I Just Had to Lick the Cookie, Didn't I?

Underneath it all
there is a cold;
a cold so deep
I hardly noticed
the pain I suffered,
the agonizing moments of grief and hatred
Withering faith and and fading light;
happiness is naught,
and memories are forgotten.
"Would you pass me the Lima beans please?" I asked Milo quietly. He smiled crookedly at me.

"You like Lima beans?" he asked, laughing.

"Yep, could I have them please?" I repeated. He shook his head, still smiling, and reached for the bowl of green vegetables. I held my hands out to take the dish, but he clicked his tongue.

"I'll do it for you. Tell me when." My mouth hung open slightly.

"What, am I not intelligent enough to spoon my own veggies?" I asked incredulously. Milo chuckled while spooning me a heap of Lima beans.

"It's polite to take care of you. Seeing as I'm the one who got you that piece of turkey, and the one who scooped that glob of mashed potatoes, it would only be right of me to get you your beans as well."

"Gee, thanks. I suppose chivalry isn't dead after all," I jeered sarcastically. Milo cleared his throat and glared at me for a second before setting the bowl of Lima beans down.

"Of course it isn't. How else would I exist? After all, I amyour knight in shining armor," he pointed out, dumping a spoonful of corn on his plate.

"Definitely. That's why I'm so madly in love with you. You're just so ridiculously attractive, and the best part of my day is when you come home and I can kick your little page's ass out of my way. That way I can be the one to undress your sweaty butt." Milo chuckled through his nose.

"In that case, I might as well just fire him," he suggested, using his fork as a pointer in the air at nothing. "That way," he whispered, moving closer to my ear, "you can get me dressedtoo."

I nearly choked on the clump of mashed potatoes in my mouth from laughing. With my napkin, I covered my mouth and swallowed.

"Well, in that case, perhaps we should just rethink your career. With all of the dressing and undressing and dressing, it would just waist so much time..." I sighed. He laughed at my comment and shoved a piece of turkey in his mouth.

"I'll consider that," he said, chewing, and then pecked me on the cheek.

"EW! Are you talking about sex at the dinner table?" Jane screeched. Both Milo and I whipped our heads to the side to look at her. She sat on my right and Milo on my left.

Milo cleared his throat and set his fork on his plate.

"Jane, our conversation doesn't concern you. And no, we were most definitely not talking about that at the dinner table."

Jane rolled her eyes. She may be twelve, but I don't doubt her intelligence.

"Just don't tell anyone," I whispered in her ear. She laughed and sipped her glass of wine.

"They've heard worse," she told me. I smiled. I'm sure they have...

Sighing, I speared a bean with my fork and placed it in my mouth. Glancing at the table, I felt content for a second. That was until my gaze met Allison's.

God! I seriously just want to stab that bitch a zillion and one times!

Well, the long---add a trillion more Os to that one---dining room table was completely covered in food. A waste if you asked me. There was a giant turkey, all honey glazed and such, a ham, tons of vegetables. Tons. Everyone had wine, except for Abigail---obviously---Milo, and me. I guess he took that promise he made to me to heart... You know, about drinking. Because you and I know that my father's basically a hardcore alcoholic... But he doesn't know that. No one knows that. Just me and my mom. And you. And maybe a few random strangers that have seen him drunk more than once. Oh, and the folks down at the bar.

Ahem, anyway.

So, the Boones had enough food covering the table to feed two huge orphanages full of starving children. And I wouldn't doubt that half of them wouldn't eat more than a cup of food. Those anorexic bitches! Make some effort and be in denial! Eat it all! If I can do it, so can you!

Bad example...

Fifteen minutes passed. My plate was clean of any large clumps of food. There were only a few crumbs and such here and there. Milo's plate was empty too, as was Jane's. Hell, everyone's plate was empty, except for Charlie's... that little guy could chow down, let me tell you.

"I'd like to suggest we all exit to the piano room," William announced, setting his napkin on his plate and rising from his seat. Everyone did the same, including Milo and me. Milo linked his arm in mine and led me after the mob of relatives. It's a good thing too, considering I would have held up the entire lot of them with my gawking.

The room was magnificent---for lack of a better word. It seemed to me that it didn't fit in with the rest of the country-styled estate. This room was so, vintage, so...beautiful and full of priceless things. For some reason it reminded me of---

"Are you going to breathe?" Milo laughed in my ear. I shivered, noticing his hands resting on my shoulders and his closeness.

"It's so...I---I don't even know what to say to this," I sputtered rapidly.

A fine-looking grand piano sat in an area surrounded by large windows covered in drapes. The entire room was lit by candle-esque lights. There was even a large chandelier above the piano.

"Am I dreaming?" I asked Milo softly, looking at him over my shoulder.

"Nope, not a chance. I wouldn't let you sleep through this. It's my favorite room in the entire place you know." It was obvious why. This room was...immaculate.

