The Price of being Pretentious

Chapter Twenty-nine: Upper hand

They must've expected that I would have a breakdown or what. But I don't have time for sulking or any moment to lose. I have to think fast about how to get away. The engagement party was just around the corner. Everyone was still speechless and their mouths were gaped open.

'Did you get everything?' I asked Lloyd, breaking the silence.

I turned to Lloyd, then he grinned. He raised his phone showing us the application of a sound recorder with the file that was previously recorded.

Paris shook his head in amazement. 'Woah, I didn't see that coming.'

'London, since when did you think about it?'

'The moment you showed him the video. I thought that he would confess something to intimidate us. He does that to hide how devastated he was. When you uploaded the video on the media, it would create a huge wave that would create fluctuations in the stocks, which were the only things he cared about. So the only thing we should do is turn it all against him. Every time he would make those threatening statements you should act defeated. It gave him confidence, thinking that he got the upper hand. I didn't inform you to make it flow naturally.' I said as I explained everything to them.

'Wow, that was just clever. I'm proud of you.' Doctor O commented as he patted my head.

'You know your way around in tight situations. You just woke up from the coma, but you still haven't lost your touch.' Scot beamed.

'Oh, London. You're such an amazing, girl.' Lloyd squealed in excitement.

'Thanks, Mamita.' I said then smiled.

I turned to Paris waiting for his compliment. But he wasn't saying anything. Only his clenched jaw did the talking that he wasn't pleased with what had transpired earlier.

I turned to others. 'Guys, can you give us a moment of privacy? We have to talk.' I made a small smile.

They left the room as I requested them. Paris and I were enveloped with silence. He stood and turned away, while I looked at his fingers running on his hair again.

'Stop that. You'll get bald.' I said between the laughs, breaking the silence.

He sighed in the ceiling again. 'Are you enjoying this, London?'

I shook my head. 'No. Of course, not–'

'London, I'm worried about you.' He turned to me and looked at me with pain in his eyes.

'Paris, I'm sorry to make you worry. But I have to do this.'

'When I saw you lying on that bed unconscious and on the verge of dying, did you know what was on my mind?'

'What?' I simply asked.

Paris went back to his seat. He picked up my hands, then entwined them on his calloused hands before he spoke. 'I had a thought that I can't lose you. I don't pray, London. But that moment, it made me talk to God telling him not to take away the woman I love.' He paused, shaking his head. 'And I-I can't lose you again. I can't see you again lying in that bed in a coma. So please can't you just leave this place. I can come with you if you want.'

I sighed, retrieving a hand from him. I brushed the back of my hand on his cheek. 'No need to come with me, Paris. I can't lose you too. Besides, I know you have a life here with your dad. So please understand there are things I have to do first. I want to protect you from my step-dad. After I meet my real dad, I will leave. I won't be in touch again and that is to protect you.' I said looking deeply into those baby blue eyes.

He let go of my other hand. Then he buried his face in his hand. I heard his sobs behind those palms.

'Argh. The thought of you gone won't sink in on my mind. Why does it have to be like this?' He muttered behind his hands.

'Hey. Don't be like that. I know we will see each other again. I believe our paths will cross again. This will be my last goodbye and I won't say it again. I won't have a chance to say them to you. And I don't want to say goodbye the day we will part. So listen carefully. Okay?'

He nodded, then removed his hands. He let the tears from his eyes fall.

'I'm listening.' He said as he took my hand and kissed them.

'Oh, God.' I closed my eyes tightly as tears fell. Seeing him like this makes me cry, too.

'Honestly–' I sniffed. 'I don't want to leave you, Paris. Every time we say goodbye from the last night of the tutorials, the day you had a girlfriend, the day we knew I had a fiancé, my heart was being torn apart. I thought saying another goodbye would be easy but it was just as hard as the first goodbye. Even harder than the first. Because right now I am certain that I would miss you as certain as to how I love you.'

'I'm madly in love with you too. I might turn mad as well from missing you.' He made a small smile.

I chuckled as I broke into more tears.

'Paris, please don't regret being madly in love with me when you turn into a mad person.'

'Of course. I won't regret a thing, London.' He said as he leaned closer and pressed his lips on my forehead.

Then he pulled me for an embrace.

'I'm sorry, baby. Mommy had to leave you.' I whispered in his ears.

He laughed between the tears. 'Those nicknames were supposed to make fun of you. I didn't know it would make us cry a lot. Damn it.'

We both cried in silence. Paris was right. Those nicknames were made for fun and not to be cried upon. He pulled away from the hug, wiping the tears from my eyes.

'I won't say my goodbye London.' He said as he shook his head. 'I would prefer the phrase "see you again". Because on the day you will depart I will be there to see you off. Even on the day that you will come back, I will be there to meet you. But I will miss you so badly. London, what would I do without you?' He looked down as burst into tears.

I touched his chin, leveling his eyes on mine. 'The things that you should do is to take care of yourself. Eat and sleep properly. Spend time with your dad. Cooking or whatever. Go to a university. You can enjoy the times that I would be away. I don't want to hear that you've been an alcoholic, smoker, addict, or what. Also, if ever that you would fall in love again with some other girl, don't stop yourself. You can live happily, Paris, even without me.'

He took my hand then kissed my palm before cupping it on his cheeks. The corner of his mouth rose, then he shook his head. 'Just how am I supposed to do that. I could imagine myself drinking my sorrows away than to be with some other girl, London. You're the person I've been looking for for years. I would wait for more damn years just to be with you.'

I smiled. 'Now I'm holding on to that.' I commented.

He nodded. 'Yeah, just hold on to that.'

I leaned closer to him, cupping his face. 'And you can hold on to this.' I said that was almost a whisper.

Slowly, he closed the windows of those bay blue eyes. Pressing my lips against his, I tasted those luscious lips. I could feel his hot breaths on my skin as the kiss had gone deeper. I relished that moment like it was the last. But I was hoping for more. More moments with him.

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-JuMBA