Gun 16

Elaine’s Point of View

I don’t know why, but no voice was coming out of me until Eron suddenly pulled me away from Louis, who was busy talking to a woman.

As he pulled me, tears I didn’t know the reason for suddenly started to fall from my eyes.

It seemed like Louis didn’t care because he didn’t even spare me a glance. He was too busy talking to that woman. Who was she, and why was it that when she spoke to him, he didn’t want to pay attention to me?

“Are you okay, Elaine?” Eron asked when he saw the tears falling from my eyes. I quickly wiped them away so he wouldn’t notice that I was crying out of frustration.

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. Don’t mind me. I just got some dust in my eyes,” I lied, forcing a smile. He didn’t seem like a bad person since he said that Kaizer and Louis were his classmates in high school.

I thought Louis would be happy to see Eron, but it seemed like things weren’t going well between them.

We kept walking, but my feet started to ache, so I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. “Wait, where are we going?” I asked him. Instead of answering clearly, he just smiled at me.

“If you’re not going to tell me, I’ll just go back to the football game,” I threatened. Eron sighed and spoke again.

“Fine, fine, I’ll tell you. You’re not going back there, especially since you’re already in pain. I know a place where you can let out all your frustrations in life,” he said, which made me furrow my brow because I didn’t quite understand what he was saying.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked again. He smiled teasingly before answering.

“Your frustrations in life. Like the jealousy you had earlier,” he replied, which made my jaw drop. He was so bold to tease me. I tried to grab my shoes and throw them at him, but he suddenly ran off. I had no choice but to follow him since I didn’t know the way back to where Louis and I had been.

Why did I even go with this idiot? If I had known how much of a flirt he was, I should’ve just banged their heads together. They’re both annoying. Especially Louis, who, after making you feel special, suddenly flirts with someone else. Ugh. Men are such idiots!

We stopped at a place where I could see balloons set up as if there was a party. I immediately turned around because I thought we had come to the wrong place. He had said it was a spot where I could release all my frustrations, so I expected something like a mountain with no one around, but I guess, where would you find such a place on this island?

My eyes widened when Eron suddenly pulled me inside, and I immediately slapped him. “Hey, wait a second. I don’t remember any event happening today, and I just met you. Don’t tell me you already like me?” I complained, waving my hand as if to push him away.

He suddenly laughed loudly, which made me raise an eyebrow. Wow, this guy is a real jerk.

“Hey, if you think I’m easy, you’re mistaken. So take me back to Louis,” I said, even doing a little pose so he wouldn’t notice I was getting nervous.

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in you. Dream all you want, but don’t overdo it. With my good looks, it’s unlikely that I’d ever like you,” he said, looking me up and down as if evaluating me.

I kicked him in frustration. How thick-skinned can he be? He acts like he’s some heartthrob. I was about to run away when he suddenly pulled me by the waist, causing our faces to get closer.

I swallowed nervously. You’re about to get married, Elaine, so don’t act flirty, I convinced myself. I was shocked when he suddenly brought his face closer, and I pushed him away in surprise.

“See? You’re really assuming. As if I’d kiss you,” Eron said, acting disgusted, which made me roll my eyes.

“Come on, let’s go inside. Stop acting. Eros owns this place, so don’t worry, I won’t put you in danger,” he added. I had no choice but to follow him since I was already far from the stadium where Louis was.

“Just make sure. If the police catch us here, it’s trespassing,” I said, holding my chest. My heart was racing from the anxiety.

He raised the chain blocking the entrance and went in first. I was about to run when a guard appeared. I was surprised when they greeted him.

“Good afternoon, Sir Eron. Looks like you’ve got a woman with you again, huh?” the guard teased. The other one smiled at me, and I had no choice but to give him a fake smile.

It seemed like they thought I was one of Eron’s flings. How could he bring me here when it looked like he got all his women here?

“Ah, yes. This is Elena, my new girlfriend,” Eron said. He even came over to put his arm around me. I was about to kick him away when he whispered to me just to pretend.

“Nice to meet you,” I said so he wouldn’t realize that we were both lying. The guard nodded, and Eron and I walked on.

Once he wasn’t looking, I immediately removed his arm from my shoulders. “You must really like me, jerk,” I muttered, about to hit him when he suddenly picked me up and carried me to a place filled with food.

