Hunter coolly glared at the bare shoulder of Emily's Fit-and-flare dress which hugs her body through the bust and waist, while being a little more forgiving through the hips, bottom, and thighs.
Emily was an attractive woman he fraternize, she was an extroverted individual, who enjoy being part of a crowd, a great talkative, enthusiastic, active, and social. She enjoyed money, luxury, and comfort like nobody else.
She always likes to impress others by her expensive clothes, designer accessories, and flashy cars.
She was a big spenders, and if she can afford it, she traveled a lot. She is likely to stay in splendid hotels, enjoying exciting safaris and luxury cruises, deriving full happiness and pleasure from her wealth.
She indulge in her rich, comfortable, and sumptuous living effectively. But if there was something he loved most about her was that she was surely a quick thinker, influential, competitive, independent calm, easy-going, good-natured and somewhat reserved. She had a gentle heart that seeks harmony and abhors conflict.
And as he stared at Emily's gorgeous face, he felt guilt. Regret.
And, he admitted.
The night she had gone missing he was solely responsible, for he had rejected her marriage proposal and had apprised her that he didn't want her or anybody else for a wife.
.....
"Emily, you keep making comments about married couples and such. Are you trying to tell me something? I'd rather you be direct with me instead of making confusing comments." He asked as he arranged some of his files on the office table.
"Let get marry."
Hunter looked up from the table, surprise writing all over his face.
"What!"
It came as a shock to Hunter. He didn't see that coming, because frankly, he could not conceive of it happening as he only saw her as a sister, a friend and he thought she felt the same way.
"That's such a moving request Emily and I'm indebted with your proposal and request but the true thing in reality is that i am still extremely immature and not ready. Though i can take my own responsibility, but taking the immense responsibility of a lady seems far-fetched. And it's not something I'd feel right saying yes to."
He replied, his heart feeling like a brick in his stomach.
Emily's heart sink, she looked in his direction.
"But you, you kissed me last night Hunter don't pretend nothing happened between us, you fucking made love to me!"
"That was a fucking mistake Emily. I was drunk. I wasn't my self, you could have stopped me but you allowed it to happened."
The truth settled into the pit of her stomach, along with the realization that he spoke the truth. He was drunk. But she wouldn't give up. Emily wasn't the type to give up on someone she loved.
"That because I love you, I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had and, and father isn't against it."
Of course his father and mother weren't against it. They'd giving Emily their family's treasure, a ring that was passed on from generation to generation.
He watched as her heart raced and her breath came quickly. Her eyes were bloodshot and tears were beginning to blur her vision.
"I swear not to look at the other girl's you'd been calling... cross my heart, like fun! You warm breath on my neck that had sent my heart to a flurry of wild beats, how you cuddled and made love to me and you say you don't feel anything."
She swallowed down her throbbing heart. Emily didn't understand how to balance the two sensations, the physical need that made her want to drink more of him and beg him to make love to her again, and the inability to believe her fate was at the side of disaster. He was going to leave her. The truth was so painful and it hurts more than she thought.
Both statements came from her heart. Everything so thoroughly that her very quotations, her echoes from what she has revealed, are in truth original.
But he only loved her as a brother would. Hunter broke free from staring at her face. He bit his tongue, wanting more than anything to refuse. She looked at him with those Blue orbs that were filled with so much hurt.
"I'm sorry." with that Hunter left the office, followed by the low but ringing tears of Emily.
He didn't regret what he had done, and In his mind, he knew he'd already hurt her, he only looked at her with pity instead of regrets.
Emily hurried to her feet, racing as she ran through the corridor and caught up to him at the door, surprising him with the quiet of herself and giving him a hug from behind, burying her head against his back and holding on for a long while.
"Does that mean if you were willing, you'd refuse?" She asked as tears burned her eyes and her lower lip trembled. Accepting her proposal of marriage might be setting herself up for a marriage fall, but him declining was surely something she would live to regret.
She waited for more, waited for him to tell her he'd change his mind but her heart failed when he didn't answer on the simple question.
"Fine. I will go." She'd replied. Then, without another word, turned and left. That night Emily went Missing for five years, years that left him full of hurt and regrets. And no matter how sorry Hunter was for what happened, or how many times he apologized or tried to make up for it, he couldn't remove the hurt.