"Sit on the gate of your heart and let only those people enter who love you in real. Who doesn't waste a single chance to be with you! Who knows your worth. Who knows deciding at the right time is the most important thing in the world."[Riley Brown]
....
The sound of shoes scraping against the floor and Riley's voice brought him back to his senses. And Stuart exhaled to calm himself down. Being emotional would lead to something disastrous. Something he does not want to imagine.
"I am Sorry Stuart about my father." Her honey crisp voice particularly sounded guilty. But he didn't want her to feel guilt. He wanted her to feel his love. His forked tongue kept quiet. For he knew, she can read him like a book.
His mind scoffed at his weird assumption. 'Hah. It's all in the past. Do you think she can still read you like a book? Are you sure?'
He couldn't seem to form a phrase that could bring her to calm down. Each attempt of speaking somehow ended in him closing his mouth and then opening it again multiple times.
She walked up to him. Her hands extended as she smoothened the creases from his shirt as if she wanted to fix his heart by removing the creases from his shirt. However, it only did the opposite as he inhaled her scent. She was laced with the aroma of vanilla. A smell he used to love even after his memory loss. He was tempted to kiss her milky lips. But he didn't. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it. Not at all.
"You know I always wanted to marry you."
Words that flowed out of her mouth with the speed and rhythm of the gushing waterfall and his heart responded with the same intensity as the richness of his heartbeat increased. His eyes dilated and his hands immediately flooded to hers as he held her both wrists that were on his chest.
"What. Did. You just said?" He questioned his eyes darkening with hope. But the words he spoke rushed out of his mouth with a clumsy flow that was laced with the tone of emotions.
"You heard me Stuty-Pooh. Ever since I knew you, I dreamt of you. I dreamt about us. Getting married."
She smiles, tears forming in her eyes as she continues. "You were heartless though when you chose to date those weird skimpy girls but didn't let any boy around me ever. You being over possessive about me gave me an illusion that it was because what you felt with me was heartfelt."
A tear finally cascaded down her pink cheeks and his heart broke at the sight. Slowly he wiped it with his finger.
"Don't cry, Riley!"
"No. Let me complete it first." Her beautiful eyes filled with determination while her tone was thick with emotion.
"I didn't know what you were thinking when you chose that woman against me. You pierced me that day. You pierced my heart with just two words. "I accept" and I fell literally from the high horse and in reality. Those moments are still frozen in my mind, caging me to reflect upon my emotions till now." This time Stuart couldn't bring himself to wipe those pearly tears because he was the reason for it. As tears trickled into her t-shirt eating away her raw emotions.
"On my birthday, on the day I wanted to propose to you." Her hands fisted on his shirt while his eyes met hers in surprise.
'She wanted to propose to me.' He repeated those words in his mind while his soul filled with emptiness.
"You broke my heart, Stuart. But even after that, you killed yourself for me on the same day. Why?" Her agile hands loosened their grip.
His emotions retaliated as rough tides banging on seashore his heart. While he stood there staring at her with a lifeless expression.
'She wanted to propose to me.' There it was, The Guilt returned. He knew she liked him, he knew that he was her world, he knew she would be pissed off if he accepted that girl's proposal. He couldn't even remember her name, but it sure had cost him. But he never knew why she was that mad. That made her left her birthday party. Because she wanted to propose to him. The words brought together weird feelings inside him.
Happiness.
Pain.
Guilt.
Anger.
Riley could see his blurred face through her tear-filled eyes. She could sense his emotions all over the place. The hands that were holding her wrists have loosened their hold.
A tone of her Ringtone brought her back to her senses and she realized what she was doing. Abruptly she let go of his shirt and freed herself from him.
She found herself staring at the buffering screen of her phone. She sensed a layer of guilt encapsulating her as she realized she was a second away from kissing him, a second away to tell him that she still loves him. She tried to brush her thoughts under the carpet and exhaled wishing it could soothe her sore throat.
"Hello, Mindy."
"Honey it's quite late. Should I come to take you and mom home?"
"No. We are fine." She noticed Stuart coming in front of her face who seemed to stare at her intensely.
"I am Worried. Please come soon."
She panics but manages to hmm a sound.
"Did you cry?"
"What. No. No. I didn't." Her scalp seemed to start sweating.
"Please come soon."
"I will leave right away."
"Take Care."
"You too."
'She is lying. But why?' Christian thought to himself as he could feel the raw emotion in her voice. She behaves strangely with him
'Who is she meeting with? Who can make her cry?' The bulb went off in Christian's mind and a second later he found the answer to his question.
'Stuart.'
Did she lie to me about the meeting too?
Restlessness surrounded him as his brain bombarded various scenarios of their meeting.
'Is she cheating on me?'
'But Mom is with her.'
'She can not do that. Right. She is not that kind of woman.'
'But why did she lie to you?' He breathed heavily in the giant bubble of probability.
While on the other side, Stuart tried to talk to her but she didn't listen as she practically sprinted to the living room. Telling her parents that she was leaving.
He bowed his head a little after entering the living room where she wished him Goodbye by emphasizing more on bye than good.