I Don't Want to Love Him, but I Just Do...

Chapter Seven

Previously on I Don't Want to Love Him, but I Just Do...

• A strong hand shoved against her mouth. The force knocked one of her teeth out causing her to cry in pain into the palm of the strangler.

• "You can't be here!" the strangler exclaimed. "Go away; we're taking her with us."

"No you aren't," Sebastian crossed his arms, serious. "You leave before I call the police on all of you."

• He passed his hand over her shirt to smooth out the wrinkles when he suddenly felt something moving. He passed his hand over her stomach again until he found it again. He left his hand there, making sure that was really it.

• "I found it," he smirked flirtatiously as the butterflies in her stomach turned into raging, stinging honey bees.

You Again

"I'm telling you it's not that one," Rose Giracho kept looking at the fifth wedding dress Lyn had picked out, but she still shook her head. "No, just no. It's beautiful, but it's not right."

Lyn exhaled deeply, blowing up a strand of her bangs that was covering her eyes. She was sick and tired of Rose. Every dress Lyn picked out, she rejected. All the dresses were beautiful, especially this one. It was strapless with beading on the bottom of the breast area, that flowed nicely down, like a Cinderella dress. It didn't have much beading and glitter on it, but the dress was simple, and Lyn really liked it.

"Shouldn't Lyn pick out her wedding dress?" asked Catheryn. "If she likes it, she should get it."

Rose sighed, exasperated. She turned around to look at Catheryn who was sitting on the couch behind the pedestal Lyn was standing on, next to Ali, Daisy -Sebastian's sister-, and Lyn's mother, and she smiled fakely at her. Her hands were on her hips.

"I just don't see my son's soon- to- be wife wearing this dress," she said stubbornly. "I know about wedding dresses. I help brides pick out wedding dress everyday; it's what I do. So I think I know a little more about wedding dresses than you do, Miss Vai."

Lyn was surprised that Catheryn didn't talk back to Rose again, but she knew she had her reason not to. Rose Giracho was usually a very kind woman, but when it came to wedding dress, she became very cranky. She wanted to make sure that she knew everything about wedding dresses more than anybody else.

"Maybe we should come back another day," confirmed Lyn, already tired of trying on dresses and changing back and forth.

"No," Rose quickly snapped, "you are going to get married in two months! The most important part of the wedding is what you're going to wear. We're picking the dress today."

Lyn nodded in agreement, knowing that she won't be able to change Rose's mind. She climbed down the couple of steps the pedestal had and went over to the rack of dresses again. Rose followed her and looked in another pile of dresses. She flipped through the dresses when something that glittered caught Lyn's attention. She quickly took the dress off its hanger and showed it to Rose.

"How about this one?"

Rose glanced at the dress, ready to deny her approval of it when her eyes widened. "Oh, my word, that's absolutely gorgeous," she grabbed the dress from her hands and really took a look at it.

The dress was a pearl white and strapless with beading on every spot of the top part. Around the torso, it looked like a strap was ruffled and wrapped around tightly on the stomach. Then, from just above the hips to the floor, it was wavy- designed, resembling waves in the ocean.

"Well, what are you waiting for, princess? Go and try it on," said Rose, pushing her towards the fitting room, excited since they may have really found the right dress this time.

Everyone stood up when Lyn came out with the dress on. She climbed up the couple steps again, looking at herself in the mirror. She caught her breath at her reflection. Was this really me? she asked herself. Tears started to form in her eyes, and at that moment, she knew that this was the right dress for her. She didn't care if Rose didn't like it, she was going to get this one no matter what anybody said or thought of it.

Marie walked next to Lyn and placed a gentle hand on her back, tearing up as well, looking at Lyn through her reflection. No words came out of her mouth, and Lyn knew that her mother was thinking the exact same thing she was.

"You look beautiful, daughter," she smiled at her. "Just wait when we put make- up on you and the crown and the veil," her tears started to really stream down her face. She tried to wipe them away, but they couldn't stop. "You're growing up too fast."

Lyn grinned, her eyes very red, but only a couple of tears slid out. She hugged her mother tightly. She looked towards her friends and her soon- to- be family and saw that they were also very emotional.

"Okay, everyone," Lyn wiped away her tears, "there will be enough crying at the wedding," she laughed shakily.

"Wait till my brother sees you in that," Daisy laughed. "We'll probably have to close his mouth for him!"

Lyn couldn't help but blush at the thought of Sebastian, especially of the thought of what happened the other night between them. The way he had kissed her, and the way he teased her with her soul vein. She still couldn't believe how he could have found it before the wedding. The way he numbed her pain just by his touch and his presence. She wondered if she made him feel the same way he made her feel when he touched her. She was actually curious to know what his reaction would be when he saw her in this gown. She couldn't admit to herself that she was falling for him because she was scared that he was going to keep attacking her with his random jerk attacks and hurt her emotionally. After what happened with Tom, she didn't need to be hurt anymore.

