I Never Left You

45. We're all bad

Azra's POV
When I was choosing the turquoise blue dress for Christa didn't expect his dad to equally come in a matching black suit and turquoise shirt. I think the last time I saw Ray in a suit was on prom. He's mostly a casual guy. He elegantly walks into the room holding blue roses in one hand and what I assume is a birthday present for Christa. All eyes turn to him. Jenna pinches me back to reality from behind before I start drooling over the guy that's now standing parrallel to me.
"Your beautifully packaged tonight" he whispers in my ear handing me the roses.
"Thanks, I can say the same for you Ray" I shyly say taking the gifts away from him. "ummm am glad you could make it." I say. "Your supposed to be mad at him not blushing for him" I internally scold myself but my body won't cooperate. "Thanks, I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world." Ray responds. "Dadi" Christa comes in her Cinderella look alike gown and tiara. Her father meets her with the same exctimenent.
"Dad where did you go? " the ever inquisitive Christa asks. "You left me alone!" she continues to attack her father.
"I never left you sweetheart"  he replies in defense. "It's just that...." he looks in my direction for defense but I shrug my shoulders and move onto welcoming more visitors and leave them to their reunion. I opted for a simple birthday party restricted to friends and family.
"Who's that guy you can't stop stealing glances at?" Matt asks me. He looks familiar but I  don't know from where? " he adds on. "Ummm that's Christa's dad." I say glancing over his shoulder since his blocking my view. Yaaaa we met him at Dortmund restaurant, he was among the trio causing chaos" I say my eyes glued to Ray all the time still. Ray is talking to my parents and from the looks of it, he's having a hard time explaining his previous actions to them. Christa is now playing with Chloe and Leah. Leah is dressed in a silver sleeveless low cut dress. She has wings and a wand to complete the fairly godmother look.
"That makes sense now, it's clear your not over your baby daddy. It's crystal clear why you were interested in the drama at the restaurant." Matt sighs loudly.
"Is it that obvious." I say clearly meeting his gaze now. I slap my forehead lightly on realizing it myself. "Am so sorry Matt, I have been trying to avoid him but...." he stops me midway placing a finger on my lips. "You don't have to apologize to anyone for the way you feel, we all deserve to love the way we love. If it's him you want, why not go after him. I have a thing for you, but if it's not me you want, I won't force you dear" he says genuinely. Talking like the male lead in the hallmark movies about to call off the engagement with her too perfect partner.
"Does that make me a bad person for not liking you equally?" I ask him to see how he feels about all this.
"We're all bad people in this world, the only exceptions are those with good intentions. Your a good person Azra" he expertly replies." How's is so understanding and good at this?" my mind wonders.
"Thanks", I say to him and run to find Ray and tell him how I feel.
Ray's POV.
Ra finds me in the explaining to her parents that I had no intention of hurting her and that I didn't plan to marry Sasha at all.
"He was doing all that out of his dad's will dad. Please bear with him." Ra tries to defend me.
"No honie pie, we can't allow him to walk into your life, treat you as he wishes and then walk out as he pleases. Your not some piece of paper to use and dump. " Mr. Falls roars.
"I don't plan on letting him go easy this time," Ra says with an evil grin on her face and all of us look at her with shock.
"How will you succeed in that honie?" Mrs Falls asks her daughter.
"I need him to bring me snow from a country where it has never snowed." Azra says with a satisfied look. We all look at her like she has grown a second head.
"That's impossible" Her dad says mid laughter.
"Dad, even the word impossible says 'I'm possible'. Ray here promised me that he would do anything." she says tapping on my back."I love him and am willing to forget everything he did on condition that he can bring me that, And in less than a month." My mind is whrling around trying to understand how her quest is possible. "let's get ready to cut the cake" with that she goes back to attending to the party.
"I think I agree with Azra, if you fulfill my daughter's wish, then I have no grudge against you" Mr.  Falls says. "For now Christa will spend the next month with us. If you don't do as she says, am afraid you will never see your daughter again".
On hearing that I will never see my daughter again my intestines shiver at the thought. I instinctively move my eyes around the room to find her. She's blowing bubbles and laughing with Chloe. "I will do anything to fulfill Azra's quest and in time" I say to Azra's parents and to myself. I need to move faster in order to make up for lost time with my daughter.
Three weeks later...
Ray walks in the University corridors with a satisfied look. He scans around and finds the trio he's been searching all this long. They are squealing with happiness and talking non stop. "What's the excitement about beautiful ladies?" Ray asks catching their attention. "Austin finally fixed a wedding date, Leah is getting married soon." Jenna answers first. Isn't it exciting, Jenna and Azra squeal at Ray that he even takes a step back.
"It is indeed, congs Leah" Ray answers.
"Thanks Ray" Leah finally says something.
"Welcome back from where you have been hiding."Azra says to Ray as they move away from the two girls. "I noticed you were off campus for some time " she smiles knowingly at him. "True that, I have been and I managed to bring you double the good news" Ray excitedly replies. "Really!!! did you manage to conquer to the quest?" she asks. "Yap and there's more to that so if you wish to see proof, be at our apartment by 7pm." with that, Ray bids the girls goodbye and goes for his lecture.
"Did he really find snow in a country where it never snows?". Leah asks looking at the disappearing Ray.
"My palms are sweating and that could only mean that he's telling the truth" Azra responds.
"So how does that make you feel?" Jenna asks with a worried look.
"Well, I guess that means his love for me is real. He is willing to go through the whole world to prove that he wants my forgiveness. Such love is almost impossible these days." Azra says to the girls. "Am so happy everything is falling back in place, could someone please pinch me so I know am not dreaming"
"Ouch", Azra cries when both Jenna and Leah pinch her. "It's indeed true" she hugs both her friends.
"I know of a better way to celebrate this, why don't we go for ice cream", Leah suggests. "Fantastic idea," the other two agree and head out to celebrate.
In the middle of their little festival, Azra asks Jenna. "So  Jenns, how are things going with you and Kevin?". "were well, trust me I can't complain. Besides we haven't known each other for long like you two. So we're taking baby steps and getting to know each other." she replies Azra and they turn to look at Leah who's picking on her ice cream. That's typically not Leah. Leah has always been an ice cream person.
"What's the matter Leah?" both girls look at her worriedly. She looks up and meets the two pairs of eyes looking her way. "I don't know if it's me or the milk in the ice cream tastes dead?" Leah expresses her concern. Azra and Jenna both dip their spoons in he bowl at the same time, swallow and shake their heads simultaneously.
"I think you need a pregnancy test soon Leah" Azra speculates. "Are you being serious Azra?" she asks with mixed emotions all over her face.
I can't be sure for now, but that's how I would feel when was carrying Christa." Azra says.