"Maelogan!" someone shouted. Both of us looked around to see Whitmore waving us over. Most of everyone else was seated. A few were standing, including Whitmore and one of Milo's other uncles.

Milo then took my hand in his and led me over to his uncle. I received a glare from Allison on our way over, but I ignored her.

"Would you mind entertaining us with some of your lovely playing?" Whitmore asked innocently. Milo turned to me as if asking permission and I smiled.

"I've never heard you play before. Please do," I swooned, acting ridiculously stupid. At that very moment, Whitmore pulled his phone out of his suit jacket's pocket and opened it.

"Of course, you old man! Get in here right this second! Yes, the piano room," Whitmore declared loudly, chuckling as he did so. Following his phone call, he closed the phone and returned it to his pocket. "Maelogan, Dean Michaels has come to pay us---primarily you," he whispered that part, "---a visit." Milo nodded with a grin and took hold of my other hand.

Our eyes were locked in place, I lost in his and him---it seemed---lost in mine. Slightly awkward, but playing the part nicely. He smirked at me and then smiled wholeheartedly, showing me his beautiful white teeth and perfect smile.

"For the first time since I've known you, I get to act like the cockiest asshole you've ever seen. It really is a once in a lifetime chance, but I'm going to turn it down to preserve my pride. And because I'm not shallow..." he told me. I smiled back at him.

"Well, I'm glad, because I forgot to mention that I'm only attracted to shy piano players. So, you had better start acting shy and self-conscious. Then maybe we can discuss me potentially beginning to swoon publicly over your hotness."

Milo laughed and leaned in closer to my face. His nose was, like, a millimeter away from mine.

"Then I guess I'll act really, really shy while I play you a bunch of classical music on my piano," he whispered, moving from in front of my face to speaking in my ear. I took a deep breath and pushed him back slightly, pecking him on the cheek. We seem to be doing a lot of that...

"Then hop to it bucko. I'll be waiting to start swooning, just play the notes and I'm there."

Milo chuckled once more and backed away from me. He nodded his head and turned to his uncle. Just then, Dean Michaels came sauntering into the room, a bright smile on his face. The man didn't say anything, but one look at Milo and he smiled even brighter. Milo smiled back before walking to his piano bench and playing one note. I watched intently as he pressed the pedals and played a few more notes. Once satisfied with whatever the hell he was doing, he looked over at everyone else. A few more people had turned to look at Milo.

"Shall I play Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, or ---" Milo started, but was rudely interrupted.

"Does it even matter?" Cadan sneered from a sofa across the room. Milo didn't look at him, but down at his own hands.

"It matters to me," Milo replied flatly, ignoring his brother's glare.

"And who cares what you think? Honestly, it's just music. It's just a damn piano."

"It's my piano, and Icare. And what on earth would you know about music, Cadan? You wouldn't know what it was if it was pulled out of you're a---" Milo growled.

"Son, there are little ears in the room," Whitmore warned, cutting off Milo's last word. Milo snorted and played another note absentmindedly. "I'd personally like you to choose. Which ever style seems to fit your mood."

Milo rolled his eyes, took a deep breath, wiggled all of his fingers, placed them all gently down on the keys, breathed again (eyes closed), and began to play.

Let me tell you... The first thing that overcame me when Milo began to play was jealousy. I've always wanted to play the piano. Second came admiration. I had underestimated his talent; which, when you think about it, was stupid considering he's Maelogan Madden Boone.

"Adriaan, come here please," Mary, Milo's aunt on his mother's side---mother of the evil four (Leona through London) ---called to me. Milo was too busy playing his piano to notice and I forced myself to look from him and walk to his evil aunt.

"Sit with me dear," she commanded, attempting to sound nice. Unfortunately for her, I'm not stupid. Adriaan Ryker is a skilled lie detector.

In the large piano room, there were a few sofas, as well as some chairs. This meant that nearly every seat was taken. However, Mary managed to move over and make room for me in between her and the end of one of the sofas.

"I didn't really have a chance to talk to you earlier," she said. I nodded and looked up at her. Honestly, without Milo right next to me, I was beginning to feel the pressure. His family was judging me, even if it wasn't verbally. That caused me to think about every aspect of my self. I sat up straighter and sucked in what little bit of nothing I could. Somehow I managed to put on the perfect little pout look without anyone noticing the change. Oh god the pressure.

Milo hasn't been this distant from me in over a month. Literally. Even when we were sleeping in separate rooms, he wasn't mentally unfocused. Right now, the boy is really getting into his piano playing.

"Well, I have some questions for you." Her friendly act was beginning to fade. I knew it was too good to be true.

"Yes?" I asked politely, minding my manners so she couldn't say anything negative about me. Plus, if Allison decided to tell everyone what a bitch I was to her, they hopefully wouldn't believe her if I acted sweet and innocent around them. Beat that evil plot, Snot-bag.

"How serious are you and my nephew?" she asked bluntly. I leaned back, slightly shocked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to understand her question.

