BENEATH OLD DREAMS
Chapter Six
Rinoa went home early. She flagged a cab at at five in the afternoon.
She wanted to rest before preparing for the arrival of their guests.
Rinoa spent the previous night thinking; and she made a decision. She was challenged with what her mother had said that she was weak emotionally to face this kind of dilemma in her life.
The truth was she was still hurting inside.
But she would not let her mother and aunt see that. She would not let Laguna, of all people, to see that she was a cry baby.
She would face them as an adult. She would be strong and calm even if her heart was bleeding.
That does not necessarily mean that she would just let that man who recently came into their lives fool her. She would let that stranger feel and know her coldness and her distance. She would let him know that she would never give up that easily.
"Hi, Mommy," she greeted her mother who was arranging flowers in the living room as she went inside.
Julia was surprised especially when Rinoa kissed her on the cheek as if nothing had happened the previous day.
"I'll just lie down a bit before I shower and get dressed," Rinoa said before she went upstairs.
Even Edea who just got back from the grocery was stunned with Rinoa's mood change.
The cousins caught each other's eye.
Rinoa wanted to congratulate herself as she went upstairs. Her performance was triumphant.
But deep inside of her, the hurt and pain were still there.
Rinoa tried to relax when she laid down on the bed. She needed to be calm for the dinner. She needed to be brave and strong to face the person who was behind all of this.
At six in the evening, she took a shower. Afterwards, she fixed herself and got dressed.
She decided on a formal get-up. Something that would make her look matured.
She got out a pair of khaki linen pants. A white sleeveless silk blouse that showed off her sculpted shoulders. She also picked a gold belt that would adorn her slim waist. A pair of stilleto sandals were slipped on her dainty feet.
Next, she decided to wear jewelry. She wanted that Laguna person to see that her father left them a very prosperous life. She chose her father's gift to her when she turned eighteen. Matching earrings, ring, bracelet and necklace with pearls and diamonds. She wore her Rolex watch that she only used on special occasions.
She took time applying make-up. Something that would look natural but elegant.
She let her long and shiny raven hair down. She put on expensive perfume.
She looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her walk-in closet. She looked very sophisticated.
She triumphantly smiled at her reflection and mentally gave herself a pat on the back.
She could fix herself like this but she rarely did this. This was the first time since her graduation. And before that, she couldn't remember.
When she was still a student, she dressed simply in school. And even when she had her own boutique, she still dressed like a student so that she can rake in all her target customers which are the students.
Oftentimes, she was mistook for a student.
But now, she looked like a career woman and a socialite. And she could also appear polite but snobbish.
~.*.~ ~.*.~ ~.*.~
When Rinoa went downstairs, she saw her mother and aunt already dressed.
Julia looked elegant in her shift dress, soft maroon silk that fell below her knees. She was wearing a choker made of pearls around her neck. Pearl earrings hung on her ears. She wore no more jewelry except for the wedding ring and the Rolex that Rinoa's Daddy gave to her.
Just like old times, Julia did not put on make-up. Rose-colored lipstick was the only cosmetic she used. And she never wore perfume. She always wore shoes with one-inch heels.
Edea also dressed simply. But not as elegant as Julia. She put on a black dress with sleeves that reached up to her elbows. The dress was long and flowing and almost hid her black one-inch heeled shoes. She did not wear any make-up and perfume. Her hair was gathered in a bun at the back of her neck.
Edea looked older than Julia.
Ever since Edea got broken-hearted, she did not have the energy to fix herself.
But just like Julia, Edea's eyes were shining with excitement for this evening. She was extremely happy for her beloved cousin. She looked like a fairy god mother who kept preparing and checking everything for the meeting of Cinderella and her prince.
"There, the lasagna is already in the oven," she said. "A few more minutes and it will be ready for serving."
"Don't be nervous," Julia said, anxiety evident in her voice.
Edea chuckled. "I almost thought my special cookies and cream cheesecake will be a failure because my hands were shaking," she confessed.
"What can I do? You volunteered to do the cooking," Julia said. "I told you we should have ordered food from the nearby restaurant."
Edea shook her head. "I'm sure Laguna missed food cooked at Balamb!" she said. "And just to remind you, my cooking is excellent."
