Rita had been wrong, Randy was indeed that guy who had want to make her forget everything like she had thought before. He had the naughty side that he managed to hide from the rest of the people around him. Although her friend would not believe if she told her what had taken place, she definitely would have to find a way to prove it. She hadn’t told her about the near kiss, but this dare was going to be proof enough.
Glancing at him through the corner of her eye, Randy didn’t seem at all unnerved as she was. Rather it was as if he hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary and everything was as it was meant to be. Be in control, get a grip of yourself, she muttered under her breath and pasted on a smile.
She couldn’t be defeated now when things suddenly appeared to have taken a twist. The thrill of the cat and mouse game suddenly appealed to her more.
“I will look for that woman,” she said and watched him smirk before he retorted, “Get ready, I hope you don’t live to regret this day” before he winked at her and she almost clutched at her tummy as the sensation increased.
He motioned for her in question if they could leave and she nodded. Paying up the bill, she almost protested but stopped at his glare. He wasn’t the type to let a lady pay. She had draped her denim jacket on the chair; Randy reached for it and helped her wear it. A slight brush of his finger on her shoulders managed to send some shivers down her spine and she caught herself having crossed her legs. Why did she have to have her father’s blood coursing through out her body? She could feel her smile was wobbly and she looked up to Randy and he had a glimmer in his eyes. He knew what she was thinking.
“Shall we?” she said before walking ahead of him, out of the place and breathing in the fresh cool air when she finally got outside.
She once watched an old movie Hitch, starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes with her mother. She was having that same feeling that the other woman might have felt, standing at the doorstep and twirling her keys around.
While she stood at the door of her car, she thought about that particular scene and how the guy was meant to kiss the lady then. Randy was looking at her intently, he leaned over and she shut her eyes. She caught a whiff of his musky cologne and could feel his body heat encompassing her.
He cleared his throat and she opened her eyes still in a daze before everything came to a standstill and stopped whirling around her, butterflies and all. “Your ride awaits princess,” Randy said with a chuckle and Elsie realized that he had opened her door for her while she had been acting silly and anticipating a kiss.
She was contemplating on how to react at the fact that, he was still the solicitous guy and didn’t look at all like a person who had threatened to make her fall in love with him. “Elsie, do you love my company that much to the point you are not in the mood to go home?”
Her eyes widened and she punched him on the chest. “Ha, ha, don’t think too much about yourself. Goodnight.” She whispered and got into her car. Since he was still watching her, she couldn’t sit back and relax, shut her eyes and think about him. She cheerily waved at him and drove off. By the time Elsie got home, her pulse had normalized and she knew her inquisitive mother wouldn’t ask any of those out of the blue kind of questions. After getting out of the car, she slowly walked to the door, imagining what could have been.
Chapter Six
THE DOOR to the house was abruptly opened, it was her step dad. “Hey princess, how was your date.” She shrugged before getting into the house, “So, so was with Randy since Sean couldn’t make it.”
“About that.....” he followed behind her as she came to a sudden halt in the living room. Sean was settled on the couch, looking handsome as always in his three piece black pinstripe slim fit suit. “Hey love,” he greeted her and stood up. She rushed into his arms yet at the same time feeling nervous. Why was he there all of a sudden?
“Sean wants to say something to you,” her step dad spoke and joined her mother on the other couch before putting his arms around her. Her mother almost looked like someone who was about to shed a few tears, what was happening?
“Sean, what is going on,” her brow furrowed as she watched him kneel and produce the velvet tiny box. Oh my God, she thought, shocked at the unexpected turn of events. This couldn’t be happening. Didn’t they agree with Sean that she would have to complete varsity first before this happened. What had suddenly brought this on? What about Randy?
“Elsie, as you know we have been dating for four years. I know we have our ten year plan, but since we will do this in future I thought why not now. I asked your parents and they are happy, now the decision is up to you.” He coughed and cleared his throat while she nervously laughed when her mother instantly produced a glass of water that he took appreciatively and gulped down. Knowing Sean, this was harder to do since he wasn’t one to express his feelings that easily.
“I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. So will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She chewed at the inside of her bottom lip suddenly having an image of Randy threatening to make her fall for him. She looked to her parents who were beaming and her handsome boyfriend. The past months had been a blur as she had lost her focus. She swore she would never be like her father, a man who struggled to commit to one woman. Four years was long and they had made it with Sean.
Sean was smiling at her, not at all the unconcerned guy she at times thought him to be. She could see that he loved her and she wasn’t going to disappoint him.
“Yes” she finally answered and he placed the ring on her finger before standing up and kissing her.
“And there I thought you would refuse.”
She chuckled as he hugged her and her mother hugged her dad. She turned to them and held up her hand; “I am getting married” she squealed and went over to hug them. They hugged Sean also, “Congrats son and welcome to the family,” her step dad said. “We will leave you to talk a bit,” her mother said before leaving with her dad for their room.
