21 Liar

"Good morning to you too?" Brandon arched his brow at April's unusual lofty tone, riddled with agitation.

"Why did I have to hear from my best friend's parents that you took her on a holiday, right after she got discarded from the hospital?" At the question, Brandon's mouth visibly morphed into an "O" shape without truly spilling the sound from his lips.

"Crap, it must have totally slipped my mind. There were just a lot of things that I had to take care of. Sorry April." He was feigning the guilt inhibiting his voice, even going as far as to smack his forehead with the palm of his hand at his inane action and it seems that his acting paid fruition as he soon heard the resigning sigh from April followed by some incoherent rumbles.

"It's fine, but why did you do it? She's still recovering from the accident. Do you actually think that this is a good idea? I was even planning to visit you guys today." That last part was exactly why he did it. He had to minimize Cherry's contact with people, especially with April, to avoid the chances of her ever regaining back her memories.

"Well, we both saw how Cherry behaved around me so I thought that this vacation would be a good icebreaker."

"I guess that makes sense, but at least get her a phone!"

He snickered, "Will do, will do." Just as he was about to start the engine, he heard an eerie silence on the other end of the line. "April?" Making sure the call didn't get cut off, he inquired, picking up on April's hesitant breathing as he raised his brow.

"What happened on the day of the accident, Brandon?" April spoke carefully, as if she were trying to navigate a minefield. Afraid that one wrong step would set off an explosion in Brandon, but not scared enough to inhibit the suspicions that freighted her voice.

Brandon's lips contoured into a frown. "I've already told you before; she somehow got in a car accident."

"That "somehow" doesn't bode so well for me. I know Cher, so I know she wouldn't recklessly decide to drive in a crazy weather like that when she was at her peak of pregnancy. So Why was she out there in the first place?"

"I don't know, April, just like you. It shocked me too when I received a phone call from the hospital."

"But did Cherry seem strange that day?"

"No." He was able to get the word out normally through his gritted teeth.

"Do you know if she got in a fight with someone -"

"Just like you April, I know Cher. She's my wife."

Realizing her mistake, April gasped. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know you didn't mean it like that, but I can't help feeling like you're accusing me of something, April."

"Is it wrong for me to worry about my friend?"

She didn't deny his words, Brandon thought. His finger thrummed against the dashboard as he mulled over what to do with April, when an all too familiar voice interfered in their conversation.

"Of course, there's nothing wrong with you worrying about your friend. But you should understand where Brandon is coming from, kitten. He had almost lost his wife a few days ago and not only that, she didn't even know who he was anymore. The man is distraught. Give him a break. I would have done the same thing if I were him."

"You would have done much worse than him." Cherry grumbled at Mark. "Sorry, Brandon," April apologized. "Mark is right. I shouldn't have interrogated you like that. I guess I was just being paranoid."

"No harm taken." Brandon mustered up a smile.

"Talk to you later?"

"Of course." He answered and after that they hung up, but the thrumming of his fingers didn't cease. It only grew more erratic until he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. His nose flared as he exhaled sharply, trying to control his anger. "Someone's getting too nosy," he growled.

...

"What are you not telling me?" April aimed her pointed look from her phone to Mark, who was fixing his blue tie in front of their body mirror.

"Meaning?" Mark questioned back, meeting her skeptic look in the mirror's reflection as his fingers slid the knot on his tie closer to his neck. The lines on his face not giving way to anything that would affirm his wife's suspicions.

"Since when did you and Brandon get so close?" She swung her bare legs back and forth, sitting at the edge of the bed as she tilted her head to the side. Her eyes raking over Mark's body from the tip of his crown to the heel of his feet, noticing the mismatched socks that brought a subtle smile to her face. "I never knew why, but I was sure that you guys didn't harbor positive feelings for each other, but here you are defending him. Why?"

Turning around on his feet, Mark gave April an obtuse look. "What made you think that him and I didn't get along?" A twinge of mirth spicing up his timbre voice as he strides towards her, stopping a step away from her. Those emerald globes that scrutinized him followed as he kneeled on the ground in front of her. His large hands enveloped her thighs, giving them a gentle squeeze. Prying them open as he positioned himself between her legs, his hands gripping her hips as he pulls her closer to him, causing her to squint incredulously at the sudden action.

"Hmm?" He hummed as April hadn't answered his question, watching every facet of her face innocently, a smile silently growing on his face, seeing the pink dusting his adorable wife's cheek.

Despite feeling an avalanche of emotions in her chest as Mark's fingers slid under the oversized shirt that she stole from him and drew soothing circles on her hips, she managed to have her eyes throw daggers at him. "Even a blind person could see that you guys can't stand the sight of each other. I've seen how you guys acted towards each other on the day Cherry got married."

