"Is something going on Emerald?" Mia, my best friend asked as she watched me take a swig of my third shot of vodka. I could tell that she was really curious to know why I was acting out of character and drinking on a weekday, which is very unlike me. I normally don't drink alcohol very often because I strongly believe that as a nurse, I needed to set a good example and I can't exactly drink whenever I wanted to since I don't always know when I'll be needed at work to attend to a patient.
"Does it look like something is going on with me?" I asked the very obvious question and Mia didn't hesitate to nod her head affirmatively.
"You shouldn't even be asking me that, Em. You know very well that you're acting weird and I'm really starting to worry about you. You suddenly called me out for a drink on a freaking weekday, which is something that you haven't done in over three years and as if that isn't weird enough, you're also taking several shots of vodka, something that you would never do in your right mind. You hate vodka Emerald," she reminded me and I didn't even realise when I let out a small laugh.
"Damn Mia, I guess I'm really losing my mind," I muttered a response and she rolled her eyes at me.
"Exactly Em. You're losing your mind and I need you to tell me exactly what's making you lose your mind. Stop putting me on suspense and just tell me what's going on with you," she demanded in a tone that showed that she was being dead serious.
I honestly wanted nothing more than to spill everything to her but I wasn't really sure of how I was supposed to announce to her that I was getting married to none other than, Brian Huxley, one of the richest and most influential men in the United States. He was my soon to be husband and yet, I have only ever met him once and I still had absolutely no idea why I was being pressured to marry him in the first place. How was I supposed to tell my best friend that I was very much intimidated by my soon to be husband and that everything about him kind of scared me.
The mere thought of the entire situation gave me more than enough reason to want to get drunk and just forget about everything else in the world.
"It's not like I don't want to tell you but, I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to say this to you. You're probably going to think I'm crazy anyways," I said and a deep frown formed on her face.
"Are you being serious right now Emerald? Is that how little you think of me? You and I have been best friends for over ten years now and you really think that I'm going to find you crazy if you tell me what's going on with you? So what if I think you're crazy? Does it matter? Isn't that how friendships work anyways? Just because I might find whatever is going on with you crazy doesn't automatically mean that I won't support you and stick with you," she responded in a snappy tone and I let out a frustrated sigh.
"I'm going to explain everything to you but you face to promise me that what I'm about to tell you is going to stay between us Mia. You most definitely cannot tell this to anyone else, do you understand?" I warned her.
Mia scowled. "As much as I would love to tell someone about my best friend's life and expose her personal business, I don't think anyone in the world would care to listen to me blab about you cause you're not that important silly. Now, start talking and stop sounding so dramatic," she hissed back at me.
I let out a sigh, taking a small sip from my halfway filled shot. I signalled the bartender to fill up my glass before turning to face Mia directly and in one breath, I blurted out the summary of my predicament. "I'm getting married,"
As soon as the words left my mouth, Mia's face immediately switched from curious to confused before finally switching to a shocked expression. "Wait, what? You're getting married? You? Emerald Dawson? The same Emerald that doesn't even have a boyfriend much less a fiancé?" she questioned and her reaction wasn't a surprise to me. I was expecting her to be shocked and I also knew that she would not believe me.
"Yes Mia, I, Emerald Dawson, the girl who doesn't have a boyfriend, much less a fiancé, is getting married," I confirmed and her jaw dropped.
"You know what sweetie? I think it's high time you just quit with the drinking and let's just get you home already. Alcohol is most definitely not your thing and it's already starting to make you say a lot of nonsense that makes absolutely no sense at all. I'll call a driver to come pick us up so that you can get home and get some rest. It seems like you really need it," she said, already getting up to leave but I stopped her.
"I'm not drunk Mia and I meant what I just said. I'm getting married soon and yes, I know it sounds unbelievable and absolutely ridiculous it's actually the truth," I assured her and when she realised that I was being serious, she relaxed.
"So you're really getting married? How come? Who exactly is this person that you're supposedly marrying?" Mia asked, staring back at me with curious eyes. I was expecting her to ask me this question but now that she finally did, I didn't exactly know how to break it to her that I was marrying a freaking billionaire. She's most probably not going to believe me at first but I still have no other choice but to tell her anyways.
"Don't be shocked Mia," I warned her in advance and she rolled her eyes at me.
"As if anything can be more shocking than the fact that you're actually getting married," she sneered at me and I sighed.
"My soon-to-be husband is Brian Huxley," I informed her.
She frowned. "What the fuck are you saying Emerald? Which one of the Brian Huxley are you talking about cause it can't possibly be the same one that I've heard about," she responded dismissively but when she noticed that I didn't say anything at all, she let out a loud gasp. "Holy mother of Christ, are you fucking joking with me? Is he really the one?" she asked in a really loud voice, drawing unwanted attention to where we were seated and I quickly hushed her so she didn't end up announcing to the entire bar that I'm getting married.
"I know it sounds like the worst kind of joke but unfortunately for me, it's not a joke," I said. "It all still feels to me like some kind of bad dream that I'll be waking up from anytime soon but if I'm being honest with myself, it is the actual truth and I have to prepare to make peace with it," I added, fighting back the urge to burst into tears.
"I can't believe this Emerald. You're really marrying Brian Huxley? The same Brian Huxley that's infamous for being a money driven bastard and a ruthless businessman? But why though? Why would you be marrying someone like him? Do you even know this man?" she asked.
"Well, I didn't know at first but I did meet him for the first time earlier today and that's the reason why I called you out for a drink. Meeting him made me realise that I'll really have to get married to him and honestly, the mere thought of it just terrifies me and gives me the chills. Earlier today, we drove hours to go and meet this man and he barely spared us thirty minutes of his time and even when he was with us, he barely even looked in my direction. It's like he doesn't want to marry me but is being forced to," I explained, recalling how frustrated and embarrassed I felt with the situation earlier today.
"If you're already feeling this way, why in the world are you marrying him? What's the reason?" Mia questioned and I groaned in frustration.
"Trust me Mia, I would also love to know why this marriage is even a thing in the first place but I don't know. I have absolutely no clue as to why I'm even getting married. Dad just told me that I had to marry him in order for our lives to remain the same and he practically left me no other choice. I'm having dinner with him tomorrow and I'm going to ask him why we have to get married since dad is refusing to say anything to me," I told her.
"You're meeting him again? All by yourself?" she asked.
"Of course, Mia. If I'm going to marry the man, I need to at least talk to him for more than five minutes and he asked me out to dinner to apologise for the fact that he couldn't talk for too long today," I responded, and Mia sighed.
"You know, all of this is so fucking crazy and I'm still finding it hard to digest the fact that you're getting married. I'm just going to wait until after your dinner with him tomorrow and hear how it all goes," she said, obviously just as confused as I was as well.
"I also can't wait to know the kind of person he is in person. I'm so nervous about the idea of being alone with him cause you know how uncomfortable I get in awkward situations," I told her and she took my hands I hers, squeezing it lightly.
"Don't worry too much babe. If he turns out to be insufferable, all you have to do is cut him off and walk out of there without thinking twice about it and you'll tell your dad that you can't marry him because he makes you very uncomfortable. You shouldn't be sacrificing your sanity just to please him," she said and I simply let out a sigh.
If only it was that easy to refuse.