Being A Fool in Love

Tony stood up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Marcella waved her hand with a smile to not alarm him.

She was not fine. Her tongue was burnt so badly. She ran to the kitchen frantically in search of water. She almost tripped on the rug, but she managed to balance herself, thankfully not embarrassing herself further.

She pulled on her wound, and she felt the intense pull. She had to take a couple of deep breaths to manage the pain.

She didn't know what was going on with her. She was not a clumsy person. And it's not like she was facing an extremely nervous situation like a work interview.

It's just Sweet Baby Tony!!!

What makes her fumbling around like a court jester in his presence, she couldn't figure out.

She didn't even think that she might like him.

She poured herself a glass of wine. Yeah, she might appear like an alcoholic to have wine so early in the morning, but she needed it to steady herself. She didn't want to make a fool of herself anymore in front of Tony.

"Want some?" she asked as Tony stared at her. She didn't know whether he was judging her or it was just her own consciousness blaming her.

Tony shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Wine is medicine," she smiled awkwardly and went back to her seat. She couldn't taste a thing. Her sense of taste was gone as she had burned her tongue.

But she did not care about that. Although she was looking at her bowl, she was focused on the man sitting on her couch, eating like an immortal. Even the way he was holding the spoon looked elite.

He was always that way. He knew a lot about high-class mannerisms. He had an undeniable charisma. He went to the same private school as she did as her father paid for his studies. Her father couldn't deny Tony the best education because he was so smart to go to an average school.

No one guessed that he was a poor guy who didn't have parents in the school. He carried himself so well and mingled with the upper-class people better than she did.

Tomboys were mocked in her school. She didn't even know if she was a tomboy as they labeled her. She liked skirts and makeup but didn't wear them often. She just managed to be vocal about her thoughts. Also, her father's men were almost always with her and so she was seemingly surrounded by men most times. She got along with men better than the girls in that school. That got translated as masculine for some reason. Those blue-blooded snobs also didn't like who her father was and took it on her.

Everyone loved her sister though—a natural blonde who knew how to act dumb to make others look smart and she was very amicable. She was ultra-feminine—every man's dream girl. Mellissa tried her best to make her life at school easy even in the danger of losing her status as the "Campus Belle". Family stays together, she says.

But not everything can be salvaged. She managed to stay in that school just because of the hefty donations her father gave to that school.

Tony managed to have a pretty good life in that school too. He was the topper every year and in every test. He missed school for a year and so he studied in the same year as her even though he was a year older than her. He was the nerd's nerd and yet everyone liked him and respected him. He got along with everyone.

It was a delight then to watch him. That aspect hasn't changed even now. She's still the same too.

"You cook really well. You must cook a lot," she said to break the silence. Thinking of the past made her heart ache.

She never belonged anywhere. She was surrounded by people; they truly loved her and yet she felt lonely. She never belonged in a box. She was a circle where there were only square boxes; she fitted nowhere.

And that gave leeway for someone like Aiden to manipulate her into being nothing. She thought he was sharpening her but he was breaking her into nothingness.

She is now at a point where she didn't know where her next step would be. It was scary to think about her future. She's a 28-year-old woman with no direction in her life.

Seeing Tony in front of her only made the difference more pronounced. He is the opposite of her.

"Not much," he smiled. "I mostly eat out as I am so busy. I don't find the time to cook."

Marcella raised her brows with surprise. How can anyone be that busy? "Where do you work? You must sue your boss if he is overworking you. If you can't even find time to cook, how will you find time to date?"

She didn't fail to plug in the question that has been nagging her. Does he have a girlfriend?

"Politics," he shrugged. His smile was a little awkward. "I'm Congressman Feinstein's Chief of Staff. It's a dirty business…"

"Mmm…" she bowed her head. She wasn't so keen on politics. Her father didn't like politicians much and she had formed the same opinion as him. Aiden proved to her how devious people engaging in politics were.

How is Sweet Baby Tony managing in that dog-eat-dog world? Poor guy!

"Too bad Congressman Feinstein ruined your plan. You had a detailed plan for your life. Married at 25, having at least three kids by 30, and…"

He had talked to her about it. He had a very traditional view of marriage. He was inspired by her parents' marriage. He wanted a marriage like theirs. He wanted to marry the right woman and live the rest of his life with her making a lot of babies.

"Yeah…" he scratched the back of his head. There was a layer of mist in his eyes making them glisten. He looked otherworldly. "I missed the chance…"

Marcella could hear the disappointment in his tone. Even the perfect Tony has regrets and failures. Guess, such is the plight of every human on earth!

"It'll be fine. I bet you have women throwing themselves at you," she said. She used to be one of them. And he very kindly rejected her.

"Yeah… But I have to like her too. You know how I feel about marriage. I can't marry just anybody."

"Of course," Marcella smiled. It was awfully hard to keep her smile but she did.

He has standards. Which is not bad. She didn't meet his standards even for a kiss. Somehow that pierced a painful needle in her heart. She thought she was over it. But guess she still wasn't over it.

"I…" Tony stood up.

"Have you finished?" she walked to him. "You should at least let me clean the dishes. I insist," she got the plate from his hands and went to the kitchen.

Tony sat back on the couch with his head buried in his hands. He couldn't accept his stupidity. He could have phrased it a hundred other ways where he wouldn't have hurt her, but he had to be that blunt.

The same as that night.

Why am I getting stupid in her presence? Why?