I Was the One He Chose
“Rian… hhh…” I squirmed a little when I felt his hand enter, slipping into his loose shirt that I was wearing, rubbing my stomach.
It’s been almost a month since that night.
Our married life has started to improve.
And maybe, little by little, I’ve started to fall for him.
We now share a bedroom, and I haven’t seen him around other girls again, even though I still notice some of them trying to flirt with Rian.
He’s also become a responsible husband, transferring the earnings from his songwriting gigs directly into my account.
Am I happy? Of course.
Rian and I attend the same university, though we’re in different departments.
He studies music, while I major in literature.
We’re rarely seen together because of our conflicting schedules.
But when he happens to catch sight of me, that soft smile of his always finds me — a smile no doctor could ever prescribe as a cure, yet it wipes away all my fatigue.
We never speak on campus.
I try to avoid crossing paths with him, as strange as it may seem.
I don’t want to stir up attention toward our relationship.
Rian remains a popular guy, while I stay the same quiet girl who enjoys the company of her laptop in the library.
Today, his class started earlier than mine.
I haven’t seen him around campus, so maybe he’s in the music room.
I glanced at the meal in front of me at the cafeteria and began eating.
Has he had lunch yet? Should I call him?
But honestly, I’m still too awkward to make the first move.
“What are you thinking about?”
I blinked in surprise.
He was already sitting in front of me with a tray of food.
“Rian, what are you doing here?” I whispered, looking around.
“I’m eating,” he said casually.
“I know, but why are you eating here?”
“Is it forbidden?” he replied, chewing calmly.
“Rian, why are you here?” A curly-haired girl suddenly appeared with her friend, glaring at him.
“Can’t you see I’m eating?” he said without looking up.
“I know. But why are you eating with her?” she pointed at me.
“There’s no rule against it,” he said.
“Rian, since when do you hang out with girls like her?” added the other girl with straight hair.
What does that even mean — “girls like me”?
“Why aren’t you eating? Come on!”
Suddenly, Rian took my chin and shoved a piece of meat into my mouth, making me freeze.
“You need to eat more — or your body might break when I touch you,” he teased.
My face turned beet red. This man!
“Rian, are you joking?! You… touched her?!” the curly-haired girl gasped.
“You two already… did it?” added the straight-haired one.
Rian stayed silent, continuing his meal.
“I can’t believe a girl like you could do that,” the straight-haired girl scoffed.
“What trick did you use to seduce Rian?” the other one hissed.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Rian, just go,” I said sharply.
“What did I do wrong?” he asked innocently.
“You made me sound like some cheap girl!”
“Isn’t that what you are?” the curly-haired girl sneered.
“You heard that? Just eat somewhere else!” I snapped.
“I’m just stating facts. I did touch you — why are you mad?” Rian said calmly.
“Wait… Rian, did you do that?”
They both looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“You probably seduced him first, didn’t you?”
“You hear that? They think I’m some low-class girl who lured you in!” I shouted.
“That’s because they don’t know you’re my wife,” Rian shot back.
I froze.
“What?!” the curly-haired girl screeched.
“That’s not true, right?” said the other one.
“You… whatever! Do what you want!” I said angrily and stormed off.
“Rika! Wait!”
I ignored his shout.
Has he lost his mind?
If people found out about our marriage, things could get messy.
Not for me, but for him.
I just wanted to protect him. Was that so wrong?
That evening, I finally came home after spending the day at the public library.
I ignored all the calls from Rian.
I didn’t understand what he was thinking.
What did he want?
Maybe he wasn’t meant for someone like me.
I’m just an ordinary girl — far too simple for someone like him.
After hesitating for a long while at the apartment door, I finally opened it and stepped inside.
I froze.
Rian had just stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying his wet hair.
“Where have you been? Why didn’t you answer your phone?!” he asked.
“I just didn’t feel like answering,” I replied wearily.
“What kind of answer is that?!”
“And why are you even calling me so much? Don’t you have those pretty girls to keep you company?”
“To me, you’re the prettiest, Rik,” he said with intense eyes.
I turned away and walked to the bedroom.
“You don’t believe me?” he asked.
My hand hesitated on the doorknob. I didn’t look back.
Suddenly, he grabbed my arm, opened the door, and pulled me inside.
He tossed his towel onto the bed and walked me in front of the vanity mirror.
Then he gently removed my glasses.
“Rian, what are you doing?” I asked as he unclipped my hair, letting my black waves fall over my shoulders.
Then he took off my gray sweater quickly and threw it aside.
He even tore one of my shirt sleeves and shortened my skirt.
“Now look,” he said, turning me to face the mirror.
I stared at my reflection, still confused.
Now I stood there in a sleeveless top and short skirt, without glasses or my usual hairpin.
“Do you not realize how beautiful you are?” he whispered into my ear, brushing my hair aside and wrapping his arm around my waist.
“This beauty… only I get to see it… only me,” he whispered again, pressing a soft kiss to my neck.
I felt shivers run through my entire body.
“I… I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He smiled. “From now on, don’t avoid me, okay? Just let them say whatever, what’s important now is, cook something for me because I’m so hungry!!”
I smiled as I turned to face him.
“Huh, you bastard,”
I whispered while touching his face, then immediately went to the kitchen.
I was busy working on my laptop on the sofa while Rian sat down, leaning on the sofa and playing games.
Several times, he shouted to himself, making me hold back a smile.
After quite a while, I felt my body stiff.
I stretched my body and then walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water.
When I returned, Rian was no longer in his place with my laptop.
Where did he take it? Before I could turn around, there was a pair of hands that embraced me.
Pulling me tighter.
“Where have you been?” I asked softly.
Rian hugged me tighter and buried his face into my neck, which was exposed because my hair was pinned up.
His warm breath tickled the skin of my neck, making my blood tingle softly.
“I just got rid of your date.”
“What?” I was about to turn to face him, but he stopped me.
“You’ve been dating your laptop for quite some time, and I’m tired of my games. Now it’s time for us to date ourselves,” he murmured as he started to kiss the skin of my neck.
I smiled as I closed my eyes.
“Mmhh… so are you jealous of my laptop?” I asked in a whisper.
“Yeah… like you’re jealous of my PSP, mmhh…”
“Hhh… I’ve never been jealous of your PSP,” Rian’s lips trailed back, towards the nape of my neck, making me bow my head.
I let his lips make a red hickey there.
“You’re lying… hhh…”
I heard his breathing getting heavy, and he pressed his body even more against mine.
“Rian… hhh…” I squirmed a little when I felt his hand enter, slipping into his loose shirt that I was wearing, rubbing my stomach.