“Hey babe, we need to talk. Meet me at the roof of the building by nine.”
That was what he had said to her over the phone when he had called earlier and she had excitedly made her way here even thirty minutes before the time they had agreed. It was a cold July evening but she didn’t mind the chills, she was dressed and prepared for the weather, and she had even brought an umbrella in case it would rain.
She had spent a full forty minutes alone on the rooftop before Jeremy came, the exciting news she had to share with him kept her company and warm throughout the time she had to wait. She had told her family about it and they had been excited just as they were when Jeremy decided to go public with their relationship and plans of getting married.
She was born into a middle-class family who had just enough to get by, her father was late, he had been dead for twelve years now and she had just her mother and her aunt who seldom came by as her only family members. Despite their middle-class background, she had attended the most prestigious school in Hontari on scholarship and that was how she had met Jeremy Xiu.
She had been wary of him at first because he was cold and kept his distance like he enjoyed being alone and thought to be a freak, but they knew his father and nobody would dare bully him, not even the teachers would bat an eyelid if he were to be absent from school, but Jeremy never missed a class, he never missed out on anything the school considered important whether it was academics or sport or recreational.
She had been his first friend as she could be just as stubborn as he was and it was thanks to the art teacher who had put them together as a team to carry out a project and she had come to know that the guy was not as bad as everyone painted him out to be. But he didn’t get close to anyone else, not even when she tried introducing him to some of her friends. Eventually, they grew close, close enough to start dating.
He had surprised her when he proposed to her a week ago, he surprised her again when he made their relationship public three days ago, and right now he chose to surprise her again. But this time, it was more of a shock than a surprise, he was letting her go.
Her smile faded when she heard what he had to say and she just watched him. He kept his gaze low, looking down at her hands as they gingerly held on to his. They both sat on the bench, 56 stories above the ground on the roof of a building where he had proposed to her just a week back. It had been on a cold July evening and they had been celebrating their second year together and he had brought her here after they finished the movie they went to watch.
He had planned everything perfectly, her favorite movie, her favorite meal, her favorite music, and the perfect view of Hontari city. He had knelt down right here, holding out the cutest ring she had ever seen, and asked her the question; will you marry me?
Now they were in this same place and he had just said something she hoped was just a mean joke. A very mean joke.
She had heard what he said but her mind would not want to comprehend what she had heard. “Say what now?” she asked him with a forced smile, hoping that it was a joke.
“I’m sorry I have to do this. I can’t…”
She squeezed his hands and lifted them up to her chest, wanting him to look her in the eye. “If this is a joke please stop now, it’s hurting me. You really can’t mean what you just said, right?”
“I’m sorry.” He said and pulled his hand gently away from her grip.
She let his hand fall away and her eyes clouded with tears. She smiled painfully and kept her attention on him. “But why? You have to tell me why, I mean you just proposed to me a week ago. We made our relationship public only three days ago!” she was getting angry now.
He stood up from the bench and faced her now. “I know, I know and I really don’t want to end this but… I… it’s complicated.”
“And you cannot tell me why? Give me a reason Jeremy! Why would you do this to me?!”
“I cannot tell you no matter how badly I want to, you might think of me to be crazy.” He raked his fingers through his hair feeling frustrated and angry. He didn’t want to do this but he had no choice, he loved her but he could not get married to her. At least not yet, not now until he had completed the other thing, and if he were to tell her what it was, he knew there was no way she would agree to it.
“Just trust me.” He went on his knees and took a hold of her cold hands. “Trust me, I love you and don’t want to lose you…”
“So why are you breaking it off?!” She yelled at him and yanked her hands away. “Why are you choosing to end this relationship if you love me?!”
“It’s not that simple but I need you to trust me, please.”
“No!” She stood up forcefully and looked down at him as he maintained his kneeling position. “Not until you give me a reason, an excuse, something that makes sense, there has to be something…”
“I’m getting married to someone else!” He finally let it out. He squeezed his palms into fists and shut his eyes tight. “It’s a family thing and I cannot refuse, I have to marry her.”
She felt like she had been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer and she stumbled backward, she felt her head spin, and her vision blurred for a moment. “To someone else?” she said weakly.
She looked down at her stomach and rubbed a palm over it. She had wanted to share the good news with him when he had asked for them to meet today, the good news that she was pregnant, four weeks gone and they would become parents soon. The tears fell from her eyes and onto her cheek, rolled down, and clung to her jaw before falling away.
“I wish you a happy married life Jeremy,” she said and grabbed her bag, making her way toward the exit.
Jeremy scurried to his feet and chased after her. “Wait, please hear me out.” He grabbed her hand and she turned in anger, her palm landing hard on his cheek. His eyes widened in shock, she had never before in their two years of dating raised her hand to him. He looked at her in surprise.
“You will stay away from me from now on Jeremy! To hell with you and to hell with your family! I hope you come to regret this and by then it would be too late for you!” she yelled at him and stormed out, leaving him broken, just as she was.