NICOLE "Is that Marcus Russell?" Darla exclaimed with such excitement that her loud voice startled Damian from his slumber."Shh, Darla!" I cautioned her, trying not to wake Damian any further.As Marcus rose to his feet and wiped his face, I couldn't help but notice his tousled hair, likely a result of sleeping on the couch."Wow, it really is Marcus!" Darla exclaimed, her bags falling to the ground in her excitement."Hello Marcus, I'm Darla Zachary and I'm a huge fan of yours," she gushed, her eyes wide and shining as she looked at him in awe.Marcus reached out and took her hands, shaking them warmly as a smile spread across his face.“I'm always excited to see you on the red carpet and in your photoshoots, and I used to be a big fan of your music as well," Darla expressed."Thank you, Darla," Marcus replied with a grin. "It seems like you have a lot of admiration for me."Darla blushed and looked away. "Please, just call me Darla."As the conversation continued, I cleared my thr
MARCUSI sat across from Nicole's mother, Mrs. Zachary, feeling incredibly uneasy. I knew that this meeting was going to be intense. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I felt as if I was being interrogated. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, I felt like she was dissecting my words.I had just confessed to her that I loved her daughter and let's just say the atmosphere wasn't pleasant. I could only imagine what was going through her mindMrs. Zachary's face remained stoic, but her eyes betrayed a hint of surprise. "I see. And what does this have to do with me?"I took a deep breath. This was not the response I was hoping for. “I want to ask for your blessing to marry her.""Absolutely not," she said firmly.I was taken aback. "I'm sorry, what do you mean?"Mrs. Zachary took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. "I'm sorry, but I have to be clear. I cannot allow you to marry my daughter," she said firmly.As soon as the words left her mouth, I heard gasps from Nina and Darla, who
NICOLE I could tell that my mother was incredibly upset. Her face was filled with anger, and it was clear that she was very angry about something. I had never seen her so mad before, and it was worrying to see her like this. As I looked on, Marcus slowly got up from his seat and made his way out of the room. He even gave me a peace-out sign before he left.Feeling confused and upset, I turned to my mom and asked her, "Mom, why did you do that?" I couldn't understand what had caused her to react in such a way, and I was desperate for an explanation.My mom gave me a disapproving look that made me feel uneasy. "Have all the men on earth suddenly vanished that you had to settle for Marcus?" she asked, her tone laced with sarcasm.I was taken aback by her comment. I couldn't understand why she was being so harsh towards Marcus. So, I frowned and replied, "What's wrong with getting married to Marcus? You still haven't given me a valid reason for your disapproval."I was determined not to
NICOLE It had been two weeks since Damian's heart surgery, and although I had been spending most of my time at the hospital, I couldn't help but think about Marcus. We had been meeting up in secret since the day Damian was admitted.Marcus had invited me to an event, one of his friends was celebrating his son’s first birthday. He had told me it was going to be grand and I should dress for the occasion.I was in my room with Nina going through my closet, thinking of what to wear. “Gosh! I’m so tired I’ve been rummaging through my closet, still I haven’t seen the perfect outfit” I sighed, slumping on the bed.“Let’s keep searching, we will find something soon,” Nina said.“Most of my clothes are just casual wear, how do I find a cloth that’s elegant?” “Who even does a grand party for a one year old anyways”“The people of high class obviously” Nina said“Come on, you have to find something,” Nina said, standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. “You can’t be late to this part
MARCUSI was sound asleep, dreaming of nothing in particular, when my phone rang, jolting me awake. I fumbled for the phone on my bedside table, groaning as I answered the call."Hello?" I grumbled, my voice heavy with sleep.“Marcus, it's me, Mike," came the urgent voice on the other end of the line.Mike was my cousin from my mother’s side."Mike? What's going on? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?""I need you to come to the old abandoned warehouse on Oak Street. Something important has come up."I frownedWhy did he need me to go there in the middle of the night? What could be so urgent?It better not be a prank “What's going on?" I asked, my mind racing with possibilities."I can't explain it over the phone," he said urgently. "Just trust me and come here. It is important."I threw on some clothes and hopped in my car, the sense of unease growing stronger with each passing moment. The night was dark and eerie, and the street lights flickered ominously as I pulled
NICOLE"Hey there," Marcus' voice came through the phone. "Are your parents around? My dad was planning to visit them today."I paused for a moment before answering, "Yeah, they're at home, but I need to check with them first.""Okay, no problem," Marcus replied. "Just shoot me a text once you've talked to them."With that, he hung up the phone, leaving me to handle the task of getting my parents' approval for the visit.I let out a deep sigh, feeling a mix of emotions. It was hard to process the fact that the highly respected and well-known Mr. Russell was coming to visit my parents in their humble apartment.It seemed that Marcus was serious about this marriage proposal if he was willing to bring his father all the way from South Dakota to Florida just to meet my parents.I didn't know how to feel. That the well respected and well known Mr Russell was coming to see my parents in their lowly apartment.Marcus must mean this marriage thing for him to bring his father to Florida all th
NICOLE I looked at Nina nervously, feeling like I was losing my mind. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Who would have thought?" she said with a teasing grin.I rolled my eyes and put my head down, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I guess no one," I said with a sigh. "Do you think he feels the same way toward me?"Nina shrugged. "You would have to ask him that," she said.I felt a knot form in my stomach at the thought of bringing up my feelings to him. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if it made things awkward between us?“I don't know if I'm ready for that yet," I said, feeling a mix of fear and uncertainty.Nina gave me a sympathetic look. "I understand, but you can't keep holding onto these feelings forever. You have to decide if it's worth taking the risk."“I'm nervous," I whispered to Nina as we made our way to the sitting room. "What if he doesn't want to have anything to do with me aside from the contract?"Nina noticed my unease and placed a comforting hand on my s
NICOLEI stepped into the dimly lit bar in downtown Miami, scanning the crowded room for my old friends. It had been years since I had seen them, and I was both excited and nervous to catch up. As I navigated through the throngs of people, I finally spotted them in a corner booth, laughing and chatting over cocktails.“Nicole!" they exclaimed in unison as I approached, pulling me into a group hug. I settled into the booth, ordering a drink.As we chatted, I couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be an underlying tension between two of my friends. They would exchange glances, and their voices would lower when they spoke to each other. I decided to ask about it, hoping to ease any tension."Is everything okay between you two?" I asked, looking back and forth between them.There was a moment of silence, and then Emily spoke up. "Actually, we've been having a bit of a disagreement lately," she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty."What's been going on?" I asked, sensing that th