Later that evening.....
Azra in her light blue leggings, pink floral dress top and flip flops rings the bell of her former apartment, fearing to use her thumb in case it was deactivated from the lock. Ray opens the door shortly clad in light Blue Jeans and a grey shirt. "Wow, you look lovely as always" Ray comments. "Thank you Ray, you too look lovely".
I thought you would open the door yourself. For your information your fingerprint still works." he assures her. "I wasn't sure so I decided to ring the bell. I love what you did with the whole place, your interior designer did great work" she says feeling the couch. "It looks more homely"
"That's because I was threatened to take out everything Sasha touched on" he says and they both laugh. Ray gestures her to move to the dinning so they could enjoy their chicken wings. In the middle of their conversation Azra asks Ray if he also changed Christa's room. Ray assures her that the day she left was the day he closed it and has never been opened since then. He even tried to take her to see it but Azra brushed him off.
He excuses himself in the middle of feasting. He returns carrying a black, yellow red stripped paper bag."Here's your quest madesmolle". Ray presents her the bag. Azra wipes her hands and Lowers her hand coming out with a glass ball. It looks like the normal Christmas ball to anyone.
"What's unique on this glass ball?" she asks him. This my dear is made up of real snow and this is a demo of mountain Rwenzori." Ray explains. "It's fascinating to see, but how is it possible?" she asks while admiring the contents of the glass ball. Ray narrates to her the story as they enjoy their meal.
"One day I was seated here enjoying the recent Olympics in Tokyo when a black athlete won a gold medal. The guy awarding him the medal stated that the winner was from a country called Uganda and claimed it's one of the places to visit in the world. I goggled it and it sounded beautiful indeed. Did you know that Kim and Kanye were once there too! Meanwhile I started making arrangements so we could go there together as the last semester ended but as you see God had better plans" he pauses to enjoy more of his wings.
"I see, BTW the food is delicious, did you make it yourself?" She asks him. "I would love to take the credit, but no I reached late so I ordered out. But for the salads, I did make them." Ray says.  I see, everything is delicious but the story is sweeter so please continue." Azra motions him to continue.
"Yaaaa, so when you challenged me to find a country with snow yet it has never snowed, I goggled of course but no results came up. I cursed and got frustrated when I couldn't find anything."  he sips on his wine.
"Typically you" Azra teases.
"Then one evening this Uganda country came back to my mind and this time I gave it an insight look. At first it looked like the typical African country drowning in poverty, corruption and poor infrastructure till I got to its physical landforms. It has got the source of the longest river in the world. These amazing water falls, mountain gorillas and bingo!! A mountain with snow at the peaks yet it never snows in the country itself."
"Are you for real? And you travelled all the way to the top?" Azra asks in wonder.
"Anything to earn your forgiveness" Ray holds her hand to affirm how far he's willing to go. "I want to show you something else when you are done eating." They continue feasting as Ray fills her on his adventure.
"Am so jealous I didn't get to come with you now" Azra pouts, "I knew it was possible for a place to have snow but I didn't expect it to be that beautiful".
"Come-on then, you will love this part." He drags her slowly to the living room and switches on the humongous television. A video of him covered in fur and snow all over him starts playing. "Azra Falls if your reading this, it means I made it out of this place alive. I Raymond Fisher stand on mountain Rwenzori, a place in Africa. Uganda to be specific to let you know that your the most treasured woman in my life. My mum and our daughter tying in second place." He wipes the snow off his eyes and continues. "I have wronged you so many times and failed you but to error is human. Will you please grant me your devine forgiveness. I enjoy every moment I spend with you and just like the name Azra is incomplete without my first two letters, am equally incomplete without you. Will you please marry me and give me more children" the video ends and when Azra turns to face Ray, he's on one knee and holding a ring in one hand.
"Yes, I forgive you and will definitely marry you" she replies amidst tears in her eyes. Ray puts the ring in her finger and asks her the final question. "Does that mean you will move back in?"  he asks.
"Most definitely" she replies and Ray pulls her into a deep passionate kiss.
END.