Chapter 30: Chapter Twenty-Nine ✓

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

Emberly's POV:

I unlocked my house door hastily. All I wanted to do was jump on my bed and rest for half an hour before I returned back to work. As usual, I was running around getting everything done before the deadline, which was a huge accomplishment for me. In my opinion, Arran could use another personal assistant. Enough said.

It still surprised me how he handled everything on his own. I had never seen his father in the building. Arran was the sole person running this empire. Thinking about his dad, I frowned. He was a strange man. I couldn't forget what he asked me to do. However, I also couldn't forget that he was there consoling me when I was crying on my first week in the office or how he helped me with my parents. I swear some people were so complicated; it felt like it would take an eternity to understand them.

I was thinking about going upstairs when I heard someone sniffing. My brows scrunched together as I entered the living room. What I saw made my lungs squeeze all the air out instantly. Cherry was lying on the couch with tears leaking out of her eyes rapidly. In a swift motion I was next to her.

"What's wrong? What happened? Cher, you are scaring me." I questioned her as I felt my heart beating loudly in my ears.

She looked at me with red, puffy eyes before hugging me tightly. Something terrible must have happened because Cherry never cried. The last time she cried was when her uncle passed away and that was ten years ago!

"It's that...  bitch again. She... she... rejected my dress." She stuttered in between hiccups.

I closed my eyes feeling relief that she wasn't physically injured but I also realised how much it must have hurt her. She was majoring in Arts and Designs and last year they were specifically told that they had to design a dress for their project. She had been working on it since summer and she must have been feeling gutted. She told me Lorain, her teacher held some unknown grudges against her.

"Why?" I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat and asked her. I felt like killing that bitch for making my best friend cry.

"She said...  it's too common. Berr, I worked so hard on that dress. I know she is doing this on purpose." She stammered.

I rubbed her back and got up to get her water. I filled the cup and gave it to her. She sighed and drank the whole cup in one go. I  had helped her with the designs and material on that dress. I didn't know why Lorain wouldn't approve the dress because it was stunning. I felt bad for Cherry because I knew how hard she worked and she was so confident. It was her dream project.

"Why would she do that?" I frowned. I couldn't see any reason why anyone would reject her dress. The material she chose was very exclusive and I clearly remembered roaming around shops to find it.

"I don't know. I think it's because of her granddaughter, who is in the same class as I am. The bitch hardly does any work. Do you know she makes Lorain do all the work?" She told me, narrowing her eyes.

I shook my head. I wished I could do something for her. Cherry was my sister from another mister. She helped me steal oranges from Mr. Brook's garden when we were barely seven and when we got caught, she took the blame. I soothed her back, hearing what a bitch Lorain was.

"You know you can always accuse her for racial discrimination." I smirked weakly, trying to cheer her up and thankfully she laughed.

"It's not a bad idea but I can't. You do know she is black too right?" She informed me with a sad smile.

"I know" I smirked but sighed feeling helpless. "I just wish I could do something for you. If it were up to me I wouldn't even ask you to make a dress. I know you are incredibly talented." I assured her and this time she smiled widely.

"Thanks Berr, it means a lot to me but its just... it hurts." She sulked as her eyes welled up again.

I knew no matter what I would say she wouldn't cheer up. Cherry was known for her strong personality and right now it was killing her to be this vulnerable. She needed a distraction.

"Don't cry babe... Shit happens." I told her and her head jerked in my direction.

"Like what?" she scoffed.

"Like how my boss is getting married in two weeks." I told her with a frown.

"Shut the hell up." She shrieked.

I knew it would work. Long gone was what Lorain did! Her eyes were practically glinting in interest. One thing about Cherry I knew by heart was that unlike me she would not sit for hours and cry. She loved giving advice and helping others with their relationship issues. During our school days, all the girls use to come to her to tell her their problems. She would of course help them but little did they know, she would tell me everything afterwards and we would sit and point out their problems.

