Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 10

"So that's why you went to the US?" Millicent gulped when Manuela set her eyes on Jace who had reentered the room and was now sitting by his accomplice. "You better not use my friend."

Jace's eye twitched, speechlessly eyeing his cousin. He shifted on his seat to settle on the edge and crossed his hand before asking, "But she can use me?" His right brow perfectly lifted, but even he knew that the gesture was ineffective on her.

"Yes." Manuela replied without a thought, and that had Millicent springing from her seat to attach herself to her friend. She curled her arm around Manuela's left arm, and leaned her head on her shoulder. She caught Jace watching her with his smooth long lashes trying to conceal the fact. With her youthful tendencies, she stuck out her tongue to him to see his pink lips stretch out in a sweet smile and she reflected the action. Unbeknown to them, Manuela had caught the interaction.

"And you!" Millicent startled from beside her friend, sat up in hypervigilance, slightly orienting herself away from her. "Don't think about falling for this boy. We'll look for a man for you."

Jace frowned when Manuela turned to give her one of her usual triumphant looks whenever she was able to win an argument. He couldn't speak because she continued to add to what she was saying to Millicent.

Manuela twisted her body so that she was facing Millicent, and she drew their hands together on her lap. "You two are adults and I hope you know what you are doing. Are you ready to face your parents? There are other ways to handle the situation."

"I'm sorry Ella, you're not being coerced into a marriage that you didn't ask for. If this is the only way to live a good life then so be it." From her peripheral, Manuela caught Jace nod with a very serious look on his face. She hoped her cousin did not use Millicent, the kindhearted, spunky friend of hers, for his own gains. He told her that it was nothing like that but she knew him. Helping a stranger, even her friend, would come at a price. She found that her eyes were on him as she was lost in her thoughts, and he in turn gave her a questioning gaze.

"I know love. That is a difficult situation. I'm here if you need me." Millicent moved closer as her friend brought her arms around her for a hug.

The next day, Millicent sat in her car with Jace in the passenger seat. She slanted her head to catch the profile of the young African-American who looked better than good. He was wearing a blue polo shirt that stretched against the muscled chest wall over white pants. His slightly blue-gray irises shone in the sunlight and his hair was styled backward with a few untamed ones falling out. He sat casually in his seat like he owned the entire world and it took Millicent a while to acknowledge that his eyes had focused on her for a while. Her breath caught when she readjusted her sight to see his eyes intently on her face.

"I'm so nervous." She whispered out softly. He unblinkingly cast his gaze to her plump brown lips, thickly swallowing the air that blocked his throat before whispering also, "I'm here."

Millicent grinned and teasingly supplied, "I'm more worried about you."

"Okay, I think we're good to go inside now." Jace declared loudly, drawing a snicker from her. But she did what he said and got out of her Toyota corolla that was parked outside the gate of her home. Jace followed suit and got out. When she rounded the car to his side, he naturally grabbed hold of her hand, its smoothness pressing to his own, and he was pulled into the yellow coated house after they passed through its gate.

Millicent didn't hear anything come from her childhood home for a while till the rushing footsteps pattering became loud enough. She didn't have time to position herself before a small body collided with her.

"Aba!" A little voice called out and she didn't know whether to be excited or scared at the encounter with her little cousin.

"Bridget!" She delightedly bounced up her five-year old cousin onto her hip, releasing her hold on Jace who stood in the room admiring the interaction between the two. Millicent tickled Bridget on her side and asked, "How are you little one?"