The sacred bride episode 14

The Sacred Bride
written by Bunmi B. Gabriel
Segment 14
Eric
Leila flicked through the menu with a straight face, she wasn’t happy at all and I was beginning to worry myself. I couldn’t get answers because she kept waving the question off, what’s wrong with her? I would have just started talking but I could tell she didn’t want noise, just silence and plus, I didn’t want to look like a gobby idiot. Again, leaving her to be like that is bad, this date is important to me.
‘I’ll take the Japanese Nagyu steak, Chærdonnay wine, no dess**t.’ She said calmly.
‘And you Sir?’ The waitress who have been staring at me all through asked blushingly.
‘I’ll have what she’s having but with Nero d’ Avola wine, no dess**t.’
‘Okay,’ she said jotting down our orders. ‘I’ll be back in a jiffy.’
‘Uhm,’
‘Thank you sir,’ I looked at her, flat girl, unlike Leila.
‘Seriously?’ Leila asked all of a sudden, I looked at her, she grinned.
‘What?’
‘Er….I was talking to myself,’
‘Huh?’
‘Okay fine! Don’t stare at a girl in my presence or you won’t like how bad I’ll flirt back with any guy I see,’
‘Is that a dare?’
‘It’s a promise,’ I smiled at her words, she’s coming back. ‘So,’ she drawled, falling back to the rest of her chair. ‘Who are we here to see?’
‘The director of the label I work with, he loves the music idea and wants to make it official by meeting you in public, you know, keep the Internet busy.’
‘Okay,’ she said plainly. Oh, she’s not back.
‘Leila, can you share what is bothering you?’
‘Even if I share it, you won’t be able to solve it so forget about it,’
‘But….’
‘Please Eric, don’t push it.’ She warned softly. I sighed, she’s serious.
‘Right now, Blue-Devils is what I will call the sickness bothering you,’ I said softly too. She chuckled and folded her arms. ‘Do you even have appetite to eat?’
‘Not really,’ she sighed, running her hand along her ponytail. Have I forgotten to mention how simple and gorgeous she looks? Her l-ips were sleek, very sleek and inviting. It seems like everywhere she goes, she pulls attention in a way I don’t understand. She was the cynosure of all eyes, the simply dressed psychagogic lady in a classy restaurant. She didn’t give a f-ck about their staring or whispers, she was worried about something more important.
They were either looking at her because she’s with me, she is dressed too casual or she’s f-cking hot.
‘Should we leave?’
‘And the Director? I’ll be fine, ignore me.’
‘O….’ A waiter came with our order, he dropped it on the table while gaping at her. What’s with her alluring beauty? Her sister is more beautiful than her but she doesn’t pull as much crowd as Leila does.
‘Help me turn the wine,’ she said softly, her mind far away from the restaurant. She absent mindedly played with her ponytail while biting her bottom lip almost sed-ctively.
‘Sure thing ma’am,’ the waiter said more than delighted to help her. He popped the wine while I watched the way he was stripping her in anger, she didn’t even dress s€×y yet he was stripping her. He turned the drink into the glass until it was overflowing, he was still gaping. Leila didn’t notice, her eyes were stuck to the chandelier.
‘Idiot,’ I cursed, giving his head a hærd knock. That dragged her attention, she stared at the mess and chuckled.
‘I’m sorry sir, I didn’t know what I was doing,’ he apologized distraughtly.
‘Of course, you were busy f-cking my girlfriend in your head, why would you know.’ I scoffed.
‘I’m very sorry sir, it won’t….’
‘It’s okay,’ she sighed. ‘You can go,’
‘And who’s gonna clean this mess?’ I asked angrily.
‘Just let it be,’ she whispered.
‘I’m not eating again, take the food away.’
‘Seriously Eric, stop it. Fine, take it away but he will still pay the bills, okay?’ The guy nodded embarrassedly with red cheeks. Stupid man.
‘Get lost,’ I spat. He scurried away, the look on her face was displeasing.
‘What was that for?’
‘He was staring at you,’
‘And so? Everyone here is. What difference does his make?’
‘You ought to be m….’
‘Can I stab those ladies because they are staring at you?’ She asked frowningly. I kept mute, understanding what she was pointing at.
‘I’m sorry,’
‘Tell that to him,’ great, now I made her overly angry. The director walked to us, at least the tension will end. ‘Good evening sir,’ she greeted as he looked down at her I’m awe.
‘Wow, Eric, is this your new babe?’
‘Yeah, sir, this is Leila, Leila Wellington.’