"Yup and I don't know what to do." I shrugged my shoulders tiredly. It was true; I didn't know what to do. I just wanted someone to tell me this wasn't real. I never thought he would affect me this much. I shouldn't be affected by the news but every time I thought about it I couldn't help it.

"Are you sure?" Her eyes were wide in surprise and shock.

"Yeah. I mean why wouldn't he." I replied briefly, not wanting her to know how much it was affecting me.

"Because I know you assume a lot. A lot. I don't believe you." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. I feigned a gasp and punched her arm lightly.

"That's not true... That day you were there with me when he bought the ring and did you notice how close they were? Also this morning he told me to clear his calendar for two weeks and then his organiser was filled with wedding shit." I said bitterly. She was shocked by my tone and even I was. What was wrong with me?

"And you couldn't ask him because...?" She mocked and questioned me.

Did she not hear what I just said?

"Ask him what Cher? That oh hey Arran, are you about to get married? It's none of my business. I don't care who he marries." I exclaimed, shaking my head.

"Yes! All you had to do was ask." She rolled her eyes and jerked me lightly. Sometimes I forget how violent she could get. I rubbed my arm.

"Forget it, it's not like I care." I repeated, glancing away from her eyes that were studying me carefully.

I hated when people did that. It was like they were attempting to read me which annoyed me to no end.

"It seems like you are in lo..." She grinned and I quickly interrupted her.

"No... no... no! Don't you dare drop the L word." I stood up, horrified.

"You mean love...?" She said calmly and her smirked widened.

"Cher... This is so unfair and no I don't love him." I squealed, covering my ears. I like him that I agree but love...? It was too soon to even think about it.

"Yet." She replied, not getting affected an ounce by my outburst.

"Stop encouraging me." I glared at her playfully and chuckled softly.

Her face clouded again and she sobered up. I knew she was thinking about it again. She needed a bigger distraction because it was unfair to her to bring my problems up again. She was upset already and she didn't need to solve my problems.

"I know how to cheer you up." I clapped my hands and looked at her mischievously.

Her eyebrows shot up as realisation hit her. She beamed and clapped her hands too. I know we were crazy.

"No way, did the hot bastard spoil my little princess?" She cooed.

I went crimson and winced remembering the whole princess thing that happened today. I would tell her on the way.

"Shut up, lets get ready." I pushed her.

I knew Thursday wasn't an ideal day to go out and get drunk but Arran already told me he wasn't coming in tomorrow or the day after that. It was the best time to forget about everything, especially him. Also I was supposed to escort him safely to his house. We didn't want the groom to be dead before the wedding. I would have the whole Raymond up my throat. After taking him home I would have a few days off of work.

We both walked inside my room and rummaged around the closet. Cherry's hand stopped on one dress and her eyes lingered on the dress. I peeked over her shoulder and nearly winced when I realised it was her project dress. She told me to keep it safe so it was in my closet.

"You know what, screw her. I'm going to show her how amazing this dress is." I stated, grabbing the dress.

"Seriously? You don't have to." She masked her excitement.

"I'm sure." I told her and she smiled excitedly.

Half an hour later, I wasn't sure anymore. The dress was indeed sexy but it was too short. The black piece barely covered anything. Instead it displayed a lot, like my legs, my cleavage, my back, almost everything. It was definitely perfect for a project since it made me look bold and with my hair done in a messy high ponytail and in high heels I barely recognised myself. I was uncomfortable but I didn't want to upset Cherry any further.

"Jeez, Cher how short is Mandy. This dress barely covers my ass." I asked her pulling the dress down.

I knew Mandy was over six foot but I was just 5 ft. 9, which was still taller than average girls, but we were talking about Mandy here. That girl could be mistaken for the Eiffel tower, okay not exactly like the Eiffel tower but she was that tall.

"You are exaggerating Berr, just don't bend down or get on your knees." She replied lip-gloss on her lips.

I scoffed in disbelief. "What if I need to?" I raised my eyebrow.

