Sweet and Sour

Sweet and sour

"I can't marry you." She said audibly, dropping her eyes for a second before she raised it to stare at him again.

He froze with the ring still in his hand and his eyes bulged out like that of a stepped-on frog.

She felt a tiny pinch of pity for him, but she knew that marrying him would be a mistake.

"Listen Alex," she placed her warm tiny fingers on his free hand and squeezed it softly. "It is not that I do not want to marry you," she started. " You are a great guy no doubt, but I do not want to be the magnetic point of attraction for your enemies to get through to you, Plus we just met." She explained.

The dumbfounded Alex remained motionless. Nothing made sense to him right now.

"And I don't want to rush into marriage just because I am pregnant." She took in a deep breath and waited for him to say something… which never happened.

"Alex?" She called with concern when he did not respond.

He still stayed silent.

"Alex?" She called again, this time shaking him by the shoulder.

"Oh! yes!" He jerked up as if waking up from a trance. "Oh, OK... uhmmm, I understand" he said while sluggishly and shamefully closing the ring box.

Honestly, he was just too numb to feel anything. His heart probably wasn't beating at all__ if it were possible. Well then, he'd probably be the first person to be breathing without his heart beating at all, it felt like there was nothing in his chest, just an empty hollow.

Her face dropped, she could see the hurt on his face even though he stared at her as if he were a lifeless puppet.

He cleared his throat. " I want to marry you because I love you Lara, I love you with all my heart." He said calmly, in what sounded like a whisper. He could not raise his voice though, even if he wanted to...it felt like he might cry at any time (t).

"I know that you love me a lot Alex, and that is your weakness, your enemies know that too...I don't want to have to look over my shoulder everytime I step away from you because of the fear of someone kidnapping me or hurting me, or anything." She said.

"I let my guard down back then with Mikey because I never thought something like that would happen, especially to you… we barely knew each other for a month. I never ever imagined that you'll be a target." He said sincerely. "But now, I promise to protect you with everything I stand for, I promise that you'll never have to worry about something like that or of any sort happening to you."

He said in one breath.

A tear ran down her cheeks, she caught it quickly with her finger.

"I love you Lara." He whispered with a dry painful smile. "I don't want you to love me back, but I beg of you to let me love you please?" He pleaded genuinely.

"Oh Alex!" A soft chuckle escaped her lips, drowned in her tears that now would not stop flowing. " You are so sweet, but I am scared." She sobbed lightly.

"I am scared too, I don't even feel my heart no more. It probably has fallen somewhere down here, in my tummy or maybe right on my balls." He said with a smile as he touched his lower tummy, motioning the approximate spot where his heart could be found... definitely not in his chest.

She laughed and threw herself in his arms.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He could not remember exactly when he had dropped the ring box on the bed, but all he knew was that both of his hands were empty as he hugged her.

She sobbed lengthly in his arms.

"We don't have to marry straight away though." He whispered in her ear. "We can marry whenever you are ready." He added.

She nodded in his arms, while still sobbing.

"I love you." He whispered.

They heard a knock at the door.

Lara quickly broke off from the hug and wiped her eyes dry. Alex kissed her on her forehead before getting up to go get the door.

The person knocked again, violently this time.

"Merde, c'est qui?" (Damn, who is it?) Alex asked in annoyance as he hurried towards the door, to prevent whoever was knocking that hard from breaking his door.

Lara adjusted herself on the bed, she made sure to slide the ring box under the pillow and dap her eyes dry.

"Mère ?" (Mom). Alex called when he opened the door.

The angry Gisele stormed into the room with a bunch of photos in her hand. She did not bother to utter a word to her son, but passed by him like he wasn't even there and she went straight to Lara who was sitting on the bed.

"Explain!" She flung the photos on the bed, in Lara's lab, held her hand on her waist and stared at Lara.

Lara's eyes bulged open, she stared from Alex, who had now joined the women, back to the photos on the bed.

"Fuck!" Alex exclaimed. 'How can one moment be this sweet and sour?' he thought