Th_omas

" How about we help each other?" He says and I look up at him, eyes still wet from the tears streaming down my cheeks, heart freshly broken from the public humiliation and betrayal that was Lucas's breakup. I can faintly make out the first droppings of snow floating magically under the light of the street lamps. It's that time of the year, a time for wool coats, a time for relaxing, none of which I'll be doing. "I'm an orphan with a wicked aunt and a boyfriend who left her because she has nothing to her name, how could I possibly help you?" I say another sob escaping my lips. "Marry me" he replies and my eyes widen in anger. Is he mocking me?. I look into the eyes of this stranger and see he's dead serious. "I need a wife, you need a home, marry me and you'll have all you want". I nod.

A Snowy Marriage (A Christmas agreement)

The way she stared at a guy that she herself had betrayed makes me suprised. What actually catches my attention is the pretty girl that is steadily marching her way towards me, and wearing a grin on her face.

She wraps me in a hug with talk that seems nonsensical to me, but I manage to pick up words though, the most important words i think she meant to say in the first place.

"Play along if you don't want to get killed". She says the words quietly enough to make me doubt that I'm actually hearing them in the first place. Then, she releases me from the hug still holding me by the shoulders as she smiles a warm smile at me "Cousin it's been such a long time!!!".

The suprise I feel at her calling me cousin is replaced by the utter need to laugh, as Charlotte chokes on whatever it is she's sipping. It takes me a moment to regain my composure as I notice that basically the eyes of all the people around us, is fully focused on the little stage play that this girl has going.

She smiles at me again and hugs me and I can feel her grip being more relaxed now, like she's achieved what she set out to achieve, and for a minute I wonder if it's in my best interest.

I almost snap my hands away from her's as I see she still has her eyes fixed on all the people around us, as some secret message passes between them and herself. I can almost get what she's trying to say and I dread the Implication.

Her gaze seemed to say that as from that moment onward, I was to keep to myself as much as they were to keep to themselves. She was indirectly ordering everyone to practically stay clear of me, and as I turned the thought over in my head, I can see that would totally contradict my whole reason for being here.

I look around for any sign of Adrian but he seems to have vanished from where he stood a few minutes ago, Charlotte's gone too as I can't help but allow my mind stray.

Was this thier plan after all?, keep me occupied with whoever this was that seemed to indirectly want my life to be harder. I watch as the faces of everyone who is watching us turn back to focus on whatever it was that they were doing before the whole drama started. The girl in front of me, well it would be unfair for me to keep on calling her a girl, as the world would practically refer to her as a woman at this stage.

She was pretty, like everyone else here seemed to also be either handsome or pretty, and I can't help but remember the hungry gaze in Charlotte's eyes as she gazed at Adrian.

"Rest assured your Adrain is safe" she says and the way her hair catches the light makes me realise she's changed its natural colour. I can still see the faint black at the roots but the rest. The rest Is an almost magical deep sea blue, the sort of blue you'd only see at the depths of the ocean.

Chapter 30