I Married A Teen

Sixteen

Lila went home early that day, she cooked dinner and planned to surprise Jeremy the same way he surprised her earlier.

Lila stood in the kitchen, dressed in her cheerleading dress, a nostalgic reminder of her college days. She's already set at 7 PM wondering why Jeremy's not home yet. His basketball practice usually ends at 6 PM. She's exhausted, trying to work for her role and her dad's who is still recuperating. She closed her eye, and the next thing she knows she glanced at the clock and realized it was already 10 o'clock, she slept for 3 hours.

Worry crept into her heart. Jeremy still hadn't come home, and she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that something wasn't right.

Feeling a mix of concern and frustration, Lila reached for her phone and dialed Jeremy's number. It rang for what felt like an eternity before he finally answered.

Lila: Jeremy, where are you? I've been waiting for you. Is everything okay?

Jeremy's voice sounded distant and muffled on the other end of the line.

Jeremy: Oh, hey Lila. I'm sorry, something came up. I'm with Emily right now.

Lila's heart sank as she heard Emily's name. She struggled to keep her voice steady.

Lila: Emily? Why are you with her? What happened?

Jeremy's response was filled with hesitation as if he was unsure of what to say.

Jeremy: It's nothing, really. She needed someone to talk to, and I was just trying to help her out. I didn't expect it to take this long.

Lila's frustration grew, mixed with a tinge of jealousy. She had hoped for an evening together, to deepen their connection and explore the boundaries of their arranged marriage. But it seemed that Emily had once again managed to insert herself into their lives.

Lila: Jeremy, I understand that Emily is your friend, but you need to set boundaries. We are married, even if it's a secret arrangement. We should prioritize our relationship. I cooked dinner for us tonight, and I've been waiting for you.

Jeremy's voice softened, filled with regret. But he still felt distant

Jeremy: I'm really sorry, Lila. I didn't mean to hurt you or neglect our time together. But I thought you'll be spending the late night again with Ethan. And I just need some time to think and talk, Emily is available earlier and wanted to see the sunset so I accompanied her.

Lila took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions. She heard jealousy in Jeremy's words. So she tried to explain to him, "Jeremy, Ethan, and I are business partners, nothing more, we knew each other since University, but that's just about it. You have nothing to worry about. And why do you need time to think? I told you if you need someone to talk to I'm here for you, you are important to me, and more than anything else, I want our marriage to work, so will you please come home now?"

Jeremy: "But I heard your conversation earlier. You called me boy and even told Ethan that you'll have the Gonzales Group by the palm of your hands in the weeks to come. Don't tell me that's nothing!"

Lila: "Jeremy, I need you to calm down and trust me, please. That was nothing but a banter between me and Ethan, that's just how he is. You are taking our conversation out of context. Now will you please come home so we can talk?"

Jeremy: "I'll come home when I'm ready."

Jeremy then cut off the line. Lila was left speechless, how reckless of her to talk that way, it was nothing but a witty banter of jokes between him and Ethan, she didn't know Jeremy was still by the door hearing their conversation. Now she's worried as to what Jeremy could be doing, plus what did he do with Emily. She felt so stupid! Huh, falling in love with a childish teenager, she muttered to herself.

Jeremy stayed at his Grandfather's house till his Graduation. They never talked since their fight over the phone, it's been three weeks since. Lila tried to coax him into going back to the apartment several times, but Jeremy was just so determined not to talk to her. Despite her busy schedule, she tried for several days to pick him up, but he always declines.

"Grandpa Gerald I'm sorry, I never wanted this to happen in the first place. Jeremy is such a sweet kid, I never wanted to hurt him." Lila's plea to Mr. Gonzales one night when after an hour of knocking on Jeremy's door he still won't budge.

"I know dear, but you have to understand that Jeremy is still a kid, his emotions are still unpredictable and what happened is just too much for him. Give him more time to process it, for sure he will come around. Just don't give up on him yet." Grandpa assured Lila.

Taking a sip of her red wine she aired out a deep sigh. "I never thought I'll say this, but Jeremy is a fine young man. I saw him grow before my eyes in the last few months. I think you are not giving him enough credit."

Mr. Gonzales smiled. "You don't think I know that? He is my grandson, I know how he thinks. I just never thought he will fall in love this deep this fast."

Lila almost spilled the wine she was about to sip "Fall in love? What do you mean?"

"Oh come on! I never expected you to be as naive as my grandson, Lila. The two of you are just oblivious to the fact, but I know you two are so deep into this."

Lila turned silent. She's navigating through her confused and uncertain feelings toward Jeremy. They have gone close for the past few months, and he has done and shown her tons of proof that he was indeed a good person. But in love? She really only counted Alvin as her great love and she refuses to admit that it's not Alvin anymore who owns her heart.

"Gran, I'll go to Paris tomorrow, I'll be back next week. If only this is not a critical meeting I never wanted to leave. But please tell Jeremy I'll be back just in time for his Graduation. I'll go ahead, it's getting late."

"You take care Lila, don't worry about Jeremy, I'll take care of him while you are away." Mr. Gonzales then hugged Lila.

Lila left the mansion that night unsure if there will ever be a chance to fix her relationship with Jeremy.

Jeremy on the other hand was looking intently from his window, looking at the leaving Lila. How he longs to just give in and tell her he's okay now and that he forgave her. But he knows he has to stand his ground. He will only face her once she's ready, and that is only after he graduated from Highschool and finally, is called not a boy anymore but finally a man.

The following day, no Lila went to coax him into going home. For the first time in his life since his parents' death, he felt abandoned. His parents died when he was very young and ever since he never wanted to feel that pain again, so he distanced himself and never allowed anyone to come near his heart. Not until Lila came along, but now even she surrendered and abandoned him. His insecurities, since he was a young child, crept in. He blames himself for his parent's death and thinks they left him because he is not worth anything. If only he is better they would have never left to pick up his supposedly adoptive brother. He cried that night and just allowed the emotions of death. Abandonment and lost love consume him.

A day without Lila's visit turned into a week, and finally, it is his graduation day. This is supposedly the day when he finally can say he is ready to face Lila, as today he will no longer be a high schooler. He will be attending Harvard Business School by the start of classes, during the break, he already has a set-up internship schedule with his grandfather, he will be working at Lila's office, so he can learn the ropes of operations. To his dismay though, Lila never visited again.