The Forgotten Heiress

Chapter Five: The Window Babe

November, 2019.

Lily’s POV

The last two months went by in a blur. With my final examinations, wrapping up the semester, and the wedding preparations, I didn’t notice the time fly by.

Now that the wedding day is knocking on my door, I am beginning to question my decision. I am having cold feet, but I am also willing to go through with the marriage.

I accepted Xavier’s proposal not because I am in love with him but because the unbelievable happened. Never in my wildest dream did I ever imagine that there is the possibility that his father and my father are childhood friends who lost contact years ago.

A trap was set for me, or I believe it to be a trap. Why on earth will Xavier bring his family all the way to our home without my consent? I came back from school on a beautiful evening, only to meet them having dinner with my family.

His father proposed an arranged marriage between his son and I, which my step mother immediately accepted. She was overly excited, almost like she is so eager to send me out of her home for good.

Brie, my step sister didn’t hide her emotions, she made it overly clear to me that she isn’t happy for me. She said and I quote, “I should be the one getting married to Xavier not you.”

Sam wasn’t in full support, but when I assured her that I was utterly in love with him, she went in full swing with the bridesmaid activities. I told her it was love at first sight kind of thing.

That is what I tell anyone that throws me the ‘isn’t it too soon’ question. And it is quite the irony because I don’t believe in love at first sight.

Aaron, Samantha’s brother, and a very wonderful friend of mine for some reason has been scarce ever since he heard about the marriage.

He only called me once and told me, “Samantha said you are getting married. Is it true?”

To which I said, “Yes.”

Then he said, “Yes? Alright.”

And that was it, I never saw him again, I never heard from him again. It was as if he had disappeared from the face of earth.

I once asked Sam about him after an exam and she said he was in Australia and he didn’t mention when he will be coming back which is a first.

Aaron always tells us when he’d be leaving for a journey and the day he’d be coming back, down to the time he will land.

I grab my phone to call him. On the first try, it goes straight to voicemail. On the second try, it rings but he doesn’t pick. On the third try, he picks just when it was about to end but he doesn’t say a word.

We are silent for about a minute or two before I break the silence, “Aaron?”

He doesn’t answer me, so I listen to him breath which I weirdly find comforting.

11 minutes, 17 seconds later he says, “Are you really getting married to the Italian guy Lily?”

I know the time because I’ve been staring at my wristwatch, counting.

I can feel the pain in his voice, he sounds like I betrayed him and I hurt him. I can’t help but feel hurt too. He has never addressed me as Lily.

AARON’S POV

47 days. It’s been 47 days since I heard from Samantha that my Lily is getting married.

It’s been 47 days since I last heard her voice. It’s been 47 days since I last made her smile. It’s been 3 hours, 39 minutes since I last saw her.

While I have been avoiding her, I can’t stop myself from going to places I know I will at least catch a glimpse of her.

With every passing day, staying away from her becomes more difficult, and much more painful. I am mad at her for not waiting for me, but I am more pissed at myself for letting it affect me this much.

My Lily doesn’t care, at all. I had to leave for Australia to get a break from every single thing, from her. But I couldn’t even stay away from her for 48 hours.

I might as well just start packing my bags to follow her to Italy, in the shadows.

I am currently in my car parked down the street. I can see her room’s window clearly, I just hope I am lucky today and she sits by the window to read a book with her headphone on. The headphone I gave her.

Coming down the street to watch her every night when I close from work has been my routine for the past 47 days, and it is the best part of my day I always look forward to.

Just once did she notice my car parked. She wasn’t reading on this day, she just came to the window to watch. I know she was staring at the car because it is her favourite.

It was an impulse buy during one of my grieving nights, she doesn’t know it belongs to me and it is darkly tinted, so I didn’t panic.

She admired the car from her window for a pretty long time before she went to bed.

My phone gives me a fright as it rings. It is my Lily calling me. She is standing by the window staring down the street, the window babe.

It ends before I pick the call, and I watch her hesitate before she calls again. I feel a sharp pain in my chest, or my heart, I can’t tell which exactly it is that is affected. Lily shouldn’t hesitate before she calls me, or send me a message.

“Aaron,” that is it. That is all it took to break down all defences I struggled to build. The concrete walls I built to shield my heart. The torture I had to go through.

I genuinely thought she will get tired and end the call because of how long my silence took. “Are you really getting married to the Italian guy Lily?”

I am my own problem, I admit. How is that the first you say to a lady you haven’t spoken to in 47 days?