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"A smile is the best makeup any girl can wear."
Marilyn Monroe
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Margot

In life, there are times when completely unexpected things give you joy. I'm talking about things like just watching your lover smile with a dreamy look in his eyes as he looks into the sky.

However, all things must come to an end. I mean, let's be realistic, it's not possible to derive fun from just watching someone for up to thirty minutes! I find myself snorting and scoffing anytime I hear lovers say something like 'I could just stare at you the whole day'.

Ugh! Gimme a fucking break! You wanna die of boredom?

Well, if you wanna, you are free to. But I don't.

And I should just say my thoughts aloud rather than fighting with myself in my head.

Clearing my throat, I voice out exactly what I think of Vikram's over thirty minutes of starless sky gazing.

"You must love the sky a lot."

He responds with a smile, still looking into the sky. "You know, I've always wanted to be a pilot."

My eyes widen slightly. That definitely is not the response I was expecting. "Why didn't you become one?" I gently ask.

At my question, he turns to look at me and just as he does, a two-year old lass gives us a toothless grin as she and her mother passes by the cotton candy store we are currently seated. I wave at the little beauty while Vikram gives her a big grin. This gets the mother's attention. However, immediately she notices me beside Vikram, she gasps widely and even proceeds to rub furiously at her eyes. This is when I remember that I had earlier pulled my facemask down when I wanted to eat the cotton candy and haven't pulled it back up since then.

"Margot Johns?" she says with a whisper, as if still not believing her eyes.

I smile and quickly push my mask up before any other person could make a similar discovery. Nevertheless, I give her a thumbs up to let her know she is right.

She moves closer and quickly ransacks her bag. From the tail of my eyes, I see my bodyguard moving a little bit closer but discretely hold a hand up to stop him as soon as the woman brings out a pen and a jotter.

"Um.. could I get an autograph?"

"Sure!" I scribble my signature on the jotter before giving her adorable daughter a light squeeze on the cheek. The little girl makes a delighted sound causing us to laugh at how adorable she is.

"Even little ones recognize you." Vikram comments as soon as they leave. I give him a shy smile as I draw down my mask so as to quickly scoop a mouthful of my cotton candy into my mouth while awaiting his answer to my earlier question before the smiling angel passed beside us.

"Wanna make babies with me?"

"Whuff!" I exclaim, some of the yet-to-be swallowed cotton candy somehow finding their way unto Vikram's amused face.

"I said do you wanna.."

"Wait! I heard what you said the first time. But my question is, why so suddenly?"

Rather than actually answer, he only shrugs and I give him a bewildered look.

"You doing drugs these days?"

"Bleh. The only thing I'm doing these days is a girl named Margot."

I smack him upside the head.

"Ow! Whattchu do that for?"

"The next time you call me a 'thing', I'm not gonna smack your head, I'mma break it." Not waiting for his response, I draw my facecap lower and stand up from the bench. I walk towards the Ferris wheel but stop when I see that Vikram isn't following.

"What? Don't wanna ride the ferris wheel with me?"

"Nah. The only thing I wanna ride is.."

"Finish that statement and I swear I'm gonna..."

"You gonna what.." he asks with a silly grin, making a show of licking his cotton candy.

Pissed at myself, I shake my head. "I love you too much for my own good."

As soon as I say this, he dumps his cotton candy and runs towards me, glee evident in his expression. "Say that again."

"No."

"Handsome please with Vikram on top." He bats his eyelashes.

I laugh at his lame attempt but say it again anyway. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mamacita. I love you so so..."

"Mamacita?" I shrug him off. "Who the fuck is Mamacita!"

"It's a Spanish word. Okay?"

"Not okay! Damn it, stop calling me suspicious names."

"Fine. But are we not supposed to kiss after confessing our feelings to each other, you know, like they do in the movies?"

"Idiot, this is reality. That reminds me, about that question  I asked.."

"To the ferris wheel!" he suddenly exclaims, half running.

Strange guy. Didn't he just say he doesn't want to go?

Now that I think about it, I feel like he is avoiding my question.

Why is he avoiding my question?

And what is this strange feeling that Vikram is hiding something from me? Something big.. something huge.. something gigantic.. something...

Here comes paranoid Margot. My subconcious teases before I could go any further.

I hope so. I really hope I'm just being my paranoid self.

*******

"Drop us off here," Vikram tells Zack, my driver and bodyguard. We are just a few miles away from my house.

My bodyguard gives Vikram a skeptical look.