"I always knew you had it in you." She grinned and I pushed her lightly and started to applied mascara.

Ten minutes later we both were ready. Cherry was in a short, silver dress which showed her curves and she had her hair down in soft curls. I envied her. She always managed to look breathtakingly beautiful without even putting any effort in, whereas I looked like a ghost without any makeup on due to my pale skin.

I drove to our destination which was on the other side of the city. I parked my car in a nearby parking lot, locking it twice just in case. My car looked like a piece of junk in front of the other cars parked. Cars like Lamborghini, Ferraris, and Mercedes were parked next to us and our eyes widened at the display. We both knew that this must've been an exclusive club. I shouldn't be amazed since I was dealing with a billionaire but it never ceased to surprise me.

"Can we get in?" Cherry muttered, eyeing the long line.

If she asked me this question a month ago, I would've laughed at her for even thinking about it. It would have been impossible for us to get in but not anymore. It was a bitter truth. People with money could get anywhere and anything they wanted without any hassle.

"Just walk in." I told her as we walked to the front.

"I will kill you if someone stops us." She warned me and I laughed.

They wouldn't, perks of working with Arran. You could get into any club. Many eyes were on us, mostly glares. The faint thumping of music matched my heartbeat. I stopped where the bouncers were standing and told them my name. Recognition registered across their faces and they allowed us to get in.

Cherry's eyes widened further and she gasped softly. Even my eyes were as wide as hers. Now I knew what the hype was about. It was magnificent inside. It was dark but there were multi-coloured flashing lights creating a dark and thrilling atmosphere. I could smell the expensive cologne in the air. Much to our delight, it wasn't overcrowded. However, one corner of the room, which was the dance floor, had sweaty bodies pressed against each other. From where we were standing, I could see a balcony upstairs with little booths to sit and chill. The whole ambience was thrilling and exciting.

"I will love you forever." She yelled over the loud music. We both moved further in.

"I won't be able to accompany you; I need to look after Arran." I muttered in her ear and she nodded.

Beforehand, I had planned to drop her off on the way and then take Arran to his house and from there go back to my house. Looks like I wasn't having a drink at all tonight.

"I wish I were in your place." She said dreamily as the bartender gave her a martini.

We both walked up to the balcony, knowing that this was the VIP section. I was aware of many stares on my body but I ignored the urge to shiver. My eyes were looking for one particular face. I was about to go down when I spotted copper hair shining, even in the dark. We both put a smile on our faces and strode toward his direction. Luke's eyes widened looking at us and he beamed, smiling widely. I noticed he was with Stacy who was in a striking, red dress. With her blonde hair in a messy side bun, she was looking stunning as usual. She smiled softly at us.

"Cher, you've already met Luke, this is Stacy." I introduced them both and they both greeted politely.

"What are you guys doing here? I hope you guys are not stalking me." Luke teased causing us to laugh. I noticed Luke's eyes were still on my body and he shook his head, muttering something.

"You wish." Stacy huffed.

"What can I say, I'm a ladies' man." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sure you are, ginger." Stacy rolled her eyes but we didn't miss the glint in them. Cherry and I passed a knowing look.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Luke is off limits.

It was so obvious how much Stacy liked him but he was completely unaware of the fact. Seriously men are so clueless. Now that I think about it, they actually made a pretty good pair. From what I knew, they had grown up together so they were really close. I had always seen Arran hanging out with only the two of them no matter where he was. If Stacy and Luke ever had kids they would be the cutest looking kids ever with Stacy's freckles and Luke's hair.

"Hey this is not ginger, it's copper." He huffed.

"It's ginger, Luke." Cherry teased him, joining Stacy.

"But I look hot." He said cockily and well we had to kind of agree there although no one said it out loud.

"Hey, I'll be back." I left them to bicker.

