CHAPTER4
1337 Words
Anastasia
When I got the invitation to the restaurant, a small part of my had hoped it was Rohan and not another prank.
I eagerly got dressed and left for the restaurant only to meet Derrick King, my boyfriend from highschool.
When he texted me, he hadn't seemed bothered by the fact that I had a sister who I was currently impersonating.
We had barely settled down after entering the restaurant when I heard a loud voice behind us.
I looked behind me and saw Rohan standing at the door looking furious.
"Rohan," I rose to my feet, looking between him and Derrick.
"It's just a month and you're cheating already? Do you have any idea how pathetic that makes you look?" He shoved his finger in my face in accusation.
"What?" I stared at him in disbelief, wondering how he had even found me.
"Don't speak to her like that!" Derrick intervened, angrily taking off his glasses.
I quickly rushed in-between both men to avoid any more drama that could attract cameras.
However, when I looked at Rohan, the angry expression on his face had been replaced with a shocked one.
"Derrick,"
"Rohan,"
They both called each other's names simultaneously, confusing me.
"You know each other?" I now looked at Derrick.
Where had they met?
How could they even know each other?
"We attended the same highschool in India." Slowly, Rohan was returning to his angry state.
He ground his teeth in anger and took a step forward like he had an intention of jumping on Derrick.
Just before our final year in highschool, Derrick relocated to India with his family.
I could never imagine he and Rohan in the same class.
"And how do you know him?" Rohan turned to me.
"Before he joined your school, he attended mine. We used to be classmates."
My answer didn't seem to pacify his anger so I decided to introduce him.
"Der, this is my husband, Rohan."
"Der?" Rohan snorted before grabbing my wrist and pulling me to his side.
As if that was not enough, he tightly wrapped his arm around my waist all while glaring at Derrick.
"Mrs Singh's husband," he stretched out his hand.
"It's been a while, Derrick." The way he carefully said Derrick's name only proved that they had a problem from highschool.
Instead of getting mad at Rohan's rather rash behavior, Derrick only smiled before taking Rohan's hand.
The two seemed to fight for who could hold whose hand tighter.
When Derrick spoke again, Rohan's face turned pale,
"Derrick King, Anastasia's former classmate and ex boyfriend. Never thought I'd run into you again, Rohan, especially as An's husband. Indeed, it's a small world."
His arm around my waist loosened a bit and Derrick's smile only grew wider.
Rohan glanced at me, shocked that Derrick called me by my name and not my sister's.
When he saw the effect he was having on Rohan, he decided to take advantage of it.
"We were catching up and reliving sweet old memories before you rudely interrupted."
"Derrick, stop." I cautioned him before things got out of hand.
From their reactions to each other, I could already tell what had happened between the two during highschool.
"We're having our Indian wedding in less than two weeks. For old times sake, I would love to send you an invitation."
Rohan's words did not have any impact on Derrick.
"We should leave." I whispered to Rohan, looking around to make sure no one was taking pictures of us.
Derrick had picked out a small quiet restaurant but I still couldn't feel safe.
Not after what Rohan had done at our wedding.
"You shouldn't have come here in the first place." He bit back.
"I wouldn't be needing the invitation." Derrick dipped his hand into his suit pocket and brought out an envelope.
Throwing the envelope at Rohan, "If anyone would be needing an invitation to any wedding, I think it would be you, Rohan."
Rohan didn't bother to pick up the invitation card.
He only tightened his hold on me and turned around.
But Derrick wasn't finished.
"You really don't care? Not even when it's me and Ana's wedding?" Derrick's voice was cool as he spoke like he knew Rohan would care.
"What?!" Rohan rushed back to Derrick and grabbed his tie.
"What are you talking about?"
Derrick never mentioned anything about marriage when we texted.
"Remember that one time we got engaged in middle school?" His eyes remained on Rohan as he spoke to me, a triumphant smirk on his face.
"That was years ago, Derrick! It was a stupid joke between two young teenagers." I tried to separate them but Rohan wouldn't budge.
"She's married to me." Rohan eventually pushed Derrick away when we began hearing gasps around us.
Laughing, Derrick raised his right hand where a ring was wrapped around his finger.
I recognized it.
It was the ring I had gotten him a week after he had proposed to me.
"Derrick, you couldn't possibly still be holding on to that."
How did he even have that after so many years?
"It wasn't a joke, Anastasia. If it were, we would never have made out after...." He was silenced with a punch from Rohan.
"Anastasia isn't engaged to you because she's married to me! We have our marriage certificate to prove that. If you try to impose that joke of an engagement on my wife, I'll make sure you rot in jail."
More and more customers were begining to pay us attention but both men didn't care.
"You are married to Sabrina, not Anastasia and this woman is Anastasia not Sabrina." Even after the punch, Derrick still laughed.
"You pretend to care about her after you humiliated her by leaving her at the altar? You were never good at anything. What makes you think you'll make a good husband?"
"This is the invitation to our wedding happening in the next one year." He forced the card into Rohan's hand.
"Derrick, what are you doing?" I shook my head, pleading for him to stop.
He pushed Rohan aside and came to me.
His eyes softened as he gently placed his hand on my face,
"I'm sorry I left without telling you. Believe me, I had no power over it."
Immediately he placed his hand on my face, I felt warm and safe, the same way I used to feel when we dated in highschool.
"But I'm here now and I'm willing to prove to you that I genuinely love you, Ana. Please, marry me." He got on one knee and brought out a wedding ring.
"Derrick please stop this. Derrick, people are watching." I begged him and he eventually listened.
Turning to Rohan, "It's very obvious that you did not marry Anastasia out of love. Whatever your reason was for marrying her, I'm going to find out."
"Derrick, I'm already married." I whispered to him, surprised at how much effect he still had on me.
When he touched me, when he smiled at me.
"And you can always get a divorce." He smiled again.
"What?" I took a step back in disbelief.
Was that why he had brought me out here?
To ask me to marry him?
I took a glance at Rohan who had a horrified expression on his face.
"In the next one year, I'll make you love me again. I'll prove to you that I could make a better husband than Rohan. When you divorce him, I'll be waiting for you at the altar and I promise not to leave you like he did."
Before I could react or respond, he lowered his head and kissed me.
It was a quick kiss on my lips but immediately he pulled away, I found myself yearning for more.
It took a lot of self control to not wrap my hands around his neck and pull him back.
"I'll be waiting." He smiled at me one last time before walking away, leaving me hot and confused.
- Writer
