BXBX NOVEL Chapter 69 - What's His Name?
Graven looked at her with a raised brow. "Go ahead...tell me what you have in mind," he encouraged her.
She breathed deeply. "I have a past relationship with a guy before I meet your brother Cooper. The relationship only lasted for one week and it was an intense, beautiful, and memorable kind of relationship to me..." she explained with a deep longing flashing in her eyes while staring at him.
"Oh..." a small word escaped Graven's mouth.
Laura finds it hard to continue her narration, fresh tears emerged in her eyes.
"Continue..." Graven urged her.
"The guy's name is Luke. He looked exactly like you! I...I would like to ask you...Are you and Luke are the same person? Are you my past lover who is pretending to be Luke? Please...tell me the truth!" she demanded. A tear managed to escape from her eyes.
Graven's face was unreadable, he doesn't register shock or even surprise. He just stared at her like her revelation is nonsense.
Laura observed the expression on his face, his face didn't give anything away. "If you are my lover Luke, I'm willing to marry you and leave your brother Cooper," she went direct to the point.
A glimmer appeared in Graven's eyes.
"I missed you! I'm sorry, you offered a marriage before but I refused because...because..." she can't finish her sentence.
"Because of what-?" Graven asked, eying her closely.
Laura shook her head. "Never mind, you don't need to know everything. Just tell me if you are Luke or not? That's all I need to know..." she demanded.
A few minutes of silence have passed between them.
They looked at each other's faces. Laura's look was full of anguish and longing while Graven's profile registered no emotion at all.
The more Laura looked at his indifference, the more she felt that she is not Luke. His face didn't register love, longing, and affection towards her.
But he could also be Luke, he's just hesitating to reveal to her the truth because she is going to marry his brother and they have a complicated situation between them.
"I'm not Luke..." he finally said.
After hearing his answer, it seemed a cold bucket of water was thrown at Laura's face, she can't breathe. She finally got her answer, but why she's not happy about it? Was she expecting that he would admit that he is indeed Luke? Or was she desperate to believe that he is indeed Luke?
Was he lying?
Why can't her heart accept that he is not Luke?
If Graven is lying or not, there's only one way to find out!
She stared at him with intense yearning in her eyes. "Kiss me!" she demanded.
Graven's eyes widened with her demand. "Huh?"
"Why do I have a feeling that you are hiding behind a facade? That you are indeed the one I'm looking for - but you don't want to admit it to my face? I am willing to leave your brother for you! This time I'm willing to accept your offer of marriage!" she insisted.
Graven released a deep sigh. "I'm not going to kiss you, I'm sorry," he said softly.
"But why?" she asked. She just wants to uncover if he's lying or not? She will know the truth once she tasted his lips. His and her body won't lie. Their body won't be able to deny the strong attraction and intimacy that they have shared in the past.
She's feeling upset that he is not who he is.
"It's wrong to kiss my brother's future wife," he answered. "That is the only explanation I can give you," he said with a blank stare.
Laura bit her lip. His refusal to kiss her only means two things, he's avoiding her or he is not Luke. Because if he is Luke, he would be all over her right now. The Luke she knows is overly romantic, he loves to be by her side at all times. Luke loves to shower her with affection and sweet nothings. But Graven is cold and aloof towards her as if he doesn't give a damn to her feelings. Therefore he is not Luke!
She was about to give up on Graven...but a small voice whispered something in her mind.
Graven looked at her. "If you have no more questions, I'll leave the room. You can freshen up in the bathroom. I will send a servant to bring your food here after a while," he said and walked towards the door.
"Wait!" she said.
Graven looked over his shoulder. "What is it?"
"D-do you have...a...brother or a twin that look exactly like you?" she finally asked the last question that popped up in her mind.
Graven was silent for a moment.
"Yes, I have a twin brother that looks exactly like me..." he admitted with a grim expression on his face.
Laura's heart stopped beating for a few seconds after his revelation, her breath was caught in her throat. She knows that Graven was just an adopted son. He might have other siblings that he has in contact with through the years. "W-what is his n-name?" she asked in a quivering voice.
"Since you are going to marry my brother Cooper, you shouldn't be interested with another guy!" he chastised her.
"Please, tell me what is his name!?" she demanded. She needs to know the twin's name! C-could he be Luke?
He turned around and looked at her. His expression was that of someone conflicted, wanting to tell the truth, but not eager to do so, in short, he was manifesting a contradictory emotion on his face.
She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please-?"
"You are getting married...focus on your husband!" Graven said, ignoring her pleading, and left the room.
Laura's heart sank. Why is Graven not willing to tell her about his brother's name? She was not even asking for an impossible thing! She was just asking for his twin's name! Is that hard to do?
Why does she have a gut feeling that Graven is hiding something from her?
If Graven is not willing to tell her his twin brother's name, then whom to ask?
Who can tell her about the name of his brother?
She spent the next few minutes thinking what is the name of Graven's twin until her head hurts. She gives up and went inside the bathroom to take a bath, hoping that when she's done with her bath, her mind is already refreshed and relaxed.