"You look really pretty, Lyn," Daisy smiled.

"Yeah, she does."

Lyn inhaled a deep breath as she recognized that voice from anywhere, not able to exhale it out. Her chest started to hurt, and her stomach was churning from the many butterflies attacking her stomach. It can't be. She closed her eyes and opened them again in a quick second, only to find Tom standing right behind her. She bit her lip, almost shivering from the nerves. The affect he had on her hadn't changed at all.

"Hey, Lyn, long time, no see," he smirked at her very surprised expression to see him.

Catheryn and Ali immediately stood up from the couch and walked up to Tom with their arms crossed, defensive for their friend.

"What are you doing here? Did you follow her?" Catheryn asked him, irritated.

"Haven't you hurt her enough?" said Ali with her eyebrow raised.

Lyn walked down the steps again to be face- to- face with Tom, holding a hand up to Catheryn and Ali, reassuring them that she could handle it. She looked into his light green eyes, remembering how much those eyes used to make her melt inside. How they still do... She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing seemed to come out. She was too surprised to see him. The last time she saw him was a couple times at school, but since their schedules were pretty much opposite, they never ran into each other.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him in almost a whisper, goosebumps forming on her arms.

"My mother's remarrying. She came to pick out a wedding dress," he pointed her out, but he turned back around to hold her in his gaze. "I need to talk to you, Lyn."

"Who is this boy?" Rose stomped her way in between them. "Don't you see we're in the middle of picking out her wedding dress?"

"That's her ex- boyfriend, Rose," explained Marie. "Lyn, you're getting married; don't get sucked in again by that," she gave Tom the rudest look she could muster. She hated him for what he did to her daughter, and she'd never forgive him for that.

"Oh," he stood up taller, his face more serious. He slid his hands into his jean pockets. "You're getting married?" he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"You knew this was going to happen, Tom. Where's Monica?" Lyn frowned.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said.

"Lyn? Is that you?" Tom's mother, Gloria, squealed excitedly as she walked toward Lyn with her arms open. She hugged her motherly- like, very tightly. "How have you been? Look at you! You're getting married? This young?" she was a little confused.

Lyn nodded her head, feeling a little awkward. "Yeah, it's kind of tradition... I thought Tom would've told y-"

"To who?" asked Tom, a bit defensively.

"That's none of your business," snapped Marie, her heels clacking on the floor as she stomped her way toward him. She squinted her eyes at him, threatening. "You're the last person she needs to be answering, Tom. Do you know how much pain you caused my little girl, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Gloria pushed Tom out of the way and faced Marie angrily this time. "You mean the pain she caused my son?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lyn waved her hand to get their attention, completely dumbfounded now. "I didn't cause him any pain. He was the one who cheated on me with Monica."

"Oh, no," Tom's eyes widened as he tried to hide himself from them. He had told his mother that Lyn was the one who broke up with him because he didn't want his mother to know what he had done to Lyn. Even though he had a reasonable explanation for what he did. Which is why he wanted to talk to her.

"You did what?" Gloria glared at Tom with daggers, enraged. "Thomas Cavallo-"

"Mom, there's a reason for everything," he cut her off. His hands were up in defense, trying to calm her down. "That's why I need to talk to Lyn."

"Talk about what, Tom?" Lyn closed her eyes, getting a mild headache. Just remembering the memory of what she saw between him and Monica made her hurt. She was still not over it. She didn't know when she was going to be over it, but she just wanted to be. "How you went and cheated on me with one of my worst enemies?"

"I only did it because-"

"Because what?" she refused to listen to reason, because reasoning centers of her brain have been short- circuited.

"Can we talk in private about this?" he whispered to her, noticing that everyone in the store was listening on their conversation.

"Like hell you will!" raged Marie. "Why don't you just leave Lyn alone?"

"With all due respect, Queen Marie, I think that's up to Lyn," Tom glanced toward Lyn, hoping she was willing to let him explain.

"Don't get sucked in, Lyn," advised Catheryn, almost pleading. She didn't want to see her best friend hurt again.

Lyn sighed deeply, unsure of what to do. She really wanted to know the real reason why he hurt her so, but she didn't want to fall for him again. "I think I need a real explanation, Cat..."

"How would Sebastian feel about that?" chimed in Ali. "I don't think he'd like that you're talking to your ex- boyfriend regardless if he's in love with you or not."

"Sebastian is the guy you're getting married to?" Tom chuckled but not with humor, with sarcasm. "Look who's with the enemy now."

Lyn ignored him. "Look, Sebastian doesn't control me. He's been talking to other girls, why can't I talk to other boys? This is something I have to do. Something that will help me to understand," she said wanting them to understand her reasoning for doing this. She focused her attention at Tom again. "This doesn't mean I forgive you."

"No, I know you won't forgive me, Lyn, and I understand that," he admitted. "But now you need to explain why Giracho is your fiancee."

