Suddenly, I'm Engaged

Yeolnet

James couldn’t hide his smile while exchanging messages with Aliah one week before the prom. They were discussing the matching colors of their attire and other stuff needed for that one special night. He was about to go to his mom when the song Valentine played on the radio. And hearing that song makes his mood even better, imagining dancing with Aliah while playing that song in the stadium. He is undeniably in a cloud-nine right now.

While having his dinner, James’ phone vibrates. He was so excited to check the message thinking it was from Aliah but an unknown number was displayed.

“Do you like her that much?” His mom asked while observing him acting so weird. He just beamed at his mom without telling any word.

They never saw James smile brightly this way since he had undergone puberty. Everything is new to them. Well, even to James. It is new to him feeling that way for a girl. Maybe, he found that one special girl who would change him into a better person.

All these years, James never stayed in one girl more than a day. He changes girls like the way he changes his clothes. One after the other, James’ irresistible charm catches a woman’s heart. But they never knew that James is just a high school student. All they see is the young hot guy behind those drums. It rarely happens that the guy on drums being noticed by the audience but maybe that’s how James’ oozing charm exudes. He could catch anyone’s attention without exerting extra effort. But then Aliah came in and turned his life 360-degree.

He went back to his room and check his phone again hoping Aliah sends him a message. But there’s no message from her. Maybe, she’s still having dinner and washing the dishes. So he checked again the message from the unknown number he ignored a while ago.

“Hey, it’s Trish. We need to talk.”

His brows furrowed after reading that message. They cut ties with each other after that night. The night that he never wanted and nothing but a mistake.

Trish is one of the regular customers of the resto-bar where James’s band used to perform during weekends. And Trish is one of the girls who was captivated by his irresistible charm. After the performance, James and his band always had drinks until dawn. That’s how he used to live his life. And being a fangirl, Trish often visits their gigs until she became a friend of the whole band. Eventually, she was able to spend each drinking session after performances with the band. That’s how she tried grabbing James’ attention.

Trish is undeniably young, hot, and gorgeous. Not all girls her age could be that gorgeous but maybe it’s her height and foreign features that make her stand out. Her long dark lashes wink beautifully. Her naturally rosy cheeks and plump glossy lips make her look like a living doll. That’s why no man could resist looking at her, except for James. Everyone knows who she’s after and why she always stays with the band in each performance. She was aiming for James’ attention. But it seems James never took her hint at all. Or maybe James is just enjoying how he is being sought by girls.

Everyone’s drunk but it seems that James is wasted more than anyone else. Trish gets easily drunk but she could easily sober up after having something hot to drink. That way, she remained sober while everyone’s wasted. She wanted to leave them but he couldn’t stand leaving James in that state. She tried to tap his cheeks to wake him up but he just murmured an indistinguishable sound. She pulled him up, trying to make him sit properly. She grabbed something hot to drink so he could sober up but her attempts failed. It doesn’t help at all. The tequila shuts him down big time.

She booked a cab and asked for the driver’s help to bring James with him. She tried over and over again where does James live but he couldn’t answer her properly so she decided to bring him with her on her pad within the area.

She struggles to pull the drunk guy as she puts his arm around her shoulder. She never had a problem wearing high heels not until she is in that certain situation. Finally, she was able to push him on her bed. He murmured an indistinguishable sound again maybe complaining about how painfully he was thrown on the bed. She leaves him that way and took her way towards the bathroom. She couldn’t sleep stinking that way.

She brings a bowl of lukewarm water and a towel to wipe all the stinky sweat that covers James’ entire body. She removed his jacket and his shirt so he could clean him up properly. She never experienced nursing a drunk man in her entire life because she never had a man in her entire life. It was only James who captivated her heart. She couldn’t help smiling while she wipes James’ face, starting to his forehead down to his cheeks down to his neck. She was about to walk away with the bowl and towel when James suddenly reach for her hand and hold them tightly. She was shocked by that gesture thinking James is wasted and fast asleep by now.

“Where are you going?” He mumbled.

She looked at him, trying her best not to drop the bowl with water on her right hand while being helped with her left hand. He managed to ask that question while shutting his eyes. Maybe he feels so dizzy that he couldn’t lift his eyelids. She smiled while saying…

“I’ll be back in a few seconds. I just have to put this back before I throw it to you so could finally sober up.” James released his grip on her wrist and made her way to do what she has to do.

Trish went back to the bed but all she hears is James snoring. Maybe he was too tired and drunk to make him snore so loud. She giggled while looking at him sleeping like a baby. She lay right beside him while leaning on her left arm, observing James' every little feature. She couldn’t believe that she is sharing her bed with the guy who never reciprocates all her obvious moves. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling thinking about how crazy she is to go after a guy who never liked her at all.  But she was in awe when James turned on his side making them face to face with just a few centimeters away. She was surprised that her heart beats so fast.

Instead of moving away, she tried to look at him intently because this might be the last time she could stare at him this close. Once the night is over, there will be no second chance for her. She tried to lift her finger stroking on James’ forehead tracing his brows down to his perfectly sharp-pointed nose down to his soft pinkish lips. But she was surprised to see James suddenly opened his eyes as if she was caught doing a crime. She immediately removed her finger and tried to move a little but James stopped her from doing so. They looked at each other intently, exchanging warm gaze as if they are sending signals of how badly they wanted to feel each other’s warmth. Trish tried to hold her breath as much as she can but James suddenly took her lips instead. No words needed to be heard, only warm sweet gestures to be felt.

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The next day, James was surprised to see himself lying on a stranger’s bed. He never made a mistake like that not until that morning. He looked at himself under the blanket but his clothes were nowhere to be found. The naked truth shocked him. He hurriedly looked for his clothes and moved away from the bed.

This is wrong, this is all a big mistake.

He thought while putting his clothes and shoes on rapidly. He was about to go out of the room when a familiar face suddenly appears from the door. It’s Trish.

“Oh, you wake up. Finally.” She greeted with a wonderful smile on her face as if she had a wonderful sleep last night.

James knows what could probably happen last night to see himself waking up without any piece of cloth but it’s a mistake. It may sound cliché but it was all a drunken mistake.

“I am sorry, Trish.”

That’s all he could say after receiving a warm morning greeting with a wonderful smile on her lips. And those smiles shattered hearing those words from him. It was not what she was expecting to hear from him because that’s the total opposite of what she felt from last night.

James took a deep breath and sighed as if he was regretting being in that room seeing her smile brightly at her as soon as he wakes up that morning. He put both of his palms on his face, rubbing it so hard as if he’s waking himself up from that morning nightmare.

“I’m sorry Trish but this is not what I intended. I made a grave mistake, I do. That’s why I am sincerely begging for your forgiveness. I was so drunk last night and I never made this kind of mi-----”

“It’s fine. You can leave if you want to. If you have to. Though I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast.”

 The tears in Trish’s eyes were clouding up her visions as she was holding them badly. She doesn’t want to see James shed even a drop of tears from what she heard from him. She is mad, shocked, offended but at the same time, she feels ashamed for spending her first night with a drunk guy when she knows they might regret it. But she wanted it that’s why she gave her all despite everything. It was her mistake believing a drunk guy’s gesture.

“I am, really, really sorry Trish.” James begging for her forgiveness multiple times.

“You may leave. No need to apologize. Go.”

That’s how Trish ended things between the two of them.