Julia casted a worried look to her cousin. "Maybe Laguna's son prefers Esthar cuisine."
"Hah! Just because he grew up in Esthar doesn't mean that he can't sample Balamb food. He better learn eating Balamb cuisine!"
The cousins did not know that as they exhibited their nervousness and excitement for their guests, Rinoa felt daggers stabbing her heart.
"I'll go upstairs. Call me when they get here," she said.
She escaped into her room. She could not bear to watch her mother who looked like a sixteen year old waiting for her first date.
The maid called her at seven in the evening. Laguna and his son had promptly arrived.
Rinoa retouched her make-up before going down.
The guests were already sitting in the living room when she got down.
"Rinoa, meet Laguna Loire and his son Squall," Julia said. "And this is my only daughter Rinoa."
She stared at the two men. She met their gazes. She set a formal face.
"Hello," she said in a formal tone.
This was the first time she examined Laguna Loire.
Handsome, she said to herself. He was able to take care of himself and he still looked well-built for his age. Laguna did not look boastful, even if he seemed to living a very wealthy life. It was obvious that he wore expensive clothes but he looked simple. Black slacks and light blue long-sleeved polo shirt. He did not wear a tie.
When her eyes rested on the younger Loire, her heart pounded wildly.
Rinoa was stupefied with the good looks of the young man whom her mother introduced as Squall. He had a very charming smile and his eyes were shining if she stared into those blue orbs.
The funny thing was Rinoa felt as if she already knew this guy. It seemed that she had seen him and had known him in another lifetime. Squall's facial expression was familiar to her and she felt she could predict what his next facial expression would be.
And it happened.
Squall's smile deepened and his eyes shone brighter.
"Hello," Squall simply said in a tone different from hers.
With that simple word, the young man was able to express his happiness upon knowing her.
He even held out his hand.
Rinoa was forced to shake his hand.
His hand was warm. Squall squeezed her hand gently.
Rinoa quickly removed her hand. Her heart was pounding wildly, and she did not like that.
Another thing was, after seeing this young man, she did not want to admit that she admired his built. Even his clothes were casual and prim – gray linen slack, cream short-sleeved polo, black leather belt and black loafers.
Rinoa thought that it was a good thing she dressed up carefully. Not to be appealing to the eyes of this man, she immediately told herself. She wanted these men not to scrutinize her.
"I'm glad to finally meet you properly, Rinoa," Laguna said as he extended his hand. "I apologize for yesterday."
She shook his hand. "You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Loire," she said without smiling.
"You look like your Mommy when she was younger. You're just a more sophisticated version of her," Laguna said when they had taken their seats.
Julia giggled. "That was I was going to say about you and Squall earlier. You look so much alike. Squall's just more hip than you were before."
"I cooked up a storm," Edea said. "Balamb food."
"Wow. It's been so long since I last heard about Balamb food," Laguna said.
"Then let's eat," Julia said.
~.*.~ ~.*.~ ~.*.~
When they walked towards the dining room, Squall immediately put himself at Rinoa's side.
Rinoa was furious with her racing pulse but she couldn't do anything to slow it down.
"I heard from my Dad that your mother and your aunt are great cooks," he said.
Squall was smiling and her heart melted. Rinoa forced herself to be stiff.
"Yes, but unlike them, I am not a great cook," she replied. "I don't know how to cook. And I don't intend to be an ideal housewife who does the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry and everything else for husband. Only the older generation think like that."
She thought Squall would shut up. Instead, he laughed.
"Well, I can't blame you," he said. "I wouldn't want to be an ideal househusband either if I were expected to do all that."
She looked at him.
"I hate household chores, too," Squall added. "But I have to do them anyway. We don't have househelp in Esthar, you know. I love to cook, though. And I want to learn some Balamb recipes."
"You should ask Aunt Edea," Rinoa said. "I only know how to eat."
"Well, then, I should start with you," Squall said. "First, I have to know which dishes taste best. You'd be an expert in that department, I suppose."
Rinoa just shrugged. How could she get rid of this man? He seemed a little persistent.
And the worst thing was she was not angry with his persistence. He was not boastful nor fresh. Squall was naturally simple.
