Even though Clifford and I sat across from each other, we didn抰 talk much except for 揥ould you mind passing me the bowl??and avoided eye contact. Mom tried to catch my gaze during dinner, her expression questioning. I gave her a quick smile before I focused on dessert once again.
When the maid pushed a trolley with digestif bottles over to the table, I said to Clifford, 揟his place looks really big.?I hoped he抎 get my cue.
揇o you want a tour of the house??Clifford asked with a pleasant smile, finally meeting my eyes.
I got the feeling he wanted to escape the tense atmosphere and not-so-veiled complaints from his parents as much as I did.
揧es, please.?
I glanced at Dad who gave a curt nod. I pushed to my feet and gave Leonas a forbidding look, lest he might consider joining us. I wanted a word with Clifford alone and not have my brother poking his nose into things that didn抰 concern him.
Clifford made an inviting gesture toward the door. I walked back out into the foyer, feeling lighter with every step that took me farther away from the rest of the Clarks. It was one of the very few occasions away from home that I was allowed to be without either my parents or Santino, and that too felt good for once.
揇o you really want a tour of the house??Clifford asked the moment the door was closed.
I shook my head. 揘ot really. I just wanted to escape and I抦 not too keen on returning any time soon.?
揗e neither. How about we go to my room? Nobody will bother us there.?
揕ead the way.?
Clifford still kept up his public smile as he led me through the lobby. 揟he walls have ears.?
I gave him a questioning look.
揥e抳e had some problems with personnel in the past.?
I nodded and followed Clifford into another hallway that led to an annex.
揟his was meant to be the pool house but my parents turned it into my own place.?
We stepped into the house which had a big living space with a couch, ginormous flatscreen TV, a kitchen unit, and a pool table. It had a direct view of the pool and the gardens. A pebbled pathway also led from the pool house back to the porch of the main house. There was a door to my left, where I suspected the bedroom to be. I was glad Clifford didn抰 show it to me, because that would have undoubtedly become awkward.
Clifford leaned against the pool table and finally dropped the constant smile.
揌ow long have you known about us??
His voice wasn抰 unfriendly but I caught the hint of accusation.
揝ince I was thirteen. Remember back when I watched you that one day and you and your friends snickered? That was a day after I found out.?
揗y friends thought you had a crush on me.?He chuckled then regarded me curiously. 揟hat抯 not the case, right??
I burst out laughing. 揘o, it抯 not. And that抯 not why our parents decided to match us if that抯 what you think. Only tactical reasons have led to the union, not emotions.?
揟hat抯 a consolation, I suppose??Clifford said wryly, his face scrunched up in obvious puzzlement. Poor guy.
揧ou were really rude to me that day.?
揥as I? It must have been bad if you still remember after all this time.?
揑 have the memory of an elephant, especially when it comes to people being rude to me.?
Clifford rubbed the back of his head, still uncomfortable but I could tell he was slowly loosening up. 揥hat did I do??
揧ou got mad because I interrupted your tennis match.?
揂hh, I抦 competitive. Sorry. I loathe losing, so I can get really rude if people disturb my concentration.?
揋ood to know.?
揟aking notes for our marriage??
揇efinitely.?
Clifford shook his head. 揟his is really strange. Nobody from my friends is engaged yet, or even thinking about it.?
揑 can抰 say the same. It抯 common in our world for people to be promised as kids or teens.?
揟hat抯 what I hear.?
I could hear a hint of disapproval in his tone and it made me want to defend our way of living, but I held back. I didn抰 want an argument on this day. 揃ut we抮e not officially engaged yet. We need to have an engagement party and an official announcement.?
揗y father wants to wait until we抮e both eighteen.?
Dad had mentioned it. It was uncommon in our world to wait this long, especially if one party was as high profile as me.
揟hey make it out to be some kind of star-crossed lovers thing. Apparently, that抯 what will sell this bond to the doubters,?Clifford continued.
揥ho can resist true love against all odds??
Clifford抯 lips curled.
揧ou don抰 believe in true love??
揑 only believe in things I can see.?
揧our parents don抰 love each other??
Clifford smiled in a disarming way. 揇o yours??
I smiled in turn and looked around the room. My parents most definitely loved each other. Sharing family secrets was way too personal for us at this point. Though, I wasn抰 sure I抎 ever trust Clifford enough to divulge any secrets of importance to him. 揑 guess this is good for parties and for having girls over without being interrupted.?