A/N: Hmm... School's getting tougher with all the tests and assignments and project work coming up. It's, like, every subject has a project work to do! And I'm practically tearing my hair out over them. Argh... Plus, stuff like house commitments and club stuff... and lots of other commitments. The holidays seem so far away... Sigh. Ok. To the story. InfinityEstel: Hey there! You changed your username! Hmmm... May I ask why? But it's cute, anyway. LOL. Rude awakening for Ian? Hmm... Oh I think he will... :) aj: Oh I see. Hmm... well, my answer is no. And I like the question. :) :) Nope, Rebecca isn't related to Daphne, no. Well... but someone else is. ;P
The disclaimers are as usual so I shan't type them all out. LOL.
Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 9
Ian sank into his armchair. His eyes were practically on fire and his hands were sore after a long day of work. But there was no choice; he had to carry on.
Just then someone rapped on the door. "Come in," Ian said, almost whispering. He sighed and shut his eyes.
Rebecca slipped in through the small opening of the door. She did not make a single sound as she made her way to Ian's desk.
Sensing something wrong as it was awfully quiet, Ian popped his eyes open to find Rebecca tiptoeing into the room. She sulked immediately when Ian acknowledged her presence.
"What's the matter? What's wrong?" Ian's face was creased with concern.
"Nothing." Rebecca shrugged. "Just… just some kinda silly feelings." Then she changed the subject. "So! Are you free now? Can we go out for dinner together?" She asked excitedly.
"What? Now?" He stole a quick glance outside. "Are you sure about this?"
Rebecca laughed lightly. "Don't worry! Why are you so uptight? Everyone's gone, obviously. I wouldn't have come in if anyone was still around."
Ian just stared blankly at her in response.
"What?"
"Uh… nothing." Ian jolted out of his own thoughts. "You know… thinking." He turned away.
Rebecca narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Then she decided to let the matter drop. "Okay, then." She said. "So are you ready now?"
"Ready? Ready for what?" Ian had a blank expression on his face.
"Ian, were you listening to me just now? I asked if we could go out for dinner together tonight!" Rebecca explained, looking exasperated.
"Oh!" Ian's face was flushed. "I see. Yes, yes, I'm ready. Just… just give me a moment, will ya? Shouldn't take too long. Just have to pack up certain things, you know." He gestured towards the pile of paperwork on his table.
Grinning, Rebecca nodded. "You're one busy man!" She told him. "Okay then. I'll wait for you outside. I have my own things to pack too."
"Je veux une tasse d'eau, s'il vous plaît.." Rebecca told the waiter in French.
"Wow, I didn't know you knew how to speak French." Ian smiled.
"You don't really seem impressed, do you?" Rebecca grinned proudly, as she tossed her hair over her shoulders and leaned forward. "Anyway, my father is French."
"He is?" Ian raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Yep." Rebecca replied with a mysterious smile. "And my mother is Chinese."
"Oh wow! A mixed! That is cool."
"Merci." Rebecca thanked the waiter as he delivered her drink to her. She sipped from the straw and replied Ian, "Yes, it sure is. Imagine being able to speak three languages!"
"Hey, you must teach me how to speak Chinese some time!"
"I'll consider it first." Rebecca grinned.
"Okay." Ian grinned. "You know, there is always something new to learn about you every time, do you know that? Like, you don't drink." He pointed towards her cup of water.
"Well, that's basically because you still don't really know me that well!" She pointed out, giggling.
Ian and Rebecca were dining in a posh and luxurious French restaurant. Though Ian knew that it was not right for a person to date her boss, he could not help it. He knew Rebecca couldn't too. Anyway, she was just too… too irresistible.
More irresistible than Daphne? There was this nagging thing at the back of his head. He couldn't quite place what it was. It was basically someone, or something that was totally against him for going out with Rebecca. He tried pushing that question away, but unfortunately he couldn't. It kept coming back.
---Don't you think that you're a two-timer, Wallace?
No! I'm not! I'm not a two-timer!
---Wallace, don't lie to yourself anymore. And don't lie to her too. Tell her the truth!
What truth?
---You're such a horrible liar, Wallace! You lie to everyone! You lie to her, and you lie to yourself!
It was enough to drive him crazy. He couldn't take it anymore.
"Ian? Are you okay? You are awfully quiet." Rebecca asked. She reached out and touched his arm.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay." He replied, jumping out of his thoughts. Then he picked up his wine glass. "Cheers." He said.
"Cheers." Rebecca held up her own glass and clinked it against Ian's. As she sipped her water, she noticed something on Ian's hand. His fourth finger, to be exact.
"Um… Ian? What's that… ring on your finger?" She demanded tentatively.
Immediately, Ian froze. Now's the time for her to know, he thought, as though he had been waiting for that time for a long time now. Unintentionally, he blurted, "I must tell you something Rebecca."
"What?" Rebecca narrowed her eyes at the sudden change in Ian. He had become all serious and stiff suddenly, and that scared her. She didn't know what was coming up next, and feared for the worst. "What?" She demanded again.
"I… I must tell you something important…"
"Out with it."
"Actually, I wanted to let you know that… that I have a kid."
