My brain shut down for a split second and it was completely silent. As quickly as that happened, it started up again and began working on overdrive. I knew that bike anywhere. It was Darius’ bike. His was different from his friends because it was completely black with no designs and it always looked like it had been freshly polished.
What was Darius doing in my house? Who did he want to see? How long had he been here? Was this what Ian meant when he spoke in the store? A million questions were plaguing my mind and I did not have answers to any of them.
I did not want to alert them to my presence so I turned off the car and decided to discreetly make my way into the house. I stopped at the door and tried to listen in the hopes I would overhear their conversation but the house seemed completely silent. It was either they were not talking or they were talking in hushed tones.
I pushed the door open and saw Darius and Grandma sitting on the couch facing each other. It was obvious that whatever they were talking about was serious because of the air of tension in the air. I glanced at both of them expectantly waiting for someone to tell me what they were talking about but both of them remained silent.
Darius remained stoic while Grandma had the decency to look a little sheepish. She bowed her head and refused to meet my eyes so I focused on Darius. His face was carefully blank and if not for the steady rise and fall of his chest, I would have been tempted to believe that he was a marble statue. I cleared my throat expecting a response but they both stayed silent.
“Hello,” I said simply and that seemed to be enough to snap the spell because Grandma stood to her feet and walked into the kitchen.
I shook my head. I should have expected her to take the easy way out. Darius was still sitting so I crossed my arms over my chest. He stood to his feet and without another word, he walked past me and started making his way over to his car. There was no way I was going to let him get away so fast. I dumped my bag on the floor and rushed out of the house after him.
“Where are you going?” I asked as I got out and to my shock, he was already on his bike. How was he able to walk so fast?
“I have a home of my own, Leindra,” he deadpanned and my anger kindled.
“Why were you in my house and what were you talking to my grandmother about?”
He stayed silent and focused on putting on his helmet. There was no way I was going to let him get away with ignoring me so I made my way over to him and snatched the helmet off his head.
“I asked a question, Darius.” I used the same tone he had used on me earlier and he didn’t like it because his eyes narrowed.
“I came to claim what is mine.”
My grip on the helmet slackened as I took in his words. He reached out and plucked it out of my hands but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to go anymore. He was lounging almost casually on the bike and staring at me as if gauging my expression.
“What do you mean by yours? Does grandma have something that belongs to you? Why didn’t you ask me to bring it to work?”
He smirked and shook his head as if there was something I was missing. I hated the fact that he was smirking when the situation seemed very serious. I opened my mouth to protest but he held out a hand to silence me. He placed the helmet on his head and started the bike.
“Why don’t you ask your grandmother?”
Before I could say anything else, he drove out of our driveway leaving me standing there in complete confusion and silence. I watched him until he became nothing more than a spec in the distance. I turned back to my house and marched in because I knew it was the only way I was getting any answers.
When I got in, Chris was sitting in the living room. His head was buried in his phone but on hearing the way I slammed the door shut, he looked up. The expression on my face was enough for him to take me seriously because he put his phone away immediately and sat up straight.
“When did he arrive?” I asked and I didn’t need to explain because Chris knew exactly who I was talking about.
“I don’t know. I came back home around six and he was already here. For all I know, he has been here for at least six hours.”
“Do you know what they spoke about?”
“I tried to listen in but Grandma locked me in my room and they were speaking too low for me to hear anything. I’m sorry but I have no idea. When he came he mentioned something about collecting. That is all I was able to get before they sent me away.”
I nodded stiffly. “Thank you. Where is she?”
He pointed in the direction of the kitchen and I all but stormed in there. My grandmother decided to pretend like she didn’t notice my entrance. She continued humming as she moved around the gas. There was stiffness in her movements as if she was unsure of what to expect and what was supposed to happen next. I made my way over to her and crossed my hands over my chest.
She finally turned to me and feigned a surprised expression. “Leindra, welcome back, are you hungry? There is lasagna in the fridge and there is some leftover pizza.”
“What were you talking about with Darius?”
I was not in the mood to play games or beat around the bush. She faked a smile and tried to wave it off like it was nothing but I was not having it. I stood there and stared her right in the eye to let her know that I was not going to take her avoidance tactics. I could see her smile wavering and her resolve cracking the longer I stared at her.
Finally, she sighed. “I will tell you but you have to eat first. This isn’t a conversation to be had on an empty stomach.”
I wanted to argue that I was fine but my stomach took that as a cue to rumble. I muttered a small curse under my breath but took the pizza in the freezer and popped it into the microwave. Once it was done, I sat on the kitchen stool and shoved them in my mouth. I ate faster than I ever had before and from the way Grandma stared at me, she knew it too. I was eager to know what they spoke about because somehow, I couldn’t help but feel like it was important to me.
When I was done, I placed the dish in the sink to wash it later and turned to Grandma. “I’m done, start talking.”
She opened her mouth to speak but Chris walked into the kitchen. He looked between both of us and let out a groan.
“Why am I never allowed to hear the important conversations? It’s not fair. I am an adult too,” he mumbled but he turned and walked out of the kitchen without anyone asking him to.
As soon as he was gone, I turned back to Grandma.
“You have to promise not to overreact,” she warned first but I made no promises. When she realized I wasn’t going to promise anything, she sighed. “Darius came here to talk about you.”
I was right. It was about me but what could they have been talking about? Darius said he came to claim what was his but I did not belong to him. Why would he talk to Grandma if I was the one he wanted except-
“No,” I said immediately and from the guilty look on her face, I knew I was right. “You have got to be kidding. This is not the 20’s. He had no right to come here or demand that. What was he even thinking? I hope you told him to shove a dick up his ass.”
She stayed silent and I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Grandma, you told him to fuck off, right?”
“Leindra,” she began in that patronizing tone of hers and I threw up my hands in frustration. “Leindra you have to listen to me.”
“How could you?” I spat. “I am not a bargaining chip for you to just sell off to the highest bidder. You had no right to tell him whether he could have me or not. I do not want to get married and most of all; I do not want to get married to Darius Lunar.”
“There are no other options, Leindra.”
“What do you mean there are no options?” I was angry at her, at him and everyone else. “You had no right to give me out in marriage to him. Why would you do that?”
“You were promised to him a long time ago. There is nothing that can be done about it. This is beyond both of our abilities. Darius is a powerful man and as of right now, you belong to him and he has come to claim you.”
I let out a small scream and picked up the first thing I could find which happened to be a glass jar and threw it against the wall. Grandma didn’t even flinch because, despite my anger, she knew I would never hurt her or anyone else.
I still could not understand how this could happen in this age and time. How could he confidently walk into my house and ask my grandmother for permission to marry me when he didn’t even know me? How could she accept it without asking me first? What did she mean by I had been promised to him? My parents would have never promised me to Darius. They loved me too much to do that to me. No one even knew about Darius’ presence then.
“Who promised me to him?” I asked Grandma but she stayed silent. “You may as well explain.”
“It’s not something I can explain, Leindra. All I can tell you is that this is beyond your control and the best thing you can do is accept it. You cannot change it.”
There was no way I was going to take it lying down; if she was not going to tell me who promised me to him when I was going to find someone who would. If I found who promised me to him then I could find a way to break it off.
Since she wouldn’t give me answers, I decided to find someone who I knew for sure would have the answers- Darius.