After we sat down, he handed me a strawberry, which I immediately took. “What are we going to talk about?” I asked him, looking at the view. Are we really supposed to sit here? It seems like there’s an event going on.

The view was beautiful. Whoever the woman was that would be surprised here was so lucky. 

The place Eros had picked for her was lovely.

“I saw you were jealous earlier when Louis was talking to someone. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for him?” Eron asked while eating a banana from the basket. I immediately looked away when he mentioned Louis. Even to me, it still wasn’t clear whether I should trust everything he was showing me.

We both knew that we were arranged to be together.

“What jealousy are you talking about? We were just arranged, so why would I fall for him?” I asked sarcastically, starting to eat the strawberry. I looked at Eron when I saw him laughing.

“What’s your problem?” I asked in irritation, only realizing when I saw that I had eaten the green part of the strawberry too.

“That’s what not being jealous looks like,” he stated, laughing loudly to tease me. I rolled my eyes in frustration, but then my tears, which I had been holding back, started to fall.

“Fine, yes, I’m jealous! Are you happy now?” I shouted at him. I stood up, intending to leave, but I was shocked when he suddenly handed me a handkerchief, which I immediately looked at him.

“Take it before I change my mind,” he said, turning away so he wouldn’t see me crying. I took it immediately and wiped my tears.

I had a crush on a guy too, but I never felt this way.

I sat back down and ate more fruit. “You should let it out so you’re not holding everything in,” he said. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. Maybe he was right; I needed to release my feelings so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

“I don’t know if it’s right for me to be jealous, but when I saw him with Mariella, I just wanted to go into the room where they were talking and pull Louis away from there. But every time I remember how he mentioned that woman when he was drunk, it feels like something’s holding me back,” I began. Eron was looking at me, eating grapes. He seemed to be listening.

“And then I was surprised when he suddenly became nice to me. He even had a surprise for me. But because of a woman, he forgot about me so quickly. What do I know about his past with her? I still don’t know. What does he think I am, a rebound? Huh? Tell me! Am I a rebound?” I shouted. I calmed down when I saw Eron stop eating because of my outburst.

I was shocked when he suddenly handed me a bottle of gin. “What am I supposed to do with this?” I asked as I had no idea what to do with the bottle.

“Try breaking it, go ahead. You’ll probably drink it. Idiot, tsk,” he said, which made me furrow my brows. I was surprised when he took it from my hands and poured some.

We stood up and went toward the beach.

The sea was beautiful in this area, but I had no extra clothes, so I just admired it.

As I got distracted by the sand, someone suddenly tapped me. “Elaine,” he said. When I turned, I saw Kaizer smiling at me.

What was he doing here?

“How did you know I was here?” I asked him. I looked back at Eron, who was just scratching his head. It seemed like he was teasing me. I glared at him, but he just shrugged and ran off.

Wow, he’s a real psycho.

“Wear this. We’ve got somewhere important to go,” Kaizer said, which made me wonder. What was he planning?

“For what?” I asked.

He didn’t answer me and just put a handkerchief over my eyes.

I couldn’t stop being nervous as we walked. When we stopped, I no longer felt the sand under my feet—it was replaced by cold tiles.

Kaizer slowly removed the cloth from my eyes. When I opened them, a party popper exploded, which startled me. I saw Louis walking toward me. The musicians began playing Brian McKnight’s "Marry Your Daughter."

I felt a mix of emotions when I saw Aunt Hacel smiling at me while their son was approaching.

“Hello, wife,” Louis said, smiling at me. Why were they all dressed up? What was going on?

I was shocked when Louis suddenly knelt, and I immediately started crying. What was he doing?

My heart raced louder when he suddenly pulled out a box and opened it in front of me. “Will you marry me?” he asked. His eyes looked at me as if it wasn’t just because his parents wanted it but because he desired it, too.

When I looked around, it seemed like everyone was waiting for my answer. I smiled. Even if Louis didn’t feel the same way, his gesture made me realize that I loved him.

“Yes,” I answered, taking a deep breath to repeat, “Yes, Louis. I will marry you.”

And in that moment, all I could feel was the pounding of my heart as he placed the ring on my finger.

Even without a contract, he was the one I would choose to marry because he was the one who made me feel this way.