[Hiatus] Flower Shop

» The Proposal

"Mr.Vaji, the Rose Family will arrive soon. Would you like to eat lunch before they arrive?" A maid announced from behind the door.

Huh? Didn't I already meet with Cecilia? And died.

"Mr.Vaji?" The maid called out for me again.

"Ah yes, I will have lunch in my room." I told the maid quickly. After hearing the maid walk away, I went to the bathroom to examine myself.

I lifted it up my shirt, but couldn't find a stab wound anywhere. What had happened, and why am I here?

There was a knock on the door, "Mr.Vaji, your lunch has arrived." The maid told me. I walked out of my room to retrieve my lunch. It was the same, salad with chicken scattered throughout. As I waited, I counted down the clock, waiting for the maid to announce that the Rose family had arrive.

Just as I finished my lunch, the maid came as expected. Telling me to go to the waiting room to meet with the Rose family. As I walked down the hallway, I encountered Bella again. I gave her a smile and she still smiled back.

I entered the waiting room with Bella, and the scene was exact same as last time. My father gave a sarcastic remark, and everyone laughed to go along.

It's almost as if, I'm reliving the day again.

I still sat next to Cecilia, as if I really am reliving the day, I would be prepared. The conversation went the same, and I waited for my father to bring up that I had a bought a ring for Cecilia.

As I showed her the ring, I put it on her hand this time. She smiled at me.

"Oh, Cecilia also got you something, but she didn't show us. So it will be a surprise for all of us." Her father spoke up. I'm prepared, I'll hold her hand so she won't be able to act as fast. "Cecilia, why don't you show the gift to your future husband? No need to be shy." Her mother coaxed her.

Cecilia noticed that I was still holding her hand, but continued to grab something out of her bag with one hand.

I looked at her hand, awaiting for her to pull out a knife. Instead she pulled out a silver watch.

Maybe, I'm not reliving the day. Was the scene I died, a vision? Deja vu?

A look over to Cecilia who waiting for me wear the watch she brought for me. I smiled, and wore it on my wrist. It was light weight, and the design was elegant.

"Ah, you two must want to talk to each other privately, you two may go to the garden." My father dismissed us.

I stood up and held a hand for Cecilia to grab onto. "Look at them, Castiel is such a gentlemen!" Cecilia mother praised me. "Of course, it was I, who raised him after all." My father bragged. Lies, mother raised me, all you did was party.

"Let's go, Castiel." Cecilia finally spoke up. I nodded and walked us to the garden.
"Oh, your sunglasses." Cecilia said stopping.
"It's fine, we will be sitting in the shade anyways." I reassured her.
After we sat down under the pavilion, it became awkward.

"Cecilia-"
"Castiel-"

We both struggled to talk at the right time, but I ended up letting Cecilia speak first anyways.

"Castiel, did you know?" Cecilia finally asked.
"What did I know?" I asked her.
"Did you know that I had a knife in my bag?" She said while grabbing a knife out of her bag. She held it out for me to see.

I stared at the knife. The knife that killed me before, it wasn't a painless death, but it was a quiet one.

I started to cry. Tears that had stopped flowing in years, tears that were built up in chest, all came down at that moment.

"Cecilia, did you really want to kill me? Did you hate me that much?" I asked her while choking on my sobs. She got up from her seat and started to console me, patting my back, and stroking my hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Cecilia repeated. "I want to let you escape from this place." She murmured.

She wiped my tears with her thumbs and cupped my face in her palms. "I will explain everything later, but for now let's continue this fake engagement." She told me earnestly. Our foreheads gently touched, "Let's escape this wretched hell, together."

I nodded. Cecilia, one of the few people that understood me. We understood the reality of this world, of our world. And the only way to break free was to break our chains first. This marriage will be our first step.

"Mr.Vaji, Ms.Rose, your parents are looking for you two." A voice interrupted our moment. We both pulled away from each other, and wiped our faces. "Yes, we will go in a moment." I told the maid.

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