'Mistake'
The dinner after my graduation was nothing special, they acted as if nothing just happened and nothing is worth celebrating.
"When are you going to get married?" Dad suddenly asked me out of nowhere. I stopped eating and looked at him.
"What kind of question is that?" I asked him surprisingly. "I just graduated from college,"
"What is the problem with that? You're now 22, it's a decent age to get married," he said. He's not even looking at me. The calm atmosphere got overpowered by the tension between me and him.
"I don't know why you're asking me this but I am not going to get married soon," I said hoping that it could stop this kind of conversation and stop the worst from happening, I went back to eating and a few seconds later, he said something again.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Make art?" I asked sarcastically, "Dad, look. I just graduated, I am supposed to live the fun with the course that I had graduated, please stop talking about marriage,"
"Talking about that useless thing again,"
I was stunned, I couldn't move an inch after what he said, I just looked at him with hurt visible in my eyes and yet he didn't even look at me. He said it naturally, he didn't even go back to his words or gave hesitation before saying it. I felt like something is blocking my throat and stopping me from saying a word.
"Aira's brother is said to be wealthier than his own family now," I gulped when he started talking about Zach. That is something that I didn't expect him to talk about.
Zach? Wealthier than his family? As far as I know, his family is wealthier than mine. And the fact he had overtaken both means he's already wealthy more than I can imagine.
That face has become a billionaire?
"Do you get what I am saying right now?"
"Dad, I am not going to do it," I said and stood out of the table. I looked at both of them and the worst thing is that no one is even looking at me right now, Mom is facing her food as if nothing is happening. "Why do you always like to meddle with my life? I told you, I am not going to do it,"
And the worst thing is that they're trying to give me to Zach to rely on his power. It's disgusting.
"If you had taken a business course, it wouldn't be this hard for you," he said while still looking at his plate.
"Dad, what can I do? I told you, I am not fit to run this company,"
"Your brother is rebellious!" I was stunned by the way he raised his voice to me, "What else are you going to do for this family?! Draw?! Paint?! Do all those petty things?! You need to grow up, Xhyrah!"
My tears started rolling down my cheeks before I could say anything. "I didn't raise you to do what you want!" he said and continued eating.
"Then you shouldn't have raised me at all!" I said, my voice almost cracked up but I still managed to say it right, I started crying and that is when I decided to leave. Everybody in this big house is watching me right now, the maids and the drivers are listening to our conversation and they all looked at me with pity in their eyes.
I feel sick, I feel very sick of this household that did nothing else but pries on my decisions.
I went up to my room and cried until I had no tears left to cry. They couldn't even support my decisions yet they introduce me as their child to others. They act like we're the perfect family for the show but do this when the media is not around.
I am so sick of this, and now they are trying to sell me to someone. Making me marry someone is the worst thing that they could ever do to me. This is why Alester left, and I should've done it too.
I looked at the clock and it was already 11 pm. I dressed in a hooded jacket, jeans, and high-cut sneakers. I took my phone and wallet with me and went out of the house alone.
I walked out of the property and followed where my feet is trying to take me, I took out my phone from my pocket and called Aira, but she didn't answer so I continued walking the dark road. I thought going to Aira's house would be the best thing I can do for now. To go to a place where I can think things over and calm down.
I walked the distance from my house to Aira's. The maids opened the door for me, "Ms. Aira isn't around tonight," the maids told me.
I felt like I had just given another burden myself. I should've just stayed in the house. I called Aira and she picked it up, "Hey," she answered the call, I can immediately hear the loud noise in the background.
"You're out," I said.
"How did you know?" she asked me, judging the way she is talking right now, I can guess that she's already drunk.
"I'm at your house," I said and sighed,
"Oh no, I'm not coming home tonight," she said, "What happened?"
"No, nothing, it's fine, I can just go home," I told her.
"Are you sure? Are you okay? Want me to come back now? I can--"
"No, it's all right, I wanted to watch a movie with you tonight, you're out so I'mma just head back," I told her. I made something up to stop her.
"Are you sure?" she asked me again.
"Yeah, bye," I said and hung up the call.
"What are you doing here this late?" I almost jumped out when someone suddenly talked right behind me,
'You scared me," I said as I put the phone back into my pocket. I looked at him and he looks like he just come from somewhere too.
"Sir? " the maid suddenly came from somewhere, "Do you need anything?"
"No, I just came to get something," he answered and looked at me again,
"So, you no longer live here?' I asked him and put both of my hands in my pockets. He looked at me as if he was examining my face so I looked away and looked down. He can't find out that I was crying.
