“Emily! I missed you!” It had only been the weekend but Tyler was being dramatic as he gushed out on how much he had missed his best friend. She didn’t mind though, immediately hugging him back and allowing herself remember how it felt to be back around him. “You love me,” she pouted as she pulled away from the hug. “But then, it’s understandable.” “Oh please,” he rolled his eyes and laughed. “How was your trip anyways? Was Giovanni an ass? Do I need to head over to his office and make him pay?” “No, silly,” she pulled him back towards her, leading the way to their class. “And even if you wanted to do that, you’re a bit late. He just dropped me off few minutes ago.” “He did?” Tyler immediately looked turned around in a useless attempt to spot him around. “Ah, I see. Anyways, on a more serious note. How was your trip?” “I’ll fill you in on the details later,” she replied him. “But for now, let’s get to class. We’ll be late if we spend another minute chatting.” They quickened th

Emily: Where are you? Emily: What happened to being so prim and proper? You’re over an hour late. Emily: Hello? Emily: Are you busy with work? Emily: Mr. Giovanni Rueben? Emily: You don’t have to come if you’re so busy… Emily: Or we could reschedule. We still have tomorrow so if you can’t make it today, how about we hit the stores tomorrow? Emily: I really NEED a response from you though. WHATS GOING ONNNNN?! Emily glanced at her phone and for the millionth time in the span of only an hour, groaned. An hour had passed and by the way things were going, two hours were going to pass and Giovanni would still be nowhere to be found. He had been ignoring her messages alongside calls, leaving her with no choice but to endlessly worry about him and whatever could have happened. He was to be at her school already. According to their plans, they were to be almost done shopping. She was to be marveling at whatever wedding dress she chose for herself and giggling at him in a suit. But

“Emily? Emily? Emily, can you hear me?!” “Huh?” Emily almost jumped, immediately realizing how lost in thoughts she was. “What did you say?” “I was talking to you. And for heavens sake, I’ve been talking to you for minutes now. Have you even been listening to me?” She couldn’t deny, she was barely listening to him. Not just him, she felt distant, barely in grasp of reality. The shock she had experienced the previous night still lingered around her, making it hard for to shove it behind her and move on. She had spent the entire night thinking about what suddenly came over Giovanni and when morning came, her thoughts refused to give her a break, making up dozens of scenarios to justify his actions. Yet, none of them were able to actually justify his behavior or make it make sense to her. “Emily Stark Grace!” “Christ, did you say something?” Tyler’s loud voice resonated in her ear, pulling her back to reality one more time. “What did you say? Sorry, I didn’t get that.” “Of cours

An entire hour passed by and Giovanni was still nowhere to be found. The entire hall had been thrown into chaos, whispers and murmurs now converted into full blown conversations and arguments. After all, it was going to be the second time Giovanni Rueben was getting married with a lot of drama. The first time, his bride had gone missing and now, he had gone missing himself. Emily was close to loosing her mind, unable to process what was happening. He was just being late, right? August had tried to console her that he was just being late. But even August was also suddenly nowhere to be found after leaving to search for him. As minutes passed, the parents looked just as confused, watching the drama unfold in front of them. Emily’s parents stared in horror, their future uncertain but on the other hand, Giovanni’s father was visibly fuming, boiling with anger. Without the need to be told, Tyler had rushed to Emily’s side, trying his best to offer whatever comfort he could. But it wa

The ride back to his place was quiet, Giovanni’s gaze fixed on the road and steering wheel the entire time. He had dozens of emotions flooding him when all he wanted to do was feel numb. He didn’t want to feel guilty or terrible. He wanted to return to his normal life knowing he had done the right thing. But his emotions kept on betraying him, refusing to spare him even a moment of peace. And for what reason? Simply because he had canceled his own wedding. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and continued driving. Few hours ago he had contemplated driving over to the wedding hall and then voluntarily walk down the isle and get married. But all it took for him to be pulled back to his senses were the staff of the boutique he went to get his suit from chattering on and on about a couple that got married and few months later, got a divorce. It served as more than enough reason for him to be reminded of why he never wanted to get married in the first place. Enough reminder of w