Chapter 16: Chapter 12.2: Love Potion
"My stomach hurts! My laughing burned too much calories that I'm so hungry now! Give me more soup!" I ordered him. He was quick to obey.
Even though he looked so calm and unaffected by my weird behavior, I could feel his intense stare at me.
"You keep on looking at me like that. Ha! You find me really pretty!"
"I am just looking after you as you might find these plates attractive enough to kiss." he tried to deny.
"Admit it that you find me pretty! I may not possess an hourglass figure but my legs are the best. They are as white as a toilet bowl! Hahaha!" I stood up and raised my skirt up, flashing him my legs from the knees down and 1900s underwear. "Eeew! Why am I doing this? But aren't they fair and shapely? These cotton pantalets are so comfy, maybe I should make this turn into a fashion statement during my time. Hahaha! Pantalets are in. Shorts are out! Look here! Eeek! Don't look! Why are you looking anyway, you pervert!"
Antoine was obviously shaken. He instantly covered his eyes and shook his head.
"Of all comparison, why to a toilet bowl? Can't you say that they are as fair as snow? Oh...God! Kindly put your skirt down. Please?"
"I can't. In fact I want to strip. Stop me." I begged. "Help!"
"No worries. Nobody else is around."
"Nobody? What do you call yourself, huh? M-A-N! A man! A perverted man! Do you understand? Stop me or I will tell them readers back in my time everything I saw in you! Bwahaha! Everything!"
"Is that a dare?" he asked me with an obvious blush on his cheeks. He removed his hands from his eyes and observed me."I was just called a "pervert" anyway."
"No. Just stop me. OK, I'm sorry for calling you a pervert!"
He held my hands and thankfully, I was able to manage to put my skirt down. "You wouldn't like me stripping, would you? But I know you want to! Hahaha!"
"What? What made you say that?" he said visibly embarrassed. He let my hands go and quickly stepped away from me.
"Maybe I should just dance! Hahaha!"
"That will be a lot better "
I sprinted towards the living room and began swaying my hips and putting my hands in the air. "Let's party!"
"I never knew you can dance like that." He looked so entertained with my grotesque dance moves.
"Stop watching!"
"You look just fine."
"I hate you! Hahaha!" I said while rolling my hands in front of me. "Woohoo! Join me."
"I don't know how to dance but I'll give you the beat." He began clapping while moving around me. "You dance so gracefully."
"I wanted to be a ballerina but my father said it is lame. It definitely is not!" I said while tiptoing. "I wanted to play the black swan you know! Hahaha! Can you imagine?"
"You would have looked so wonderful."
I giggled uncontrollably, After some minutes and doing the zumba, I helplessly slumped on the floor.
"I am so tired. I don't know what else weirdness I will show you. Save me!"
He too, sat on the floor with me. "What must we do?"
"All I can think of is to tie me up. Hahaha! Tie me up like a mummy."
"No. Not that, Bianca." he said while putting his arm around my shoulder. "I won't do that to you."
He thought for a while. Suddenly, he came up with a bright idea. "I know what to do. Wait here." He quickly turned his back and was about to leave when I stopped him.
"Don't leave me."
"Calm down. I'm going to get you something from the package I just got yesterday. Don't move."
He was soon back with a brown box. I thought he would faint with the sight he saw in me.
"What have you done?"
"I have to do this!" I exclaimed while rolling on the floor like a mop. "Oh my Lord! I hate these side effects! No Hahaha! I'm a rolling pin! Roll! Roll! Roll!"
"Bianca." he said while kneeling and stopping me from rolling anymore.
"Let me go! Hahaha! This is humiliating. Don't touch me! Hahaha! You're tickling me! Embrace me or I will remove my blouse! Good grief! I might as well roll again! I don't want to strip. Eeek! I'm like a drug addict!" I struggled from Antoine's grip, persistent to roll on the floor again. He blocked me from doing so.
"Don't hurt yourself." he said with so much concern. "Here. Open your mouth."
"Is that a drug?" I quickly opened my mouth. "Aaaaaa?"
