Falling in love with Ms. Bennet

Chapter 6

Amanda's apartment was quite small for Henry. The moment someone enters, there's the kitchen. Across the kitchen is the living room. Beside the kitchen is a 4-seater table and opposite of it, divided by a partitioned wall is already the bed.

The floor were in light wooden planks while the walls were in pale blue color as the decorative moldings were painted in white. Furniture had a mix of modern and classic design that were either in white or just in its wooden natural color. It is a nice and neat interior-Henry observed.

Oh, the bed. Henry smiled at the double sized bed. "Quite small but nicely furnished." He said, placing the food on the marbled kitchen counter and continued to look around.

"Thanks." Amanda said. Defense, Amanda. Defense. She watched Henry walking around her house. This is the first time a guy has ever entered my apartment. She watched him stop, looking at her enormous "book wall" behind her white love-seat sofa. Amanda smiled, it was her favourite part of her apartment.

"You really love books, don't you?" Henry asked, still looking at her "book wall.

"Yeah. I do." Amanda replied, sitting on her bar stool.

"So, what made you think of writing novels-" Henry drifted his eyes away from the "book wall" to look at Amanda, but chuckled when he saw her chocolate fudge face. "-I can't talk seriously with that face." I shouldn't be laughing but she looks ridiculous.

Amanda hides her mouth with the back of her hand. He shouldn't be laughing. He should be disgusted. She got out from her stool and went to her kitchen sink, washing off the fudge out of her face.

"As I was saying-"unpacking the dinner he bought, "What makes you write such stories?"

This is the question that has been asked a lot and Amanda say only one thing, "Well, the world is such a big place and there are people with real stories out there. It's wonderful. They are wonderful." But, what she really wanted to say is that, because I can be who I cannot be.

"What about you? When did you start acting?" Amanda turned around the spotlight to Henry. She steadied her gaze at him through her glasses.

Henry has been asked a lot with that question and he always say one thing, "Movies aren't just for entertainment. They speak fragments of other people's lives and I want to be an instrument of telling them to other people out there," but he really wanted to say was, Characters are like clothes and actors wear them. I can be who I want to be who I cannot be.

The two of them notice they are only saying the same things and at the moment, both of them felt like they were lying to each other.

"That's nice." Amanda said.

"Chicken or beef?" Henry asked, able to manage to wear a smile.

"Chicken please." Amanda replied.

Henry gave one to Amanda as she approached him and took it. She opened it and felt her stomach grumbling as the scent of the chicken, finally freed from its box. Henry sat on the bar stool and ate in front of her. He watched her  in full curiosity. "So, are you always like this?"

"Always what?" She didn't look at him.

"This quiet, fragile introvert but, once someone drop their guard, it'll be a death sentence for them. " Henry said, his eyes still fixed on her. She's like a frostbite.

Amanda chewed her food before she looked at Henry with her blue eyes and steadied them. "Did you drop your guard at one point?"

For that moment, Henry noticed she has beautiful large blue eyes. Probably the only thing beautiful despite that scowling face. He was almost mesmerized at her eyes that he almost forgot that she was asking him a question. "Almost. Always forgetting that I am talking to a smart woman." He admitted as he looked back to his food, couldn't seem to gaze any longer to those eyes.

Amanda covered her smile with the back of her palm and remained a serious face after she gave a cough. Smart. It was a nice compliment but she doesn't want to bring her walls down for him.

"Bring your walls down for the time being." Henry said, looking back to those blue eyes as if to once again, accept the challenge.

Amanda gave a scoff, looking down to her food. " As if. My walls? Only a stupid person would drop their guard for people like you."

Henry gave a chuckled. And the bite. Right there.

Amanda looked back at Henry and steadied her eyes to his cool gray ones, "And if there's somebody here who is acting firm and always on guard, that would be you." Mysterious eyes. Beautiful yet very mysterious.

Henry looked at her, angling his head, amused. "What made you say that?"

She looked again to her food. "You, acting all high and mighty. You think that you own the world already when all the girls you want end up falling for you. The truth is, you left them because you think you're in a danger of falling."

Henry continued to look at her as Amanda looked back. "Did I hit the mark?"

Henry chuckled, looking away. "Where did you get such things when you, yourself haven't tasted a man?"

"I don't think tasting is needed, Mr. Henry Hudson. Being naked doesn't mean giving everything of yourself to someone. Sometimes, conversations are more meaningful than--sex." Amanda hesitated to use the word "sex" but she did anyway.

Then the whole dinner was quiet. Nobody was speaking to each other anymore. Not one of them tried to strike, in doubt that one of them might have an advantage and revealing a part of them that they do not want the other one to see.

And they might lose.

That was the first time Henry Hudson was out of words. That was also the first time Amanda Adams was out of words.

"Well, that was boring but I'm glad I came." Henry said, heading towards the door just after their dinner was finished.

"I appreciate your honesty." Amanda answered back.

Before Henry could leave, Amanda called him out. "Hey."

He turned around to face him, his hands on his pocket. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering, you're not bringing flowers. I mean, don't guys bring them just to impress?"

"Well, aren't you allergic to them?" Henry smiled. "I paid attention."

Before Amanda could say anything, Henry turned his back and left.