“This was a surprise,” she said while Sean smiled. He twined her fingers with his before giving her a kiss on the back of the hand. “We will be happy together love. I should go home and inform my parents.”
Nodding her head at that, she accompanied him to the door and kissed him before watching him walk to the car. After she shut the door she rushed upstairs to her room. Sean was the one for her, they had dated for four years and it wasn’t worth it to lose all that because all of a sudden she had begun to see Randy in a new light. Her parents loved Sean and they loved Randy also. God what was she doing, she thought and decided to give a call to her friend who would bring clarity to her jumbled up thoughts. She couldn’t tell Rita of her feelings to Randy in that they ran deeper than she had anticipated; she might get angry with her for dragging him along yet knowing fully well that she would eventually get married to Sean.
She cleared her throat and at the third ring her friend answered. “Guess what Rita!!’ she managed to sound happy, she was after all getting married. “What?” her friend asked with a chuckle.
“You have to guess, duh.”
Rita answered, “Jaden Smith asked for your hand in marriage.” Elsie giggled. “Close but not that close.’’
She could hear her friend gasp before she asked, “Sean asked you to marry him?”
“Yes he did.” They was a long pause that made her wonder what was going on before Rita’s voice finally drifted through, “Congratulations my friend, am happy for you.”
“Thanks love. It took me by surprise though, wasn’t expecting it. You my dear are going to be my chief bridesmaid, so you have to get ready for bridezilla on the prowl,” she said and could hear Rita laughing also. “You bet I am happy for you. Can we chat some other time was still catching up on some work?”
“It’s okay love,” Elsie said before she said good night and hung up.
After her call with Rita she got ready for bed and was coming out of the bathroom when her door was slightly opened. It was Laura her youn
g sis.
"Hey love, are you not meant to be in bed, sleeping?" she asked and watched her young sister pull the covers on her bed before she got in. She grinned showing her a gap toothed smile before asking "what happened why was mommy crying before getting into her room."
Elsie chuckled; her emotional mom must have been tearing up after she left them downstairs. Elsie got into bed and hugged her young sister before showing her the diamond ring. "Mommy is happy because I got this from Sean. He wants to marry me.”
Laura pouted her cute little mouth at hearing that. Elsie thinking she hadn’t understood continued to explain, “Remember the weddings we attended so far where you and Lorrain had to bear rings for a couple. That is what Sean and I will be doing in a few months’ time."
"I know what to marry is, why Sean?" her little brow had furrowed. Elsie giggled before answering, "why not Sean. We love each other."
"Sean is always scolding me and Lorrain, frowning as if he would spank us. Why not Randy, we like his family more."
Elsie chuckled, if it was the date my family show, she knew who her young sisters would choose.
"You two are naughty that’s why. But Sean is a good person."
Laura nodded and snuggled up to her sister before asking "So does it mean you are leaving home?"
Elsie nodded and watched her young sister pull from her embrace before she did a little jig on the bed. "Why are you dancing?"
"I get to have a room of my own."
Elsie was so outraged by the time she got up from the covers her young sister had already escaped to the door and darted her tongue out. "Traitor" she shouted before Laura dashed back to her room that she shared with Lorraine. And there she had been thinking her young sister would miss her. By Laura's reaction she knew her young brother will be excited over cake, Lorrain over not having to share a room with her twin. Maybe the ones who would actually miss her would be Wendy and Nita who were still at boarding and slightly maybe Marilyn. Marilyn had finally adjusted to boarding life and appeared to not care at all about them after making some friends; hence Elsie doubted very much that her marriage would make a difference.
This was Nita's last year at high school before she ventured out into the world. How time seemed to fly. And she was to be married. Her phone rang startling her. It might be Sean; she thought and reached out to it.
"Princess." Her heart fluttered and she found herself clutching at the phone for comfort. She should have checked the name before getting it and now they was no way to hang up. "Just making sure you travelled safe."
"I did Randy and thanks for the great time."
"My pleasure," he answered. Her toes curled at his voice and she burrowed into her blankets. "Guess who I found when I got home," she nervously asked.
"Who, your top notch lawyer boyfriend."
"Ye-e-s" she stuttered. How did Randy seem to know her so well? "He asked me to marry him," she paused but Randy didn't say anything so she continued, "I accepted."
She could have wished for Randy to tell her that she was making the wrong decision and choose him. Instead Randy cheerfully congratulated her. "I am happy for you princess, Sean is good for you."
Elsie found herself losing her patience and becoming irritated. Was this all he could say. Of all things for a man who had said he would make her fall in love with him, he was easily giving her up.
"Ok, let me rest, it was a long day today" she spoke with her voice dripping in sarcasm.
