Chapter 37: Meeting the Dominique's...?

Francine

"You okay, Liz?"

"I guess so,"

"Sure?"

"Maybe,"

"Do you know what I was talking about?"

"No?"

She smacked my arm.

"Ow!"

"I was narrating the story of how I met James McCrae and how he was such an a-hole to me, and you, young lady, weren't even paying attention!"

"I was!" I defended myself. "I just got lost midway,"

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "You know, I can't go through the narration again. It was hard the first time around,"

"'Tis okay, Nic. You don't have to go through it again. I get the geist," I paused. "He's always been the bad boy of the gang."

She cocked her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows. "Bad boy of the gang? You knew him?"

I braced myself for the reaction I would get when I told her how Mackey and I were related. It was bad enough that he had done so much to Nicole. I wondered if Charlie wasn't around, what could have happened to her. Although she mentioned that it was Charlie for whom she was safe now, I didn't think we could celebrate that, yet.

"Liz?"

I took a deep breath.

"Brace yourself, and please don't kill me."

She still looked confused.

"He's my cousin."

---

"Nicole?"

Silence.

"Nicole?"

Still, nothing.

"Nic?"

Still, no response.

"Nikky Anderson, talk to me!"

I smacked her arm and pulled her back from whatever her brain occupied her with. I needed to know how she felt when she heard that we were related. I could see how shocked she was. I had just swept the ground off of her feet. When I first saw the pictures, I was stunned. I hadn't seen Mackey in ages! The fact that he still clicked photos took me by surprise. As much I knew Mackey, he was camera-shy. He despised clicking photographs - said the camera couldn't capture his 'regal' self.

I don't even know what to say.

"I don't know what to say," Nikky admitted, quietly staring at the distance.

"I understand what you're going through right now, Nicole. I know how you didn't expect that we were related. But life doesn't roll that way. You can't always expect things to go your way. Sometimes, you need to deal with what life throws at you."

"Just like how it threw the fact that you're my jackass ex's cousin,"

Although I cringed at her use of curse words, I managed to get out 'exactly' out of my mouth.

After that, we sat on the sofa in silence, allowing her to grasp the new information she learned. It was surprising how crazy and weird life was. If I were in Nicole's shoes, I would've never expected my ex to be my friend's cousin. What were the odds of that happening?

This world was sure a small world, after all.

"I met James a few months ago," Nicole admitted after a long silence. Her words echoed in the walls.

"Why didn't you tell Charlie that?"

"I tried to, but then you called, and we never got a chance to talk about that,"

"What'd he say?"

Nicole's eyes widened in horror. She jumped from her seat and rushed into her room. I followed hot in her heels, trying to know the reason that made Nicole go all crazy.

"Nicole? What happened?"

"WHERE'S MY GODDAMNED PHONE?!" She yelled, frantically searching through every drawer and every room of the apartment until her eyes landed on the counter.

"Why do you need your phone now?"

"I need to call Charlie. I need to warn her about McCrae,"

I snatched her phone from her hand.

"What warning?"

"He's going to the palace to take over Titania,"

---

"Take over Titania?"

"Titania? Darling, what are you talking about?"

I just realized the setting I was in. Mrs. Dominique smiled at me from across the table. Mr. Dominique sat at the end of the table. Trini, Kyle, and Steve sat with Mrs. Dominique while Jeremiah and I sat across them.

I am sure you know what was happening.

I was at Jeremiah's place, meeting his family. Jeremiah had offered to have dinner with them a week ago because of his mother's nagging. As per Jeremiah's words, she was really looking forward to meeting the girl who Jeremiah couldn't shut up about. Although Jeremiah denied the last part, his siblings' expressions said otherwise.

I smiled nervously, "Titania. I heard there is the princess's coronation coming up soon,"

She smiled wider. "Oh yes, Titania. I heard a lot of good things about Titania and its people. I always wondered what royalty was like when I was a kid - you know, my good ol' fantasy."

We laughed at Mrs. Dominique's playful nature. She was a lady in her late forties. She had an olive complexion, hazel eyes, dark hair with strands of white. She donned a midnight blue dress and a scarf around her neck.

