CHAPTER 2: THE PROPOSAL
1378 Words
COURTNEY
I take one of my Dad's expensive electric cars and hit the road. The breeze blowing in my hair as I drive at full speed relaxes me and prevents me from thinking too much about the recent event.
“Hellooo? Courtney what's up?” my best friend and confidant, Isabella, says as soon as she picks up my call.
I reply, trying to focus on the road, “Isa, please meet me at Brands. I need to talk to you.”
“Brands? You wanna drink?” She pauses. “It's odd but ok. See you there!”
If only she knew what transpired today, she would be so confused.
“Alright, bye.”
In a few minutes, I arrive at the club and scan the area for any signs of a red-haired girl who's way too excited for her own good. Soon enough, I spot Isabella ordering a drink at the bar.
With quick steps, I approach her and when she notices me, she beams.
“Well, looks who's looking sexy today,” she teases and hands me a drink. I accept it, my hands still trembling.
It doesn't take long before she notices my hesitance. Narrowing her eyes, she leans in to study me before reclining and dropping her glass. “Ok, I can sense a sad energy here. You can't be looking all pretty with a face like that. Tell me what's going on.”
Sighing, I rest my head on my hand. “It's just… unbelievable.”
“Aww, I'm all ears. Tell me.”
She whips her hair behind her back and straightens up properly to prove her words and I take a deep breath before starting, “My Dad asked me to marry his business partner's son.”
Isabella moves back in shock. “Are you serious?”
I nod. “He said it's important for his business and now I'm not sure I made the right choice by rejecting the guy in front of everyone.”
She sighs. “Look, if you really don't like the guy then you have the right to decide what you want. Just talk to your Dad.”
“You don't understand. He seems really serious about this.”
She sighs, thinking for a moment. Then after a while, she blurts, “What's so bad about this guy anyway?”
That wasn't the question I was expecting. “Really?”
“Really.”
Taking a sip of my Vodka and dropping the glass, I begin, numbering the points with my fingers, “Well, for starters, he tried to touch me forcefully on the dinner table. Second, he's extremely tall—and it’s in a weird way. And three, you know I'm already in love with Brian.”
She quirks a brow. “Brian? That guy you had a one-night stand with like eight months ago? I thought you forgot about him.”
“I did,” I breathe. “But… I just can't. I can't get him out of my head. I've really tried. That's why I keep coming here so maybe I'll see him again.”
She stands up to hug me. “Courtney. You know it’ll break your heart if you keep waiting and he doesn’t show up.”
“I know but what can I do? He promised we’ll see each other again.”
She pulls back and looks into my eyes with a soft smile. “I really don’t believe he’s coming back. But it's always said that if you're meant to be with someone, they'll always come back when you let them go.”
Her calm words are like a soothing reassurance to my uncertainties. I close my eyes shut, hoping I see him again. Even once.
“But just hope your Dad doesn’t get too angry about what you did. It can be a problem,” she says, arranging my hair.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure he won’t get that mad,” I try to convince both Isabella and myself.
She nods, smiling. “Are you feeling better now?”
I reciprocate the smile. “Yeah. Thanks for coming here.”
She then lets out a playful sigh of relief. “Good cu I have to go now. I left Michael all alone at home to come here.”
“It's ok,” I say, smiling at her. “Go look after your brother; it’s not safe to leave him to his own devices.”
We both laugh and she hugs me one more time before standing up. “Just call me if you need anything.”
The moment she's gone, I take another swig of my Vodka. I really hope my Dad doesn't do anything out of anger. I mentally note to apologize to him the moment everything calms down. However, that doesn’t mean giving in to his wishes. I'll keep waiting for Brian. I know for a fact he'll come back.
All of a sudden, my eyes catch the sight of a man and my heart skips a beat. He looks strikingly familiar but I can't be sure since he's facing the opposite direction. I keep staring at him, contemplating if I should go over there and talk but then, he turns to face my direction and I gasp.
It can't be. How can he be here?
“Courtney?” I make out what he says from his mouth's movements but my body is too frozen to respond. It is him. I can feel a chill run down my spine as he takes in my appearance—and the memories of our night together months ago come flooding in.
Time seems to stop when he gets up and walks over to him. What should I do? Is this real?
I pinch myself.
My question gets answered when he walks over to stand right in front of me, those piercing, green eyes awakening steamy memories.
“B-Brian?”
He takes a seat next to me and for a second, I forget how to breathe.
“Brian.” I look around, confused. “H-How are you… here?”
Snatching my drink, he takes a sip, reminding me of the same thing he did at the get-together party we met at.
“Didn't you miss me?” His voice is still just as smooth—just as deep.
I stutter, “Um… I'm… um…”
He responds with a charming smile, then goes ahead to snap his fingers at me. “Hello? I asked you a question.”
“Uhh yes, I did. Why did you come back?”
He frowns. “For you of course. I've been busy for a few months now so I didn't have enough time to talk to you. But I'm here now.”
My heart swells. He came all the way for me!
Heat rises up my neck to my cheeks. “I appreciate you coming back.” I try to sound calm, looking at my arms, unsure what to say.
“So,” I begin. ‘What do you…?”
My words trail off when he grabs my arm and I look up to stare deep into his eyes. My heart races as I stare at him wide-eyed with disbelief.
“Courtney, I know I'm late and you've probably not thought of me since the last time we met…”
Oh, he couldn't be more wrong.
He then tilts his head and stares at me, smiling like an adorable child. The lights in the club glimmer in his forest green eyes, making him look even more breathtaking than I remember.
He sighs as if trying to remove a burden from his chest. “Courtney, I'm leaving the city tomorrow, but I would like you to come with me. I know you might be stuck here but I don't want to lose you again. I've been thinking of you ever since that night and now, I've decided. Courtney, would you marry me?”
These are moments I believe are called lucid dreams.
It's a turmoil of happiness, bewilderment and surprise in my head while I struggle to find the right words to express them all at once. Finally, I came up with one that captures my emotions perfectly:
“What did you say?”
- Writer