And that was the last thing that Rinoa wanted to happen – that she would like Laguna and Squall.
Squall sat down beside her in the dining room.
She was not able to watch over her mother and Laguna. She was already busy contemplating her reactions on Squall's actions.
She was forcing herself not to look at the handsome man beside her. Whenever their eyes met, she felt herself getting lost in his eyes.
As her mother and her aunt talked to Squall, Rinoa got the chance to look at him.
She looked at his mouth and found his smile to be charming. His teeth were white. His lips were reddish. She wondered what would she feel if his lips were on hers.
Rinoa was shocked she thought of that. She mentally scolded herself. She never got physically attracted to a man before.
As she concentrated looking at the plate in front of her, her eyes darted to Squall's hand which was resting on the table.
Even Squall's hand were what you would call manly. His big palms had long fingers. She even thought that the veins on Squall's hands were sexy.
Rinoa almost choked on that word.
Sexy? Since when did she see a man sexy? Since when did she have a physical attraction to a man?
In the past, she always told herself that physical attraction was shallow. She was proud of herself for not ever experiencing that physical attraction. If she were to like a guy, she wanted to be intellectually and emotionally compatible with him.
And now, here she was. She was supposed to be hating this man. But her knees are shaking with his gaze and his smile. And she even thought his hands were sexy.
What the hell is happening to her?
She felt uneasy with her companion.
"This food is great," Squall said.
Edea brightened.
Squall looked at Rinoa. "Do you like it?"
She was forced to nod. It was unrealistic for her to tell him she disliked her own aunt's cooking.
Squall then faced Edea. "Aunt Edea, perhaps you can give me your recipe?" he requested.
Julia and Edea were amazed.
Laguna laughed. "Squall knows and loves to cook," he explained. "Because only the two of us were in the house and I only know how to cook microwave dinners, he studied cooking."
"Really?" Edea said happily. "All right, then, Squall, I'll teach you all my secrets in cooking Balamb food."
"Good," Squall said. "Then I'll ask Rinoa to taste test my cooking. Will you, Rinoa?"
Rinoa blinked. "H-huh? S-sure," she answered.
"Up to when will you be staying here in Deling?" Edea asked Laguna.
Laguna smiled. "I don't have any reason to leave," he said. "Charlie will just arrange everything I have to arrange in Esthar."
"But I have at least 45 days to stay," Squall said. "Then I have to go back home to make arrangements in case I'd like to stay here permanently with Dad."
"You're actually considering living here in Deling?" Julia asked.
"Why not?" Squall replied. "I like it here so far."
"Even better than Esthar?" Edea asked.
"Dad's much happier here," Squall answered. "Maybe I'll be happier here, too."
And Squall looked at Rinoa. He smiled at her.
Rinoa, by chance, looked at him.
And when their eyes met, Rinoa felt the world almost stopped moving.
~.*.~ ~.*.~ ~.*.~
When she was alone in her room, Rinoa was still in a daze.
Before Laguna and Squall left, the men invited the three of them to go out.
Edea refused. "I am needed at the grocery," she reasoned.
The truth was, she wanted the two pairs to have all the time to themselves because she noticed there was something wonderful that is going between Squall and Rinoa.
Edea knew that she did not need to worry that Rinoa hated the Loire men. Squall would change that. She felt giddy.
Julia first consulted her daughter.
"Rinoa?" she asked.
Before she could even answer, Squall looked at her with his intense blue eyes.
"Please say you'll come," he urged.
Rinoa was confused. She wanted to refuse. She knew she had to decline. But she did not know why she nodded.
Julia beamed at her daughter. "If it's okay with Rinoa, it's okay with me," she said happily to Laguna.
"We'll pick you up at around nine in the morning," he said.
The men would rent a vehicle and driver for tomorrow.
They were at they doorway at that time.
Squall grabbed Rinoa's hand and squeezed it.
"Thanks," he said with a smile. "It's been a wonderful evening. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
When the men left, she immediately spun on her heel and started to head for the stairs.
"Rinny?" her mother called out. Worry was present in her voice.
She faced her mother. Her mind was still blank.
"Are you alright?" Julia asked.
Rinoa nodded.
