Teasing

"I..I can do it." Beatrice tried to grab the cotton from him and treat her wound by herself but Lucas jolted backward.

"No, Let me treat it, wife." Lucas pressed the cotton with ointment on her wound and she winced as she felt a stinging pain on her ankle.

"This is my fault so I should be the one treating it."

Lucas ignored her and continued tending on her wound. His expression was serious and focused that Beatrice decided to let him be.

"Why did you lie?" Lucas blurted out, not removing his attention on her ankle.

"Lie? I didn't lie." Beatrice spoke with confusion distinct in her voice.

"You said you're not meeting up with a guy."

Silence enveloped the living room. He felt a pang on his chest knowing Beatrice lied to him and that she doesn't even care to soothe things out. He doesn't even know anything about his wife and because of that, he speculates unnecessary thoughts.

"My business is not your business, Lucas."

Lucas wanted to get mad, he wanted to tell her that he's her husband and he has all the right to know. He wanted the idea of them being married to sink into her mind. He wanted to delve deeper into Beatrice's life so that she won't be able to shake him off that easily unlike now.

'When will she be able to open up to me? When will she see me not as a stranger who forced her into marriage but someone she could rely upon and open her heart to?'

Lucas clenched his fists and took in a deep breath.

"Do you remember how we first met?"

Beatrice looked at him and noticed that his face had a solemn expression. She felt guilty but doesn't know why since what she said was true, Lucas has to mind his own business and not poke into her life. It was enough that she was forced to marry him and there are boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. Boundaries between their personal lives.

"Yeah. You suddenly showed up at my parent's house claiming we're going to get married. Why?"

Beatrice stared at Lucas who was still busy tending on her wound and she caught a glimpse of disappointment in his face.

"I guess you don't remember it."

She furrowed her eyebrows with what he said. "What do you mean I don't remember it? Wasn't that meeting our first?"

Beatrice was sure she never met Lucas before that unfateful day. She never knew him nor interacted with him. She doesn't remember meeting him until the day he came and announced their marriage.

"Nevermind, It doesn't matter."

Beatrice squinted her eyes knowing he was hiding something but she suppressed the urge of finding it out. Besides, her gut's telling her it would be troublesome to ask more and she got a bad feeling about it.

Lucas was done disinfecting and dressing her wound. It was quite a big cut but it's nothing to be worried about.

Beatrice glanced at her wound covered with a cotton pad and nodded satisfactorily with how neat it was. "You're good at this."

"Everyone can do that." She gave him an unamused face with how he just shrugged off her compliment.

Lucas went back to the cabinet and returned the medicine kit. She tried to stand up and clean the mess she made but then Lucas popped out with a broom and dustpan in his hands.

"Let me do it." She reached out her hands for Lucas to give her the cleaning tools.

"You're an injured person so just stay seated there."

"I'm just injured, not paralyzed. So give me that."

"No, I can clean it." Lucas was persistent and was about to go to the area where the glass shards were located but Beatrice stood in front of him and obstructed his path.

"No 'I' can clean it and besides I was the one who dropped the cup." Beatrice glanced up at him since Lucas was inches taller than her.

'Ugh, My neck. Why is this man so freaking tall?'

She thought he would give up and let her do the cleaning but Lucas was one heck of a stubborn man.

"But I was the one who made you remember the things you did yesterday which made you embarrassed and in turn drop the cup." Beatrice felt her face heat up again out of annoyance.

"Argh! Fine! You can clean it. Just stop mentioning last night!"

"But I was not mentioning-"

"Yah! Stop or else!" Lucas lightly chuckled and Beatrice just wished he could smack that face of his.

"Or else what? You're gonna kiss me again."

Beatrice felt like all the blood in her body went up to her face."One more word and my fist would gladly kiss you."

Lucas zipped his mouth and went to clean her own mess. She peered as he was busy cleaning. He ducked down as some shards flew off under the table.

"The things you do when you're the first to fall."

Lucas mumbled something but Beatrice didn't catch what it was about. "Hey! If you're gonna complain just let me do it."

"I was not complaining." Lucas cleaned until there were no more pieces of glass on the floor.

"Martha's going to clean the house tomorrow afternoon so we should go out together before she starts cleaning."

"Martha?" Beatrice tried to remember the name as it was familiar.

'Oh right! She's the one who changed my clothes back then.' Her face lit up as she remembered her.

"She's someone I hired to clean my house once in a while but I think you already know her."

"Umm but together?" Beatrice raised one of her brows as she thought she heard it wrong.

"Yes together. I planned to spend time with you tomorrow."

Beatrice looked at him with a shocked and stupefied expression.

"Wait wait! I don't think that's necessary. We can always spend time tomorrow with us not having to be together. I mean I could be alone and you could be alone too."

Beatrice thinks that it would be awkward spending time with him outside and she doesn't know what will happen tomorrow.

"No, I booked places and I can't cancel them as I already paid the reservations."

Beatrice stared at him with utter shock that she could feel her eyes coming out from their sockets.

"You did what?!"

"We can spend our time together without worries, wife." Lucas smugly smiled and she could feel the panic rising up from her body.

"Sorry but no thanks, just spend your time alone with your reservations tomorrow-"

"Beatrice, if you're forgetting. I am the one who's paying your debts."

This was the first time he had threatened her and it left a sour taste in his mouth. Beatrice leaves him no choice as he knew that she would never agree. He promised that this would be the first and last he would ever do this.

"Are you threatening me, Lucas?" Beatrice squinted her brows with his unusual behavior.

"I'm not. I'm just reminding you."

"That's still the same. You idiot!"

Beatrice sighed fully knowing what Lucas said was true and she was not in the mood to get mad at him. "Fine but just only for tomorrow!"

'I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend time together with him.'