44: SIGN O’ THE TIMES.

He held the bottle firm in his hands, pouring the oil into the cooking pan. Alli closed his eyes to the flames as he coughed into his arms consecutively.

“You want to burn the whole house down chef?” Aal crept up behind him, resting against the door frames and he turned around to her. “Trying to make something special for movie night” she scoffed and she clutched her stomach.

“Don’t really think i want to stay up all night, watching the fault in our stars for the fifth time” She muttered and he lowered the gas, pulling away. “Well we could watch me before you, or—“ He snapped his fingers.

“Or five feet apart” He emphasized and she rolled her eyes, inching closer. “It isn’t about the movie.” She said and just before she could complete that statement, Mohammed walked into the kitchen—stamping a paper on the fridge.

“We have a date.”

Gazes intersected throughout the room as Alli let his hands fall. “What date?“ He seemed to be the only who didn’t have an idea what was going on and his mother sauntered forward.

“For Aaliyah. We have a date for her wedding ceremony” Her hands slipped through her niece’s and Alli felt his heart drop in his chest. “Her wedding?“ He echoed, meeting her dim eyes. Aaliyah wasn’t too excited about the news, perhaps he finally understood why she would scrap movie night. He turned off the gas, seeing no use in cooking anymore.

“When is it?” He asked the obvious question before his eyes fell on Saheed, his younger brother. And with a shrill scream—“In three weeks” He exclaimed and naively his mother shrugged her shoulders. “Aren’t you excited?” She pulled Aaliyah’s cheeks and she scoffed synchronizingly with Alli.

“Of course i am” Came a more convincing reply and Alli’s palms rubbed against the back of his shorts as their eyes met. Guilt, mixed with the adrenaline flowed through his veins, increasing his heart rate for whatever reason and he nodded.

“Of course she is.”

-

“I’m going to get a drink” Luke said, interrupting the back and forth conversations across the table. And he got up, excusing himself. Olivia let her gaze linger till her eyes fell on Amanda who stood as well. “Hold on Luke” She returned a glare to Liv as she tossed her napkin to the table.

Luke’s palms met the bar counter just as his mother crept behind him. “I’ll have one whiskey sour” Her voice pierced him from behind and he watched her take a seat. “What are you doing here?” He muttered.

Damien threw his head over his shoulders before his eyes met Liv’s awkwardly. She cleared her throat, piercing the tensile silence. “I secured a spot in the Vienna tower, where i’d like to see you two get marrie—“

“Not now, Mr Soviet” Liv cut through as Agatha choked. Raznak was taken aback but all her attention was on her aunt who seemed to not have been doing good. But Damien’s voice urged the table as he sat forward. “Actually” He paused.

“Actually i’ll love to hear”

From the counter, Luke’s eyes caught a glimpse of her as Agatha took a sip of her drink. “What are you doing?” She asked and her son played dumb shrugging his shoulders.

“Luke. Come on”

“Olivia?” Came a shrill whisper and his eyes fell. “What are you doing with Olivia—And dont even act like you have no idea what i’m talking about because i saw the knee holding, the gazes, i saw the flirting with your brother next to you guys. It’s honestly so astounding that i’m only just realizing” Amanda added.

“Because you both aren’t exactly skilled in keeping secrets and you aren’t in keeping it in your pants” She punched him lightly in his hands and he exclaimed. “It just kind of happened” Luke said.

“I honestly don’t know”

“Then unhappen it, because in a few weeks, she’s going to be walking down the aisle with not just any other man, but your brother. And these two are going to be the star of the Archer Empire. Shit is way too complicated for this messing around” She continued and their eyes met. “And what about me?” He asked.

“There is no y—“ Amanda tied her tongue and he let out a deep scoff. “Of course” He heaved. “No Luke, you know i didn’t mean it that way” She reached out to him as he stood.

“No mum, you meant exactly what you said”

“You know i miss when it was just us. Growing up, i miss when you weren’t obsessed with all of this fake life and saving a company that didn’t want anything to do with you in the first place” He raised his voice, cutting Amanda short. “Now you know—“

“I know Archer Empire wasn’t there for us when we had to eat once a day and live the back of your Subaru. I know Archer wasn’t there for us when you cried yourself to sleep, when we had to battle child protective services because you were using” He said and tears welled up in her eyes.

“I was” His voice cracked. “But i guess Damien is the perfect son, i mean you’ve only waited so long to be reunited with the crowned jewel” He turned around, lowering his voice to not attract a scene. “And i guess what i want doesn’t matter. It never has—it doesn’t if for the first time, i feel in love because i have to give it up like everything in my whole life” He whispered.

“Love?” Amanda echoed as the tears fell down her left cheek.

“Just—“ Luke held out his hands.

“I don’t know. Just leave” He said. “Or i would” And with that, he stormed out of the banqueting hall, leaving Amanda with a glass of her favorite cocktail in her quivering hands. And Liv turned around at the sound of the closing doors.

“What’s going on?” Damien piped up once Amanda had gotten close, hearing their shrill voices back and forth in an argument and she wiped her eyes off the tears that welled in them.

