Scribbling on the lined paper, Georgia imagined that there were walls around her called 'boundaries' not that it worked efficiently but she tried to mute the constant mocking of her mother and sister. The walls were filled with happy pictures, reasons why she had potential to lead her own life, without the help of a boy. For her, love was an essential part of a human's life but not really when it was forced, by her family, his family. The agony of William's murder was still piercing her heart, he was kind and reckless at times, she detested his behavior and even had locked herself in her room with her books, the one she wrote and other that she read. But now knowing he was gone, forever it had filled her with remorse, his face in her memories.
"You're still young, 19 is the best age to get engaged again." Her mother said, sipping the tea.
"Exactly, he died and that leaves us with Cole, Joanna was saying how saddened you must have been and asked to get you engaged to Cole." The nip of her pencil buried deep and broke into pieces,
"Mom!" she yelled, her throat tightened at her mother's blank face,
"What? She's doing this all for you, not like you liked William anyway." Her sister Gina said, the way he lift her shoulders reflected how devoid of emotions she had always been.
"Georgia..." her mother held her hand, the brown hair which had turned gray from the sides clenched Georgia's heart, her cheeks heated with anger, sadness, how can a mother don't understand her child?
"Are you this greedy for money, so greedy that you are selling off your daughter, again?" the breaking tone halt her mother's eyes on her, darkened them when she clenched her jaws.
"Sell you?! Georgia watch your tongue!" she yelled as Georgia unclasped her mother's grip off her wrist, Joanna appeared in the hallway, her eyes were moist as Georgia took the moment to rose to her feet and run towards her room.
"Georgia!! Come back here!!" She kept running until she clasped her hand around the door of her room, choking on the tears which wouldn't stop, the tightening in her throat made her screams delay which she at the moment thanked for. Her face heated up and chilled down by the intensity of emotions she had built up in her chest for so long.
"Georgia Evans, will you do the honor of becoming my girlfriend and soon," his cheeks flushed, the sharp eyes were softened for the first time "my wife I would be devoted to."
Before she could've answered, he carefully took her hands in his, putting on a ring on her finger, she gasped retracting herself and her hand back, she tugged on the hem of her linen blue sweatshirt. Heart pounding in her chest, ears and head.
"Is your answer yes?" his voice gruff he moved forward, towering Georgia who got covered by his height. She sighed finding Dexter and Harold approaching sneakily towards them, Georgia cleared her throat retracting back again. All of this was for his family, she had warned William and yet he had never gave up, from their first blind date, he had announced his fondness for her.
"Are you ready to be our, sister-in-law?" Dexter's rhythmic tone asked, his hair were curly and brown, Georgia stood quiet looking at them.
"We're taking it slow, if she wants." William smiled at her and turned to Dexter and Harold,
"Good that he didn't stutter." Harold said, his voice silvery, he was wearing a brown shirt and jean, his hair straight and almost black.
"You all knew?" she asked her eyebrows raised in disbelief,
"Yes, of course he's our friend." Dexter smiled softly punching William's arm.
"Okay." She said and William's eyes grew broad, his cheek flushing again.
"I-I am saying yes." She said, blood pumping in her head pounded at her stuttering and William extended his hand forward, taking a pause Georgia let her small hand fit in William's giant hands.
He put the ring on her finger as she inhaled rubbing her ring and he pulled her forward in his arms, faces inches away she paused looking at the brown in William's eyes and from under his shoulder noticed Harold and Dexter blush looking away and then taking glances.
"I like you, Georgia. I am afraid a lot more than anyone else can." He said softly, his mint breathe touching her face and lips, he leaned in as she closed her eyes and-
"You're crying?" She jerked back to see Harold standing behind her,
She wiped her tears from the back of hand and noticed the file in his hands,
"You're here?" he nodded, squinting his eyes at her face and she thought it might be the redness from her crying
"Mr. Jared's file were in the police station, they sent it back." She nodded and sighed,
"I-will go home then." He said keeping the file at the table as she pursed her lips, he looked devastated as well after all William was his best-friend. Dexter had locked himself in his house denying William's really gone. 20 days and yet it felt like tomorrow, when they called her saying William was murdered.
