I lay on the floor, feeling the bones and muscles in my body relax. I crane my neck to the right, hoping for it to pop, as I think about the events that had happened thirty minutes ago.
"You what?" I asked, after a few minutes of me processing. I move around the kitchen, scratching my head. "Iris, I apologize." I hold up my hand. "No you don't, what made you think to sell me?" I was almost crying, me belonging to someone else was nerve racking.
"We needed the money." I look at him. "So selling me was your answer?" I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I'm sorry, I thought you would've been single by now." I groan, "I don't even like him, this isn't about him." I glare at him. "This is about you selling me." He sighs, "I know, but your mom was sick, and he offered." My features turn soft, at the mention of my mother. "Mom was sick?" He nods, "That's the only reason." I take a deep breath. "What will they do to me?" I whisper, and Dale sighs, "you'll marry his son, become a housewife, make him stop being a womanizer." I crack a small smile. "So be a babysitter?" He chuckles, "Exactly." And I sigh, "So I'm in this for how long?" He smiles, "Forever.?"
"And, why is he coming tonight?"
"To make the events final, and to take what will be his."
A knock on the door causes me to stand, and a man walks in. He's older, around forty, and he greets Dale with such professionalism.
"Iris, this is your future father-in-law, Charlie Novak."
I open my mouth, Novak? Of Novak enterprises?
"Wait, so, wait." I simply say, words cannot be formed.
"You're rich?" I ask in disbelief, he shakes his head, "For the third time, yes." I smile awkwardly, my face flushing from embarrassment, "Sorry, I'm just, baffled." I say after a moment. He smiles quickly, "No big deal, we do need to be heading out though." I sigh, and look around the room, Eric making eye contact with me. He was told that I had fallen in love with another man, and his father had come to pick me up. "Let me grab my things, and we'll go." I smile, and he nods.
I open the door and sigh. The light from the hallway seeps around me into the dark room. I make my way into the room and grab my bags, a body pressing against me as i go to grab them.
"So this is why you didn't want to marry me?" He whispers, and I sigh and turn around.
"Well i-"
"Six years Iris, and you were just stringing me along for how long?" He asked, anger evident in his voice. "Eric, listen to me-"
"No, I listened to you for six years. It all makes sense now." I look at his face and he's frowning, I notice tears are threatening to spill. Weak, I can't help but think.
"What makes sense?"
"Everything, since the beginning. You were hesitant to kiss me for the first time. You wouldn't look at me for a week after that, and I swore I violated you." I sigh, and make my way away from him. He follows, and I sit on the bed. "Our first date, you were late. By two hours. I can't believe I was so stupid." I look over at him, and his head was in his hands. Is he crying?
"How long was this guy in the picture?" Why is he so set that I had cheated?
"He wasn't."
"So, you're going to tell me you fell in love with him instantly?" I groan, and lay on the bed. He lays beside me. "Please love me. I promise I won't fight with you when you're having your bad days, and I won't complain when you move the couch around and-"
"Eric." He looks up at me, tears falling from his eyes, I slowly wipe them.
"Why can't you just love me the way I love you?"
'Why can't you just love me the way I love you?'
Eric's voice repeats that sentence in my head. I close my eyes and lean my head against the warm cloth seats. "Are you okay?" Mr. Novak asks, and I sigh, "Yeah, I'm just thinking." "Mine if i ask what's on your mind?"
I lean my head up and look at him, him across from me.
"It's just, I've never done something like this you know." I lean up, my back sticking to the leather seat.
"I'm sure this is everyone's first experience."
My frown deepens, and I just decide to look out the window.
"This did get you out of that god awful relationship you were in though." He says, and I glance at him, at the mention of Eric. I guess I did love him in a way, but more of a brotherly way, and not a 'I want a future with you.' Kind of way.
We get to the airport, and I take a deep breath, Airplanes had always scared me. "Right this way ma'am." A man says, as he takes me hand. I'm led to a seat and I sit, suddenly feeling sick. Mr. Novak sits across from me.
"Let's talk about my son." He says, reaching to grab a black briefcase. He opens it, and hands me a file. "Arson?" Mr. Novak nods, sighing. "He's been charged with Arson? Is Dale aware of this?" Mr. Novak's eyes go wide, before chuckling, and eventually laughing to where he's holding his sides."Iris, that's his name. " I open my mouth, and suddenly the plane starts to move, I close my mouth and eyes, feeling sick to my stomach. I feel a reassuring hand on my leg, and I open my eyes to see Mr. Novak smile at me.
"Airsick?" He chuckles, and I nod. "You'll have to get used to it, Arson loves flying." He motioned to the file sitting in front of me. I release the air I was holding and opened the file. 'Arson Maximum Novak.'Cute. I smile, as I look over the paper. His mugshot is paperclipped to the first page, and I pick up the picture. His right eye is bruised, and his nose is bleeding. "Does he fight?" Mr. Novak chuckled, "He slept with his best friend's girlfriend." I open my mouth and he holds up his hand, "I know. Believe me, I have raised him for twenty three years." He chuckles.
The plane lands and we make our way to the car, and the sudden thought of living with him, makes me nervous.
'What if he locks me into a closet, and keeps me there to starve? What if he makes me his sex slave? What if he chains me up, and forces me to eat other people? Oh god, I might throw up.'
"Are you okay Iris?" I look over at Mr. Novak and nod my head. "You zoned out for pretty much the entire ride." He says, as we pull up into a giant golden and white house.
"Please tell me this is a hotel." I say, astonished. He laughs, "What can I say, we like to live fabulously." The door opens, and a man is standing there. He's older, around thirty five or so, and he reaches for my hand.
"Mrs. Novak, my name is Griffin, and I am the house butler." He gives me a small bow, and walks towards the back of the vehicle.
"Follow me, Mrs. Novak." I look at Mr. Novak, and he chuckles, placing his hand in my lower back. "You're practically married here. They all will refer to you as Mrs. Novak." He leads me into the big house, and shows me around, giving me a tour.
"Lastly, we enter the kitchen. The chef, Martha, will be willing to cook you anything you ask." He says, as a woman comes out. She's older than me, around my mothers age, and she smiles, her brown hair tied into a messy bun.
"Good evening Ms." She has a thick accent, and I smile at her. "Ah, are you the future Mrs. Novak?" She asks, her eyes lighting up. I open my mouth to talk.
"No. She isn't." A deep voice says behind me.