The Road of Love

Chapter One

Emma couldn't bring herself to believe the fact that her boyfriend of three years just jilted her.
She pinched herself several times on her way to her hostel.
"Is Leo joking?" she asked herself.
"Leo can't live without me, I'm his life" she murmured. She stopped the tears from flowing.  She prayed she'd not meet anyone she knew.
She threw herself on the bed and cried as loud as she could, thankful she didn't have a roommate.
She tried to sleep the pain off but sleep refused to come and the tears refused to stop flowing.
She got out of bed and fetched water,  emptied a sachet of washing powder into it and started mopping the floor. She cleaned the louvre blades, scrubbed the bathroom, washed the dirty clothes and bed sheets.
Her hands were sore, her head ached and her knees were trembling. She moved to the wardrobe and took out the clothes Leo had bought her and descended the stairs.  She didn't know what to do with them.  She wanted to burn them or just throw them into the dust bin or to give them back to Leo. 
She finally decided to burn them. Fresh tears started flowing but she quickly wiped it away. "He doesn't deserve your tears, Em" she told herself.

                         *****
Leo sat on his bed and felt a strong sense of freedom. He was proud of what he had said to his girlfriend, Emma.
"I finally got her out of my life" Leo thought and patted himself on the back.
He was going to tell Livia how he felt.

                                 *****
The sun was scorching when Emma woke up.  She felt tired and empty. She placed her chin in her palm and tried to remember the dream she had. She couldn't remember everything. She remembered Leo telling her everything was a joke and that he couldn't imagine a life without her.  She sighed.  She searched for her phone and remembered she left it in Livia's room. 
She was going to tell Livia everything that happened.  She knew what Livia's reaction was going to be.
Livia was not in her room when she got there. She decided to wait for her. 
She saw an envelope on the bed and she reached out for it.  She was about to open it when she heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?", she asked and walked to the door.  She heard someone running.  She hurried to the door but there was no one there.  She shrugged and went back to sit on the bed,  thoughts of the envelope totally forgotten.
Livia entered the room sweating. Emma asked if everything was fine and she replied with a nod. She took off her clothes and entered the bathroom without saying a word to Emma.  Emma wondered what was wrong with her best friend.
Livia looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.  "I'm an unlucky girl" she said to herself. "Leo has finally proposed to me", I should be happy right? " she asked herself.  She sighed.
Emma wondered why Livia had kept long in the bathroom. She never took long in the bathroom.
"Hey Livia, is everything okay? " she shouted
"Everything's fine" Livia replied. She came out of the bathroom and smiled at Emma.
The look on her friend's face told her something was wrong.
"What's on your mind,  girl? " Livia asked.  "You seem to be in your own world" she continued.
Emma sighed and pursed her lips.  She turned and faced her best friend with her eyebrows raised in question. 
"You're scaring me,Em" Livia said.
"Did something happen to your dad? " she pressed.
Emma just stared at her without saying a word. Livia began to think if she knew about Leo's proposal. She pushed that out of her mind and sat beside Emma.
"You know you can always trust me" she said calmly.
"Leo broke up with me" Emma said amidst tears.  "He said he has fallen out of love with me and doesn't want to be with me" she said with her eyes closed. Fresh tears started to flow.  Livia just sat there as if she's lost her voice. 
"He what!? " Livia exclaimed when she finally found her voice.
She placed her hands on Emma's shoulder and told her Leo was not worthy of her tears.  Emma sobbed.
"Where did I go wrong, Livia?" Emma asked her.
"Nowhere dear" Livia whispered in her ears .

                              *****
"Where the hell is that coward friend of yours?" Livia asked George, Leo's roommate rudely. 
"He's out" George said calmly.
"Well,  when he returns from wherever he's gone to, tell him I came here" she said and walked away.
George couldn't believe his eyes and ears.
"Is this the Livia I know or her twin sister" he asked himself.
"Well, it's none of my business" he said and closed the door.

Livia bought Emma's favorite ice cream on her way to her hostel.
Emma was sleep talking when Livia got to the room: " Don't leave me Leo, please stay with me"...
A tear slid down Livia's pretty face.
"How could Leo do this to Emma?"
"I'm also a fool for loving such a man" she said sobbing.
"I betrayed my best friend, oh God please forgive me" she prayed still sobbing.
Emma woke up to see Livia crying.
"Hey is everything fine? " Emma asked with a worried face. 
"Yeah,  I'm good" Livia said wiping her tears.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked.
"Yeah" Emma replied.
"I have something for you" Livia said with a sweet smile on her pretty face.
"What? " Emma asked raising her eyebrows.
"Guess" Livia said, giggling.
"Is it Leo?" Emma asked excitedly.
"No" Livia said with a frown.
"You better accept the fact that he doesn't love you anymore" Livia snapped.
"Wish I could" she said with teary eyes.
"Don't cry now" Livia said lovingly.
"You are a beautiful and intelligent lady,  Em and you deserve a man who'll treat you as such" she continued.
"I bought you this" she said giving Emma the ice cream.
A smile creased Emma's beautiful face revealing her deep dimples.
"Now that's my girl" Livia said tickling Emma.
She roared with laughter and fell on the bed.
"You're the best" she said hugging Livia.
"Where's my phone? " Emma asked Livia who was reading a magazine at the far end of the room.
"It's under the pillow" she said without raising her head. 
Emma stared at the wallpaper of her phone. It was a picture of Leo carrying her handbag. Something that rarely happened when they were dating. She smiled wryly.
"I'm off to the library to return the book I borrowed" she said with a sigh.
"I'll see you tomorrow and take care of yourself" Livia said with a smile.
"Sure will" Emma replied and slammed the door.

                          *****
"So what happened with Livia? " Bush asked, playfully hitting Leo.
"She hasn't given me an answer yet" Leo replied sipping his beer.
"Guess she's scared of Emma's reaction" Leo continued.
"I'm going to win her heart and the bet" Leo said confidently.