HER

LET'S GET MARRIED

MUNA's POV

Dad just sat at the extreme end of the room listening to my mum yell all she wanted and there I was pretending to edit some photos on my laptop. My mum can be very annoying, but she's not taking it lightly this time. She hit the table as she glared at me.

"Are you even listening to me, young lady?" She finally asked, and it was the best time to tell her the piece of my mind.

"Mum, I can't marry Ted, okay?" I said, trying my best to control my anger. I bit my lips, gently placed my hand on the table where my laptop was, and then faced her. Her mouth was poised and her hands akimbo.

"You guys loved each other, so why not?" She blurted. Dad tried to swallow his laughter after stealing a glance at me.

"Are you kidding me, mum?! I never did and never will. What's this about exactly? Would you rather care if I let go of my dream of being with a man? Is that it?"

"Stop being selfish Muna. Stella offered you such a great offer as that which would also benefit the family, but you've decided to throw it off the window. Nobody is asking you to throw your dream away. In fact, we are asking you to expand your dream_"

"Expand my dream?" I scoffed, feeling my anger would swallow me at any moment. I carried my laptop before I ended up smashing it on the floor out of anger. I tried to walk away, but she held me_ she's definitely asking for it.

"Everyone would die to be part of the Parker family and I won't let you throw that off. You're getting married to Ted and that's it."

"I'm not the ten-year-old kid you used to push over, I'm an adult." I sighted Dad trying to escape off to his room. "Dad, would you at least say something to your wife and stop goofing around?" I said without even thinking. Dad just sighed and pocketed his hands. I honestly believed he would support me for once, but my hope washed down my face.

"I think your mum is right Mun". My face sank. He shook his head and continued, "It would do the family a huge favor if you married Ted. Take, for instance, you don't need to worry about looking for what company to sign a contract with, you have already found one on a platter of gold. If you eventually have a child for the Parker family, you stand a chance for..."

I raised my two hands in the air as though to gesture to him to stop what I would call nonsense.

"Enough. I should have known you wouldn't even help matters. You always side with her, you're such a pushover!..." I said and dashed through the door, leaving with the car key I had placed on the table earlier. As I hopped into the car, slamming the door behind me, I felt a bit of guilt creeping into my mind. I shouldn't have said those words to Dad. I think I took it too far, but I don't care. If it was not Lex, it wouldn't have been Ted either and, besides, I feel so small, dumping my dreams on a man. Ted is the worst. He'd brag about it all his life. I stepped on the pedal and zoomed off.

* * *

In less than ten minutes, I was already on the campus waiting to see Alex. Maybe he must have changed his mind, or maybe he would just tell me I'm doing the right thing... this is very frustrating. I paced a few spaces before I spotted Ted. "What the hell is he doing on campus today?" I asked, trying to prevent him from spotting me. I ran from behind the tree off to the nearest exit I saw. I didn't care to check if the door ran through. I was desperate, at least anywhere that wouldn't make us run into each other. When I turned back, I figured out it was the old basketball hall. It still looked kept even though the school had it locked for about 2 years without care.

"Stop it!" I heard a voice echo from the other side of the wall. I hid. The voice was very familiar, and I knew who it was. "Lex?" I whispered to myself. What could he possibly be doing here, I thought. I tried to peep, and I spotted a curvy figure in front of him.

"What?!" I blurted out. "How is Tania here? And with Lex?" I crawled beneath the iron chair to get a closer look. My heart was racing. Tania wasn't supposed to be back, at least not after, when her s*x tape went viral, and she had to leave school abruptly to travel abroad. It hurt Lex since she was his first love, and now he's seeing her. "When was that darn girl even back?" I question slipped from my mouth.

"Tania, stop it, okay" Lex was pushing her hands clutched around his waist.

"I've missed you, Alex. You were the first I called after I landed in Lagos. I'm sure you missed me too, isn't that why you told me to come?" she persisted, finding her tiny hands on his lips. I bit my lip furiously. It seemed my skin was burning, and my lips twitched as I stared at her. Why on earth should Lex allow her to touch his lips_ those lips are soon to be mine. He. After all, she made him go through after the incident. I was the one there for him to pull him back on track. Now he would just allow this sneaky thief to woo him again.

Lex maintained a short distance before he gently pulled her hand down.

"Seriously Tan? You just vanished without a word."

He wiped his face and hissed. A habit he does only when he's extremely pissed off.

"You didn't even call to explain or wonder if I was okay? How on earth am I supposed to miss you?"

"I'm sorry Alex. I didn't have the chance to... I mean, I thought you wouldn't believe me if I even took the leap of faith to explain what happened. The video already said a lot."

"But I still deserve an explanation, maybe an excuse if there is... something at least, but it's fine. I was only surprised when I received your call. That's why I told you to come over. I see you're okay."

He started to walk towards the doorway. I quickly tried to crawl back to the wall, but Tania grabbed him by the waist. Her hands wrapped around his tiny muscled chest, dripping in sweat. I clenched my fist and took one last glance after finding my way to the door.

"Does that mean you don't want to see me? Am I really not welcome Alex?" Her voice became tinier than usual. It's the kind of tone females use to get a guy to fall for them. He turned to her, releasing her hands. There was barely an inch between them. Tania slowly places her lips on his. I hoped he was going to push her off. I desperately hoped for it. Instead, the heat rose between them. He slowly grabbed her by the waist. At first, his hands rested on her shoulders, and their eyes locked for a minute before he finally launched into a deep kiss. I felt a stream of tears down my face as I left the hall. I didn't know my destination. I just kept walking with my head down while fresh tears kept falling. I couldn't control it.

"Mun!" Ted called. It was obvious he had been waiting at our usual spot. Without a word, I collapsed in his arms and wrapped my hand around his body firmly, feeling my heart turn into pieces. There isn't any hope left. I know I'm about to make the most stupid decision, but I can't bear to see the truth standing in my face.

"Let's get married" I whispered with a cracked voice as Ted just held my waist loosely at a close distance.