if they looked the part of a happily engaged couple, even if it’s something corny like matching colours.

Theo ditched his glasses for the event, making his golden eyes that much brighter. They were hypnotizing to look at—Delia could seize this as an opportunity. She must indulge in what she finds appealing in this man.

“Hmm?” he says, noticing her stare.

“You look different without your glasses.”

“I've never slept with them though..." He scratches his chin. "Does it look bad?”

“No, it suits you either way.”

Theo offers a polite nod. “Good. Grandfather encourages me to show off my chiselled features…which sounds ridiculous when I repeat his words out loud.”

“Chiselled?” Delia laughs so hard that she snorts. “That’s a bit far, but yes, you look handsome.” She didn’t mean to outwardly compliment him like that, but, it wasn’t a lie.

“I wear them when I’m working but I don’t need them to see. I’ve also been told I look smarter with them on...also, you're being unusually polite."

“We have to pretend that we're in love with each other. I’m trying to get into that mindset.”

“Yes, that is wise. Very well,” Theo shimmies next to Delia and drapes an arm around her. “Let’s get used to touching each other I…suppose.”

“Please don’t say it like that,” Delia says, her face burning.

“You know what I meant.” He growls, but he doesn't move. “He might expect that we kiss.”

Delia's heart hammers at the thought. But if he does…god…would they be able to pull that off? Two people who were very much in love and were planning to elope would have no problem kissing in front of others…

“If he does, we'll have to,” Delia says briskly.

“I know. Should we just get it out of the way or—”

“—NO THAT'S—that's not what I’m getting at.” Delia stammers, his arm being around her is already hard enough to manage. “We don’t have to kiss now, just when we're expected to.”

“Agreed.” Theo nods. He backs off from her, just in time for the limo to stop. They arrived.

Orchids and roses line the paved drive, weaving around a three-tiered fountain. The cream coloured brick gave a new feel to the traditional look and blended with their garden quite nicely. The stairwell wasn’t too high, which Delia was thankful for in case she tripped and fell from her nerves. Another good thing is that she decided to wear a short dress.

“Don’t do anything stupid.” The deep gruff voice warns the couple before they leave the limo, Theo playing the gentleman and opens the door for Delia. She takes his hand, her heart beating wildly as she continues to hold it.

It's showtime!