Knowing Cherry, I was sure she would be fine with them. Out of his entire clan of friends, I only trusted the two of them. They were the sweet and down to earth type of people. I scanned the whole area briefly in search a set of green eyes. I kept walking forward, bumping into people. Some of them glared and muttered curse words at me while the others grinned and winked. There were some who sneered at me and whispered with their friends looking at me. Suddenly, I wanted to take my words back. All of the confidence slipped out of me within a second. I could always ditch him and pretend I had gotten lost on my way. Not watching where I was going, I bumped into someone. That someone had a chest harder than a rock and it hurt a little. Acting purely on my instincts, I opened my mouth to apologise.

"I am..." My mouth dried when I realised who I crashed into.

His green eyes widened in shock as he kept glancing up and down my body. God, please make me disappear. It was not the dress, it was my body. It was all bullshit when people said they were happy with their body. I had not met a single person who was happy with their body. I took a peek at him and groaned internally. It was still a wonder how he managed to look so handsome even in pair of washed jeans and a white t-shirt. He wore a dark blue, Armani varsity jacket. His hair was messy yet he managed to make many girls around him admire him.

"Woah... You look..." His eyes widened and he paused, watching my face.

"Go on, say it. I know I look stupid." I gritted my teeth together irately as I saw another girl passing beside us scoffing at me.

"No... You look different Emberly." He said softly as his eyes roamed my body again. This time I couldn't stop the shiver that ran down my spine.

"Different good or different bad?" I winced at my voice that came out hoarsely.

"Definitely different good." He took a step forward and whispered in my ear. His hot breath tingled my skin.

I glanced around nervously. Moments like this always made me feel strange like how my heartbeat accelerated and my stomach turned into knots. Nervously, I tucked my loosened hair behind my ear. He chuckled quietly and took a step back giving me much needed space. I took a breath in relief. Unable to stop him, his eyes kept lingering on my body. I'm sure a blush was forming on my cheeks considering I could feel the heat on my ears.

Feeling uncomfortable, I glanced toward the bar from the balcony. I had no intentions of drinking; I just wanted him to have his attention somewhere else. It felt strange how I had been looking for him a minute ago and now that he was right in front of me, I was wishing I could just hide.

He followed my gaze and nodded his head, gesturing for me to walk in front of him. I almost forgot he could be a gentleman sometimes when it was needed. I turned around swiftly with a question I wanted to ask him when I caught him staring at my ass. I glared at him but he just smirked, not even appearing a bit ashamed. I was sure by now my face resembled a tomato. Never. Wearing. This. Dress. Ever. Again. In fact, I could give it to Mandy, she would be more than happy to receive it.

"Do you want to get a drink?" He asked me once we reached the bar and I scoffed at him.

"And get you killed? I'm fine." I stood next to him since the bar was occupied.

"One drink won't kill you." He shrugged his shoulders.

"But it will kill you." I muttered.

He was about to get up from the barstool to offer me his seat when I felt someone standing extremely close behind me. I stiffened as the person made no move to put more space between us; instead he placed his hands on my waist. What irked me was that he didn't make it obvious. It seemed almost unintentional. He just asked the bartender to make his drink. I moved to the left but he tightened his grip on my waist. I inhaled sharply and gritted my teeth together. I wished for someone to push him away. All of a sudden, his hands were no longer on my waist. I turned around quickly and watched Arran grabbing the guy by his collar. I sighed in relief but I blanched when I saw the dangerous look that crossed Arran's face.

"Keep your hands off of her." Arran's eyes hardened. His tone was low but icy.

"Relax, I'm just having some fun." He slurred as he leaned forward to grab me.

Big mistake. I look over at Arran who was glaring at him with so much intimidation that it actually made me feel scared for the man. If I were him, I would run for my life.

"Go somewhere else." He glared at the guy. I noticed everyone's eyes were on us.

"Arran, calm down." I took his other hand, which wasn't around the guy's collar and squeezed it. I knew things were gonna go from bad to worse with Arran's escalating anger. Trust me, I had been there.

"Yeah you heard the girl, calm down." He slurred, making me flinch.