“Nothing much”

“Probably needed some air” She scoffed and Olivia gathered her dress as she stood. “I should go check up on him” Both Damien and Liv chorused but she was faster up. “No i probably should—”

Damien watched her walk out of the doors, an arch coming between her brows. There was an abrupt silence after she stood before Raznak blew raspberry. “Well everyone might as well leave” He clinched his glass as their eyes met. “Cheers.”

“I should go meet her” Damien rose from his chair but as he was about to leave, the sound of shattering glass pierced his ears and he turned to see Agatha with a mess in front of her. There were gasps and murmurs in the entire hall as she stood.

Her eyes sunk in the back of her head. “Are you—“ Amanda held unto her as she fell to the ground. “Someone get some help” Damien jolted in his steps as the guests stood around the table. Agatha was in her hands, clinching on for dear life.

“Go get Olivia” Amanda scrambled for her phone to dial 911.

-

Luke didn’t bother to turnaround once he heard the sound of the door click. He always knew she was going to come after him, even though he was still surprised.

“Where we ever going to talk about that night?” His voice infiltrated the winds that blew into her face and Olivia drew close to him. “What night?” She asked by default and he scoffed. “Why am i not surprised at all?”

Her arms met the metal railings next to him as she looked down at the parking lot. “Relax Luke, take a joke” She turned around, looking at the balloon themed rooftop with a sign that was covered. “What was that about?” She looked to him.

“What is this about?”

He turned around, letting his arms fall right next to him. “Damien wants to ask you out. I’ve known for a while now”

“What?” Came a shrill whisper with shock in her eyes. “I’ve known for quite a while that my brother is in love with you” He added. “But uhm—the truth is i also am” He whispered and she fluttered her lashes, stunned to her guts.

“Please say something” He urged and she scoffed. “I uhm, i don’t know what to say. This is all news i mean, Damien” Her voice was low and he let out a scoff. “Of course you say his name as if i didn’t just tell you exactly the same thing”

Her hands reached for his, grabbing it softly. “No, Luke. It’s just this changes everything” She whispered. “Does it have to?”

“You said yourself it was merely a pretend engagement.”

“But you know what i felt for your brother was—“

“Was real?“ Luke raised his voice. “Was over. We had this conversation before Olivia. You said you were done” He said. “Well what do you want me to say now?” She yelled back at him, tears rising in her eyes. “What do you want from me?”

“Say you love me too” His voice cracked and she let go off his hands. “I—“ “Just say it, Liv. Just say you felt what i felt that night. That was real, even half as real as what you claim you felt for Damien. Say we’ll figure this out” He whispered.

“I cannot tell you the words you want to hear, Luke”

“You cannot or you do not” He scoffed, running his fingers as he threw his head backwards. “Luke” She broke the surmounting silence between them. “I felt it Luke, i did. But i don’t want to drag you down into all of this mess with me” She added. “I don’t want to complicate my life the more”

“Then say we’ll figure it out”

And she pushed a hard lump down her throat. “I don’t think i can. Because a phrase like that mounts expectations, and i can’t do that you. I can’t do that to anyone else. Because what if at the end of the day, i can’t give you what you want. I can’t tell you what you want.” Luke nodded, looking into the skies.

Her palms stretched to him but he took them only with his eyes which later looked into hers—a meagre gap in between them. “You can’t lie to yourself that this doesn’t have anything to do with Damien but deep down, you know the truth” He said and she gulped a bitter lump down her throat. He finally took her hands his before one of the balloons burst above them.

And Liv was startled, especially when she sighted Damien by the open doors. She immediately pulled away from Luke as he shook his head, fisting his palms. She wasn’t sure what exactly what he’d seen or heard but her heart dropped.

Especially as he inched closer.

Olivia threw herself to him, holding him back but he let his fiery eyes fall to her. “You should go check on your aunt” He said, as the wailing of ambulance sirens pierced the air and Olivia arched her brows. “Agatha?” She whispered, before pulling away and running down the stairs—

—leaving both brothers bridging the metres between them.

“Son of a bitch” Damien croaked, loosening his tie yet tightening his fists. “I can explain brother” The clip in his lustrous brown hair glistened in the dark and Damien was sure he had seen it somewhere before.

And like a wave washing over him, he realized, eventually putting two and two together. But it was as if the more he did, the more angrier he got. “She’s the one” He chuckled darkly.

“She’s the Vienna girl you fell for, isn’t she—“ He threw his head over his shoulders. “Olivia.” The skies lit up with the colorful fireworks, one consecutively following the other as the lights inscribed something in the dark clouds.

And everyone looked up, including Olivia from below as she halted right to the ambulance. “Who’s Ophelia?” The passerbys seemed to mutter, seeing the words in the skies.

I LOVE YOU, OPHELIA.

And he let go of his fists, knowing it was too late. There was yet another firework that said Olivia. And she pushed a lump down her throat, her eyes darting towards the roof. Before she looked into the back of the ambulance.

“Are you coming with us ma’am?”

She looked to her mother in the plastic bed, sedated with the mask over her nose. And tears fell from her eyes, knowing she had to make the toughest decision.

To be continued…