He put a chocolate ball in my mouth. I munched the tasty treat.
"Yummy! I want some more!" I demanded from him. "More! More! More! Hahaha!"
"Here." he gave me the box filled with imported delicacy. My concentration was now fixed on the delicious chocolate. He carefully fixed my hair, blouse and skirt in place.
"Are you alright now?"
I did not answer him. I just continued nibbling those magical chocolates, nuts and candies inside that miraculous brown box he gave me.
"You almost killed me. Good Lord." he muttered almost inaudibly. He wiped the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief.
"That was close! Hahaha! Yum! Yum! Yum!" I said while feasting on a macadamia. "Here, have some." I gestured him to take several chocolate almonds from my hand.
"Those are yours."
"Nope. I want you to eat them. They are really tasty. I swear!"
"No-" He was not able to continue what he was about to say as I just put the almonds in his mouth.
"Hahaha! You look so cute!"
His eyes smiled at me while chewing the sweets I gave him. Then, he carefully assisted me to sit on a nearby chair.
"I'll get you some water."
He proceeded towards the kitchen. I followed and gave him a bear hug from behind.
"Best friend! You remind me so much of my best buddy.!" I said while leaning on him and rubbing my cheek on his back. How I loved doing that to Anthony. I don't know how I got that bad habit but he surely gave me treats whenever I did that. "You are simply the best! I'm glad you are always there to back me up and never take advantage of me! If you are not there, I could have done things that I will regret on afterwards! Thanks a lot! I'm so sorry if I'm trouble! Hahaha!"
He stopped, holding my hands that were on his abdomen. I felt how firm his...eh...eeek...gosh...abs! The temptation to put my palm inside his shirt was indeed so strong that I had to divert my attention on sniffing his back instead.
"Oh man, you smell so nice...ah...pretend that you did not hear that!" I shrieked. "I'm going crazy! Your abs are amazing by the way! You're like a full course meal. Breakfast, lunch dinner and yummy snacks and desserts! Pffft...yaiiks...don't listen to me!" I closed my eyes, biting my tongue so hard like it would bleed. The other cringe-worthy words should not come out of my damned mouth or else I will die of shame.
I loosened my hold a little as he might think I'm taking advantage of him.
"Sorry...oops...well...not sorry! I am not harassing you, OK? You're just so enchanting, that's why! Oh...brrr! Sorry! "Sometimes you make my knees weak! Yaiiks! Argh! Hahaha! My mind is a mess!"
"No need to apologize." I can tell from his voice that he is smiling.
"I want to die! Why am I saying these? It's just so not me. Too good nobody else is here to hear these. My sincerest apology. I want to jump out of that window, really. Hahaha!"
"It's alright. Don't be so harsh on yourself."
"Antoine, you are so nice and cool!" I answered quickly. My mouth just won't let me rest even if I already felt like crying.
He laughed and raised my hands up close to his chest where I could feel his heartbeat.
"Bianca, I must say that you are amusing yet wonderful. No other lady can be at par with you in any books this world ever had." I slowly removed my grip from him.
He turned to face me and then stroked my hair. "Always remember that."
I held his arm, swinging it a little. "Because of those sweet words, I will cook your favorite pasta as a snack!"
"Creepy pasta?" he inquired.
"No, silly. Hahaha! Real pasta? Uhmm...baked macaroni or spaghetti?"
"It's up to you."
"Let's go!" I pulled his arm, leading him to the kitchen. "I love you, Antoine! I really do! Yaiiks! What did I say? Forget it! But I do...EEEEEKKKKK!"
"What did you just say?"
"Hahaha!" I responded.
"I won't forget that." he said with a charming smile on his face. He seemed really happy and I love the feeling of making him feel that way.
"Hahaha! You look like a crazy cat!" I pointed at his face.
"Maybe, I am becoming one."
I came near him and held both of his cheeks. I removed his eyeglasses and stared directly into his eyes, allowing myself to be under his spell.