"Good night princess and sweet dreams” he said and hung up. Huh! She looked at her phone for a while. So that was it. Her sad unrequited love story. One moment she had thought he was also in love with her and now she doubted. She threw the phone on the bed frustrated and she had thought her mother was the confused one. Guess the saying was true. Like mother like daughter and right now she wished more than ever to love and settle for one man like she had done at the end.
Chapter Seven
"MORNING MA" Elsie greeted, getting into the kitchen and settled on the bar stool.
"Hey love, how was your night?"
"It was good." She took the hot coffee that her mother slid to her and inhaled the sweet aroma before taking a sip. "I will surely miss this."
Her mother chuckled and moved to the shelf, took two dinner plates. She dished out the hot bacon and scrambled eggs before joining her on the kitchen counter.
"Next you will be doing this for Sean's family."
At that statement her appetite seemed to deflate. What was going on with her? She should be happy that her boyfriend of four years had proposed but here she was thinking of someone else and how he had reacted to the news.
‘Congratulations princess, am happy for you.’ Is that all he could say. She felt a warm hand squeeze hers on the counter before she looked up.
"Randy."
She opened her mouth and shut it again, before she nodded.
"I and your dad are happy, Sean is a good person but you have been spending more time with Randy, are you now doubting your choice?"
She shook her head, "I am not, I mean I have dated Sean for some years now and also I know him. We know his family and we move in the same circle."
Her mother took a bite of the toast before she thoughtfully looked at her and remarked, "In all your reasoning I failed to hear the most important thing of all."
Elsie looked at her in confusion and Aggy smiled slightly, "Love. You didn't mention that you love Sean."
"That’s rather obvious mom or I wouldn’t be getting married to him after all."
"Ah huh" she nodded her head and got up from the stool.
Ethan had come in and greeted them.
"Coffee or tea" her mother asked her dad. "Tea love" he replied before settling down on the stool his wife had vacated from and turning to Elsie.
"How is my princess doing? You must have slept late yesterday trying to think about your fairytale wedding."
She shook her head in denial, "I rather slept early yesterday" she replied and continued drinking her coffee.
"So how does Randy feel about this?" her step dad asked to her shock. Not him also. Yesterday he had been teary eyed with her mother and now this. Did they intend to confuse her also?
"Randy as a good friend, congratulated me." Slamming the cup on the counter after draining the contents from it, she got up. "I should get going" and retreated as fast as she could before her dad could ask her more questions.
Ethan's brow had risen in question at his wife after Elsie walked away, "What was that all about? Isn’t Randy just a friend, I didn’t expect her to react like that."
She shrugged her shoulders and handed him the plate. "I think she might be interested in Randy more than what meets the eye."
"Oooh and when did that happen?"
"I don't know love.” She settled next to her husband and took a sip of coffee. She suspected what Elsie might be going through, since at one time she had been silly and echoed the same sentiments. Ethan on the other hand was the one who stopped her from doing that. She sighed and said, “I think Elsie has been trying to fight the title of being Luc’s daughter and in trying to rub it off completely she might be lying to her own heart. She might think that after dating a person for some years and telling them she is not in love with them is more of Luc’s style, who changed ladies like dresses and she doesn’t want that."
"She is an intelligent girl, she will figure it out" Ethan said and spun her bar stool to face him before leaning in and kissing her. Responding to his questing tongue by deepening the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck, she giggled like a school girl when she felt his warm hands inside her t-shirt on her back. She was still in awe at how he could look at her with desire in his eyes, not at all waning in that regard.
Lately she had noticed a few grey strands in her hair and Ethan had been loving even more telling her that as she aged she became more beautiful.
"The children are not yet up, it’s a Saturday remember" he whispered in her ear and the warmth of his breath
coursed through her body sending a shiver down her spine. Cradling his face and kissing him, she chuckled, "I know, shall we."
She squealed as he swiftly picked her up and strode off to their room.
Chapter Eight
ELSIE WAS muttering under her breath as she drove the car to school. She wasn't going to spend her Saturday mulling over what her parents had said. Randy didn't care or he would have knocked on the front door early in the morning and demanded she get married to him.
What era was she in where that happened anywhere? In real life they were no knights in shining armor. Off course she had witnessed her mother and friends have dreamlike, fairytale weddings and marriages but those ones lived in another generation where the men were still chivalrous. Their generation on the other hand was more of a hit and run kind of people. They slept together after having met of social media and did not take the time to really really know each other.
She wondered if Sean really knew her. Now that was a bad thought even to her thinking, it wasn't fair. Sean made time for her when he could.
Before she even knew it, she realized when it was too late and she had stopped the car that she had gone to Randy's place.
His nana came out having heard the car. She groaned and slumped her head on the steering wheel before straightening up, removing her seat belt and getting out of the car.
"Nana, I missed you and thought of dropping by to see you" she said as she walked up to her and gave her a hug.
"You know you are always welcome here Elsie. Come in love and you eat my chocolate chip cookies you look mighty thin."
Sweet Crazy Love Page 7