"Piss off." I glared at him and thankfully his friends came to rescue him.

Arran kept clenching and unclenching his fists. His lips were pressed into a hard, uncompromising line. He looked like he would lunge at the guy any time. I had to say something to distract him. I watched them muttering something to each other while eyeing Arran. They were planning something. I didn't want to create a scene or get him hurt.

"Do you want to get out of here?" I asked him hastily. He turned his eyes to me and they softened.

"Are you sure? I mean I'm not even drunk yet." He smirked lazily but his body was still rigid.

"I just need to tell Cherry." I informed him.

"I'll drop you off later." He told me and despite the tense atmosphere, I smiled.

I didn't realise I was still holding his hand till he cleared his throat. His eyes were playful now and I reddened furiously and released the grip on his hand as if it were a hot coal. I hesitated to leave him alone but he gestured for me to move. I went back to where Cherry was and smiled when I saw that she was flirting with a really cute guy. I asked to speak to her for a minute.

"Hey Cherr, I'm leaving, not that you mind." I whispered in her ear and rolled my eyes.

She giggled and I handed her the car keys. Luckily, she wasn't drunk so it was safe for her to drive. I looked over at Luke and he assured me. I knew I could trust him. I went back to Arran after bidding them a goodbye. I was about to walk out of the club when Arran gripped my arm. I turned around and looked at him puzzlingly. He sighed and removed his jacket. Jeez, my dress didn't look that bad on me. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously.

Do not check him out... do not check him out. I kept chanting in my head. Why was he showing off when we were leaving? Some girls around us sighed in awe. I would've too but I didn't want to give him the pleasure to smirk at me.

"Use this to hide your face." He passed me his jacket.

"What?" I asked him, furrowing my brows together.

"Just do what I told you." He threw his jacket on my face and held my waist securely.

He didn't let me ask him anything and pulled me to his side slightly. I clutched his arm and followed him blindly. When the wind hit my bare legs, I knew we were outside. He just gripped my waist tightly and my body was pressed against his chest. I kept my head low, confused about what the hell was happening. Soon I heard many people shouting. I could also hear someone furiously clicking.

"Hey Arran who is this chick with you?" one yelled.

"Arran is she your new toy?", "Are you dating her?", "Can you pose for us?", "Mr. Raymond can you tell us about your new deal."

Many questions were thrown at us but Arran kept his lips sealed. Soon we were in a private parking lot and he sighed in relief. He removed his jacket from my face, giving me a chance to breathe in fresh air rather than his strong cologne. Instead of taking his jacket back, he wrapped it around my arms. I was momentarily stunned. Before I could thank him, he unlocked his car with the keys and opened the door for me.

Like he actually opened the door for me!

I sat inside the car still bewildered. I slipped my arms inside his jacket and inhaled his scent. God, I sounded like a desperate chick. This was the first time I had been in a situation like this. I peeked at him to see that he was frowning. One hand on the wheel and the other on the window, he was in deep thoughts.  I could tell he was still angry about what happened earlier but he was trying to compose himself.

"I never knew it was like this." I broke the silence but I was only welcomed with another long pause.

"You'll get use to it." He finally replied.

"I feel... special." I said cheekily and his lips quirked up in a half smile.

"That... you are." He muttered and I flushed the darkest shade of red.

Once again the car was drowned in silence. I stared ahead, watching him drive the car smoothly on the motorway. I chewed on my lip, which I must say was a disgusting habit of mine but I seriously didn't know what to say to break the silence. Arran was clearly in deep thoughts and I couldn't bring myself to ask him what was troubling him. Somehow I knew it had to do with what happened earlier but it wasn't that bad. I groaned internally and turned the radio on. His eyes momentarily flickered to my movement then he went back to staring ahead. Fine then, pretend I'm not here. I tapped my foot with the rhythm of the song. Soon I was humming along.

"Hey boy, I really wanna see if you can go downtown with a girl like me..." I sang, ignoring his look of disbelief.

