Problem

As soon as Céline got into the office, her thoughts caved in on her and she started pacing. What could be the matter?
She paced the room trying hard to think but nothing came to her mind. As she paced, her mind conjured up the image of Damien snapping at her not to touch him. He was so cold, so furious. She couldn’t remember doing anything to warrant such cold attitude from him.
Was this a trait in him she needed to know of?
Oh my God, what if he was suddenly scared of marrying her and wanted to back out?
Her heart shook in fear as the idea came to her. If that was the case, she would not only be losing everything she had worked so hard to get but, she would be hopelessly heart broken.
This was no longer about just getting the money to pay John and avenge her parents. This was also about her heart. In fact it was more about her heart, than she could openly admit.
She loved Damien. She was in love with him.
Should she call his mother? -No, that would be too silly.
They just got engaged and she was considering running to his mother for help, no, that wouldn’t be good. He might not even like it and at this point she couldn’t afford adding to his anger.
“I am just over thinking this. Yes, I am. Damien loves me, he wouldn’t do that. I am just stressed out… and he probably his too.” She told herself out loud.
Her eyes fell on the gift he had given her. The Mac pro didn’t look so beautiful anymore. Looking at it was like a reminder of how this horrible day started, with fake promises.
She shook her head, “no, I will not let myself wallow in negativity. He will call me. He has to.”
Everyone had that one moment in a day when they acted out of point, Damien was just having his, nothing more.
She heaved a sigh and pushed all negative thoughts away from her mind and concentrated on finishing up all pending paperwork.
The wedding would go on, this was just a little set back, Damien would come around. He had to.
Céline got distracted by work so much so that by the time she finished, it was way pass the closing hour.
She checked her phone to see if she had missed a call from Damien, but the call log was blank- No one had called her.
Maybe he was still in a bad mood, she told herself, calming the rising panic that was yet again growing in the pit of her stomach.
She packed her belongings into her bag and left the office. The office building was almost empty. Only a few personnel were still around and they didn’t pay her any attention. No one was bothered by her presence by that time of the day, for they all knew who she was, Mr Culhane’s intended bride. If they didn’t, the diamond ring on her finger told the story perfectly.
She stepped out and hailed down a taxi.
“Where ma’am?” The taxi driver asked her.
Should she go to his place and try to talk to him again?
No, if he was still in a bad mood, it would make matters worst. She didn’t think her heart would take it if he acted so cold towards her again.
“6th Avenue.” She told the driver instead, opting to go to her own place. Hopefully by tomorrow, Damien would have returned to his usual self.
The diamond engagement ring on her finger was starting to weigh on her. It felt like a heavy bag on her hands. She stared down at it and prayed.
She prayed for the heavens to help her. She needed their help now more than ever. Whatever made Damien angry, she wished he would not toss her aside like a used toy. She would not be able to cope.
Within a small course of time, she had gotten so use to having him around. She was used to seeing his smile, the one that sent butterflies fluttering happily in her stomach. She was used to the sound of his voice, the smell of his spray, and even the rhythm of his heart beat was something she yearned for. She would not be able to survive if something was to happen to their relationship.
The taxi stopped and when she raised her eyes to find out why it had stopped, she saw that it had already gotten to her house.
“Ma’am, this is the address…” The driver told her.
She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize that the taxi had gotten to her place already.
“Yes, thank you.” She paid the due fare and alighted from the car.
Tired and troubled, she placed her key to the front door of her house and stepped in.
Her shoes echoed in the empty house as she walked in. The television was off, but the lights were on, an indication that her aunt Elizabeth was already home from her place of work.
“Céline is that you?” Her aunt called from within the house, confirming Céline’s assumption.
“Yes, aunt.” Céline responded.
Céline could have gone to her aunt’s room to check on her or even have small talks of how their days went, but she didn’t want to worry her aunt. One look at her face and Elizabeth would have known something was wrong with her niece.
To avoid that, Céline went right into her own room. She dropped her bags on her dressing table, changed into comfortable clothes and wiped off the little makeup she had applied in the morning.
When she finished, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were not in their usual brightness, they looked droopy, like a rain cloud in the blue skies, her eyes told the story of the turmoil within her. She tried to smile, but the mirror almost cracked at the pain behind the smile.
Why couldn’t Damien just call her? What could have possibly made him so angry he ghosted on her for hours now?
“Céline?”
A lone tear was already trailing down her face but as soon as she heard her name, she quickly wiped it and got away from the mirror.
“Damien came here this morning…” Elizabeth was saying.
Céline’s heart stopped. She couldn’t speak. She had a thousand questions to ask, but none left her frozen lips.
She walked into Céline’s room, holding a small plate filled with home made biscuits.
“He wanted you to come by his place tomorrow… Something about his mother and your wedding dress.” Elizabeth explained, munching on her biscuits.
“You look hungry… You want some of these?”
“Did he say anything else?” Céline asked ignoring her aunt’s question.
Who cared about food when their whole world was about to crumble to the ground?
“None that I can recall. Why don’t you call him?”
“I couldn’t-”
She was starting to say she couldn’t reach him, forgetting how this little sentence could give her aunt enough stress to make her lose sleep.
“-I can’t call him now. My phone’s battery is low.” Céline said instead.
She prayed that her aunt would drop the matter but like always, her prayers never got answered.
Her aunt raised a brow at her, a biscuit hanging in the air, “Damien said the very same thing… Are you both alright?” She asked, placing her suspended biscuit back on the plate.
He had said the same thing? Céline thought.
Damien refused to call her, yet he came to her place to remind of the dress fitting his mother had organized. It meant things weren’t as bad as she had thought. She was just thinking too much and too far.
The wedding would still happen. He wasn’t having last minute thoughts. It was something else on his mind. She would just have to talk to him to settle it.
“If there is a problem Céline, you know you can talk to me.” Elizabeth said, studying Céline’s face.
Lying was probably going to make her aunt catch on that something was wrong and saying the truth was also not an option she could not afford to worry her aunt. Especially now that, she had concluded that nothing was actually wrong. Damien wanted her to go meet him and his mother the next day for dress fitting, that meant his anger had nothing to do with the wedding.
Seeing that Céline was not responding, Elizabeth dropped the plate of biscuits on the bed and clasped her hands together, staring up at her niece.
“You told me, you were going to meet up with him in the office this morning, but he came here instead… Did you really go to the office?”
“Of course aunt I did go to the office.” Céline rushed. Where else could she go if not to the office?
Elizabeth studied her niece’s face for a few seconds. “Okay…” She sighed, heading to the door.
“If you say all is well. I won’t ask you again. Take some of that biscuits, you look like you haven’t eaten all day.”