"A what?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was this a joke? If it was, it sure wasn't funny.
"A kid. Child, you know. "
Rebecca didn't respond.
"Um… Rebecca? Are you all right? I just told you this because I wanted to how you would feel."
Gritting her teeth, Rebecca turned away and took a deep breath before turning back to look at Ian in the eye.
"You want to know how I feel?" She echoed Ian's words through gritted teeth. "Hmm? Now this is how I feel!" She stood up so quickly and grabbed the cup of wine beside her, pouring its contents over Ian. Then, setting the cup down in a loud 'clink', she left the restaurant angrily, with all the other diners staring at the 'dramatic' scene.
For a moment, Ian was so shocked by the sudden move that he remained still. But soon after, he recovered, and slapping two fifty-dollar bills onto the table, he ran out of the restaurant quickly, hoping that he would still be able to catch Rebecca.
He dashed out onto the roads to find Rebecca flagging down a cab and getting into it. Breaking into a sprint, he ran next to the vehicle and bang hard on the window, signaling for Rebecca to come out.
As expected, Rebecca ignored him, but the cab driver didn't. "Hey, m'ss," he said with his cigarette on the edge of his lips, obviously annoyed, "please get out so that the young man will stop banging on me poor window, or ya'll hafta' pay for the damage when he breaks it. Ya gotta know that me car is twenty-three years, el'ven months, nine days and," he glanced at his watch, "six min'tes and forty-two-seconds-old now already! Please spare a thought for it, will ya? Me have six people ta feed at home!"
"Fine!" Rebecca spat in disgust as she opened the door and got out. She watched as the cab drove away, leaving her standing alone on the roadside with Ian. Then she sank down to the ground and began to cry.
"Wha- I- you- I-" Ian was speechless. He was at a loss of what to say. He hated it when girls break down right in front of him because firstly, he didn't know what to do, and secondly, it always made him feel that he was the one at fault, the one who caused the girl to cry.
Sighing, Ian bent down and touched Rebecca's left shoulder. "Come on, stop crying." He pleaded. "Please? Stop crying! Come, get up. You look like a baby, sitting down on the floor crying, you know." He joked.
"Oh, okay! I see! So now I'm being babyish and childish!" Angrily, Rebecca dusted his hand off her shoulder and stood up. She smoothed her skirt and, ignoring Ian, walked away, still crying. Ian jogged up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Then he spun her around and took her into his arms. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It was meant a joke. There's no need to cry." He cooed.
But unexpectedly, Rebecca put up a fight and tried to wriggle out of his grip. "What are you trying to do?" She shouted heatedly. "Let me go!" She yelled so loud, people around them were glancing their direction.
Aware of the many probing and suspicious pairs of eyes, Ian let go of her immediately. "What is going on with you?! Why are you acting so…"
"Bitchy?" Rebecca sneered. "I thought you were smart enough to know why. But never mind, I'll tell you why. Firstly, I just went out with my boss who's a two-timer! And secondly, the damned cab driver refused to drive me home all because of you! You were the one who pounded on that sickening window! It's all because of you!" She yelled, and pounded her fists on Ian's chest angrily.
Throughout this whole 'torture', Ian muttered not a single word. He chose to remain silent as he allowed Rebecca to continue venting her anger on him. Suddenly, Rebecca stopped and slumped. She would have hit the ground if not for Ian, who caught her in time.
But to his amazement, she did not even express her gratitude. Instead she pushed him away and walked off in the other direction, leaving no words behind.
"Hey, wait!" Ian called out but remained where he was standing. He decided it best not to chase after her. "Why are you treating me like this? I'm not a two-timer! Don't you even trust me?"
But his words gathered no response as Rebecca kept on walking, occasionally raising her hands to wipe her tears away.
"Listen! I'm telling you for the second and last time! I'm NOT a hypocrite, NOT a two-timer, NOT a jerk… whatever you can call me!" He yelled. "My wife is already dead and I love you!" The second the words were out of his mouth, he quickly covered it in surprise, though knowing that he would not regret saying that out loud.
As expected, the words had an effect and Rebecca immediately stopped walking.
"Don't you understand? I love you!" Ian yelled from where he was standing. Still receiving no answer, he edged her slowly, a step at a time. "So what if I'm your boss? So what if I have a child? You know very well that I love you, don't you?" He asked.
Slowly, he walked round her and planted his feet firmly on the ground in front of her. Placing a hand on her shoulder and the other on her chin, he guided her face up so that her eyes met his. Then looking into her eyes, he told her, "Rebecca, no matter what happens, I will always love you, I promise." He pulled her into a tight embrace.
After a few moments of 'warmth' and comfort, Rebecca looked up at Ian's handsomely chiseled face. "Do you really mean what you say, Ian Wallace?"
"Then let me ask you, Rebecca Hunter, have I ever had a reason to lie to you?" A smile played on his lips as he continued, "I'm an honest man, and an honest man you can always trust to be honest."
A soft giggle escaped Rebecca's lips as she returned Ian's warm embrace. "I take your word for it, mate!"