"Harry." She called as he turned around raising his eyebrow at her,
"Can we talk?" he inhaled as if waiting for to as well.
Harold passed her the glass of water, sitting on her bed she drank it trying to drink away the sadness left forever and turned her head to Harold who was already looking at her and sighed, the tears streamed down his eyes.
"I am sure it might've been Joanna." He scoffed blinking back his tears and she felt tears fall down her cheeks,
"It must be hard for you." He said "I wish I could do something for you."
Not a hint of regret, a remorse or her own tongue was on her side when she said,
"Stay, Harold, you can stay here, Harold." His eyes softened looking into hers and he chuckled, the agony bitterly audible in his voice,
"I am sure William would've wanted you to move on."
She cried as her shoulders shook in rhythm, her heart felt numb and warm, tears felt like an escape from facing the reality she was stuck in, hands clasped around her shoulders pulling her closer, she opened her ears with her throat closing up, Harold's dark eyes looked into hers.
She inhaled leaning closer to his face, he retracted back and jerked back on his feet,
"I- you're well, I will leave bye Georgia." He said running out of the room. Georgia got up straightening her dress and walked out to see Audrey, the nutritionist outside her room, she said.
"Mr. Cole wants to see you, Ma'am."
"Are you out of your mind?" Georgia crinkled her eyes standing by the piano Cole had purchased but never played.
"That's what mother wants and my father." Cole's raspy voice said playing the violin, she thought her mother was the only one who could push her but Cole? The boy whose younger brother she was engaged to?
"You-Look," she clenched the sides of her hair, trying hard to not yell or scream, they had enough of it and Cole was not foreign to it being normal but not her, she couldn't be like them.
"You don't like me, okay?" she said looking at Cole's plain face, he put his violin on the table.
"Good that you know..."
"Then why are you agreeing to do this?"
"Father thinks his business rival Pattrick has hand in William's murder."
"We don't know it yet, Cole." She said, her body slowly wanting to fall, the world spined around her eyes.
"You are not ready to believe, are you?" Cole's voice got high-pitched and Georgia remembered how this was the longest conversation she and Cole had.
"We don't know it yet." She shook her head.
"You don't believe William's dead, do you?" she stood quiet, her lips won't form words and Cole sighed moving at the piano. She blinked watching the ground blur.
"Just because his blood group matched with William's doesn't mean he's dead, he could be someone else, even if he wore the same," her eyes diverted to Cole's holding back the tears "stupid bird chain."
"He was my brother Georgia. I know how it feels."
"Anyway, the engagement is meant for show, father thinks Pattrick might try to kill you."
"He won't."
"We have to stay safe and William wouldn't want you dead." He said and left the room rendering a slight nod to her.
The clock said past 11, Georgia changed into her night suit, turning the lamp off, she heard a knock on her door. She slipped her feet into the soft bear slippers and opened the door to find Harold, his hair messy and drenched from the rain, the black of her shirt darkened by the water. She inhaled with her heart at ease, no questions on her tongue but she asked anyway,
"What are you doing here, Harold?" he moved inside as she retracted back, he closed the door behind him and her eyes grew looking at his movements. Looking into her eyes, suddenly a tear dropped from his left eye and he looked down,
"Is everything okay?" she asked forgetting her voice was filled with ecstasy and fear.
"Georgia." he said under his breath and pulled her into a hug, she hugged him back, patting his back.
"I am scared, I am so scared." he said and Georgia made him face her, their faces just inches away when she said.
"Then why don't you stay, Harold? Why don't you stay?" she asked as he pecked on her forehead as she held his face in her small hands, the dark eyes softened and his plump lips downturned more than usual.
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