LOVE ME

promises

Chris's POV

I promised myself to protect her whatever it be. I was going to tell her the truth one day, I only hoped she wouldn't find out herself.

From the front mirror I saw she had drifted to sleep.

“ Take a left turn, let's branch at Mira's stores” I instructed the driver.

“ Okay sir”

The streets weren't as busy as I imagined it would be. I checked the time and it was 6:45pm.

Alicia yawned and looked at me, “ where are we?” She asked.

“ Let's get you some clothes” I said, taking her hands as the driver opened the door.

She didn't hesitate and just followed me.

We entered the store as I had planned to pick out clothes for her.

The manager ordered everyone to leave. This wasn't new to me, it was like a tradition. I had to get what I wanted without distractions.

“ What should we get you sir?” Amelia came smiling at me.

I turned to Alicia and the look she had was inexplicable.

What was she thinking?

“ Get dresses for her,” I replied.

“ Come with me,” Amelia said, leading Alicia to an inner chamber.

I scrolled through my phone and saw that reporters were at it again. A picture of me and Alicia had been captured. I frowned, these people never respected privacy.

I read the caption, Chris's girlfriend caught on camera looking distraught.

I wished they had captured it when Alicia had changed her dress.

Why would they speak bad of her that way?

I immediately went to my caller app. The post needed to be taken down before she saw it. Alicia's entrance distracted me.

I looked up and saw her emerge from where she tested the dresses.

My mouth slightly fell open, I momentarily forgot I had a business with my phone. I gazed at her, she dazzled with beauty. The purple gown blended with her skin. It exposed her neck area. The gown was a tight fit one, hugging her slim waist and her hips and stopping just above her knee.

She stood as if unsure of what to do.

“ Don't you like it?” She asked.

“ What! No, I love it. You look breathtaking”

She smiled at my response and then her eyes dropped.

“ What is it?”

“ I'm sorry”

“ Why? For what?” I asked her.

“ I shouldn't have appeared the way I did earlier, I saw the post”

My chest tightened, why did she see that?

I immediately made the call I wanted to make.

“ Take that post down immediately” I ordered Charles. He was a tech master and was my employee.

“ On it sir” Charles responded.

“What about the other dresses?” I turned to Amelia.

“ Let's go test them,” she told Alicia.

I sat and watched in awe. Alicia's beauty wasn't of this world. Her lips were carved like a painting.

Her body matched every dress she tested as if they were specially made for her.

She came out with a blue flowing gown. That would be nice for attending occasions.

She had tested a lot of clothes that I lost count of.

“ Which of them should we package, sir?” Amelia asked.

“ All of them”

“ What!” Alicia blurted.

I turned to look at her, “ is there anyone you didn't like?”

“ That's too much,” she said, eyes darting.

“ It's nothing”

I signalled to Amelia, “All of em”

“ Right sir”

“ What about those dresses in the wardrobe?” Alicia asked.

My eyes widened, she had opened that?

“How did you see them?”

“ I mistakenly pressed a button and it opened,” she explained.

I heaved a sigh, I had kept her old picture in that wardrobe. I was glad she didn't see it.

“ Alicia, what would you do if you saw someone who hurt you a lot in the past?” I asked her.

I needed to know how she would react if she found out who I really was. We were seated at the reception waiting for her dresses to be packed.

“ Why do you want to know that?” She looked a little shaken.

“ I met someone who hurt me, I'm not sure how to react” I told her.

“ Oh sorry about that”

“ It's okay. So, what would you do?” I asked again.

“ Well I have a similar occurrence. I have tried really hard to forget, but if I meet him, I will make sure to strangle him” she said fiercely.

I cringed at her response, “ what if the person helped you with something in your present life?”

“ I would be grateful, but that doesn't take away the pain,” she said.

I bled in my heart. That means I didn't have a chance of redemption.

“ But Chris, you don't have to be like me. You can forgive the one who hurt you,’ she said.

“ Why?”

“ Mine is a different kind of pain” she mumbled.

Amelia came with the packaged dresses and handed them over to my driver who was waiting at the counter.

There was commotion at the entrance, my driver reported that reporters were waiting outside and refusing to leave.

I sighed at the disturbance, thinking of how to avoid them. I sighed again and bent to retrieve my phone from my back pocket, then I met Alicia's eyes.

“ Who are you really?” She asked.