|Choices.|
Duke stayed up late into the night thinking on what Mishael had told him.
Love was a decision. A commitment. If he ever wanted to have a better relationship than his parents he would have to chose to work hard on it.
Things would not always be easy and he knew that he needed someone to rely on, who was not necessarily his mother or his sister. For they also had their own lives.
Even though he knew that he had been wronged, it had also very wrong of him to project it on Malisha or expect some form of perfection from her.
Therefore he made a conscious decision to call her.
He almost gave up when his call went unanswered, many scenarios flashing through his mind, but then he remembered his new resolutions and called her again.
"Duke? Sorry I didn't hear you call. I was doing laundry." Malisha said after finally receiving his call.
"At this time?"
She laughed anxiously.
"I couldn't sleep." She told him.
"So you went to do laundry at two a.m in the morning?"
He heard her draw in a deep breath before she replied.
"The activity seems to take my mind off...things."
He noticed how she had said the word 'things' and it hurt him.
"Look, I am sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I know you are not perfect and neither am I." He blurted out.
"Duke, I am so sorry too. I should have turned them away. I just didn't know what to do. So I looked for you." She told him. "I didn't want to cause diplomatic issues between Veterum and Ueteribus."
"Ssh... " he silenced her. "You are worth going to war for." He said smiling.
"Duke! This is serious. Stop joking around." She told him and the smile turned into a grin.
"I am very serious my love.I don't want you to ever go to sleep feeling mad at me." I admit
"I am not mad at you. I saw the disappointment in your eyes and it crashed me." She replied softly.
His heart clenched at her pain while his brow furrowed into a frown.
"I know, I was projecting and that was wrong of me.Will you forgive me?"
He felt her smile as he asked her that and her moods lightened up.
"I forgive you." She told him sweetly.
"So, how's Thomas?"
After the long day that she had had, Malisha slept in. That is until she was accosted early sunday afternoon by Phoebe and Gina, who bursted into her room, questioning where she had disappeared to and she recounted the events of the previous day to them.
"Why didn't you say anything."
Phoebe the more sensitive of the two asked.
"It happenned so fast," she told them sleepily.
"I hope I was not missed." Malisha added after some time.
"No. People thought that you and Duke went out for a tétè- a-tété." Gina said and Malisha gave her a look.
"Both you and Duke were missing, so..." she defended and Malisha relented.
"Fine."
"But you guys are okay now." Gina asked and their friend nodded her head.
"Great. Then get up and get dressed," she said pulling the sleepy girl to her feet.
"Where are you taking me?" ilshe asked even as she was hauled into the shower.
"Stop asking questions. You will see soon enough."
Malisha finished taking the shower and found a vintage, red lace dress laid out for her on the bed.
"Seriously guys, what are you up to." She asked slipping on the dress.
They did not reply and Malisha walked into her closet to find them deliberating on what shoes she would wear.
"They have to be gold." Phoebe said and Gina harrumped.
"Guys?"
"You know we are girls right?" Gina said, presenting her with a pair of golden heels.
"Duh, but guys sounds better when you are being as thick as theives." She responded.
"Sit down." Her friend said pointing to the vanity set and Malisha obeyed despite herself.
Gina picked up a flat iron and started straightening Malisha's curly locks while Phoebe started on her makeup.
"Seriously girls, you are freaking me out." Malisha said standing up, after they had finished fixing her up.
She looked at herself in the mirror and was impressed. Burgundy looked good on her and the straightened hair, it was a look that she had never tried, but it looked even better on her.
"Good." Gina said and Phoebe hand her a gold clutch bag, before pushing her out of the door.
"Phoebe!" She complained, seriously confused, but everything finally made sense when she saw Duke standing at the base of the winding stairs.
"So...This is your doing," she said, walking down the stairs to meet him and he looked away from his phone and up at her smiling.
"Yea. "
"You are not working today?"
She asked, even though she knew it was a sunday.
"There is a thing known as delegating, Malisha." He told her reaching out his hand to her and she took it.
He pulled her close and wrapped his hands around her waist, before planting his lips on hers.
Gina and Phoebe giggled and Malisha pulled away, blushing furiously.
"Don't stop on our account!" Gina yelled.