After a while I saw him crack a smile and shake his head. I ignored him and kept singing. He turned the volume up and I kept singing along with many songs till he parked his car on the driveway. I scrunched my nose when I noticed he stopped at his house. I questioned him but he just shrugged his shoulders and slid out of the car. I followed him as he opened the front door. The whole house was clouded in silence. The only sound I could here was the clicking of my heels.

"Hey Arran, what are we doing here?" I finally managed to ask him.

"I thought we could hang out here for a bit then I'll drop you off, unless you want to go now." He said casually as he emptied his pockets on the table.

Did I want to go home? The answer was no. Even though I had good intentions, it was me who asked him to leave the club and I knew I shouldn't say it but somehow I felt it was my fault that he was spending his night at home instead of enjoying himself. However, I felt kind of nervous to be at his place this time even though it was not my first time. He was awfully quiet and in a sour mood.

"Uhmm, sure." I replied uneasily.

"Relax Emberly, I won't do anything, unless you ask for it." He smirked and I rolled my eyes. As if I would ever have the guts to ask him for anything.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling nervous. Maybe going back to my own house didn't sound so bad. He kept walking, leaving me completely stunned.

"Any day now." He said when he saw I was still rooted in place.

I slowly took a step frowning in confusion. He slid the glass door and led me to the backside of the house. Even in the dark, his pool looked stunning. The glow of the moon along with the lights made the whole atmosphere worth drooling over. Without waiting for him, I took my heels off and placed my feet inside the cool water. I sighed and closed my eyes briefly. Suddenly the idea of staying at his place sounded appealing. I opened my eyes when I heard shuffling beside me.

"Do you always bring girls like this?" I teased him as he sat next to me. His jeans were rolled up to his ankles and he dipped his bare feet in the water as well.

"And kill them? Yes I do." He rolled his eyes and stayed quiet after that. "Here." He offered me a bottle, which I assumed was a beer.

"I'm all right. Thank you." I refused. Surprisingly, he wasn't acting his usual self, which meant something terrible was wrong with him.

"Just have it." He pushed it forward and I hesitated.

I wasn't worried about drinking; I was more worried about what I would say if I drank. I had always read that people would blurt embarrassing things when they were drunk and I had seen Arran doing it but I didn't want to give him a reason to mock me. He pushed the bottle further to my side and I hesitated again. I took a peek at his impassive face and sighed in resignation.

"If I say something embarrassing, just ignore me." I warned him and took a small sip.

"Done." He smirked.

I handed it back to him and he took a swig too. It was stupid since he brought a portable cooler along with him. There were lots of question on my mind. I wanted to ask if he was really getting married but I didn't have the courage to bring it up. We were both lost in our own world. Every time I tried to open my mouth to ask him, I imagined his angry face and that made me shut my mouth immediately.

"How is everything?" I asked him lamely.

Real smooth. I flushed at my own question. What else was I suppose to ask?

"Great, actually." He turned his head my way and smiled softly.

Finally!

"Wow, what got you so happy?" I asked him with a smile of my own.

"Someone and why did you say that?" He shifted his body a bit so he could face me.

"I don't know, maybe the fact that you are a lot happier these days and you have someone on your mind all the time." I answered truthfully as I took another sip.

This time it burned my throat a little. I didn't know why I was complaining, I should be glad that he had lightened up a bit but as selfish as it sounded, I didn't like the fact that he was happier with someone else.

"I guess you are right." He admitted with a slightly dreamy look on his face.

"So what is she like?" I asked him curiously.

"Who?" He asked me as he opened another bottle. He handed it to me but I refused. If I wanted to ask him questions, I needed my senses.

"Rainee!" I narrowed my eyes calling him by the name I had made up earlier. "The one who changed you." I looked down at my hands, feeling small.

