Pinky Promise

Nina

“I said to myself, ‘One more last thing,’ as I placed the candle stick on the table. ‘There, perfect. Everything was almost ready.’ But then I thought, “Wait, I’m forgetting something.’ I looked around the room and spotted the jewelry I had designed myself in the corner. I grabbed it, thinking, “Leo would love this so much. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees this.’ Just then, the oven timer went off – Beep, Beep, Beep. I rushed to turn it off and opened the oven, but was nearly blinded by smoke. 

“Great, another cake ruined”. I thought, “How in the world am I going to get everything ready in time before Leo arrives? Definitely not like this.”

 It was our first anniversary, and I wanted everything to be perfect. I smiled, thinking, Fiancée, I love the sound of that. Leo, my first love, my first everything, the only person who has been by my side since we were kids. 

He was the only one who stood up for me, protected me, and even helped me in my business. God, he was a good man, and I was lucky to have him. We had grown up together, two kids who stuck to each other like glue. It was no surprise we ended up together – everyone expected of them, he was the light I needed in my life, especially growing up in my family, where I never seemed to do anything right. I was always the overlooked one, the black sheep. It was nice to have someone on my side, especially for the rest of my life. When Leo proposed, I was ecstatic – right on the same swing where we first met as kids, the swing where I gave him my first kiss at five, and he promised to be by my side forever. I was over the moon with joy. 

It had been one year since we were officially together, and I wanted to do something nice for him. But, I’d forgotten I had no sense of time and was no culinary expert. In the space of two hours, I burnt three cakes, massacred the chicken, and whipped up some kind of tomato sauce that I was afraid to taste. The entire kitchen looked like a hurricane had swept through it – pots and pans were everywhere, and it smelled terrible. 

“Well, I guess we’re back to takeouts then”,  He wouldn’t feel too bad – after all, it’s the thought that matters. Today was a special day for us, and I hoped it would be a day to remember, with nothing out of place, not even a single pin. I glanced at the diamond ring on my finger – I was about to be a Mrs. soon. My phone rang, jolting me from my happy thoughts. Where was it? I struggled to find it amidst the chaos in the kitchen.

 ‘Ah ha!’ I celebrated when I finally found it. The caller ID displayed ‘Leo.’ I cleared my throat, adjusted myself as if he was beside me, and giggled at my antics. If only he could see me now, he would be surprised. I picked up the call on the third ring and wished I hadn’t. My heart stopped in my chest – I couldn’t believe my ears. Was that…? No… it couldn’t be… not my Leo… not my fiancée… but the sounds were unmistakably clear. 

“Harder, Leo… more, give me more…” May, my step-sister, said on the other end. “That’s it, Leo, darling, give me more.”  I could hear the sounds of him giving it to her loud and clear. “Tell me, do you love me, Leo?” May asked.

“Tell me, do you love me, Leo?” my sister May asked on the other end of the line. “Am I better than my dear stupid naïve sister?”.

 My heart sank as I heard Leo’s response: “I love you so much, you’re much better, darling. Nina is nothing compared to you… Oh God… I’m going to…” The phone slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a loud thud. “No, it can’t be.”