Chapter 10

Chapter ten

Emily

As expected, nobody received the news with a light heart, and it was already anticipated. Louis went all crazy when he received the news that by 5:30 am the next morning, he was at my front door banging like a destitute dog.

“Who's there?” I had no idea who the idiot was when I flew to the door, else I would've snuggled deeper into my blanket and allowed the late July rain to drive me to sleep.

Louis was inside my house the moment I let the door open, pacing like a wounded lion whose next mission was revenge.

“What is this about?” I started, following him with my eyes.

“You tell me,” he replied, stopping momentarily.

“What do you mean?”

“Don't play games with me, Emily.” Louis yelled, anger visible in his eyes.

“No I wouldn't. I don't think playing games with you would be that fun. Besides, I don't go playing around with a piece of crumb I'd tossed to my sister.”

That hit! I only realised what I'd said after it splurged out of my mouth. Whoa, where did I get that from? Louis paused, obviously shaken. It must have surprised him that I wasn't down on my knees, begging him to come back to me. Of course that would make the announcement look like a joke.

“How long have you been seeing my uncle?” He finally asked, after he decided to let his anger aside.

“Oh, so this is what it's about, huh?” I said accusingly, buying him some time, actually, because I was hoping to bruise his ego real good.

“Answer my question, Emily.” he fumed.

“I don't know who you are to me to get mad that I'm getting married but if …..”

“This person you're about to be married to happens to be my uncle, so I have every right to be interested.”

Just then, I understood why it had to be Malcolm. Anybody else wouldn't have affected Louis that much but the fact it was his uncle did a great deal to him. For once, I was thankful I decided to push through.

“And your uncle is not a teenage boy who needs a chaperone.”

“Answer my question, Emily. How long have you been seeing him?’

I heaved a deep breath, slumped on my bed, and crossed my legs before responding in a very sassy voice. “Unlike you, I don't eat from two plates at the same time.” I said, and once again, I saw the corner of his mouth twitch like he was stung. “Thanks to you, Malcolm and I were reunited. Fate has a funny way of reuniting us with our one true love, but you played a huge role in that, and for that, I'm thankful.” I said the last part with mocked bow.

“You slut!” Louis yelled, breathing so heavily I could see his chest rise and fall like he had a panic attack.

I anticipated the outburst, so I barely shook: I only sat there, and watched him act out his frustration.

“You scheming fox, you think you can get away with using my uncle to get back at me?”

“Whoa! Louis, so bold of you to think that way, my world doesn't revolve around you, just so you know. I have a mind of my own, and so does your uncle. Why would you think such a thing?”

“You think Malcolm is dumb?”

“No, I don't.” I replied with sarcasm. “If any, I think he's way out of your league.”

Louis scoffed. “You’ve grown ballsy, haven't you?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn't?” I retaliated, stunned by how much I’d changed in a couple of days.

Did fraternizing with Malcolm suddenly do something to my confidence? I contemplated, noting that just a few weeks ago I was hoping, longing that Louis would come back, begging me to take him back, but not anymore. The transition had happened so fast that I missed the bridge.

Louis took a long moment to look me up and down, grinding his teeth angrily against each other that I feared they might crack.

“Don't think that you've won, Emily. I'll be back for you, this isn't over.” he said with an air of finality and began to sprint to the door.

“And I'll be here, ready to receive you.” I answered, quite absentmindedly as if I didn't take that as a threat.

That made him pause at the door. He glared up at me again, probably wondering what happened to me. There was a time where I could tell what was on his mind, but not anymore. He'd become someone else.

A light knock resounded from outside just as he was about to slide the door open. I cocked my head to the side and caught Tasha sliding in as Louis slipped out.

“Why was he here?” She asked, looking back at his disappearing form.

“I keep wondering about that myself.” I answered, not standing up from my seat.

Tasha dropped her bag on the table, walked into the kitchen and resurfaced moments later with a tea cup in hand.

"So, you want to tell me what that message was about?" Tasha asked after a while, voice low and serious. "You're getting married to Malcolm?"

I nodded, a mix of excitement and nervousness. I felt bad that I was going to lie to her, but the terms of agreement had read 'no third party, well, except our lawyers. "Yeah, I know it's fast. But I feel like I've known him forever. We just clicked, you know?"

Tasha's brow furrowed. She probably thought I was being rash, and I knew she was only looking out for me. "I want to be happy for you, Em, but... isn't this a bit sudden? You've known him, what, a few weeks? And, I just hope you're not trying to use him to put Louis out of your mind."

I took a deep breath, grateful that there was a back story. "Actually, Malcolm and I aren't just meeting for the first time." I revealed, and Tasha furrowed her brows again. "Yes, we met in College, but Louis had come into the picture and ruined everything."

"Okay, I see where this is coming from, but still...."

"I know it's quick, but trust me, I've thought this through. We need this marriage for... various reasons. And I really think we'll make it work." I interrupted, not willing to sit through any more lectures. I'd made up my mind. For good.