Chapter Eight

After Marcus and Deianne had the talk and compromised with each other, they fell into a complete silence. They were just sitting on the couch, still across from each other. For the first time after their wedding, they both felt comfortable with the deafening silence that enveloped them.

They stayed in their position in serenity until Deianne realized that it was almost lunchtime.

"Ahm... it's almost lunchtime. Are you not hungry?"

Marcus looked at his watch on his wrist.

"Yeah, it's almost one o'clock. Do you want to order or eat something?"

Deianne realizes that they have nothing to eat in the house. The refrigerator is absolutely empty right now. Not just that, she also notices that their other stocks at home, as well as their toiletries, are running out as well. They have nothing except some things of their own. So whether they like it or not, they need to shop.

"Well, how about we buy some ingredients? I'll cook. Besides, there are really many things we have to buy."

Marcus looks around once again and finally notices what his wife really means.

"Alright, let's do that," he agreed.

And after a few moments, they are now on the road, going to the nearest shop to their house. They decided to use the man's car since it has more compartments.

They go to one of the biggest malls that they can find near their house. Once Marcus and Deianne step inside, some people start whispering and staring at them. Deianne, who is still not used to being the center of attention, tries to focus more on shopping for their things.

They threw out many boxes of milk and healthy juices, some biscuits, chips, bread, and jars with some spices and flavourings in their cart. Deianne also took some meat, vegetables, fruits, and some kitchen herbs. She also didn't forget to buy some detergent, shampoo, soap, a pair of toothbrushes, an air freshener, and so many other things. She somehow felt happy by walking with Marcus in the supermarket. She now feels like a newlywed because of how they discuss which brand is better and which brand they should buy and which fruit they will pick. 

Being with the man under the same roof for days now, she has become aware of some of his habits, like how he must drink coffee every morning, so they decided to buy many coffee powders and coffee beans, and how his sugar pressure can easily drop, so they have to stock foods with a large amount of sugar.

Marcus, on the other hand, amazingly looks at his wife, who is like an expert at shopping for their groceries. He can feel that she is going to be a great wife in the long run of their marriage. 

They continue to converse, occasionally smiling.However, their shopping gets interrupted by a little boy, around the age of three, who bumps into Deianne's right leg lightly. She looks down at the little boy who is now looking at her right in the eyes as well. She squats herself, so she is on the same level as the little boy.

"Hey there, baby boy. Where's your mom?" Deianne asked him softly.

The little boy didn't answer; he just kept on looking at her. And then, as if on cue, his eyes get teary and the boy starts crying loudly. Marcus panicked in an instant and started to look around, while Deianne remained calm. She gently wipes the tears from the boy's cheeks and rubs his small back softly.

"Why are you crying? Don't cry baby." Deianne said, softly again. But the little boy kept on crying. Then she decided to hold the boy in her arms, moving her own body back and forth lightly, still rubbing the boy's back gently. She keeps on talking to the boy, asking him to stop crying and telling him that she will give him a candy and chocolate bar once he does it. And it worked magically because the boy slowly stopped crying. Deianne wipes the tears again and smiles softly. Before she could say anything, a woman came in to them in a rush.

"Bryce! There you are! Thank heavens!"

the woman in her forties said relievedly, reaching for her son from Deianne's arms. The boy, who knows his mom is coming, suddenly reaches his mom with his tiny hands. Seeing that, Deianne gladly gave the little boy back to his mom. The woman then said thank you to them over and over again before she left with her son.

Marcus, on the other hand, is trying to rewind what just happened in his head. He couldn't get rid of the picture of how his wife was lovingly soothing the little boy from crying, and how she was so calm in the midst of a loud cry. He finds "Daniella" even more beautiful now after what happened.

Deianne turns around, looking at Marcus, when she feels that someone is staring at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

The man was startled by the sudden question. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

Deianne looks at him in the eye again before he shrugs his shoulder and starts to shop again.

*****

They came back to their home with a bunch of plastic bags. They put all the new stuff that they had just bought into place. They felt starved after that, so Deianne started to cook. She made a delicious but simple menu for their lunch as Marcs watched her at the dining table near the kitchen. He once again becomes more amazed after learning that his wife can cook well. It is evident in how she moves confidently in the kitchen.

"Since when do you know how to cook?" He asked out of the blue as he kept on watching "Daniella".

Deianne looked at him before she answered.

"I knew how to cook since college. I lived alone in another country, and their food didn't match with my food pallet, so I learned to cook my own food." She said as she stirred the meat and vegetables.

They ate right after Deianne finished cooking. As Marcus stated in their rules, they talked and asked each other questions as they ate. That was the first time they ate together as husband and wife after the wedding reception, and it felt so nice.

Once the lunch was over, Marcus presented himself to clean up and wash the dishes since his wife had cooked their lunch and Deianne could only agree.

She decided to watch TV in the living room as the man finished up in the kitchen. She watches random movies.

After a few minutes, Marcus joins her, and they both decide to watch and begin another movie.

*****

Time passed quickly that day. Marcus decided to swim to relax himself after watching the movie. He really likes to take some laps to relieve his stress and exhaustion. As he swims, his wife is on the veranda, playing guitar. He heard a beautiful melody, so he got out of the pool and headed to where the woman was.

"It's beautiful." He couldn't help but comment.

That remark made Deianne blush and stop strumming the guitar.

"Is this one of your "me time" moments?" Marcus asked, as he noticed how his wife had stopped playing the guitar. 

Deianne shook her head slightly.

"No, it's fine." 

Seeing that as a go signal, Marcus asked again.

"What did you play?"

"Just some song that I wrote a few years back."

"You wrote a song?" The man arched his brow slightly, another talent that he had just discovered from his wife.

"Yeah..." she answered shyly.

"Can I hear it?" Marcus pressed on more.

"No!" Deianne responded too quickly, which surprised the man, so she added, "I mean, I didn't have a chance to finish it."

Marcus just shrugged his shoulder and decided to just let it go. His wife still needs some time to get really comfortable around him. They were just content with sitting side by side.

Just then, slowly but surely, Marcus moves his body forward. Their eyes didn't leave each other, and they got even closer. Now their faces are only inches away. Both of them can feel their slow and warm breath. Their eyes are still looking at each other. Their gaze is so deep, yet so soft. And finally, the only time Marcus leaves Deianne's eyes is when he looks at her inviting lips and then moves his body forward. Their lips touch. And Deianne was sure that she felt something unusual the moment their lips met.

*****