"Seriously Rainee...? I don't even want to know how you came up with that name." He exclaimed and I bit my lip in order to prevent myself from laughing at his face. I glanced at him when he didn't answer my question. His face was blank as if he was thinking about something. After a while his face softened again and he answered my question. "She is amazing." He gazed at me with an unreadable expression. I looked away instantly.

"She must be, she got you all excited with your clothes still on." I taunted him and he smirked.

"She is... she is weird." His tone was humorous as if he was enjoying his own private joke.

"How so?" I asked a tad bitterly.

"I never thought I would like her but now that I think about it, I don't see a reason not to." He told me softly.

"Really?" I asked bitterly.

"Yeah, she is really strong minded and she is so stubborn that it annoys me to no end. Hell, she is really, really beautiful." He sighed and rubbed his eyes to distract me. I smiled wholeheartedly when I noticed what he had done. He tried to block me from seeing his emotions.

"She is lucky." I admitted honestly.

"She is." He smiled sincerely.

When our eyes met, I felt tingles run down my spine. My stomach did a back flip and my breath was caught inside my lungs. His eyes were so intense that I found myself getting lost in them. I looked away nervously and said the first thing that came to my mind.

"You've fallen for her."

Way to go!

"I haven't." He suddenly stiffened.

"Bullshit, from the past hour all I have heard is how amazing she is and now you are telling me you aren't whipped? Tell it to someone who will believe it." I said sadly but he was too caught up in his thoughts to hear my tone.

"I like her but I'm not falling for her." His eyes darkened.

"Why are you so against it?" I asked him in bewilderment. Why is he in denial?

"I'm not." He said sternly.

"Yes you are." I replied stubbornly.

"I just think happily ever afters are all fucked up. Love is overrated." He said bitterly and ran a hand through his tousled hair as I sighed.

"Not necessarily. It depends." I replied.

I may not have experience in being in love but I knew that when it happened, it was the best feeling. Suddenly someone else's life becomes yours.  When you think about what people in love add to each other's lives, you realise all the little things involved in the giving and taking process-- advice, answers, gifts, etc. They had chosen each other to share each other's joy and pain, and experience life together through good times and bad. No matter what, they have to be there for one another, growing and learning as one.

"Depends on what?" He asked me.

"On how much you love that person. I mean every relationship has ups and downs but at the end of the day you have to sit down and work it out, you can't wait for a miracle to happen and expect someone else to sort it out." I took a deep breath and told him nervously.

"What if someone you love, hurts you and leaves you in pieces, so many pieces that your hands pricks when you are trying to put yourself back together?" He asked me suddenly, shocking me.

A lost look flashed across his face for just a second and all of sudden it was gone and replaced with a cold glare making me stare ahead. I looked over at him after a while where he was waiting patiently. I stumbled to utter words out of my mouth but I had never expected him to ask me something like this.

"I might not be the right person to talk to you about this but I do know if someone you love hurts you, one of the best things you can do is to move on and find happiness elsewhere. Sure you'll feel like you'll never love someone ever again but don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you suffer." I answered him and he stilled.

I had seen many people claiming love was bullshit but in my opinion they were never in love. It was all attraction. Love didn't happen instantly and when you were in love with someone you accepted them no matter what happened. Your heart accepted them for who they were. Sometimes people were so blind trying to make the person they were with perfect that the attraction died out and they believed their love had faded when the truth was they were never in love with them in the first place.

"What...?" I questioned him when I caught him staring at me.

"You are really different, you know that?" His eyes shone with wonder.

"I know, but why are you saying all this a week before the wedding?" I frowned and questioned him.

"What...?" He seemed lost.

"That you only like that girl, not love." I explained. Why would anyone get married if they only liked each other? I like Channing Tatum but that doesn't mean I would marry him if he liked me back! Actually, cross that out. I would say 'yes' without any hesitation. Who wouldn't?

"How would this affect the wedding?" He asks with narrowed eyes.

"Don't you think she deserves to know the truth?" I exclaimed.

"What's there to tell...?" He shrugged his shoulders and took a swig.