"Yeah," he answered and walked past me. There's no way a billionaire would still live with his family, he probably has his own house right now, "Seems like Aira's not around, come,"
I didn't even hesitate to come with him. I don't have anything to do because I don't want to come home so I followed him and we went upstairs and into his old room.
It was my first time coming in here, he welcomed me casually inside. He went to a bookshelf and left me walking around his room, It looks neat even though he doesn't use it. Everything is in place. It's all black, gray and white, except for the little things of course. But the walls, ceilings, and the furniture are all the same colors. He must've liked those colors too much.
I looked at him and remembered what dad said earlier this evening. He has become wealthier than his parents and family but he doesn't look like it to me. He's wearing striped long sleeves and black pants. And his hair is down unlike usual. He must've come from his house and gone here to get something real quick.
Looking at him, he seemed normal. No signs of being a billionaire or something. I don't know if I should still look at him the same way even after finding out that he's superior to me.
He had progressed since the last time he lived here.
He took a book and started turning the pages. I looked at his face and the image of him when we kissed flashed into my mind. I immediately looked away and went to the side table and pretended to act like I am going to try and see something.
I sat on the bed and clicked the lamp on and off. "So what happened?" he suddenly asked me. His tone doesn't sound so curious at all. I looked at him and he was still turning the pages.
"What do you mean?' I asked as if I never really knew something.
"I don't think you'd come here in the middle of the night to watch a movie with my sister looking so depressed like that," I felt like something hit me when he said that. It was too obvious. "Movie huh," he chuckled.
"It's nothing really interesting," I said. I am trying to not say it to him, the only person I can open my problems to is Aira, he's her brother but it's not the same. I am not the type of person who opens my problems to people easily.
"Oh yeah? Care to tell me?" he asked.
He's so persistent. " I told you, it's not something that will interest you," I told him.
"Is it about a guy?" he asked.
"No," I denied immediately.
"Hmm," he said.
It reminded me of the thing earlier, those hurtful words that my dad said. I want to tell it to someone to know that have someone who would make me feel better but it's just not him. I just realized how hard it will be for me if Aira never existed.
"I'll go down for a moment, wait here,' he said and left the room. And I was left alone in the huge quiet room. I sighed multiple times and tried hard not to think about it now that I am alone, a tear escaped from my eyes.
Maybe I should just look for someone to marry like what Dad said, it might make things a little better.
I laughed at my own thought, I thought of it as if it was that easy.
I spent minutes inside the room fighting my own emotions before he came back with beer cans. "What are you doing?" I asked him. he went closer and put a can in front of me, he opened it with his finger and went back to where he was standing earlier along with his.
Alcohol will only worsen this situation but I still took it. I'm ready to regret my life choices.
All I can hear is the sound of the pages he's turning. The silence is making me more depressed. "Are you not going to talk?" I asked him.
"Not until you do," he said without looking at me.
I finished my beer before deciding to talk. "I hate my parents," I finally said. After saying those words, I felt like I am going to bawl. I can't even look at him so I stayed facing the opposite direction. "They are so selfish, it makes me want to leave home like my brother," I said.
"I see, it's not about a guy," he said.
'I that your only concern?!" I asked him angrily,
"Of course not," he said and faced my way. he leaned to the bookshelf and looked down at me. I looked away.
"They kept on criticizing my decisions, my art, and the path that I have decided to walk. It's just so suffocating," I said. Tears started rolling down my eyes. Those words really hurt me. "I can't believe they could say those words to their daughter, they should be the number one person who would support me," I said. My voice is cracking up as I talk but I couldn't care less. He made me say it, I'll leave if he's going to laugh at me.
"They keep on telling me to do things that I shouldn't. they called my art petty and they didn't even congratulate me. I feel like I have never done anything enough for them to notice that I am trying," I said. I wiped my tears using my jacket's sleeves and proceeded on continuing my rant. "They aren't even listening to all the things that I say, and keep on making me things that I can never do and make me feel little for not being able to." I continued, 'I am just a person, I have things that I can and cannot do, why are they making me feel bad about that?!" I said and continued crying.
I felt something drop on the side of the bed, I looked at it and it was another can of beer, I took it right away and opened it, "T-thank you," I said and drank it. I wiped my tears to make myself less pitiful to look at. "This is so frustrating," I said. "I'm sorry for involving you in this, and making you listen to my bawling,"
I heard footsteps coming closer so I looked down, even more, to hide my face with my hair. I felt him sit right next to me.
I started feeling uneasy for no reason. And it worsened when he wiped my hair off to see my face. I gulped. I didn't have the strength to do anything and let him do whatever he wanted.
He looked at me for a few seconds and kissed me.
I was shocked, I didn't move anything at first but something in my head made me respond to it and the last thing I know is that I woke up in his room the next day.