Runaway Bride

Caleigh

Who said being related to the rich was easy? There were numerous who didn't like me just because I was a Darwin; both the privileged and the ones who can only wear a Valentino in their fantasies.

Therefore, I was just Caleigh for the ones who didn't know me.

I quit my job at the school for the sake of being unburdened; I used to feel like stabbing my head at the end of the day, listening to the endless problems that the teens had with their families and friends.

The irony! Me, who is the epitome of dysfunctional-ism. Solving other people's problem.

Ha-ha!

That was the height of hypocrisy and it took me a while to realise that, so I swear by odd... jobs now, which satisfy me personally.

I notice a structure surfacing in the distance. I squint while tugging on the reins on my stallion.

"Did Alastair get a new helping hand?" I felt the earlier irritation from the morning returning as my good mood took a nosedive. Horsie's hooves started going clippity-clop as I guided my beloved horse to the stone path leading to my friend's estate.

I unmount Horsie as I inch closer to the gate, and untuck the bridal bouquet from the leather strap I had tucked it into.

As I unlatch the gate and guide Horsie inside, I prepare myself to face this person.

My sight settled on the lean man drenched in sweat who was supporting his weight on a rake, as a turbulence of emotions hits me, tightening the coil of anger I had been suppressing these past few weeks.

"Wh- What are you doing here?" I fume at Favio as he pulls himself to his full height.

"Alastair is my friend..." I grip the bouquet tighter as he takes a step towards me, he stops and continues, "...for once your hobby turned out to be useful." He replies calmly.

"Where's Alastair?" I demand shaking the bouquet in his direction.

He picks up the rake and starts sweeping, "He's in the basement where I've tied his limbs and gagged him up." I stare at him wordlessly as I try not to lose the rage I had been holding onto.

"Well, fuck you!" I scowl at him.

"Alastair!" I yell, he had to be around here. "Ally?"

"Who the fuck is Ally?!" yells a raspy voice laced with exasperation.

"Oh, you're here..." Alastair clear his voice, "...runaway bride?" Alastair walks towards me from the direction of the stables with a spade in his hand as he appraises my guise.

These men in my life were not watered enough during their youth. I would tower them if I wore Lady Gaga's shoes. Not that either of the men were short. He looked good, you know like Raoul Bova, but not so much like Favio with a rake.

This is a major problem for me now; Favio kept butting in, each time I look at another male specimen that I have stalked.

"No, I just came for a walk after three point four eight miles on horseback," I retort, "Yes, I'm just delusional." I bat my fake eyelashes at him while smiling sweetly. I was close enough to see his mouth twitch.

"Don't mind her. She's like that when she's agitated." Favio tells Alastair.

I glare at Favio, "Do shut up."

"I know. She was my stalker before you." Alastair replies ignoring me, igniting my fury I was trying to tame.

"I'll make you swallow that spade Alastair!"

Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. I eye his garb as I focus on putting out my spiralling anger. The usually tidy Casanova was dressed down in the drabbest of clothes he could find. Alastair isn't a gardener nor a farmer, even though he could pass for one in his worn boots and equally worn clothes.

I liked it when he did not wear his triple-digit clothes and not act all prude and constipated. He owns this estate where horses are kept, racehorses to be exact, he just likes to act like a handyman every now and then. I drop in from time to time, I loved horses as it is.

"Be my guest." He says looking least bothered and motions with his head, "Won't you come in?"

I release a shaky breath. This was the first comforting sentence I had heard in more than a week. Alastair was my victim turned friend, a good one at that and he knew Favio, which irritated me.

"Why bring the bouquet?" Favio asks as I guide Horsie towards the stables. I called my Stallion Horsie, you know to make people think I'm a bimbo, I get a kick out of it when they assume just that.

"Why should I leave behind the bouquet and pass the curse to another woman? She deserves a single life." I shrug and offer the bouquet to my stallion; I would have offered it to him earlier but I needed to escape before that.

He takes a sniff and averts his head, I toss it to the bushes nearby. And here I thought horses loved eating roses. Mine used to pull out rose bushes a few years back like he isn't fed anything at all.

"I hope you didn't toss away my stuff, Alastair."

After I hand over the reins to the stable hand at the stables, I venture inside the spacious house, taking a look around.

"I did." He pauses making me look at him in annoyance. "They're in the wardrobe," he says.

"Which one?" I come here often so I knew the layout, the place has at least five wardrobes.

"White?" He replies thinking.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!" I roll my eyes as I look down at my petty state. I had to tear the wedding dresses' skirt in half so I could ride comfortably without falling off the saddle; the Valentino bridal gown was a total waste on me.

Now you must be thinking, Why wait for the wedding day to run away? Because, they would hunt me down if I ran off before that... so the wedding day, jilting the groom where everyone would be busy with last-minute preparations. Serves dad right for hoarding me off like a sacrificial pig and Dwayne, for mentally undressing me. Fuck you eligible bachelors and old goats!

"No, it's the pine one for sure, go have a look." He says as I was about to throw one of my boots at him. I get very cranky when I'm tired.

"Don't come in. I'm not up for a striptease." I call out disappearing downstairs, my favourite part of this sprawling mansion.

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