Mr. Dominique was the exact opposite of Mrs. Dominique. He had a stern nature due to his years serving in the army. Kyle, Steve, and Trini had playful natures, too, just like their mother.

"Then I got married and that was the last time I thought about my fantasy. Not that I am complaining, thou. I am quite satisfied with what I ended up with," She laughed while chewing the last piece of the sausage.

"You're telling me that if you didn't get married to dad, you would've married a prince instead?" Kyle asked, his eyes widened.

Trini punched Steve's arm. "Of course she would have! Imagine, we would've been royalty. We would've been rich, and then I would date a dreamy prince, and we'd get married and have a happily ever after." Trini dreamily said.

"I still can't believe she's just seven," Jeremiah muttered under his breath. I chuckled at his behavior. Soon, the entire table got into a debate about whether Mrs. Dominique should've married royalty or not- even Jeremiah.

Mr. Dominique smiled at his family as they bickered non-stop. I couldn't help but smile at them. Back home, we didn't have these fun dining table debates and conversations. It was just my father talking to his 'most trusted aid' about 'strategies' about how they could capture the next kingdom. Seeing them made me feel like I belonged here. That I was adored for who I was and not because of some stupid title that I was thrust upon. I know I am making myself contradictory when I say I love what I have, but I wish I had this. This family. This dining table debates every day. A mother like Mrs. Dominique too.

"Charlie, it's up to you to decide now," Steve called me, visibly panting from all the screaming.

"What should I decide?"

"That whether mom's decision was right or wrong." Kyle finished.

How was that something I could decide? Mrs. Dominique did say that she was happy to have them but, also a part of her did wanna get married into royalty. Now, knowing how things were at the palace, I would've said that it was a fine decision. At least, she could marry the one she loved.

For people like us who were really 'Royalty', that was not always the case.

But I said this instead.

"Everyone has their own fantasies and desires that may or may not come true. That's life. I believe everything's already predestined by God, and if you haven't married a Prince, there might've been a good reason for that."

Mrs. Dominique and the kids stared at me in astonishment. Jeremiah acted like he knew I would say something like that so he simply shrugged and smiled.

"Wow, that is probably the wisest thing you've said, Charlie. There is a really good reason behind that," Mrs. Dominique smiled.

The kids stood up on the table and saluted me. "You, young lady, have officially earned our respect,"

"Well, I shall not let you down, young lads and lass," I bowed.

Steve grinned. "You sound so much like royalty!"

Kyle grinned. "Yassss!! Have you been learning the manners and etiquette from youtube?"

Trini excitedly jumped on her chair. "Oh-oh, or are you a princess yourself?! Because that would explain a lot,"

I chuckled at their excitement. After all these months, I don't freak out when someone assumed that I was a princess because I could deny them right on their faces without hesitation. After all these years, I finally had 'normalcy' in my life, and I found people who wouldn't give a damn if I was or wasn't a princess.

I chuckled. "I'm not a princess,"

Is.....what I should've said and stopped.

But I said this instead.

"I'm not a princess, but I do have a friend who is,"

The kids squealed in excitement, bursting our eardrums in the process. Jeremiah, Mr. and Mrs. Dominique, and I shut our ears hoping that minimum damage was caused. I didn't wanna wake up with a pool of blood on my pillow.

"And....this is where we leave the table," Jeremiah uttered, taking my hand and rushing out of the dining room.

---

"You have a pretty fun-loving family, Jeremiah," I said, sitting on the front porch beside him.

He shook his head, laughing. "You wouldn't have said this if you stayed with us 24/7."

"How long will it take for them to quiet down?"

"It's safe to say a few hours."

I laughed.

"What?"

"You should be glad to have them as your family, not everyone gets a family like yours. Some people wish they had this all their lives and some already have this. You're one of them."

Jeremiah stared at me, cocking his head to the side. "You sound like you're from the other bunch, the ones who wish they had this,"

"Hate to admit this, but yeah. I do belong in that other bunch,"

Jeremiah smiled, sadly. "I'm really sorry to hear that. It must suck to have a horrible family, then."