"I don't need to explain anything to you; I didn't cheat on you with him," Lyn rolled her eyes. "I'm going to get out of this dress and pay for it. We can talk after that," she confirmed.

He nodded his head, keeping quiet, and walked out of the store.

"I'm so sorry, Lyn, I didn't know," Gloria said sincerely.

"It's not your fault, Gloria," Lyn placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "he's the one who lied to you."

"Just listen to him, Lyn," she begged. "I know what he did was bad. Just give him a chance to explain why he did what he did."

"I'll try," Lyn promised.

Once Lyn bought the dress, she promised everyone that she wasn't going to get "sucked in" again. She promised them that she'd meet them at her house, and she'll tell them what his better explanation was. Not that he could really explain why he cheated on her; that was the whole explanation. But she promised Gloria she'd listen to him, and that's what she was going to do.

She walked out of the store and found Tom sitting on a wooden bench that was facing the woods. The woods that Lyn fell unconscious in. She felt a little uneasy as she walked closer to Tom and the woods. She sat down next to him on the bench, feeling a little awkward.

"All right, explain yourself," she didn't look at him in the face. She stared into the woods, hoping nothing would pop out or remind her of the other night. She gulped.

"Look, Lyn," he frowned, cursing under his breath, wishing that none of this ever happened, "I cheated on you because I was, um, scared."

Lyn turned her attention to him with her head tilted and with a what- the- heck- are- you- talking- about expression. "You've got to be kidding me."

"You're getting married! You told me a million times that this was going to happen in a couple of years. If we would've stayed together from then till now, I would've been the groom. I was scared that I was going to have to get married at such a young age."

"How do you know it was going to be you? It could've been Sebastian even if we were together, anyways; the decision is up to my father, not me," she responded.

"Don't say his name," Tom clenched his fists, the hatred toward Sebastian just getting stronger and stronger. "Anyways, I pretended to date Monica, so you would break up with me."

"Ha!" Lyn couldn't believe her ears. "Do you think I'm that stupid? You're still dating Monica! If you're going to lie to me, I'm leaving," she started to get up, but Tom grabbed her hand, sitting her back down.

"Monica and I broke up, Lyn," he said, not one bit of sadness in his tone at all. "The only reason why I stayed with her for so long is because... I was under a love potion."

Lyn's eyes widened, surprised. Nothing made any sense. She fixed her eyes on Tom, looking for any sign that he was lying. He wasn't. If there was one special thing Lyn could do, it would be knowing if Tom was lying or not. She was with him for only a year and a half, but they grew so in love each other, they knew exactly what they were thinking or feeling just by their body language. Lyn knew when Tom was lying when his eyes would trail everywhere and look everywhere besides into her eyes. Right now, his eyes were glued to hers.

"But Monica didn't have any witch or wizard friends and they don't sell love potions at the mall because they're illegal... She only hung around vampires. She couldn't have made that potion herself."

"Let's just say Monica isn't a vampire," Tom stretched out his arm on the back of the bench, crossing his legs, one over the other.

"She has to be a vampire, Tom," Lyn shook her head, feeling a little scared inside. "Her scent is sweet, like every vampire. She doesn't smell like a dog, and she doesn't send off any positive or negative vibes," Lyn shook her head, dumbfounded to the point that she didn't know what to think anymore.

"There's been another species living among us completely invisible, Lyn."

"What? That's not possible, Tom, and you know that!"

"Oh, it's possible, all right," his expression couldn't be more serious. "It's a good thing I made it out in time."

"Made it out in time, for what?" asked Lyn, horrified. Her mouth was wide open, and her facial features showed complete terror.

"Before Monica turned me into an aracnidi."

A/N: Da, da, daaa! XD So what did you think of this chapter? :) Tom is back just like most of you asked and predicted! Thank you to all who review, follow, and favorite this story; it means the world to me! This includes: BelievinginTrueLoveForever, Crazyed Vampire, HaterJo, WisegirlNL15, XxxJacobBlackForeverxxX, laurizzle, lovesfairytale, sunshine4evr, xXallegedangelXx, 19-abby-99, AlexandraSterling41, AureliaCrossed, DarknessInYourEyes, KarouBlue, ZisisGirl23, shadow-dea, xoxDarkFallenAngelxox, xxxxLaKerzxxxx, HPKaneChroniclesFan4Life,Hana15498, tinckles, wolf9653, lol2247, L4N498, blargablargameh, DarkSpiritsXx, Valkyrie18, WinnieThePooh, and two anonymous reviewers. I know I always repeat that, but it's because it's true! Thanks for believing and being interested in this story. I really do always think about what I'm going to do next with this story because I truly enjoy writing it. The positive feedback is what motivates me to write more! So any critiques or ideas or new reviewers are very much welcomed! :D Come check for a new chapter next Tuesday or Wednesday! Oh, and there's a link to the picture of Lyn's dress on my profile page under the caption: I Don't Want to Love Him, but I Just Do. :)

~MythologyCrazedSchmidt15