Chapter 2

As I stepped into the villa, I noticed that a feverish smile was playing on my lips. Lindsay and I have been close friends ever since we first bumped into each other in one of our college fests. Having been interested in singing, we were part of a small local band in college.

We never wanted to professionally pursue singing as it was more of a fun hobby to us more than anything. It fueled our friendship through the years as we shared similar tastes in music. Moreover, due to band activities, we were made to spend a good amount of time together, which inevitably helped bridge a profound friendship between us.

Although she was one of my closest friends from college, the bond we shared was a bit unusual, or so it might seem to others. She was a very reserved, introverted person, and often didn’t ask for the liberty to be able to vent to me. She was somebody who was more emotionally mature than I was and didn’t feel the need to share a lot of things about herself with others.

She had complained in the past about how few of her friends found that kind of behavior offensive as most people measure the closeness of your relationship by the amount of things they know about each other. Luckily for us, I didn’t subscribe to that idea at all.

It didn’t bother me that she knew more about me than I knew about her, because it was a choice I made and I was comfortable with sharing my secrets with her. And it was not a question was whether or not she felt secure in me, but of if she even was interesting sharing things.

As I mentioned, she was extremely reserved, and I respected that. It was perhaps this understanding between us that never created silly problems between us. We hardly paid each other any thought when we were together since we had an inherent understanding of we worked.

When Lindsay called me a couple of weeks ago saying she was going to get married to someone, I wasn’t even surprised. She was a rather simple person and regards weddings with no special status. It was simple ceremony for her, therefore, it shall not attract a lot of attention from others.

When she had called me, I was on my way to a production house to finalize few things about an upcoming project. Because of that, I couldn’t get into the details of her wedding. I only vaguely remember the person she was getting married to. I could decipher from the tone of her voice that she was not very happy with the marriage.

But I didn’t need to ask her to know the reason why she was getting married if she wasn’t interested. I was aware that Lindsay’s father has a better say in her matters pertaining to her personal life than she does. Everything was a matter of business to him and Lindsay has warned me several years ago that she would have to marry somebody her father chooses for her. And worst of all, that she we have very little choice in the matter, if not nothing.

“Look who’s here!” I announced my arrival and stepped into what I assumed was the bride’s room. But much to my dismay, my smile wavered away as soon as I saw the sight of the room and a weeping Lindsay in the middle of it.

A worried frown occupied her face when she first looked toward the direction I walked in from, but soon recovered when she realized that it was me. It felt as though the blood drained from her face upon realizing that someone just walked in when she was all deranged. When her eyes found mine, tears ran down her swollen cheeks.

“Lindsay, what’s wrong?” I asked as I rushed to her. Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably and I had to press my palms tighter so as to stop her shaking body.

“I’m so glad you came,” Lindsay spoke through her wobbling lips. “I really needed you.”

“Tell me what the matter is,” I spoke impatiently. I’ve never witnessed any bride cry like that before her wedding. What was wrong? “Why is there no one in here? And where is the wedding happening?”

“In the backyard.” She wobbled. “Skylar, I don’t want to get married.”

Her words didn’t surprise me. I saw this coming, but I didn’t expect her to find her in such a state.

“I begged my father not to do this, I told him I was in love with someone else. That’s why he called for the wedding early.” She said, wiping her eyes with the hands. “Skylar, I don’t love him. He isn’t the one for me. I love someone else.”

“Lindsay,” I said, trying to cool her down. “If you stay here any longer and people will come looking for you. So it’s better if you call your father and explain it to him before things get out of hand.”

“I’m not going out there.” She said, removing my hands from her shoulders. “I’m not going to get married to someone I don’t love.”

“I’m not asking you to get married. I’m asking you to discuss it with-”

“I’m going to run away.”

My jaw almost dropped on the floor when she said that. “What?”

“I don’t have a choice.” She said. “Please Skylar, you need to understand this.”

“I can’t let you make a mistake you’ll regret for life.” I said, trying to shake some sense into her.

“I’m not going to regret it.” She said.

“You will.” I said. “Do you think running away solves the problem? It’s just a temporary escape!”

“Skylar, I’m already in love with someone else. Do you think my father will listen to the end of it? He will force my hand in marriage and Parker will gladly take it.”

I sighed and shook my head.

“What do you think I’ve been doing for the past one month? I begged Parker too, but he was too arrogant to even consider my feelings. He wants this business deal as much as I want.”

“But there are so many guests in here. So many close friends and business associates of both the families are here. It’s going to humiliating once things simmer down. I urge you to handle this more dignity.”

“I don’t care.” She said. “Maybe my father deserves the humiliation he’s going to get after I run away.”

We heard foot steps trailing towards us. I sucked in a deep breath. Lindsay widened her eyes at me. “Skylar, they’re coming for me.”

“You should-”

“Please help me run away.” She said. “Please Skylar, it’s my life.”

“Lindsay!” Someone knocked on the door. Thank god I locked it when I entered.

“I have to go. I have a friend waiting for me outside. Please, help me, I need to go. I swear I’ll handle this mess later.” She said.

The desperation that I found in her eyes was unmatched. I never saw her like this before. In the wake of it, I realized that I was perhaps underplaying the gravity of the situation. I was only slowly grasping onto consequences of her staying behind. I could only imagine the kind of power her father yields, and judging by her present state, I was understanding where she was coming her. If her fear is indeed justified, what kind of friend would I be if I ruined her life when I could do something about it?

“Alright,” I said, defeated. “I’ll cover up for you.”

A relieved smile tugged at her lips, but she knew that time was running short. She had to hurry, and she couldn’t afford a proper farewell. “Thank you so much, Skylar. I will never forget this.”

I nodded and watched her leave through the windows. I didn’t know how she was going to escape from all the security. The pounding on the door grew harder as I hurried to the windows.

I was taken aback as the door blasted open. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned around.

My breath hitched in my throat when I looked at the man before me. The same grey eyes, but this time, they grew darker than ever.

“Ethan?”