Chapter 35 Good Reason to Get Married
Good Reason to Get Married
Since her brother Nick was showing signs of being more sociable that day, Emily decided to take him out and show him the neighborhood. The cafes and whimsical shops nearby were part of what made it such a great place to live, and few could resist its charm.
They strolled around, and Emily could see Nick warming up to the place, just like she had hoped.
“How is it going with your boyfriend?” Nick asked while they had lunch in a quaint tea house with huge varieties of teas to choose from.
Emily did not really want to bring up that topic since she was not sure how it was going herself.
“You guys should get married,” Nick went on, “He’s a really cool guy, and he’s built!”
Emily nearly spat out her tea with laughter. Although Nick seemed to be attracted to women, he had this strange habit of noticing good-looking men. Maybe he was just very secure in his masculinity.
“That’s not a good enough reason to marry someone,” she finally said, “You have much to learn, young one. Speaking of learning, when are you actually going to attend classes?”
Her parents didn’t go into much detail, but they had hinted that Nick was having problems focusing on school, and they hoped the new, more easy-going environment of Vancouver would help him find interest in the outside world again, and to complete his studies.
“Soon, I guess,” he said unenthusiastically. “I was just working on some songs, and you know how you don’t really learn anything in the first class anyway.”
Emily’s phone chimed as a new text arrived.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Cool and Built,” she said, “He wants to meet up later today.”
It was about 7 in the evening, and Byron was still catching up on work at his office. Certainly a lot had happened in the days he missed. The company was teetering on the brink of disaster, but he tried to fight on.
His receptionist rang and said Emily was here to see him, and soon there was a knock on his door.
“Come in,” he said.
Emily entered, looking beautiful, her casual, fanciful outfit a stark contrast to the usual office environment.
“So, what news do you have?” she asked.
Byron didn’t want her to wait any longer to hear about his decision. He got up from behind the desk and said, “I’m going public, just like you wanted. I’ve already told mom, and she’s making plans for the event.”
Emily gave a squeal of delight and rushed towards him. He was not prepared for the intensity of her happiness, or the fiery instincts brought on by her touch. Before he knew it, she had her arms around him and was kissing him, and he was kissing her back without any ounce of self-control.
Byron didn’t want to burden her with his emotional problems, especially since he had no intention of seeking treatment. He thought he might be able to resist the temptation of pulling her into his life, but when she kissed him like that... well, he was not a saint.
When she pulled back to catch her breath, Byron actually took a few steps back behind the desk to prevent any more temptation of doing something extremely naughty at his office.
“This is going to be good for you, you’ll see,” Emily said.
“Emily...” he began, “I don’t want you to get your hopes up. Maybe I can admit that I’ve suffered from depression, but that doesn’t mean I can be instantly cured.”
“Yeah, I’m well aware there’s no magical cure,” she said, gesturing impatiently with her hand, “But it hurts me to see you not even try.”
“Well, the last thing I want to do is hurt you,” he said.
“So you’ll get treatment?” Her whole face glowed with elation and hope.
“I don’t know...” Byron rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was getting into a complicated situation, “It’s very hard for me to talk about my past. And I don’t want you to get your hopes up only to see me fail.”
“You’re not going to fail!” She grabbed his shoulders and shook him with surprising strength.
“See, you’re being too optimistic,” he said, trying to stifle a smile.
“I’m being just the right kind of optimistic,” Emily said, “If you don’t try, you’ll never know if it might have worked.”