"It's okay. I'm safe with him." I give him an assuring smile.

He nods. "I'll be close by," he says as we alight.

I give him a displeased look before joining Vikram on the sidewalk.

"For goodness sake, you're my 'boyfriend'. I'm very sure he's following Dad's orders." I entwine my hand with his.

"After that incident some months ago, it's only right for your dad to want to make sure you're safe all the time," he says as we slowly walk down the sidewalk, enjoying the calming breeze.

I flashback to that day I almost got kidnapped and the first time Vikram and I met.

With the way we had fought then, who would have thought he would be my boyfriend now?

I smile at the thought.

"Thinking of me, huh?"

I look into his eyes and find myself smiling again. "So this is why you told Zack to drop us off."

He surprises me by placing a soft kiss on the back of my hand which is presently holding his. "I've always wanted to do this."

"So I'm the first girl you're gonna be walking the curb with on a silent night while the breeze blows beautifully? I'm lucky."

He laughs that mesmerising laugh of his and stops walking, causing me to stop too. "What if I tell you that you are, in fact, my very first girlfriend."

I don't let my surprise show as I think of how good he is in bed. All those weird positions and I'm his 'very first girlfriend?'

I nod sagely. "Hmm. You must have had lots and lots of flings then."

At my comment, he only smiles and squeezes my hand as we resume walking.

We walk in comfortable silence for sometime until I am reminded of something. "So what made you give up your dream of becoming a pilot?" I ask and feel his hand holding mine stiffen but just as immediately go lax again.

"Life happened."

I expect him to say something more but he says nothing.

I feel tension in the air between us as we both walk in silence, not knowing what to say to each other.

"Feeling cold?" Vikram finally asks.

"No."

"Had fun at the park?" he asks again, trying to start a conversation.

"Sure," I answer sharply, still angry at him.

Just how did things go from getting to know each other to awkward?

We finally get to the front of my door. I am about to unlock the door when he slightly pulls at my hand.

"I'm sorry." he says on a sigh. "Just.. give me some time, okay?"

Not knowing how else to respond, I nod.

He gently lifts my chin so I can look directly at him.

"You trust me, right?"

"Of course, I do," I answer without the slightest hesitation.

"And you know I will never do anything to hurt you."

Although I'm curious to know where this is going, I smile at him and answer, "Yes."

"That's good to know," he says, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of my hair back to place. He gives me an affectionate peck on both cheeks. This sweet action makes me smile and he returns my smile with a sexy smirk.

For a few seconds, we just stand there smiling at each other, all traces of the earlier awkwardness gone.

"Goodnight Vikram," I bring myself to say.

"Goodnight love."

"Using endearments now, are we?" I ask with a gleeful grin.

"I've always wanted to use them with you. Sounds so good I want to say it again. Can I?" he asks even though he needn't do.

I giggle at his irrestitible cuteness. "Sure."

"Goodnight jaanu."

"What's that?"

"It means 'my love' in Hindi."

"I like that better." I wrap my hands around his neck.

"Me too."

"Lay one on me before you go," I say as I close my eyes and pout.

I hear him snort and feel his arms go around my waist. "Oh, you trust I will." I yelp as I get lifted off the floor. "I'll lay one on you so good you'll be thinking about me all night. As a matter of.."

"Just shut up and kiss me," I grab a fistful of his hair and kiss him violently. But just as I get engrossed in the kiss, my heart suddenly begins to vibrate. Confused as to what is going on, I jump out of his arms, risking a fall.

"My heart, it vibrated," I inform Vikram, my hand flying to my chest.

"What?" Vikram shakes his head at me. "Come on Marg, it's just my phone." He then brings it out from his breast pocket. I give the annoying device a dirty look. He shakes his head once more before proceeding to pick the call.

However, immediately he looks down at his phone screen, his entire demeanor changes, like one who had just seen the devil face to face.

"What's that?" I ask, concerned.

"I've got to go," he says and before I could as much as blink, he's gone.

Now that I think about it, this is probably the third time this has happened since the beginning of our relationship: him receiving a call; which he never picks in my presence, and then leaving in haste.

Just what could be happening with this new boyfriend of mine?

And again, he was talking about trust earlier. Somehow, these thoughts and his actions gives me a weird and uncomfortable feeling.

He sure is right when he said I will think about him all night. Oh yes, I will, but not because of the kiss we didn't even get to finish, but because I really need to think about my boyfriend's strange behavior..

..and if I even want to find out the cause.

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Who can guess what it is exactly Vikram is hiding???