"Logan never brings girls around, that makes me think something is going on. Are you pregnant or something?" she interrogated further. My mouth would have fallen open and been an excellent fly catcher if I didn't keep my composure.

"Um, no," I attempted to find humor in the question. It didn't work.

"Then what the hell did he bring you to Thanksgiving for? You're not really all that pretty, dear, sorry. He deserves better than you, that's for sure. Are you two just sleeping together?" she questioned. What. A. Bi--- Freak. And I've never been conceited, but it kind of...hurts when someone tells me right to my face I'm not pretty. Yea, Milo's 'the sexiest man alive' and I'm just some average girl from New York, but still, nobody wants to hear that they aren't good enough for someone else.

"First of all, just to clarify," I started sweetly, "Maelogan and I have never slept together." Mary seemed stunned by that. Why do I get the feeling that all of these people think I'm a whore or something? They really just send me that vibe.

"Then in that case, I fail to see why he's keeping you around." Ugh, she's really starting to get on my nerves. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Allison staring straight at me and Mary from a chair close by, she was obviously eavesdropping.

"Is it not possible that we love each other?" I asked simply. Mary shrugged.

"If he really does love you, that's great for him, but I swear on my future grave that if you're just some gold-digging whore, you'll pay," she growled. You see, Milo explained to me that no one, and I mean no one, in either the Boone or Vairenn families get married unless they are completely and totally in love. Apparently that's how things work for them. Kind of ironic that Milo and I don't love each other and we're in an arranged marriage. Well, maybe not exactly ironic...

Allison stood up and walked over to the piano where Milo was completely focused on his playing. There wasn't even any music for him to look at, which meant he memorized all of the zillion songs he was and had been playing. Holy schist.

Snot-bag hung around the piano, playing with her dress' hem. A dress that was ridiculously revealing and slutty... She was practically begging for attention, and Milo was successfully ignoring her. Thank God. Otherwise I'd be kicking her behind right now. Or maybe she'd be kicking mine... I'd put up one hell of a fight! Yes I would!

Minutes passed and Milo's relatives spoke amongst themselves. For the most part, I was ignored and got to stay quiet. Allison was still trying to get Milo's attention, but she was failing miserably. Ha, ha.

All of a sudden, Jane stood up and came over to me. Mary got up and basically traded places with Jane, so the little blonde was now beside me.

"Hey Adriaan," she whispered. I turned to look at her. She was smiling. "I think my brother likes you a lot."

"Really?" I asked skeptically. One thing that sucks about this arrangement more than anything else is that I'll never get a true feeling for how people interpret my relationship with Milo. I'll never truly know how people think Milo thinks about me. Like right now. Jane is saying Milo likes me, but of course it seems that way; we're excellent actors.

"Mmhmm. And everyone can tell. Even the Richards can tell. I think that's why Allison's hanging all over him. I don't like her."

"Between you and me," I whispered to Jane, "neither do I."

Before I knew it, it was nearly eight o'clock. Milo had been playing this entire time, and I came to my senses when he finally stopped.

"It seems young Charlie is feeling tired," Caroline announced as Charlie yawned in her hugging arms. "I'm going to take him to bed, and I think William and I are going to retire as well."

A murmur erupted from everyone, excluding me. I wasn't even remotely tired. I'd slept in to three, I was good. Everyone basically said their good-nights, and some said good-bye because they were leaving early the next morning. Maybe Allison was leaving... Which brings me to wonder, why is she here? She isn't family, otherwise she wouldn't be all over Milo. Huh, I'll have to ask.

"Hey, ready for bed?" Milo asked, startling me when he placed his cold hands on my practically bare shoulders.

"Only if you sing me to sleep," I teased, a grin on my face. That caught Allison's attention, and she began staring at Milo and me. He noticed too, but she didn't notice he noticed... If that makes sense.

"In that case," he said louder, so Allison could hear. "I'll just have to go get my guitar. Then I can serenade you," he told me, still keeping Allison's attention. Just to piss her off further, I smiled and blushed a little. Milo understood that I was trying to tick Snot-bag off, and decided to take things into his own hands.

His strong arms moved from my shoulders to my waist. My body was pulled back against his, and he rested his chin on my shoulder as we walked. Very slowly. I placed my hands on his, and smiled gaily.

"You're the best," I told him right as we were about to pass Allison. She continued to stare.

"I love you," he told me nonchalantly, kissing my cheek and then resting his chin back on my shoulder. That earned a cold, hard glare from Snot-bag.

"I love you too," I replied. Milo decided to act infatuated or something, because he randomly started to kiss my neck lightly. Not an all out make-out session with my body part, but a sort of trail from my jaw down to my shoulder. I giggled to make it seem realistic to Allison---whom was almost directly next to us now---and because it tickled...a lot.

"Good night, Allison," I told her sweetly as we passed her still form. She was pissed. Mission accomplished.