‘Wow, you are as lovely as Doretta Wellington. If I didn’t know any better, I’ll say you look too much like her. Are you guys related?’
‘My last name is Wellington,’ she grunted. The director, Mr. Kent, looked at me confusedly.
‘She has been in a mood since I picked her up today, ruining my evening by the way.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘Okay,’ he sat down. ‘I must comment Leila, you are really beautiful. You are exactly what we need to knock the running scandal down,’ Leila looked at me with raised brow, I played along.
‘Is that suddenly why you want me to be known after dating secretly? To clear your name?’ She asked with a little hurt expression.
‘Yes and no, both.’
‘You didn’t tell me,’ she mouthed.
‘You guys can deal with your relationsh¡p problems later, let us discuss this video thing so I can go home and meet my kids.’
‘Music video, that was also part of the plan?’ She asked absent mindedly, her hand was still playing with her hair.
‘Let’s get this started. We can begin the shoot tomorrow, Eric I expected you to have filled her in.’
‘She knows what she has to do, tomorrow will be a good time.’
‘I’m getting paid, right?’ Leila asked all of a sudden.
‘What?’ Mr. Kent asked bemusedly.
‘What? You think because my parents are rich I will work for free? I’m a dancer, my job is my job.’
‘But he is your boyfriend,’
‘And so?’ She asked lucidly. ‘How much am I going to get paid?’
‘Eric?’ He asked me.
‘She’s a very good dancer, as in very. The first thing that attracted me to her, it’s what she does. You’ll have to pay her.’
‘Did you get her from a club?’ Her asked upsettingly. He’s too stingy and self-centered.
‘I see,’ she chuckled. ‘Eric, I’m out.’ She stood up and walked out, I didn’t even get to eat.
‘You are impossible, insulting her like that.’ I stood up too and walked to a waiter to give him the bills. After paying, I rushed outside before she would leave. She was sitting in my opened car, a woebegone expression on her face. I rest my hand on the door of the passenger seat she sat.
‘I’m not upset because of him,’
‘I know,’
‘Don’t you think it’s time you open your own label? Start up something for yourself instead of working under that man for so many years, he’s greedy.’
‘I already have my label, it’s growing rapidly but no one knows I own it.’
‘Which one?’
‘Why don’t we talk about this on the way,’ I suggested. She nodded and carried her legs in,side. I shut the door for her and walked over to the driver’s seat. I still wanna know what her problem is. I shut the door after slipping in and buckling my seatbelt, she was staring out of the window sadly. ‘Leila, I’m missing your vivacious self,’ I said complainingly.
‘Don’t ask again, please.’ She shunned me again, that hurts. I started the car, at least I will try again.
‘So, you asked what label I own, right?’ She turned her head from the window to my face. ‘Bricode,’
‘Bricode! F-cking hell man! You own that and you are still working under that supercilious man!’
‘I don’t know, I think I’m afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone, stepping out and failing. What if the moment I step out, something that will destroy my work? Destroy everything, comes up?’
‘Life is a risk Eric, you can’t keep hiding because you don’t want to leave your happy place, the place you have always worked for. Listen to me, to gain something, you must always have it in mind that it is a risk, a challenge that you will either pass or fail. With the right planning, I know you can.’
‘But….’
‘Let’s do it like this,’ she adjusted on the chair, I glanced at the road. ‘When will your contract expire?’
‘It expired three months ago, I ane still contemplating about renewing it.’
‘Don’t,’ she smiled. ‘You will make this video under your own label, the song will be a hit. Then, when the press ask why you moved to Bricode, you tell them you own it. The news will be a blast, a big one!’
‘Won’t I be seen as a traitor?’
‘For stepping out after so many years?’ She snorted. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said with certainty. ‘People will always talk, indubitably. There must be the ones that jealousy will kill their generation but that shouldn’t bother you, they are haters.’
‘So, I should do this?’
‘Definitely,’ she chirped. ‘It’s a new start. I understand the name, Bricode as in BRIceno and HeartCODE, right?’ I nodded. ‘There, tomorrow, get to work and I am here to help anyway I can.’
‘Thank you Leila,’ I smiled. ‘Will you tell me now?’
‘You are not going to give up, are you?’
‘Not when I still breathe,’ she looked back at the window.
‘What will you do if you love something so much but yet can’t have it?’
‘Why can’t you have it?’
‘Not me,’
‘Why can’t you have it?’ I repeated.
‘Because it can be the beginning of the end, the death of me.’
‘Why do you think you will die if you have that thing?’
‘Because I will, it’s impossible to avoid a fate which I am a living testimony to,’ she muttered, staring at her hands. ‘Something I am is how I know. I have tried to change it, but it can’t work.’