"The stars here are so beautiful, don't you think so?" Rebecca tore her eyes away from the dark sky and looked up at Ian's face. She loved it when she lay on others' laps and when they stroked her hair fondly.
"Yeah."
"I've never seen so many of them before! Have you?"
"Uh-huh."
"I wish I could see them every single day. They just make a person feel… feel so… nice. And loved." She sighed, turning over to gaze at the sky again.
"Hmm." Ian nodded absently.
"Do you know that the operators found out that Haiti's computer has a bug in it and they closed down the whole operating system today?" She continued without changing her tone of voice, but looking up at her boyfriend to see if her was even paying any attention to her at all.
"Mm. That's nice." He murmured in reply, obviously responding automatically to her tone of voice, without having heard a single word she said.
Rebecca tried hard to stifle her laughs. Half a moment later a strange look crossed Ian's face as her words finally registered in his mind.
"What?" He turned a bewildered look upon her.
Rebecca laughed, she couldn't help it. "Weren't you listening to a word I said?"
"Apparently not," he admitted.
"What are you thinking about that's got you so preoccupied?" She asked as she helped herself up and plopped down next to him.
"Many things," Ian sighed, gazing out at the horizon as his look turned distant again.
"Like...?" Rebecca pushed.
Ian shot her a wry grin. "You women are extremely nosey, aren't you?"
"Yeah, so what?" She replied, unashamed. "Come on, come on. You have not answered my question yet. What were you thinking about?"
Sighing, Ian said, "I guess today I've learnt something new about women. You can't keep anything from them otherwise you're gonna have terror."
"What!" Rebecca exclaimed and punched him lightly playfully. Ian laughed.
"Okay, okay. I'll tell you, okay?" He held up his hands in surrender. Then he sighed, again.
"Come on, I'm still waiting. I don't want to wait for the cows to come home."
"I… I'm just wondering if you'd… accept my son." Ian said slowly, careful of the choice of words he used.
"Rylan?"
"Yes. After you outburst just now, you know."
"Are you kidding? How could you even ask me such a question!" Rebecca exclaimed, at the same time garnering a curious yet surprised stare from Ian.
"I… I…"
"Of course I would! I totally love kids!"
"Really? You mean it?"
"Yeah!" Rebecca rolled her eyes.
"Then, what if… what if we, you know, would you look after Rylan then? Care for him like he's your own son?"
Rebecca hesitated. "Is that your way of… of proposing?"
"Wait, we can talk about that later. Answer my question first."
"Yes, I would."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Okay then! Come on! We have a place to go!" Ian stood up immediately and pulled Rebecca up too. Taking her hand, he dragged her along as he ran towards the car.
"Hey wait! Slow down a little! I need to catch my breath!" Rebecca exclaimed as Ian pulled her along excitedly. "Where on earth are we going? Why did you bring us here?"
"Sorry, but I can't slow down. You'll know it later, I promise." He assured her.
"But – whoa!" Rebecca gasped as they halted in front of a huge, dazzling shop.
"Voilà!" Ian announced proudly. Standing in front of them was a jewellery shop with thousands, no millions, of shiny and glittering diamonds in there.
"Whoa…" Rebecca muttered under her breath as she took a step into the grand place. As if she had not seen such gems before, she wandered around the place, peering into every single showcase with immense awe and pleasure. "Oh my god."
Ian chuckled. "They're beautiful, aren't they? Choose one that you like."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "Is this your way of proposing to women?"
Shrugging helplessly, he answered. "I guess so."
"Tactless. But never mind," she said, turning back to the showcases, "I won't hound you for more answers. But… but I can't choose! They're all so beautiful! I want them all!" She whined like a young child who has lost her teddy.
"Well… if you really want to…"
"What? No way! I was just kidding! Don't take me seriously, please! I don't want you to be broke. I'll… I'll just have something simple. Sweet and simple."
"No, no. It's okay if you want to have something more expensive, you know."
"No, I don't. I'd like something plain and… and not complicated." Rebecca replied, at the same time telling the shop assistant too. He nodded and beckoned her towards a different showcase. "Something… something unique and special too."
"Unique? Special?" Ian echoed.
"Mm-hmm." She nodded as she browsed through the rows of dazzling diamonds. They were so glistening; she almost had to shield her eyes from the reflected light. "Hey! What do you think of this one?" She exclaimed suddenly, with her finger pointing at one of the rings in the glass case.
"Hmm?" Ian strode towards her direction, curious and eager to see what she had laid her eyes upon. But what he saw took him by surprise. The ring that had caught Rebecca's attention was plain. It was so plain and normal; there was totally no design on it. It was just a plain, simple silver ring.
"Are you sure you want that? You don't want any diamonds?" He asked, couldn't help feeling incredulous.
"Nope. I don't want any diamonds. I like this one." She shook her head, but hesitated for a moment before continuing. "But… it would be even better if only there were carvings on it. Words."
"Words?"
"Uh-huh. For example, yours can have: Rebecca loves Ian forever. And mine is vice versa." Rebecca replied, with a hint of excitement in her voice. "What do you think?"
"What do I think? I say we go for it!" Ian grinned.
TBC...
Actually, I don't exactly like this chapter, so I'd welcome all reviews.
