Page 27 of Whispers in the Dark
I nod. Does she need to know that I’ve been learning ASL for years? Or why I started lessons in the first place? No, and I intend to keep it that way. But maybe if she believes I need her help, then this could be the key to us getting married.
“I am curious…” She tugs at her sleeve. “You’ve signed a few things for me recently, and I didn’t know you knew how to. How much… How much do you know?”
I lift a shoulder and sign,A little bit.I type,It would make things easier for me when I’m around someone else who speaks it. Alex knows ASL, in addition to the ten other languages he speaks fluently.
She chuckles. “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. But yeah, okay, I can definitely teach you.” She scrunches her lips to the side, her brows furrowing the tiniest bit. “So, you’re really okay with this? With marrying me?”
More than okay.
I nod again.
Suddenly, her arms wrap around me. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.” She presses her face against my chest, letting out a satisfied sigh as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. I cup the back of her head, running my thumb across her hair as my other arm encircles her waist. “I guess we should probably discuss the details and set some rules so things don’t get messy.” She glances around before separating from me, and as much as I don’t want to let her go, I do. “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?”
I head to the kitchen, reach into the junk drawer for a notebook and a pen, and return to her with them.
She quickly flips it open and sits down. “Okay, so in order for me to retain what is left to me in the will, we have to remain married for sixty days. I’m not really sure why, but that’s what my mother wanted. So, I think rule one should state that after that time, we are both free to get divorced and go on with our lives. We can just tell everyone we realized we were better off as friends than husband and wife.”
The worddivorcesends an unpleasant ache across my chest, and I absentmindedly drag my knuckles over it.
She rolls in her bottom lip. “Is that…okay with you?”
I quickly nod.
“Okay.” She presses the pen tip to the paper. “For the second rule, I think we can both agree that this stays between us and remains our secret. As for rule number three, we can agree to play pretend when we’re around others to make it seem real.” She taps the pen a few times. “Is that doable?”
I type on my phone,Play pretend?
“Like if we’re around your family, maybe you could hold my hand, wrap an arm around me, look at me in a way you don’t look at other women, or…” Her voice trails off. “You know, like how a real husband and wife would act around each other.”
I scratch my chin, contemplating my lack of experience in that department. I’ve never been in an actual relationship, so I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to do or if I can pull this off, but I’m willing to try.Okay.
She scratches the pen across the paper and then stills. Her cheeks flush a deep shade of pink as her eyes remain fixed on the page. “For the fourth rule…” She swallows hard, then looks up at me. “We probably shouldn’t partake in any physical stuff.”
I arch a brow.
She puffs up her cheeks and takes a deep breath. “Sex,” she says, her eyes quickly gauging me for a reaction and then darting to the paper.
The word coming off her tongue inadvertently shoots straight to my cock.
I sit back in my seat and type on my phone before turning the screen toward her.If that’s what you want.
Her lips part, and I swear her pupils dilate the slightest bit. “I mean…” She shifts her gaze back to the paper. “I just don’t want things to get messy. Besides, this way you’ll still be free to be with whoever you want during this time.” She shrugs nonchalantly.
Whoever I want?
Clearing her throat, she says, “I think the final rule should be the most obvious.” I wait for her to explain. “Well, we can’t fall in love with each other.” Her eyes meet mine for a brief moment before she scribbles her words across the faint lines.Falling in love?It’s not something I’ve ever experienced. Not something I’ve ever thought about. But if there was one woman I wouldwillingly fall for, it would be— “I think that’s everything.” She holds out the paper for me, and I take it, reading her words.
1.We divorce after Alina receives her inheritance
2. It’s our secret
3. We play pretend in front of others
4. No sex
5. No falling in love
“So…” Alina shifts in her seat. “Is that everything?”
