That night a few days back, when my father just sold me off for his company, I couldn't sleep.
Really it wasn't because that I will have to marry a stranger.
I thought of going in my sister's room for information. She must have something which will give me the name of her boyfriend. Maybe a letter, or a gifted book or maybe she wrote it somewhere.
Today, I finally gathered up the courage to walk into her room.
The beige walls, the brown silky curtains and her white study table beside the huge book shelf. Everything was surprisingly well-maintained.
I sat on her bed and tried to feel her long gone presence.
Shortly after, I started checking around.
Her notebooks and the drawers.
Nothing mentioned. And nothing unusual in the drawers either.
Then I saw her diary in her book shelf.
Should I read it? I need her permission. It isn't right to read her diary just like that.
And after contemplating for a moment, I started reading it. She would want me to read it, I'm sure of it.
The first entry was on 19 November, last year..
She began writing from my birthday. I smiled.
Allison's handwriting was one of a kind. Such smooth and beautiful letters she had written.
I noticed some sentences like, 'He bought me a dress today. Maybe I'll wear it to our next date.' and also, 'He sent me another letter today, which was just as charming as others.'
Letter? Maybe it's somewhere here.
In the end, I couldn't find his name. She only referred to him as 'he'. I can't believe she didn't mention his name even once.
Could it be, she didn't want anyone to know about him?
Whatever the case, I started finding the letters she wrote about.
I sat on the bed, exhausted. I couldn't find them anywhere. Ally has always been good at hiding her personal things.
I was about to give up but I thought of doing one last check in her closet and under the bed. Two places, I didn't check.
I bent down and threw the drooping bedsheet onto the bed.
There were a few boxes.
Yes! Maybe they were there.
I almost took out the boxes but was interrupted by a voice, "Lily, Mr. Andrew has come to meet you."
It was Bella and yes, she startled me. I pushed the boxes back in, hopefully unnoticeably.
"Mr. Andrew?" I asked, getting up.
"Yes, he is with your father." She informed.
I sighed and said, "Alright. I'll change and join them."
I wore the dress I bought with Ally a month back. It was a flowy, short dress but still decent. It was yellow with white stipes. Ally thought it would look cute on me and insisted to buy it for me as well.
I went downstairs and as I approached the living room, I heard Mr. Wilson laughing.
"Okay, I should act friendly with him. I should become friends with him." I whispered to myself.
I took a peak at the scene from behind the wall.
Andrew was sitting right beside my father and he was looking pretty relaxed.
Why was his father worried about him? He didn't look stressed at all.
I walked out from my hiding place.
"Ah, you finally came, Lily. This is Andrew and Andrew, this is my daughter, Lily." Mr. Wilson got up.
"Hello." I said.
"Nice to meet you." He replied back with a smile. For some reason, it looked forceful to me.
"Why don't you both go for a walk in the garden? It will be a good atmosphere and you can learn more about each other. I'll leave you both to it." He said and left.
"After you." He said and I started leading him to the garden.
After stepping outside, I was able to observe him more closely.
He had dark brown hair and eyes of the same color. He was wearing a suit and had one hand in his pocket. He was a few inches taller than me as well.
And judging by his face, I don't think he was a fan of outdoor walks.
"Um, if you aren't comfortable outside, we could go back inside." I said.
"No, I'm comfortable. Shall we?" He said and started walking.
It took me a few steps to cover his two long strides.
"So, um. What are your interests?" I asked, trying to remove the awkwardness between us.
"I like reading and I enjoy cooking."
"I like reading as well and painting. And hmmm, I like to collect different things."
"Such as?"
"Sea shells, flowers, books and antiques as well."
He looked at me while still walking.
I looked back at him but I stopped. He kept on walking.
I don't know why but even though he was a polite speaker, I felt some coldness in his voice. He didn't want to keep the conversation going.
Maybe he was also just doing this because his father told him to.. Just like me.
He was right beside me but I still felt he was quite distant.
I decided to ask him about it.
"Hey, do you actually want to marry?" I asked.
He stopped walking and remained silent at first.
I heard him sigh. "Looks like we both are in the same position right now.." He answered.
"So, I was right." I laughed.
The wind blew and I held onto my dress. He turned around and looked at me.
"Lily, I'll be honest with you. Don't expect me to be caring and friendly with you. I have no interest in you." He said.
That was pretty harsh but I did understand his feelings. "I'm fine with that." I said.
We reached the end of the garden as well as the end of our talk.
His car was waiting for him. He was just about to leave when I got an idea.
Something that might help me and him.
"Hey, Andrew. Let's make a deal." I said.
"A deal?" He turned around.
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