Twist Of Fate

Reasons And Flashbacks

I march into the farmhouse and grab my purse from the chair in the lounge. Every head in the room turns to face me, but I don't give a shit. Instead, I swivel around and exit the lounge. We're not that far from the city, I'm sure I can catch a cab. Right now, all I want to do is go home - to my own home. Away from my father and his stupid, nonsensical ideas!
"Hey! Mus," Carter calls from behind me. I don't turn around, nor do I acknowledge his calls. Instead, I continue on my way towards the gates of the farmhouse. Carter grabs hold of my hand, but I yank it out of his hold.
"Leave me alone," I say.
"What happened? Where're you going?" Carter asks, his voice frantic.
"None of your business."
"Mus, what the hell happened?" Carter asks me again, irritating me further. I turn around and our chests collide with each other, due to my instant stopping.
"When were you going to tell me that our father's have decided to get us engaged?" I question, taking a step back, and crossing my arms in front of my chest. Carter looks at me, confused.
"Engaged? What?" Carter looks genuinely confused. Oh God, even he didn't know.
"Forget I said anything." I turn back around, and continue my angry march toward the main gates.
"You had a fight with your dad, right? That's the reason why you're so desperate to leave?" Carter probes further, close behind my heels.
"Fuck off!" I say, yanking the gate open and stepping onto the pavement outside. Carter grabs hold of my arm, and pulls me around, straight into his hard chest.
"What happened, Mus?" Carter asks. There's no anger in his eyes, nor is there any irritation in his tone. Instead, his eyes are filled with concern and care for me. Dad didn't choose the wrong guy for my engagement, he just chose the wrong time and the wrong girl.
"Please just take me home, Carter." I whisper, leaning into his chest. He wraps his arms around my upper body and hugs me tightly.
"Okay," Carter says. "Let me get the car and we'll go home." I nod my head and step back. Carter jogs back into the farmhouse to get his car. Why would Dad even ask me to do such a thing, when he knows my views toward marriage and all the shit that follows? I've never felt so furious in my life before. Tears are threatening to come out because I'm an angry-crier. However, I don't want to let them flow. I want to punch something, someone. However, that's out of the question. Dad doesn't think before saying things. It pisses the fuck out of me. Carter's car pulls up in front of me, and I pull the door open. Hastily, I get in and then Carter takes off toward the city.
"Want to talk about it?" Carter asks, after a while.
"Dad is so...infuriating!" I let out a frustrated yell. "He wants you and I to get married." I scoff. "Married. Such a stupid-ass thing. To top it all off, Dad knows how I feel toward marriage. He knows I believe that marriage and love destroy humans. But he still asked me to get engaged to you." Carter doesn't say anything, so I continue. "The problem's not with you, don't take my words in the wrong context. The problem is with me. I'm not marriage material."
"I think you'd make a great wife," Carter comments. I let out a humorless laugh.
"But I don't want to. Why is marriage so fucking important nowadays? Can't people just date someone, without having to worry about all of the strings and responsibilities that come along with it? All the bloody expectations that come along," I scoff.
"But it's a sacred bond," Carter says. I don't know if the urge to punch him is greater, or the fact that I want to applaud him for speaking his mind at a time like this. For some reason, his honesty impresses me.
"Look, everyone has their own views and my view on this matter is that it's a shit bond. Marriage ruins whatever love a couple has for each other." I say, rolling my eyes at thought, itself.
"So you're never going to even consider the idea of marriage?" Carter questions. I shake my head.
"No. God, I'm so pissed that I don't even want to go to Dad's house."
"Then, don't." Carter shrugs nonchalantly. "Come to my place." That's not a bad idea. If I go to Dad's house, he'll pester the hell out of me by apologizing and stating his side of the case. And honestly, I'm in no mood for that; no mood to forgive him, or listen to him.
"Okay," I say. "Just let me grab some stuff from Dad's first."
"Sure," Carter replies. After about fifteen minutes, Carter parks his car outside Dad's house. I get off and hurry inside to grab some stuff. I don't know for how long Carter's offer for me to stay at his house is open, but I'd like to think it's available till I cool off.
*********
An hour later, Carter and I are seated in his living room, watching Friends. A show that I can always turn to when my mood's down. The advertisements come on, just as Carter brings over a blanket, and covers me with it. I tuck it underneath my chin and smile contentedly.
"Thanks," I murmur. Suddenly, the ad of Family Guy comes on. My mind wanders over to the day that Harry and I were watching Family Guy in a hotel room. He and I were laying on the bed, legs intertwined.
"Harry, you really do have huge feet." I commented, laughing. I have a bad habit of rubbing my feet on the bed that I sleep on, or with someone else's foot, if they're sitting with me. I choose to believe I got this bad habit from my mother's sister; she used to do the same thing while sitting on the couch, or lying on the bed. Some people, unlike Kate and Harry, do mind. However, my two favorite people in the world don't mind my bad habit at all. In fact, Harry says it's comforting.
"Oh, please. My feet are daintier than Cinderella's," Harry says. I pass my hand through his hair for the tenth time, chuckling.
"Yeah, right, Mr. Big Feet." Harry places his fist on his heart, expressing his hurt.
"God, Bump, your hard and cold words really do pierce this soft heart of mine."
"Oh, I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?"
"Well," Harry's eyes shine with a mischievous gleam. "You could do one thing." His lips latch onto mine, and well, let's just say we didn't complete that Family Guy episode.
*********
I'm brought back into the present by Carter. He's looking at me quizzically.
"What happened?" Carter asks, smiling. "You seemed to blank out." I shake my head, still thinking about that day.
"Nothing, was just thinking." I say, turning around, and hugging my knees to my body.
"You know, while you were making the noodles, my dad called." Carter moistens his lips. "I asked him about the whole engagement affair and he told me the reason as to why your dad wants you to marry me."
"And that is?" I probe.
"Mus, your dad's business isn't doing that great and you getting engaged to me would make our fathers merge their companies. In return, helping your father." I raise an eyebrow.
"And why can't your dad just help my father out without us having to be tied in a relationship?"
"That's what I said," Carter lets out a short bark of laughter. "But you know, my dad just said that's not how it works." Carter picks up the empty bowl of popcorn from the coffee table. "I'll go get some more." I nod my head, a little shocked at the sudden revelation. Suddenly, I feel like I'm the one at fault. I get off the couch, deciding to speak to Dad tomorrow.