The Unwanted Destiny

CHAPTER XIX

Cara's POV

"Cara?" Damian waited for a reply.

"I mean, we are. Aren't we?" I stammered, trying to find the right words. I was able to feel his feet shuffling under the bench. I looked in the opposite direction, trying my level best to avoid eye contact. 

"Cara." His voice was ringing in the stillness of the night.

With no choice left, I immediately turned to him to witness his clear fair face reflecting the moonlight and his dark black hair, mirroring the silent night. "I have something important to discuss with you." He continued. 

'Look mister, we could've been friends if you weren't arranged to MARRY ME!'  My mind voice took over. To think about it, Damian is not half bad at all. I mean, he's got the looks, the brains, and the manners. But, something was missing. He gently held my hand, his thumb was carefully stroking my knuckles. His tone softened. "I understand your plight, Cara.  An arrange marriage is the last thing I will commit to...but if it you, I will gladly accept this fate. To be honest, it's fair to say, I didn't give much thought about it until a few days ago. Initially, I just agreed to meet you for the sake of my parents but on our first meeting, I like the way you carried yourself. You were nothing like the other women I have met till that day. It might seem like I'm not thinking it through but trust me, this is the only thing I am sure about. I've never been so confident. So... Cara, Will you marry me?" Oh no no no no no!!!!! 

NO.

"Cara?" Damian's voice grew louder. Snap. My thought bubble burst into pieces. I didn't realize that I had zoned out till Damian called my name. Was that all a hallucination? Phew. Thank god, it was just my weird head playing tricks on me. I must be too tired today. Still. I really hope it won't be real. 

"Cara. Are you okay?" He questioned with concern. 

"Y...yeah. I'm okay. So tell me... What do you want to talk to me about?"

"About that... I hope you won't mind... But, I saw you going in to the Vice chancellor's room today... I mean, I'm not being nosy or anything, I just want to ask whether everything is fine." 

"Oh. About that." Reality hit me like a truck. How do I tell him. Just how? What if he tells his mom and his mom makes it a big deal and tells my mother and the Wilson family gets humiliated, all BECAUSE OF ME! "Do you, by any chance, have a boyfriend, who your family is unaware of? Don't worry Cara, you can trust me, I won't tell a soul, I promise, and we are friends after all. If you are still uncomfortable in telling me, then it's fine. Actually." Damian assumed. 

"Yes. Sorry, No." Damian's faced responded with confusion. "I mean, please don't tell anyone about this. About you seeing me going into the Vice chancellor's office. And no. I don't have a boyfriend. Where did you get that idea from?" 

"Oh. You both seemed close though. And he looked like the bad boy type with all that bracelets and studs. For a moment I thought it was your type." 

"No way! We literally hate each other's guts, you know. If I had a chance, I would've ended his life long ago. Such a thug. Even if he was the last person on earth, and I had to procreate with him to repopulate the earth, I'd rather let the human species go extinct than ever become his pair. I hate him with my everything!" I ranted like a mad woman. Suddenly, Damian began to giggle.

"Gosh  Cara, so much energy. I never knew you could talk like this. To be honest, this is the longest you have spoken ever since we first met. Do you hate him that much? With such passion?"

"Uh? Am I supposed to be glad to addressed as a talkative individual?" I made a quick remark. "Anyhow, I guess I won't be meeting him anytime soon though. I swear to god, if he shows up in front of me one more time, I'm going to lose it. I swear."

"You hate him with such passion? Now, let me tell you something, sometimes being too passionate about something is not always beneficial. It's good that you keep your distance with him." A sudden hush sat between us for a moment. "And Yes. I like talkative people." A change in atmosphere, the air became lighter. "It's maybe because they are honest most of the time and have no hidden agendas. Maybe that's what makes them more admirable, I suppose." He chuckled as he looked up at the sky. Our conversation continued for a hour or two till Damian's sister called him to get back into the house. His mother gave her highness a tight hug and a 'Mission accomplished' look when Damian and I stepped back into the house. 

We bid farewell, knowing that it won't be too long till we meet each other again. During our conversation, we had a series of revelations. He revealed that his parents had an arranged marriage and unfortunately, it never went well. From what I heard, it's more like they are together for the sake of the family image rather than actual intimacy. Even today, his mother was the only one present here. It's kind of sad when you think about.  I wish I can tell him about my family's grand-secret, but it's not mine for me to tell. So in return, I revealed a smaller secret which was actually mine. I told him that I got suspended. It was more assuring to see him not going into a shock, like I imagined him to be. This does give me an optimistic reference to predict my family's reaction when they hear about this. As a turn of events, he even offered a solution that I am half agreeing with. He volunteered to tutor me from this weekend onwards. and that himbo too. No way I would let him in my eyesight ever again. However, I was too in disbelief when I heard that Mr Hamilton is a man of his word and could also turn out to be one of those nasty villains when he wants to.  In any case, if that fool fails, he will drag me down along with him. So why take chances? What could go wrong when Damian's there. 

To Be Continued...