"Yea, Don't. I was about to go and get popcorn." Phoebe added and Malisha gasped, turning back to look at them.
"Phoebe!"she called out shocked, before turning to her other friend.
"Gina, look at what you have done to our little angel. You have corrupted her!"
Duke laughed, still holding on to her.
"I am not responsible that." Gina defended herself and Malisha gave her a look that said that she did not believe her.
"Ask your brother not me!"
Malisha turned to look at Phoebe, more shocked than she was before.
"My brother?"
"He's hot." Phoebe told her and Malisha gawked back at her.
"See what I mean?" Gina told Malisha, pointing at the straight faced Phoebe.
Duke continued to laugh standing beside Malisha and as he pulled her through the elevator doors into its interior.
"She likes your brother?" Malisha nodded." I think your brother likes her too."
"How?" Malisha managed to whisper.
"Word on the grapevine is that they have gone out a several times."
"How did I not see this coming." Malisha mumbled to herself. "Our Phoebe?"
"You do not have any objections, do you?" Duke asked her concerned.
"No, I am just surprised that's all. Phoebe is so shy and well Mishael is...Mishael."
She told him and he burst out laughing again..
"You girls are an odd trio."
She agreed with him. They were an odd mix of everything and that's what made them work, like different parts in a well oiled engine.
"So where are you taking me?" She finally asked him.
"You will see."
"Duke..." she complained.
"Fine, just because I know you won't let it go and will keep bugging me about it."
Malisha smiled back sweetly and he shook his head, laughing.
"We are supposed to meet the Parson and the Jennings. The rest you will have to wait and see."
♧
The Limo pulled infront of the chapel and the chauffer got out to open the door.
"Don't you ever get tired of travelling in this style?" Malisha asked Duke, even as he helped her out of his 'car'.
"Sometimes.Why do you ask?"
She shrugged her houlders.
"I don't know. I just wonder what you do when you really want to be alone." She told him and immediately realised how it must have sounded, by the way he raised an eyebrow.
"Why Lisha, if you wanted some alone time, you should have said so." He teased and she blushed so furiously that she turned pink.
"That's not what I meant." Malisha told him, feeling flabbergusted and he smiled.
"What did you mean then?" He asked chuckling and she elbowed him.
Duke evaded it, just as as their Parson walked out of the chapel to meet them.
He looked over at them with a knowing look, causing Malisha to blush again, while Duke continued to chuckle beside her.
"Welcome," he told them, leading them to his office.
They found the Jennings already seated and Malisha smiled as Mrs Jennings stood up to embrace her with a tight hug.
"Malisha!" She exclaimed looking her over. "It's been so long!" She added, embracing the girl with another warm hug.
"Mrs Jennings," the girl said, tears clouding her vision.
Mrs Jennings used to be their sunday school teacher when Duke and Malisha had been little. She had just married the then local Parson, Mr Jennings and moved to stay with him at the chapel in Urberium Prime. Urberium Prime was their residential area and home to some of the highest ranking personalities in Urberium and Veterum Major.
Mrs. Jennings had taken over sunday school from her husband and had been the best sunday school teacher a girl could have asked for, especially since she threw them best tea parties and prevented the boys from bullying them.
"Duke," she finally let go of Malisha and turned to hug him as well.
Malisha thought that he would be uncormfortable, but he just smiled and hugged her back, much to the amusement of the two Parsons.
"How did Veterum Minor treat you?" Duke asked her as she let him go.
"It's fine. But I really missed my babies." She told them.
"So you two are finally getting married?" She asked taking a step back to look at them.
Malisha blushed and Duke grinned pulling her to his side.
"I always knew you liked her. You pulled her hair way too much than you did the other girls." Mrs Jennings told Duke.
"That I did, but she never spared me a second glance."
"Aaw... you poor thing." Malisha told him, causing the others to burst into laughter.
"Mr. Jennings," she said stretching her hand out to greet their former parson.
Duke extended his hand out to greet him as well.
"We are so honoured, you agreed to become our mentors."
"Pleasure's all ours." The Parson replied. "When you called us, Nina here, could not sleep with excitement." He said pointing to his wife.
"He didn't tell me that he had contacted you, but it is a wonderful surprise." Malisha told them, before turning to look at her fiancè, lovingly. "I couldn't have chosen better."