Marriage For Dummy

Chapter Eleven

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Take my mind and take my pain,
Like an empty bottle takes the rain. And heal me.

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Iris

That night Axel drove us back home in my car and I bid him farewell on the street. I did not want to repeat the night of letting him stay over. There was just too much on my plate right now. I desperately wanted to be left alone and think. About Axel, the proposal, my Dad, my life.

How was it that what I had been planning for my life eversince I turned eighteen, was going to crush under Axel's feet all at once? It infuriated me. But was there anything else I could do than not fall for antics? He was being ridiculously caring and sweet. I was starting to come to the conclusion that it was because he wanted me to agree to his proposal.

So when the next night, Axel texted me about my answer. I surprised him once again.

'Cinnamon? What would it be?'

'Call me.' Was my reply.

That was not the surprising part yet. I had to make sure we were on somewhat of a solid ground when I tell him my decision. A text message is just too unreliable and vague.

"Hey," Axel spoke once I picked up his call. His voice was slow and breathy.

I frowned. "Hey, are you crying?"

"Isn't that what people do when they get engaged?" I could hear the smile in his voice. Bastard. Although, what he said could not help but make me smile to myself too.

"Are you the girl?" In this relationship, I refrained myself from saying the rest.

He snorted, his voice starting to get really thick. "Funneh, Iris."

I chuckled. "But seriously, are you crying?"

"Yeah, I just found out I'm pregnant."

"Who's the daddy?"

"It's either you, or my life."

I rolled my eyes and spoke sarcastically, "well, I have my fingers crossed then."

"Me too," he whispered, "for having you."

I ignored the fluttering in my stomach and tried to joke. "For having me as your kid?"

"That's just disturbingly fucked up, Iris." He chuckled aloud and that's when it hit me.

"You have flu?" He hummed in response. "Oh, I'm so sorry. How did it happen?"

"Why are you apologizing." I was at loss for words, unknowing of an answer to give. "I don't know actually, maybe bugs going around."

"Did you hook up with someone having flu n the hospital?"

"Yeah," he replied flatly. "That's why I was out of breath when I came in the room."

"What if the girl had aids?"

"Jesus, Cinnamon," his voise rose a bit in panic and it took all in me not to burst out laughing. "Aids. It ain't even funny, jeez shut up!"

I was snickering silently, an onlooker might have mistakened me for a laughing seal. "So you did hook up?"

"No. Even though there were some pretty hot cougars in the doctor's gown."

My heart contracted a hue of green colour. "I reject, Axel." I blurted.