24

"You're just saying that," she said.

"No, I am not." He said holding her hands.

"You know true beauty isn't only on the outside and what makes you extraordinary is that you have both."

"I can't even imagine why you would think yourself ugly. You have the perfect face and body and I am serious about it. Your perfect brown eyes, your thick long black hair. Your perfectly shaped eyebrow and long lashes. Your lips are perfectly shaped too and is complemented by your perfectly aligned white teeth," he said and she smiled.

"No one has ever complimented me that way before," she said.

"As anyone ever said you're ugly?" He asked and when she tried thinking about it, she realized that no one had ever said that to her. She just always assumes it especially with everything Collins put her through.

"I just always felt that way."

"Is that why you were those baggy clothes most times?" He asked.

She looked down.

"Yes."

"You can wear anything you want so long as you're comfortable in it but not because you feel ugly. You're beautiful. Very beautiful," he said and she smiled.

"You just made my night."

"Your necklace is beautiful, just seeing it on you," Andrew said as his eyes caught the diamond necklace Krystal was wearing. The same ones that had been gifted to her by Collins.

"Was a gift," she said.

"From who?" He asked

"A friend," she said. She didn't know what  right answer to say at that moment but she knew the wrong answer would be to mention Collins.


"If it's not the newly weds," Collins said and they both turned in the direction of his voice to see him.

"Hey,"Krystal said.

"It's been a while man. Last time I saw you, you were getting married to my fiancé," he said.

"This is unnecessary," Krystal said.

"If you say so."

"Is there something we can help you with? Andrew asked.

"Maybe she could help me with something," he said looking at Krystal in a thirsty way.

"You should go,"

"Was about to."

He took a drink from the table.

"Enjoy the party," he said and then walked away.

"I need to use the restroom," Krystal said to Andrew after Collins had left.

"Alright."

Krystal went to the restroom and while she finished up and came out. She met Collins by the side, it seemed like he was waiting for her.

She was about to start walking away when he blocked her way with his body.

"Let me go," she said.

"Why are you being so difficult now. You have never been this way."

"Things are different now Collins and the past is in the past," she said.

"You were always so soft spoken and sweet. I get it, you are trying to play hard to get through Andrew. I get it. Now, can we stop the games," he said.

"You're being delusional. Get over yourself," she said.

Andrew wondered what was taking Krystal so long and decided to check up on her.

He got there and saw she and Collins.

"Krystal!!" Andrew called from where he was standing.

Collins turned to look at him and then Krystal walked up to where Andrew was staying.

“I think we should just go home,” Krystal said.

“You can wait in the car, will catch up with you in a bit.” He said, still staring at Collins.

He walked up to where Collins was standing.

“She doesn’t like you and I think you should stay the hell away from her,” he said, with a threatening voice. Clenching his fist.

“And if I don’t? What will you do about it?”

“You will see what I can do about it. You try me!”

“You didn’t do anything about the one that happened years ago. What makes you think you can stop this now?” Collins asked with a smirk on his face.

“They are not the same,” Andrew said, anger in his eyes as memories of what happened in the past flooded his head.

“You think so?”

“I know so and I know Krystal well. She isn’t Brittney,” Andrew said.

“If you her so sure about your little angle. Why not ask her who she got the little diamond gift on her neck from,” Collins said and Andrew was confused.

Collins laughed walking away at the shock on Andrew’s face.

Andrew was furious!! He didn’t know how to react and he wasn’t even sure if how he was feeling was how he was supposed to be feeling.

He went into the car and sat next to Krystal in the car.

“What happened? What did you talk about?” Krystal asked but Andrew said nothing. He kept a straight face and was mute throughout the journey.

He was not sure of what to tell her. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be angry at her. He just wanted what he was feeling to go away.

He wanted to not feel that way again. To not care about what Krystal did or didn’t do.

The ride home was silent. When Krystal realized that Andrew wasn’t going to say a word to her, she stopped asking questions and started wondering what might have happened inside when she left.

When they got home, they got out of the car and as they got in and Andrew was about to go upstairs, she held his hands, stopping him.

“Why are you not talking to me all of a sudden!! Are you just going to keep mute and behave like I am not standing here with you!!” Krystal said, furious.

“If I did something, at least tell me!!” She added.

He turned to her.

“Why not start by telling me who actually gave you the necklace you’re wearing?” He said and Krystal got confused.

Was he angry about the necklace? She thought.

“A friend!! Collins!!” He said, furiously.

“I didn’t know I had to tell you everything about my life now!! Your life!!? Krystal!!”

“If you knew you weren’t hiding anything, you should have just said his name!”

“I don’t think it concerns you anyway!”

“Everything you do concerns me!! You’re my wife!!”

“Stop acting like you actually care, like this wasn’t a marriage of convenience for both of us. You didn’t even want this some months ago.”

“Yes, i didn’t!! I didn’t ask for any of this!! We agreed and now we are here. You told me how this same Collins is the absolute worst but you’re out here collecting gifts from him. Pick a struggle!! Do you even know what you want?”


“You don’t know me that much yet to make conclusions.”

“I know enough,” he said and was about to start going upstairs to the room.

The words “do you even know what you want” kept ringing in Krystal’s ear. To be honest, she knew she wasn’t sure what she actually wanted.

“He told me you can never like me and that you only agreed to marry me to get back at him. Why not explain that.”

Andrew turned to look at Krystal.

“That’s not me and if you have even tried to get to know me this past months, you would know that.”

“Then explain why he would say that?”

“Brittney and I were in a relationship as you already knew in high school. Someone cheated and the relationship ended. The whole school believed it was I who cheated because that was the rumor that went viral. But what everyone didn’t know was that it was Brittney who cheated and it was with my best friend at the time, Collins.”

“So you see why he would think that but if you truly know me, you would know that I am not trying to get back at him.”

“Why are you pretending to care about me when you don’t!!” Krystal said.

Andrew stared at her.

“Maybe when you actually start believing your worth, you would understand me and why this isn’t a presence,” he said and then walked away.