Espera | R. Grayson ✔

[30]

Lavina did not just spend the entire day with Bruce's parents. She stayed overnight and persuaded Bruce not to overwork himself as usual and come to bed early.

She could see he had been a lot stressed as her fingers gently caressed his throbbing temples, "Bruce, what is bothering you?"

"Nothing..." He replied, managing a smile for her as he leaned in to kiss her, "I just have a very important meeting tomorrow with Drake Corporate. I heard Jack's son filled in for the CEO's post and I am just uncertain of how things would go."

"Are you sure?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically, "I know you. You don't get stressed like this over business matters. As for Jack's son being a CEO, isn't he just fourteen? There's nothing to worry about."

He took in a deep breath, marveling at how she could always know exactly what he was thinking such that he couldn't hide it behind any facade, "yeah... You're right."

"I am always right, sweetheart," she chuckled, dark irises melting into his pale blue ones, "including my assumption that you're worried about something else altogether and used this as a feeble cover-up. Because there is absolutely no way Bruce Wayne would feel competition from a kid..."

A slight smile tugged up on his face to see that playful gleam in her eyes, "I guess."

"Talk to me," she coaxed, turning over so that her head was resting on her palm and she was looking sideways at him, "tell me what's wrong."

The way she looked at him with those eager eyes and gentle smile made him want to open up and tell her everything. She was always a very good listener and she had helped him out of a lot of problems earlier as well.

It wouldn't hurt to tell her what he thought. But maybe it would hurt, considering that the way he was thinking to deal with the situation might tear them apart.

"I'm worried that my parents would get attacked again," it took him a while to voice that out.

"And why do you think that?"

"I mean, Father is the Mayor and he would have a lot of people wanting to kill him already. With the whole hype going on about taxes and new policies that were effective this month, he has faced a lot of opposition." 

She was listening closely, "and?"

"And even I have been caught up a lot with all that Wayne Tech is pursuing. Both me and Father have enemies who won't stop at anything to get rid of us. And in the midst of it all, Mother and you would get endangered too."

Lavina knew exactly where he was heading with the conversation, "please don't tell me you're going to call off the alliance and the engagement."

His face whitened, "I... Uh..."

"Bruce, look here," her eyes seemed to actually flicker with genuine emotion as she leaned closer, "if what I said was right then you should know it's also stupid... Don't do that."

"I... I love you, Lavina," he breathed, his hand cupping her cheek tenderly, "and I care a lot for you as well as my family. That's why I don't want you to get invo..."

She silenced him as she connected their lips together in a kiss, stealing his breath away. She had pushed him down, her hands clasping his wrists and holding him firmly as she deepened the moment.

Bruce felt all his walls crumble just like he was always with her; he could never resist and she made sure of that.

"I didn't just say yes to marrying you to stay away from your problems," she breathed as she pulled apart briefly, "I'm a part of your family now and I can handle a lot more than you think, Bruce. Don't assume that I would be safer away from you."