“Look who we have here!” Vivian exclaimed loudly. Her presence had garnered more people in the audience, and the social media platforms were flowing with live news of the encounter. “If not the new couple in town,” she laughed deviously.“What the hell is this, Vivian?” Lucas tremored through his clenched teeth. His attempts to hide Charlotte from the limelight were proving futile, and like every wrong thing in his life recently, he had Vivian Kent to blame.“No, no, no, sweetie! You are not the one to get angry here, you hear me? In this situation, I should be the frustrated one. Of all the ways to trample on my dignity and pride, you replace me with her?” She said, gesturing at Charlotte. A group of people gasped in amazement as the cameras turned towards Charlotte who did not even try to hide her face since it was too late.“You know, when you told me you were leaving me, I was ready to forgive you. But now that I know you left me for this cheap bag of shit, I do not know if I can,

Like it had been all morning, my phone rang again. Lucas put me back down on the bed and reached out for my phone. The screen displayed Rita’s name which was a change from the different journalists who had contacted me since the break of dawn. “Hello,” I spoke through the phone.“Bitch!” Rita’s voice sounded on the other end of the line in a squeaky tone. “You are trending on social media like a mad piece! YouTube views have hit all the collective views of my videos.” I laughed. I had avoided the online space since the incident, and I was unsure of whether she was exaggerating or not, but I did not let curiosity get the better part of me.“It’s not a big deal,” I shrugged, knowing how big of a deal it actually was.“Oh please, miss humility personified. It is a gigantic deal. Now I have to be cautious of my make-up every time I walk with you as we all know how cruel paparazzi can be in their sudden photos. Would not wish to trend as Mrs. Benjamin’s ugly best friend.”I laughed again

Fifteen years agoCharlotte and I strolled back home from Westlake High, bantering about our day at school. It was her birthday, and everyone at school had left her confectionery and sweet letters in her locker in celebration. I had not given her her gift yet as I set it to be a surprise, pretending as I had forgotten it. She did not seem concerned about it, and if she did, she was camouflaging it with the happiness she felt.“Think you could share that bar with me?” I asked her as she unwrapped a bar of dark chocolate. She looked at me sternly, totally ignoring my plea and biting into it. “Ouch!” I feigned pain. She had every reason to be upset with me as best friends did not forget each other’s special day, but I had her gift planned, and telling her about it would spoil the surprise.“What, Lucas?” she asked with an angry tone laced in her voice.“I have never thought of you as a selfish being. Why would you have the entire chocolate while I have no sweet thing in my mouth? That’s

The weather was warm and welcoming. One could easily smell the beach from the Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport. A crowd of people was screaming and out of the airport, possibly here for the same reason as Lucas and Charlotte – a beautiful sandy getaway.Jacque had already arranged for their pickup from the airport which was a thirty-minute drive to the ship harbor that would offer a boat to sail them to Lucas’s private island. He had purchased the island recently just for Charlotte, but he had not mentioned the details of their trip to her.“I already love it. It’s beautiful here,” Charlotte said as she watched the palm trees sway from side to side, dancing to their welcome.“If you want, you can actually live here forever,” Lucas spoke casually. His left hand was holding Charlotte’s while his right hand held onto his phone which had most of his attention. He was on the phone with the staff at the island, confirming that everything was fine, despite Jacque’s reassurance. H

“You have arrived at your destination, sir, and ma’am,” the captain alerted us as soon as the ship came to a standstill. I looked around in amazement, feeling elated about the next few days that would free my mind from the noisy buzz of the cities.The island that Lucas owned was enormous, the green area extending to form an almost complete circle of land. Most of the land bore large trees with sparse palm trees lining the edges of the island. On one end of the island, a wide villa stood strong and independent, overlooking the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean.Lucas alighted first as he bid the captain goodbye. I accepted his help alighting the ship and walked beside him, enjoying the feel of the warm sand in between my toes. The villa had a design similar to ancient Roman architecture, and the road leading to the entryway was paved with white crystals of sand and decorated with shells. Flowers blossomed around most of the trees, coloring the earth with their petals.I was unsure o