"Bianca, this is not a good idea..." I held him by the nape and pushed his face towards mine. He attempted to move away but I grabbed his collar, persistent to get a taste of his tempting lips.
He held his breath, struggling a little but soon, I could tell that he let the love potion took over his entire being. He stopped resisting and even embraced me.
"Kiss me." I told him so softly. "It's now or never."
"Yes, Miss Author." He agreed as he stroked my hair away from my face. He gently held my chin and leaned a little closer to me. "If you say so."
I closed my eyes, awaiting the first sweet kiss that every girl dreamed of having from the most ideal man.
"Hik!" I opened my peepers in a whim. My lips were just millimeters away from his when we got interrupted by a hiccup. Coming back to my "real self", I pushed him away. "Hik! Hik!"
My head felt like it was twirling that everything in my sight was comparable to s blinding light. He caught me before I lost my balance.
We just sat on the wooden floor for a while.
"What...what...was...that?"
He just kept quiet and continued fanning me with an abaniko*.
(Philippines' hand-held fan)

"OMG!" I screamed when everything that I have said and done came flashing like a comedy film to me.
A disastrous ROM-COM!
"Calm down. It is fine now."
"It is not ok! And you never stopped me!"
"I'm so sorry." he was quick to apologize while avoiding my inquisitive stare.
"No. I am sorry." I took the blame as I knew that he was of no fault and was only involved because he did his best to help me. "Did I scare you?"
Both of us fell silent. We were both ashamed of what just happened earlier.
"You almost stole a kiss from me." he teased while stifling a smile from his perfect lips that I almost did snitch a smooch on.
"Eeek! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I will compensate you for that!"
"No need. I was just trying to cheer you up as you looked so...troubled?"
"I have no money now but back in my time, I have some savings. Take them all! I will also pay you for all the trouble and favors you gave to me!" I insisted even though I had no idea of how to send those to him. "I will also give you my rare and collectible Hello Kitty figurine I bought from Japan. It is worth a lot now. I swear."
"Hello Kitty? What is that?"
"She is a white cat with a ribbon here." I pointed at my left ear. "All the girls like her and I bet you will like her too-"
"I don't want the Hello Kitty. Just keep her." he interrupted me. "May I ask you just one favor?"
"What favor? Just, don't eat me, OK?"
"Just say "yes" Bianca."
"Alright." I agreed.
"Close your eyes."
"OK." I did as was told.
I felt him kiss my forehead. He stroked my hair and fixed the black ribbon that ties my braided hair. "This is enough. With interest and all."
"Antoine, why did you do that?" I wondered as I slowly opened my eyes to meet his.
He did not answer. His eyes told me what his lips won't tell.
He cares for me so much.
"Hahaha! I feel strange!" I laughed, shifting my gaze somewhere else before being enchanted again. "My headache's gone in an instant! Hik! Hik! Oops!" I covered my mouth with my hand. "Your kiss does wonders. Maybe you should kiss everyone in the hospital!"
"Well, I would have to charge. Hik!" He too, hiccupped.
"I knew it! You were also under the love potion!" I sneered. "Ha!"
"I am not!"
"So, you did sniff that North Pole cockroach leg too?"
"No."
"You're lying!"
"I did not. There was only one in stock..." he slipped, finally admitting that he too was a victim of the love potion yet willingly gave me the last antidote to save me.
Embarrassed by his inadvertent admission, he made an excuse.
"This day had been exhausting. We should rest." he instructed me before turning his back.
I realized that all this time, he was painfully controlling himself. He really seemed to be disoriented yet he forced himself to go along with my silly antics and assisted me without any complaint even if he too, was fighting the Love Potion's effect.
If he wanted to, he could have taken advantage of our situation yet preferred not to.
He is indeed, a gentleman.
From that day on, I was able to prove to myself that my masterpiece is truly a gem among the rest.
As I walked beside him, I quickly stole a kiss from his cheek.
"Bianca..." he uttered while holding his cheek with a bewildered expression. "Do you still have the Love Potion within?"
"Shut up!" I silenced him.
"You are such a thief." he mumbled.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone