[Outside]
After Ben left, Andrew was about to go inside when George, who had just arrived home from the office, stopped him.
"When did you come?"
"A while ago."
The short interaction between them was followed by an awkward silence. They were standing in front of each other without saying anything.
Awkwardly clearing his throat, George remarked, "I need to talk to you about something important." Without waiting for Andrew's reply, he added, "Let's go to the garden."
Andrew nodded and followed him.
…..
[Garden]
"Listen Andrew, we both are good friends. We have known each other since kindergarten. But right now, I am not your friend—I am Rachael's brother," George stated. Now that Andrew had married his sister, there were a few things he wanted to straighten out with him.
Without waiting for Andrew's reply, he added, "You probably know everything that happened last year in our family. It was one of the darkest times for us, especially for Rachael."
"I know." Andrew was aware of everything.
"I have seen my little sister go through a lot in the past twelve months and the fact that I couldn't do anything to lessen or take away her pain made me feel so useless and weak. As her older brother, I was supposed to protect her—I had to make sure that nobody hurts her but I miserably failed." George balled his hand. "There wasn't a single day I didn't curse myself. I felt that I failed as a big brother. I failed Rachael."
"Whatever happened back then—It wasn't your fault or Rachael's."
"After that incident, Rachael lost her smile. My cheerful little sister was lost somewhere. It was so hard to see her like that." Thinking of everything Rachael had gone through in the past still broke his heart. "I was rooting for the day when she would smile like she always used to. I desperately wanted her to start living her life again. And when that day finally came, I promised myself that I would never let anyone hurt her like that. I would always be there for her, I would always protect her."
George took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was overwhelmed with bitter-sweet emotions.
"You and Rachael were not supposed to get married—at least not like this," he stated. George was not satisfied with his sister's whirlwind marriage.This was not how he had imagined his sister would get married. Maybe if Andrew and Rachael had first dated to know each other properly before getting married, he would have happily accepted it.
"Trust me, this is not how I wanted it to happen either. But some things aren't in our control, they are just meant to happen." Andrew was being honest.
"Look—I don't know what kind of a conversation you and Rachael had and why you both made such an impulsive decision. I really don't know and neither do I wanna know. You both are adults, you know what you are doing. But since you are already married to my sister, there are a few things I want to tell you."
George placed his hands on Andrew's shoulder. "I trust you Andrew and I know you will take good care of her but—If you ever hurt my sister, I'll kick your a*ss."
"I understand your concerns and they are very much legit. But take my word for it, hurting Rachael in any way is not even the last thing I want to do. She is my wife—believe me or not but starting today, she is and will always be the most important person in my life. She is my topmost priority and I'll be there for her no matter what happens." Andrew meant every word he had said. He would do anything to keep his wife happy and would never let her down.
Andrew's sincerity made George feel very satisfied and relaxed. This is exactly what he wanted to hear when he started the conversation. There was no doubt that Andrew was a great man but he still wanted the verbal confirmation.
"That's good to hear." He gave him a hug. "Welcome to the family. We are a little crazy but you are gonna like it."
Andrew smiled and hugged him back. "If I ever hurt your sister, you are free to kick my a*ss."
"Of course I will," George exclaimed.
...