a kiss of
remorse or guilt rather of pride. I stared into his eyes for a moment,
searching his features. His eyes were shuttered and evasive. Before I could
look deeper he smiled and grabbed my hand and led me to the car. We had planned
a big celebration dinner followed by party with some of the other students
afterwards. Time was of the essence. I relaxed a bit while everyone else
started to pile in allowing the excitement of the moment to take over the
forefront yet again. It was all about me, Lea Brady, right now. I was
officially a graduate of my chosen Masters in International Business. I still
could not wrap my head around it. One thing I knew for sure was that things
were about to change, big time.
Chapter
Two
Everyone was in a jolly good mood as we made our way to the
restaurant. We laughed and talked and sang off key. A quick glance at the
dashboard told me it was nearly seven p.m. already. It seemed as if it was just
a few minutes ago that it had been morning and I was putting on my gown. Now it
was already night. Right now the ceremony felt like a blur and I could only
remember bits and pieces of it. The good thing was that it had been videotaped
so I could always relive the memories afterwards.
I sat beside Mark as he drove, deep in thought. I was still a
bit curious to know what it was he and Erin had been whispering about. It gave
me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I nearly jumped out of my skin
when I heard a voice right next to my ear.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Erin whispered in my ear.
I turned to look at her. We were the best of friends and had
been through some really tough times together. I valued her as a sister and a
confidante. We both had the same auburn hair, dark eyes, and taste in clothes
to the point where persons often thought we were blood sisters. We had even
gone to NYU together which is where I had met Mark. He had been an adorable
clueless genius and we had hit it off from day one. I had only been a junior
while he was a senior but it never seemed to make much of a difference. Until
lately that was. These days there was a distance and aloofness about him that I
just couldn't put my finger on. I continued to stare at my best friend as she
rose her eyebrows quizzically.
“Oh, I was just wondering what you and Mark were discussing.” I
stared at her but she just sat back in her seat and ignored my question. I
frowned slightly. So it was going to be like that then. I tried to think
rationally and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they were planning a
surprise party for me like they had done for my twenty-first birthday. I shook
myself mentally. I needed to get rid of these suspicions. Still, I couldn't
help it. In spite of our bond there was a breach between Erin and I, and had
remained ever since she had gone to the prom with Sebastian, the guy she had
known I had a crush on. She had excused herself by saying he liked her and she
liked him too.
At the time I had been broken-hearted, but when mom agreed with
Erin I had felt silly, like a child so I dropped it. Seeing her with Mark
earlier made me wonder if her infatuation with my men had stopped. She had only
become interested in Mark when she knew I liked him. Before that when he used
to speak to me, she always said I could choose a better standard of men. I
pushed the thought aside as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.
My parents had already arrived just ahead of us so we piled out of the car.
“What’s on your mind?” Mum asked as we made our my way through
the entrance.
“The future,” I said as I sat down. I paid close attention to
see if Erin and Mark spoke again. They never did. Instead they ignored each
other as he took his place by my side.
He kissed me on the cheek and then started to talk in the worst
Italian accent I’ve ever heard. Yep, he’s a joker, that’s why I love him so
much. He makes me laugh and my cloudy days always end with a smile on my face
when he's
remorse or guilt rather of pride. I stared into his eyes for a moment,
searching his features. His eyes were shuttered and evasive. Before I could
look deeper he smiled and grabbed my hand and led me to the car. We had planned
a big celebration dinner followed by party with some of the other students
afterwards. Time was of the essence. I relaxed a bit while everyone else
started to pile in allowing the excitement of the moment to take over the
forefront yet again. It was all about me, Lea Brady, right now. I was
officially a graduate of my chosen Masters in International Business. I still
could not wrap my head around it. One thing I knew for sure was that things
were about to change, big time.
Chapter
Two
Everyone was in a jolly good mood as we made our way to the
restaurant. We laughed and talked and sang off key. A quick glance at the
dashboard told me it was nearly seven p.m. already. It seemed as if it was just
a few minutes ago that it had been morning and I was putting on my gown. Now it
was already night. Right now the ceremony felt like a blur and I could only
remember bits and pieces of it. The good thing was that it had been videotaped
so I could always relive the memories afterwards.
I sat beside Mark as he drove, deep in thought. I was still a
bit curious to know what it was he and Erin had been whispering about. It gave
me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I nearly jumped out of my skin
when I heard a voice right next to my ear.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Erin whispered in my ear.
I turned to look at her. We were the best of friends and had
been through some really tough times together. I valued her as a sister and a
confidante. We both had the same auburn hair, dark eyes, and taste in clothes
to the point where persons often thought we were blood sisters. We had even
gone to NYU together which is where I had met Mark. He had been an adorable
clueless genius and we had hit it off from day one. I had only been a junior
while he was a senior but it never seemed to make much of a difference. Until
lately that was. These days there was a distance and aloofness about him that I
just couldn't put my finger on. I continued to stare at my best friend as she
rose her eyebrows quizzically.
“Oh, I was just wondering what you and Mark were discussing.” I
stared at her but she just sat back in her seat and ignored my question. I
frowned slightly. So it was going to be like that then. I tried to think
rationally and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they were planning a
surprise party for me like they had done for my twenty-first birthday. I shook
myself mentally. I needed to get rid of these suspicions. Still, I couldn't
help it. In spite of our bond there was a breach between Erin and I, and had
remained ever since she had gone to the prom with Sebastian, the guy she had
known I had a crush on. She had excused herself by saying he liked her and she
liked him too.
At the time I had been broken-hearted, but when mom agreed with
Erin I had felt silly, like a child so I dropped it. Seeing her with Mark
earlier made me wonder if her infatuation with my men had stopped. She had only
become interested in Mark when she knew I liked him. Before that when he used
to speak to me, she always said I could choose a better standard of men. I
pushed the thought aside as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.
My parents had already arrived just ahead of us so we piled out of the car.
“What’s on your mind?” Mum asked as we made our my way through
the entrance.
“The future,” I said as I sat down. I paid close attention to
see if Erin and Mark spoke again. They never did. Instead they ignored each
other as he took his place by my side.
He kissed me on the cheek and then started to talk in the worst
Italian accent I’ve ever heard. Yep, he’s a joker, that’s why I love him so
much. He makes me laugh and my cloudy days always end with a smile on my face
when he's
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