Chapter 8: Morning After (Part 2)
Rebecca slowly yawned as she stretched her arms over her head.
I smiled, "good morning sleepy head".
"Hmmm…morning", she mumbled while rubbing her eyes.
Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she quickly fixed her posture.
"Nicolas?! I thought you would have started your day by now! Sorry for my disheveled appearance."
I released a small chuckle, "Don't worry, you don't have to be so formal with me. I much prefer the relaxed atmosphere we had before."
Hearing this, Rebecca slowly slouched down into a more comfortable position and started rubbed her neck.
"If you say so…"
"By the way, the reason I stayed until you woke up is I wanted to eat breakfast with you. As I court you, I hope we can share at least one meal a day."
"That shouldn't be a problem." She continued to rub her neck and then grimaced.
Seeing her small grimace reminded me of something, "why did you sleep until so late in the day? Were you too uncomfortable on the sofa? Or maybe you are just not a morning person?"
Rebecca hesitated for a second. "Umm…y..yes, the reason I couldn't get any sleep last night was definitely because the sofa was hard to sleep on," she said while avoiding eye contact.
"Also, is your neck hurting you? You have been rubbing it since I told you it's okay to relax. I can tell because I woke up with a stiff back myself."
Rebecca nodded her head, "you noticed? It's only a little stiff. It will be as good as new in a couple of hours."
To her response, I shook my head, "I know we said that we were going to share the burden last night, but it pains me to see you uncomfortable. I'll come up with a solution to our sleep arrangement as soon as I can. In the meantime, would you like me to massage your neck?"
I am the type of person who loves to massage their romantic partner. In the give and take dynamic of a relationship, I am definitely a giver. I feel the most joy when I am spoiling my partner. As long as they are smiling whole heartedly, I couldn't fell better.
That's why I am excited about the opportunity to court Rebecca for 6 months. I have the chance to spoil her every opportunity I get. A small neck message could be the first of many times I will spoil her in the next 6 months.
She looked at me skeptically. "I appreciate the thought, but no thank you."
Oh…I got ahead of myself there. Of course she won't want to have physical contact with the man that ridiculed her for so many years. I wanted to start our relationship from scratch, but I forgot that I am actually starting the relationship from -100.
Well, there are still plenty of other ways to spoil her that are less abrasive. "Ok, I'll go tell a maid to get you something for your neck instead and also our breakfast."
Ten minutes later, a maid returned with a container of pain ointment and two plates of scrambled eggs and bacon.
The maid handed the ointment to Rebecca and whispered, "he really roughed you up last night, huh? Make sure to rest up for the rest of the day." She winked and then left the room.
Rebecca's face was stained red, "thanks for the consideration."
"No problem, now let's enjoy the food while it is still hot."
It was a fairly simple meal that most person should enjoy eating. We were enjoying our food in silence, but I wanted to use any meal we had together to get to know each other more.
So I asked, "what is your favorite breakfast food?"
Rebecca thought for a minute and then answered, "I usually prefer a light breakfast, so just plain toast is probably what I eat the most."
I was surprised by the simple answer. But maybe I could use it to my advantage.
"Actually, I am pretty good at making a breakfast food that is somewhat like toast or at least bread. It is also light. I will try making it for you one morning. Look forward to it!"
Rebecca adamantly responded, "how can I let you cook for me? You are a Duke of this Kingdom. How can I make you do the job of a lowly servant?"
I laughed, "Don't worry Rebecca, I am doing it because I want to. I actually enjoy cooking a little bit and if you enjoy something that I made, then I would be really happy."
They say the way to a person's heart is through their stomach. The special breakfast food I am going to make Rebecca is pancakes. It was a recipe I perfected in my college days since it only took 15 minutes to cook something delicious. They are light and fluffy. And they are made of dough like bread, so I hope she likes it.
"It seems like nothing I say will change your mind, so just do whatever you want", she said with a slight pout.
By this time, we were finishing up our meal. There was one last thing I wanted to ask her before leaving to meet with James.
"Hey Rebecca… could I call you Becca?"
Rebecca answered hesitantly, "only my close friends and family call me by a nickname and they all call me Becky."
I pointed out to her, "well, I am also part of your family now. I didn't mean to use a nickname that no one else used, but I think it makes sense for there to be a special nickname between husband and wife since they hold a special bond.
Or I could call you wifey instead," I said teasingly.
"Ok, fine. You can call me Becca if you insist, NICOLAS," she angrily growled.
She was too funny. She specifically highlighted the fact she was refusing to call me by my nickname, Nick, since I told her she could yesterday.
I wasn't too worried though. We were just getting to know each other.
"Ok Becca, I have some work to get done, so I will be heading to my office. You can do whatever you want in the meantime. I will come find you in the afternoon once I am done so we can have dinner. If you need anything, you can ask a maid."
"Ok, see you later."
"Bye."
I opened the door and left my room with a spring in my step.
Weekly Power Status
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