"I'm going to sleep, Mommy," she said in a soft tone. "Good night."
After that, she climbed the stairs.
Julia was left and wondering.
But Edea was trying not to laugh.
When Rinoa was in her room, Edea approached Julia.
"History repeats itself," she whispered to her cousin. "Your daughter and Laguna's son are smitten with each other. They look good together, don't they? Just like you and Laguna when you were younger."
And Edea burst out giggling.
Julia's eyes widened. She did not notice what Edea had noticed earlier because she was occupied with Laguna.
But if what was Edea saying was true, Julia would be the first person to be happy.
Meanwhile, Rinoa was sitting on her bed. She still astonished.
She could not believe what was happening to her.
Idiot, she told herself. Love-at-first-sight isn't true. You're so corny, she lectured herself. You only met Squall tonight. That's not love.
And how could she fall in love with that man who was the son of the man who would take her Mommy away from her?
Finally.
Rinoa just admitted to herself that one of the things that scared her with Laguna and Julia's reconciliation was that Laguna would take away the love her mother had for her.
Just like what had happened that night, her Mommy was in a daze as she waited for Laguna. And when they were having dinner...
She did not notice her mother when they were having dinner.
All of her attention was focused on Squall.
She could not deny the intense attraction that she felt for the young Loire.
And not only physical attraction.
Rinoa could not explain it, but even if they were talking about different things earlier, she felt Squall's kindness. Squall was a person who was true to everything. He was kind. He was true to himself. He cared for others.
Rinoa felt she would run out of positive words to describe Squall Loire.
Why did she like him so fast? Was that supposed to happen?
But there was still a part of her brain that was telling her, "Idiot! Don't you know that you've been fooled?"
Her illusions came to a sudden stop.
Of course. Yesterday, she felt she would explode with all the anger inside her. Last night, she felt she would go crazy with all the hurt she felt. Just that afternoon, she was still angry with what had happened. Where did all that go?
Rinoa searched her emotions.
She was supposed to be a rebellious daughter. She was supposed to be angry with her mother. She was supposed to hate Laguna Loire and his son.
But now, where were those emotions?
Why did she feel confused?
And why couldn't she focus her mind on her Mommy even for just one minute – because her mind kept drifting to Squall?
Was she tricked? Did they use some sort of diversionary tactics on her?
She was supposed to be angry, wasn't she? She should fight these.
But, still, she could not feel any anger. Maybe because she could not believe that that had happened.
Her mind clearly registered Squall's face as if she had been gazing at this face for a long time. And she could not see any hint of pretension on his part.
Squall was so open and expressive. Anyone could clearly see on his face what were his thoughts and his feelings.
Rinoa felt that in just a span of a few hours, she already knew Squall.
She did not even notice his father.
But she was thinking now, if Laguna had a personality just like Squall's, she believed he would not deceive her mother just to have a relationship with her.
And if Squall was a reflection of Laguna, she would not even wonder why her Mommy loved Laguna.
Rinoa wanted to believe that there was nothing wrong with the two men.
And where would all of these go?
She sighed.
She knew that Squall and her had mutual feelings for each other. Maybe it was just attraction for now, but she can't deny the possibility that they were already heading for serious feelings.
They needed to know each other better. And tomorrow, that would start.
Would she allow herself and himself to head over in that direction?
But, for her, it was not right.
First, it would seem as if she gave up her Mommy to Laguna Loire without even putting up a fight.
And second, if she could not prevent her mother to get married to Laguna, she and Squall would be step-siblings.
Get a hold of your feelings, Rinoa, she told herself.
~.*.~ ~.*.~ ~.*.~
A/N: Hi! I would like to thank the following people for reading and reviewing this fic:
Ariennye: Gee, thanks! I'm glad you like this story. Well, yes, 2 stories of love. Please please read the next 3 chapters as this story nears its end. Please don't get mad at me.
Thanks!
remote_mine: I'm so honored! *blushes* Really, thank you so much! I really appreciate all of your words of encouragement and comments. *wipes a tear* I am very grateful that you reviewed this fic. Thank you so much!
Anyways! To the other people out there who read this fic, please R&R! Comments, suggestions and criticisms will be dearly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
~bembem~