002

Oliver

Matthew eventually pulled away from his sister, his hand resting briefly on her shoulder as he looked at her with an expression I rarely got to see.

“Have you grown taller Mariel?” he asked.

Mariel rolled her eyes. “That’s the first thing you’re asking me after all this time?”

“What else am I supposed to ask?”

“Maybe how much you missed me?”

“I can see you’re doing perfectly fine without me.”

She laughed, and Matthew shook his head before his attention shifted towards the man standing behind her.

“Lucas.”

“Matthew.”

The two men exchanged greetings, with Matthew extending his hand for a firm handshake. Lucas accepted it, offering him a polite smile.

“It’s been a while,” Matthew remarked.

“Definitely. Work has kept me busy.”

Matthew nodded before glancing at Mariel. “I hope you’ve been taking good care of her. I don’t want to hear that she’s been giving you trouble.”

Lucas chuckled. “She’s been behaving. Well, most of the time.”

“Hey!” Mariel protested, lightly hitting his arm. “I’m standing right here, you know.”

“I noticed.”

They both laughed, and I remained quietly beside Matthew, wishing I could somehow disappear into the crowd. I had been doing my best to avoid Lucas’s gaze since he arrived, but I could feel it. His eyes kept finding me, and each time I shifted slightly, hoping he would eventually lose interest.

Unfortunately, he didn’t.

Even while speaking to Matthew, his attention seemed divided. His eyes would occasionally drift towards me, lingering longer than they should. I couldn’t understand why he was staring at me like that. Had he recognised me? Was he surprised to see me here? Or was he simply wondering who I was?

I swallowed and looked down at my shoes.

“Anyway, I almost forgot something.”

Matthew’s voice made me look up. He adjusted his glasses before reaching for my hand and gently pulling me closer to his side.

I stiffened at the unexpected gesture.

“I forgot to introduce you two properly,” he said, looking between them. “Mariel, this is my fiancé, Oliver Walker.”

The world seemed to stop.

‘Fiancé’?

The words sounded strange coming from Matthew’s mouth, especially with Lucas standing right in front of us. I could barely bring myself to look at him, but I knew he had heard every word.

“Oliver, this is Mariel, my younger sister and Lucas Parker. Her fiancé.”

I forced myself to lift my head and offered a small, polite smile. “Nice to meet both of you.”

Lucas didn’t respond immediately. His eyes remained fixed on my face, and I could feel my fingers tightening inside Matthew’s hold.

Then, he finally extended his hand.

“Lucas,” he said, his voice quieter than before.

I stared at his outstretched hand for a second before reluctantly accepting the handshake.

“Oliver.”

His fingers closed around mine, and I immediately wanted to pull away. It was only a brief greeting, but the familiar touch brought back memories I had no intention of remembering. I withdrew my hand as soon as I could, hoping nobody had noticed.

Matthew, however, seemed to notice my discomfort, but he didn’t comment on it.

Mariel’s eyes moved between us before settling on me. She looked genuinely surprised, and then a wide smile spread across her face.

“Wait, you’re planning on getting married?” she asked, looking at Matthew.

Matthew nodded. “Yes.”

“Oh my goodness! That’s wonderful.” She turned towards me, giving me a more curious look. “So, you’re the person who finally managed to get my brother to settle down?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I glanced briefly at Matthew.

Mariel laughed before continuing, “That’s great! I was beginning to think you’d spend the rest of your life fooling around and avoiding anything serious.”

“Mariel,” Matthew warned, adjusting his glasses again.

“What? I’m happy for you!”

She turned back to me with an even brighter smile. “You must have a lot of patience. My brother isn’t exactly the easiest person to deal with.”

I managed a small smile. “He’s not that bad.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I wondered why I had said them. Matthew glanced at me, but looked away immediately.

“See?” Mariel exclaimed. “He’s already defending you. I like him!”

I lowered my gaze, feeling rather uncomfortable with all the attention. Beside me, Lucas remained unusually quiet. I didn’t need to look at him to know he was still watching me, and I was beginning to dread the moment someone would notice.

“Should we get going?” Matthew finally asked, taking Mariel’s luggage trolley from Lucas.

“Of course. I’m starving, and I don’t want to spend another minute in this airport.”

Matthew shook his head. “You haven’t changed.”

As they began walking ahead, I followed quietly, keeping a little distance between myself and Lucas. Unfortunately, he was walking right behind me.

I kept my eyes ahead, pretending to be interested in whatever Matthew and Mariel were discussing. I didn’t want to turn around, and I certainly didn’t want to find out whether Lucas was still staring at me. I only wanted to get into the car and leave before he found an opportunity to speak to me.

“How about we have a few dishes at your favourite restaurant?” Matthew suddenly suggested, glancing at me.

Me?

I hadn’t realised I had a favourite restaurant Matthew knew about. I gave him a little smile before glancing at Mariel, who had stopped walking and was now staring at us with her mouth slightly agape.

“How about we go to Mariel’s favourite instead? She’s just returned, after all. We should let her choose where she wants to eat.” I nervously said.

“Oh!” Mariel exclaimed, looking between us. “Matthew, you’ve changed! You literally always ask to take me to my favourite restaurant whenever I come back, and now you’re suggesting someone else’s?”

Matthew chuckled. “Is that so?”

“Yes! You used to insist on it every single time!”

I kept quiet, listening to their conversation as we approached the parking area. However, Matthew’s next words caught my attention.

“Well, my fiancé wants to eat at your favorite restaurant. We can visit the restaurant today.”

I looked at him, slightly surprised. Mariel seemed to accept his explanation without question.

“Oh, I see. So that’s how it is now?” She laughed, looking at me. “You’ve already taken over his decisions. I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

I offered a polite smile, not knowing what else to say.

Lucas, who had remained unusually quiet, walked past us to help with the luggage. I deliberately avoided looking in his direction as Matthew unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for me. I was about to get in when he leaned closer, his hand resting against the top of the door.

“Oliver,” he muttered quietly, making sure the others wouldn’t hear him. “You’d better behave yourself and act accordingly.”

I froze for a moment, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag.

Had he noticed how nervous Lucas was making me?

“Yes, Mr. Fletcher,” I whispered before getting into the car.