I'm Falling In Love ... and It's ARRANGED!? (on hold)

I'm Falling In Love... and It's ARRANGED!? (*14*)

Chapter 14

.........................................................................................................

(Casey's P.O.V)

I walked along the shore while the waves grew stronger and hearing became impossible. It was another windy day in Toronto and the chill from the water could be felt this close. But nothing mattered. Not even the cold that made my fingers numb this cold morning.

The sun was just beginning to rise, the effect beautiful. At that moment any kind of bad weather was forgotten, only the scenery that surrounded me stood out.

Lake Ontario stretched out before me, as if it could go on and on. I took a deep breath and turned around, my gaze settling on the lone figure once again.

She was sitting under a tree with her head slightly bent, her expression serious in thought. The least I could do was give her some space, but it was hard.

After the events yesterday, I'd checked on her in the middle of the night to see if she was alright. Instead, she'd cried herself to sleep and had still been quietly sniffling when I'd checked in.

The death of her mother had really had an effect on her. She was still mourning in her own way. I hated the fact that deep down I was annoyed. It was okay to feel bad for someone like Rebeka, especially if she was your mother. But to act this way, it really upset me.

Emelyne didn't deserve this. And she was taking it too far by isolating herself from the rest of the world.

I cursed myself as I started to walk towards her, but nothing could've stopped me then. She turned to look at me when I was near, and I noticed her scoot over a little to give me some space.

We sat next to each other for a long time, just comforted by one another's heat. Her breathing was slow and quiet, hardly detectable. But she would look up every now and then and smile slightly, giving me hope.

"I'm glad you asked to come out here this morning." I finally said.

She nodded and looked towards the water, sighing heavily.

"I realized something recently." She said quietly, her voice close to a whisper.

I leaned in to hear her better, but my curiosity was the real reason I felt myself getting more attentive.

I waited patiently while she rubbed her hands together for heat, blowing into her palms every now and then. She finally looked up again, her eyes wide and clear.

"I don't want to be alone, Casey... It scares me." She whispered.

Out of the million things she could've told me at that moment, her realization stunned me. Here I was freaking out thinking she was in denial about her mother's death, and all along she'd been worried about being alone!?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to sound gentle and not scare her.

She swallowed hard and looked down for a second, as if mustering up the courage to talk to me. It hurt that Emelyne was uncomfortable sharing her thoughts and feelings, but at the same time I respected her for being whom she was.

"Things happen all the time... people die. I can't keep thinking nothing bad is gonna' happen, I have to move on. I want to be spontaneous and free and just... happy. She's gone now. I'm free." She explained, her voice animated.

I smiled and playfully nudged her, "Does that mean we can be spontaneous together?" I teased.

Her smile became a frown and I was about to reassure her when she gave a soft laugh, shaking her head. I sighed in relief; everything was going to be okay.

"It's getting cold out here. Should we go back now?" I asked.

Her expression thoughtful, she looked around and sighed when she saw a pair of seagulls landing nearby.

"It's truly beautiful here, Casey. You were right. Thank you for bringing me here during the right time." She said genuinely, smiling up at me.

I looked down at her with a confused expression.

"What do you mean, the right time?" I asked.

A sad look came over her again, similar to the way she'd looked the previous night.

"It's my birthday today. I'm seventeen." She said glumly.

I was so surprised that for a second I just stood there, not saying anything. When she looked at me with amusement I snapped out of it and before I knew what I was doing I pulled her close.

I squeezed her tight and smiled.

"Happy birthday, Emelyne!" I said cheerfully.

She started giggling and playfully pushed me away, scrunching up her nose.

"I'm awfully cold, we should go back now. You have to go to work soon." She reminded me.

I frowned and rolled my eyes, letting her know she'd just killed the moment by mentioning "work".

"Emleyne... there is no work. Not today! It's your birthday. You're seventeen." I said, grabbing her arm.

She stopped mid step and I turned to look at her.

"Casey, who cares if I turned seventeen. You're 21, an adult, you should put work first." She scolded.

I wanted to laugh, but from the look on her face I decided to be serious. She was already in a bad mood to start with; I didn't want to piss her off any further.

So I shrugged and started walking, we entered the apartment and warmth suddenly welcomed us. It almost felt like coming home, and I realized it was having Emelyne here with me that really made it seem like home.

I still had to call mom later today and start on the wedding arrangements, the council wouldn't wait forever.

But maybe I could call and make other arrangements too?

I took a peek at Emelyne as she continued to walk glumly around the apartment, slowly slipping out of her jacket and removing her gloves. She seemed so... sad. It was her birthday!

It kind of felt stupid to be thinking of celebrating with her mother's death so "very" recent, but at the same time... I remembered the way Rebeka had treated Emelyne. And all of a sudden I just wanted to see Emelyne smile.

I was going to make some calls after all!

I hid my grin as best as possible and walked into my room, emerging a few minutes later dressed for work.

Work was the last thing on my mind, but Emelyne didn't need to know that.

I liked surprises. And surprises were definitely on my mind when I walked out of the door.

******************************************************************************

HERE YOU GO, THE LONG AWAITED CHAPTER...

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE! IT WON'T EVEN TAKE A MINUTE! :)

THANKS :)