Chapter Seven

"Daniella, let's talk." Marcus announces as soon as he arrives at their house after a long day of work. After tending in to the incident and making sure that everything was now under control, he took the rest of the day off. He thinks it is only fair since he spent all night and this morning working and he really wants to talk to his wife.

Deianne, who was in the middle of sending a message to her mom in the living room, looked up and turned her head in the man's direction. She was about to say something when Marcus beat her to it.

"Stay right there. I'll just change into more comfortable clothes and then we will talk." The man then strides upstairs to their room with urgency, leaving her with a heart beating increasingly.

She isn't that dumb. She knows what the man wants them to talk about. Deianne actually just came home from meeting her mother, and she received an earful because of how terrible she is, not only in being "Daniella" but also in being a "wife" to Marcus. 

She knows she is the one at fault because Marcus has been nothing but patient with her and he really is trying to work the marriage out. In her defense, she wants to do it too. But how can she do it when everything has not yet sunk in to her? She is still not used to being someone's wife.

But like what her mom said, she has to do her part. It's not only for their family, but also for her twin sister. Like her parents, she also wants to make sure that Daniella will have a husband and a family to come home to once they find her. Hence, she is now willing to try her best to work things out with her "husband".

Deianne jumps out a little when she hears the nearing steps of Marcus. She sits properly and lets out a deep breath to ready herself.

"Let's talk now?" the man asked as he sat across from her. He is now wearing a plain navy blue shirt and shorts.

She just nodded.

"Remember the day when you said that you agreed to be my wife?" he started.

Deianne, not knowing about that, decided to just nod once again.

"We said that we would try to work on our marriage, right? But what are you doing? Why are you suddenly being like this? Whatever happened to exerting our efforts to adjust and know each other better?" Marcus asked her.

"I'm sorry..." she said in a low voice that earned a sigh from Marcus.

"I am not mad at you. I just want to understand what is happening right now. I want you to help me understand you. Open up to me, talk to me."

With enough courage, Deianne started to talk.

"I'm sorry. I... I actually don't understand myself either." She admitted it. "Of course, I want to work this out as much as you want to. Maybe I am still adjusting? I mean, before you and our wedding, I was living in my own world without caring for other people, and then, all of a sudden, there's you. I have a housemate. Not only that, we are sharing the same room and bed together." Deianne paused. She wanted to see Marcus's reaction.

But the man nodded but remained silent, so she continued. "I know I shouldn't do what I did for the past few days to you. I... I promise not to do it again. I-I will try to be there for you whenever you need m-me."

"Alright, I understand. I would also like to apologize if I seem too pushy for you." Marcus said, which made her deny it quickly.

"No, you're not. It's just me who-"

"No, I always believe in it takes two to clap, so we're both at fault." The man paused for a few seconds before he said, "Let's try again? We can even start anew. And to prevent this from happening again, you can also voice out what you want to happen in our marriage."

She shook her head.

"No, I don't want anything else. I just want to start fresh with you. And I want you to help me to be more open to you so we can be more comfortable with each other." Deianne answered. She could see how Marcus nodded his head a couple of times as she said it.

"You can count on me for that. But is it okay with you if I establish some rules?" the man asked her carefully.

Rules?

"What rules?" she asked back.

"Rules, more on house rules. Don't worry, it's not going to be that complicated. So let's start discussing them?"

Deianne once again nodded.

"Okay, first I want you to read this." Marcus said as he handed her a piece of paper. "The following are the rules I set. We can modify it. You can even add or remove some if you want to, as long as we discuss it."

She started to read them one by one.

House Rules:

1. We should be more open to each other. Trust is a must, but we also should learn to be honest.

2. As husband and wife, I think it is our responsibility to work hard to maintain a harmonious relationship.

3. As much as possible, we should have meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) together. It will be our time to talk and get to know each other more.

4. We should never go to bed with our fights unresolved.

5. We should always respect each other as well as each other's choices. And we should always meet halfway.

6. We should always voice out what we want and what we don't, especially during intimate moments.

7. We should respect each other's boundaries at all times. You can have your own space, and I can have mine as well, but in the end, we should always go back to our same space.

8. Follow the seven rules as often as you can.

Once finished, she immediately looked up, and since Marcus was staring at her, their eyes suddenly met. They held each other's gaze until Marcus cleared his throat.

"So, any questions or clarifications you want to say?"

"Uhm..." Deianne started. She doesn't know how to say it without flustering or embarrassing herself. "I agree with the rules. I just... about the rule number six.. ahm..." she added, but she was not able to continue what she wanted to say. Her face is now as red as a tomato.

Fortunately, Marcus caught on and quickly said, "About that, I want us to be honest with each other. And I need you to give me signals about what is allowed and what isn't. We're husband and wife, but we didn't have a long dating process. So I understand if we do not do what other married couples do at first. No pressure, don't worry. You can take your time. It's just that I want us to connect more deeply, and one of the way is to be intimate."

Deianne held her breath. She understands some of the responsibilities of a wife to her husband. And it would be unfair to the man if she will always dodged. She is just hoping that Daniella will be back before Marcus loses his patience.

"I... I am fine with simple touches such as hugs, holding hands, and k-kisses. But I don't think I am ready for..." she purposely hung her words. She knows that Marcus knows what she means.

"Of course. Whatever you are comfortable with, we will go with that." The man then reached for her hands and looked at her in the eyes to assure her. "You are my wife, and I will always respect you. It's your body and you have all the rights to it. But are you okay with me hugging you to sleep?"

"T-that's fine, I guess." She replied shyly. She actually got used to him hugging her from behind in bed.

"So, let's try to follow the rules at all times and let's start our new relationship not only as husband and wife but also as friends or best friend?" Marcus asked as he smiled at her. The man is still holding her hands.

Deianne smiled in return before she said, "Yeah. I will not let you down this time. We are now in this together."

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