‘What makes you want it? Have you ever thought about it before?’
‘Honestly, it’s my other sister, Bernice, she’s sick. She has a weak heart, extreme things can make her sick more. She have never really cared before but now, she finds herself longing for something she fear her heart will stop her from.’
‘How bad is it?’ I was damn confuse.
‘Dark bad, something our family, she is forbidden from having.’
‘Well, it wouldn’t have come to her attention if it wasn’t meant to be hers. She can never know where her will and faith will take her to until she actually dare to risk it, dare to challenge her fate. Like you said, life is a risk, one has to risk to gain. What if at the end, she looks at her back and smile because she made it? Not trying will kill her faster than trying, regret is a bitch.’
‘You won’t understand Eric,’ she chuckled, shaking her head with a painful smile. ‘It’s far more complicated than you think, beyond that. I wish I can open up to you but I can’t, I am sworn to secrecy.’
‘You are using Bernice to cover up, I know. The only thing I can tell you is that what fate have installed for that person you are worried about, will uncover whether bad or good. However, he or she can change it if only he or she is determined to.’ She chuckled and looked at me, I smiled and returned my gaze to the road before I drive wrongly.
‘Alright, thank you Eric, for that completely useless advice,’ she said drily. I rolled my eyes, cute. I looked at her again, she was doing that sed-ctive lip bite again. Damn it!
‘Leila, is it okay if I….’ She looked at me with an innocent face, what if she gets mad? ‘Nevermind.’ I muttered, she’s making me ho-ny. I changed direction, her mood was still bad and I think I know what to do.
‘Where are we going?’
‘Chill,’ I smiled. I drove to a bridge, one people don’t pass at night. I parked the car under it while she watched me curiously. ‘Out,’
‘Why?’
‘Let’s dance,’
‘Huh?’
‘Let us dance,’ I removed my seatbelt with a smile, she was already grinning. I turned on my iPod which was connected to my car, I searched for a song and played the one before it. She was already out by then, she started dancing. Don’t start now by Dua Lipa, in a flicker, I forget the issue bothering me as I watched her dance again. I came out of the car and rest on the bonnet as I watched her dance like she was in a club.
‘Won’t you join me?’ She asked gigglingly. I shook my head negatively, watching her was enough. She smirked and rolled her h¡ps dancingly to me in a very sed-ctive manner.
‘What are you doing?’ I chuckled.
‘Dancing with you,’ she said and pulled me away from the car, of course the music had to change to something she can sed-ce me with. F-ck! I was damn. She wasn’t aware of the fact that she was killing me with the way her body rolled against me, her hands up as she kept whining and dancing.
‘Leila,’
‘Yeah?’ She laughed, dancing away me. ‘Thank you,’
‘For what?’
‘Changing my mood, I would have k-ssed you but I dare not,’
‘Why?’ I asked expectedly. ‘I don’t mind if we k-ss or do anything further,’
‘He minds,’ she said looking at something behind me. I turned, there was no one. ‘Yes Dark, I know,’ she scoffed.
‘What?’
‘Sorry if I turned you on, you can go get a girl,’ she said bitterly. I smirked, why is she playing V-rgin? I walked closer to her.
‘You won’t understand,’
‘Make me,’ I whispered huskily, gracing my hands around her h¡ps. ‘What don’t I understand Leila,’ I hoarsed as I lowered my l-ips to her neck.
‘Eric, please, don’t make this difficult for me,’ she whispered weakly, should I listen to that trash?
Leila
I mo-ned lowly as his teeth and tongue worked on my neck down to my collarbones, his hands were firmly locked around my h¡ps, not letting me go at all. The fact that he was the first man to make me weak was sad, the worse was not being able to explore that weakness. I was aware of Dark’s stare, I couldn’t let him get any further yet I couldn’t push him. I was w-t already, my stomach clenched from too much fluttering.
‘Leila,’ Dark chuckled warningly, I whimpered and mo-ned again as his hand slipped into my shirt to tease my perky br-asts. ‘Leila,’ he called again. I sighed and reached my hand to the back of Eric’s head. I reluctantly grabbed it with my dark energy flowing out. He pulled back, his eyes were black.
‘From now on, you will make no amorous advances at me, whatever you feel, you keep to yourself.’ He nodded, I looked away to Dark. A slight chill ran down my spine, my heart jolted.
‘Bloom!’ I scre-med. ‘She’s in trouble…’
‘Take Eric home, I will handle it.’ Dark said and ran off into a poof, what is wrong with her?