I widened my eyes in disbelief. I knew for sure he had lost it. The atmosphere tensed as he emptied another bottle. Why did I feel like someone had caused him to have such a negative outlook on love? I wanted to ask him but if I did, I knew he would shut down like usual.

"Okay... So how is Belle?" I changed the topic. His stiff shoulders relaxed.

"Still asking for Rainee. I mean I'm not even going to talk about it." He said in an accusatory tone.

"I thought you hated kids so I didn't want the poor girl to suffer." I said truthfully.

"I love her and frankly speaking, children can be annoying but I don't hate them. In fact they're okay." He said coolly and I laughed when he said 'okay'. When he wasn't shouting at me or ordering me around, he was a really cool guy to hang out with. Until he shut himself off from everyone.

"You know you might act like you're an ass around most people but you are really amazing." I beamed at him with a smile as he narrowed his eyes.

"Is this your way to get me to remove your clothes?" He teased as his eyes lingered on my body.

"Yeah, good luck with that." I scoffed, resisting the urge to shudder.

"So are you giving me permission then?" Much to my horror, he stood up and advanced towards me.

"Don't Arran." I warned him, standing up as well.

"Oh I'm just going to show you the red, cursed skin." He taunted, using the words I said to describe him earlier and I giggled. I stopped when his eyes darkened.

"I was joking." I explained as I took a few steps back.

"Also what was it, big square toes?" He asked me as he eyed the pool.

"No... no... NO! The water is really cold. Please." I ran away from him as he followed me lazily.

"I'm going to get you." He sang and I shrieked, hiding behind a pool chair. It was dark and I was sure he couldn't see me hiding.

"Emberly, where are you?" He called after me and I stifled a laugh.

I stayed still under the chair. After a while I heard nothing so I stood up cautiously. I narrowed my eyes as I saw no one. I walked alertly as my eyes roamed around to find him. I was about to open my mouth to call him when an arm scooped me up from behind.

"Got you." He whispered huskily in my ear.

I closed my eyes tightly since my heart was pounding loudly. I could feel the blood in my veins freeze for a moment. My body trembled but I kept my lips sealed. He set me down and I turned around to glare at him. His eyes were shining mischievously and it took a hell of a lot of will power to not backhand him right there.

"You scared me." I hissed at him. He was trying not to laugh but failing miserably as he fought to keep his mouth in a straight line.

"Go ahead, laugh." I scowled and he broke into fits of laughter. Not even my glare could make him stop laughing. I softened quickly and chuckled.

"Your face was worth watching." He said as soon as he stopped laughing. I pushed him softly but he held my wrists in his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, hilarious." I said sourly and he chuckled deeply.

I tried to move away but he gripped my wrists securely and held me on the spot. I arched my eyebrow at him and waited for him to release me but instead he placed his hands on my lower back and pulled me closer. It was only then that I realised what was happening. His eyes travelled down to my lips and I swallowed nervously. My heart sped up and my breath hitched as he inched his face closer and closer to mine. Acting purely on instinct, I closed my eyes. He brushed his lips over mine as if he were seeking permission. Every nerve in my body was blazing as I pressed myself closer to him by tangling my fingers in his hair, loving the feel of his thick hair. Just when I thought he would kiss me properly, a loud voice interrupted us.

"What the hell is going on here...?"

We both jumped back in shock. My body stiffened as I turned around slowly to see who it was. My eyes widened in shock when I saw the same girl who had been with Arran that day in the store. I could hear my blood pounding and the heavy thudding of my heart.

Shit.

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A special thanks to Mia for editing this chapter in such a short time ^.^ she did an amazing job so thank you sooooo much hun x

Dedicated to Angel Oski for always leaving a lovely comment on my chapter. Thank you hun ^.^

The collage at the side is made my me :P its what the character on this chapter looks like .Victoria will be introduced in the next chapter :) if you click on the external link, you'll be able to see Em's dress ^.^

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Love, Ameerah <3 x