I laughed, dryly. "Suck is probably the least you can say,"

"But seriously thou, I am sorry to hear that. You make me feel like I really really really should be glad I have them,"

"I am glad I changed your perception."

He laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Take all the credit,"

"I will,"

We both laughed at that.

I had no idea when the sun started setting and it was dark. For all I knew, we laughed at the silly antics of Jeremiah's mom and siblings and how his dad would smile but also shake his head. Mr. Dominique might be a stern guy, but he loved his wife way too much for stopping her to do all the crazy things.

Even if he was kind of embarrassed.

Mrs. Dominque walked onto the porch. "There are you two, I've been looking all over the place! Jeremiah, why don't bid the kids goodbye while I talk to Charlie?"

Jeremiah looked at me and then his mom but then quietly walked into the home. Once he closed the door behind him, Mrs. Dominique sat on the porch.

"What did you wanna talk about, Mrs. Dominique?"

She waved her dismissively. "Oh no, call me Jenna. You don't have to be so formal with me, dear."

"Okay, Jenna. What did you wanna talk about?"

She replied, staring me in the eyes with a grave expression. I was astonished at how someone could go from being happy, fun-loving, and a sweetheart to deadly serious. Fear spiraled in my spine when she took my hands into hers.

"Look, I don't wanna sound harsh or say something that'll make you uncomfortable." She paused, seeing me visibly stiffening. "Charlie, relax. I will not shoot you, even if I am married to the Colonel. Honestly, I have never held a gun in these hands!"

I relaxed.

She continued. "Look, what I wanted to talk about was my son, Jeremiah. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but I saw how he looks at you. How he laughs so freely when he's around you or when you're just having fun with the kids, how he smiles at you. I've seen it, darling. He looks at you the exact way his dad looks at me and I want you to think about it. Jeremiah's never invited a girl to his place all his life, but now that he's invited you - you mean a lot to him."

I stayed silent, processing every word she said.

Jenna continued, looking earnestly at me. "What I am asking from you, is what every mother would ask for their children. Please, Charlie," she squeezed my hands.

"Don't ever break his heart."

---

Don't ever break his heart.

Don't ever break his heart.

Don't ever break his heart.

The way he looks at you---

I didn't dare to finish that statement. How could life go from being simplistic and fun to serious and complicated? Jenna's request and the last words she told me before we left, changed everything. It completely changed the way I looked at him. Even when I had that unexplainable butterflies in my belly I tried to suppress them because I thought that it was probably only me. I didn't wanna ruin our friendship because of these stupid hormones. But now...

Now that I know that he might be feeling the same thing, taking that leap didn't sound so....what was the word?

Unbelievable?

Hard?

Not worth it?

I didn't even have a perfect word to fit into that statement. But you do get the point.

My point is, I didn't wanna ruin the friendship but if there was a future for us, I didn't wanna live my life regretting not taking that chance. I didn't wanna live all my life wondering, what could've happened if I took that chance?

Jeremiah drove through the streets in silence, occasionally looking at my quiet self who had a lot of things running through her mind.

Once, we reached the apartment, he spoke. "Hey, Charlie?"

I turned to see him.

He smiled. "Thanks for coming, means a lot."

I nodded and with that, he drove off.

---

"Nicole, I'm home!" I called, keeping my purse on the table.

No answer.

"Nicole?"

Still nothing.

Fear spiraled into my spine. I didn't know why but my instincts were telling me that something horrible had happened while I was away. I didn't wanna think about the endless things that could've possibly happened.

"Nicole? If you're home, come out. I don't want you to scare the living daylights out of me. A lot has happened already, and I don't want you messing with my brain any further,"

Still nothing.

I tried calling Nicole but it was unreachable. I scanned through the entire apartment twice, but no signs of her. Until...

"What's this?" I asked no one in particular as I saw a sticky note on the fridge. It was written in familiar handwriting. When I got closer, I realized the writing to be written with blood.

It read:

"You can't save her,"

Only one person could be so crazy.

James McCrae.