Chapter three.
1152 Words
Lily.
Blake was not in my room. I muttered words of appreciation in my heart as I clutched my chest. Just then, Bernard bent beside my bed and picked up a large glass shard. “Your lamp fell and broke.”
I hurried towards him, finding my lamp in pieces. I wondered if it could be traced back to Blake. My eyes immediately went to the bathroom door, which was opened just a c***k. I walked to the bathroom and peeked in, my eyes finding Blake’s. His lips were pressed in a thin line as he glowered at me.
I slammed the door shut, turning back to Bernard. “No one’s in here. I guess I placed the lamp too close to the edge.”
“Yeah,” he murmured as he squatted and started to pick up the glass pieces.
“Let me do that.” I joined him as we both picked up the glasses and moved to the kitchen to throw them into a trash can. Benny and I grabbed the broom at the same time, causing us to smile at each other.
“I’ll do it.” He volunteered.
“No, it’s fine. I think you should get going. It’s getting pretty late.” I felt something sink inside of me. I was lying to my boyfriend. I felt like a cheater, even though I would never dream of that.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“I’ll call you before I go to bed.” I assured, walking him to the living room where he grabbed his can of Coke and placed an airy kiss on my lips before leaving.
I walked back to my bedroom and found Blake standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets. He did not look too happy.
“This is not how I expected my Friday evening to go.” He checked the watch on his wrist, bringing my attention back to how expensive it was.
“I’m sorry. Can you wait for me in the living room? I just need to sweep this—”
“You can sweep that off later. I don’t have all night. You already owe me for locking me up here anyway.” I almost argued. He was the one who decided to knock on my door. I simply sighed and placed the broom in a corner of the room as we went to the living room.
“Now, what exactly is going on? Why are you here? And what is this?” I gestured at the contract which was carelessly sitting on the floor.
He picked it up and scanned the first page. Then, “I want you to get married to me.”
A breathy chuckle escaped my lips. “What?”
“Marry me,” he repeated, as if I should have understood him the first time.
“Give me a second to think about that,” I joked. “No.”
“No?” He raised a questioning brow at me.
“No.” I crossed my arms.
He resumed his position on the couch and crossed his legs. “Did you go through the terms of the contract?”
I didn’t, but it didn’t make a difference. I would not be signing it anyway.
“I did not,” I answered.
“Go through it. I’ll wait.” He handed me the contract. It was comical how he would wait for me to read through terms I didn’t care about when he made it clear earlier that he didn’t have all night.
Curiously, I took the contract from him and turned the pages until I saw the terms boldly introduced.
• The signatory, Lily Johnson – upon signing this contract – will be provided with whatsoever it is that she requests for. These materials are to be provided by the contractor, Blake Arnett.
I looked up from the contract and stared straight at him. There was just no way an absolute stranger would provide something like this without it being a trap, right? It had to be. But a naïve part of me believed it.
As I realized the unbelievable thoughts flooding into my head, I dropped the contract onto his lap. “I’m sorry, but this is crazy. I think you should leave.”
He stood up without hesitation, dropping the contract on the couch. “You can go through it in your free time. I’ll leave my business card here just in case you decide to change your mind.”
As he headed out of the apartment, I called out to him. “Why are you doing this? I mean, do you know me or something? I’m so confused.”
“When you agree to the contract, we’ll talk extensively about it.” He left.
He sounded so confident that I would agree to get married to him, which was worrying. Did he, by any chance, know about my debts and my struggles? Was that enough reason for him to offer help? Even if he wanted to help, was it necessary for me to get married to him? What was in it for him?
After sweeping the remaining pieces of glass and calling Benny to assure him that I was fine, I settled with the rest of the donuts in the box and the can of Coke as I read the terms of the contract. Ninety-five percent of the terms were in my favor. I didn’t have a good feeling about it.
What plagued me even further was the fact that I was considering this when I had a boyfriend.
I would have to talk to Benny about it.
I went to bed early, but not without difficulty.
****
It was a Saturday afternoon and I was preparing to leave for Bernard’s house. I had called him twice, but he didn’t pick up the phone. We both didn’t work on the weekends, so I knew he would be home.
I took a taxi and got there in nearly an hour after the exhausting New York traffic.
I sent a text to him, informing him that I would be in his apartment soon. If by any chance he was not home, I would have to wait. Thankfully, I had a spare key.
I took the elevator to the 10th floor, tapping my right foot in impatience. What exactly was I going to tell him? How would I start?
His door was locked. I opened the door with my spare key and walked in. His apartment, compared to mine, looked lived-in. It wasn’t over the top, but it was perfect.
His bedroom door was slightly ajar. I figured he was most likely taking a nap. I smiled as I walked to the bedroom, immediately stopping in my tracks.
“No…” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief at the sight in front of me.
- Writer