He rested his chin on her chest while wrapping his arms around her torso, destroying the last millimeters of distance between them. "We just had a slight disagreement, but that doesn't mean that we hate each other's guts." He chortles, but once he saw April narrowing her eyes down to pin slits, his laughter died and only an enigmatic smile lingered.

"Why do you distrust me so much?"

Snorting, April rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously, Mark, shall I pull out the receipts? I have so many screenshots of our past conversations where you would threaten me by killing someone I cared about. And not to sound conceited, but you hate everyone except for me."

"I mean, come on, look at you kitten. Who could ever hate you?" His face twisted in confusion as he heard his own question, pondering over which tasteless bastard would ever dare hate his kitten, but a split second later he averted his navy blue eyes from April. Covering his mouth with his hand to prevent his words from reaching April, he muttered seriously under his breath, "But wait, it would be troublesome for me if everyone ends up loving you. No matter how great I am it would even take me a year to weed out all the pests."

"Mark." April groans out his name in annoyance. "Can you be serious just for one damn second?" Under her sharp tone, Mark stilled, and he released a deep frustrated sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Fine, so my kitten doesn't like it when I'm making jokes."

"That's not what I'm saying-" As soon as she saw Mark's smile, she felt a lump form in her throat, stifling her words. That smile didn't reach the bottom of his eyes, and she couldn't help but notice how those blue globes turned ominously dark, making her skin prickle with goosebumps.

"Since my adorable wife doesn't like it, I'll be honest. What are you right now?" He questioned her as he placed his hand on her protruding belly, meant to set as a subtle hint.

"Pregnant." She drew out each syllable from her parted lips slowly and deliberately, laced with wariness as she wondered where he was going with this.

"Good. So you know. Which also means that you should know that you're in no position to be worried about someone."

"What are you even talking about?-" Silencing her, Mark placed his index finger against her supple lips before exchanging the index finger with his thumb, dragging it across her lips as he spoke in a low, menacing voice.

"Instead, you should be worried about your husband, who's this close to snapping someone's neck because he's worried that his wife will put herself in a troublesome proposition."

Ticked off April's face features turned into a frown as she pursed out her lips, smacking his hand lightly away from her mouth. "I rarely get myself in trouble."

Mark sneezed and again and again until it turned into a storm of sneezes mixed with an exaggerated coughing fit, causing April to pull back her head as she rose a brow at him.

Mark brandished his hand in front of her dismissively while covering his mouth with his other hand, and April could have sworn that the tear that trickled down dramatically from the corner of Mark's eye was a paid actor.

"I'm sorry," He said between coughs. "it seems that I'm allergic to bullshit. Should I pull out my receipts of all the moments you put your life in danger?" The playfulness got completely discharged from his voice, toning down the temperature in the room. Though he wore a roguish smile, his sky-blue eyes showed no emotion. They now resembled the sky shrouded in ashy clouds, hiding the thunder slithering through them.

April's feet were already facing the door, ready to dash out of the room, when Mark's voice turned rough, but despite her fear, the callous fingers burrowed in her hips kept her nailed to the bed.

"That's why I said rarely. Also, I wouldn't have gotten myself in trouble in the first place if it wasn't for you." She grumbles under her breath petulantly.

"My adorable little kitten, we made a promise, a truce, if you will say. I wouldn't kill anyone outside of my job and you will become mine. But it's hard for me to keep my end of the promise when you keep putting your curious nose in business where it doesn't belong."

April's pensive gaze lingered on him in silence, analyzing the words that he just had said. "Are you saying that Cherry is in trouble?"

"I'm saying," He growled, rolling his eyes at her. "that you should focus on yourself instead of worrying yourself sick. Your dear friend is fine."

Once again silence reigned the room, allowing the faint hums of the housemaid vacuuming downstairs to fill the air. April's eyes scanned Mark's smile that was meant to appease her but failed as the dark brooding eyes that accompanied spilled out their darkest thoughts of wanting to isolate her from Cherry the more she spoke of her.

Her hands cradled Mark's cheeks, and she watched how the storming eyes mellowed down to mild annoyance as her thumbs stroked his light stubble beard. April nodded. "You will tell me if my friend's life is in danger, right?"

The arch on Mark's face broadened, revealing those pearly white teeth as he sensed that April was going to drop the subject about Cherry. "Of course, my troublesome kitten."

"Now," He spoke, cupping her chin with his hand and guiding her lips to share a fleeting, tender kiss with his. "I'm going to have to leave now, but let's go watch that movie that you wanted to see when I come back. Okay?" He suggested, brushing the loose fiery locks framing her face away before resting his palm on her cheek to which he received a weak confirmation from April in the form of a soft smile and a hum.

He gave her one last kiss on the forehead and strode out of the room. As soon as the door shuts, April falls flatly on her back on the bed, arms spread wide, her gaze facing the royal blue ceiling as she exhaled her thoughts out in a whisper.

"Liar."