Set me free - Episode 51

 

Michelle:

"Go. I'll wait out here in the car." Rory urge me on as he opens my door for me. I can't move out of the car though. My legs are literally shaking. 
"What did you do to my confident Mara?" He shakes his head with a smirk. I give him the stink eye. 
"Fine. I'm out." I put one leg out of the car then hesitate again.
"I'm pulling you out whether you like it or not." Rory grab my hand and starts to pull me out of the car . I shriek as I try to hold on to something inside the car. I grab the driver's seat then kick my legs out. I might have done it too hard because Rory suddenly lets go of my legs but loses balance and crash into a lady by the side of the street.
"I'm sorry. I'm so--" my profuse apology gets stuck on my lips as I watch the spectacle in front of me. In a bid to catch the woman, Rory has his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her up. Her legs aren't touching the ground. I shut up and watch the both of them. Rory is blushing beet red. 
"Umm I didn't mean to--" My mouth hit the ground as the lady silence Rory's own apology with her lips!  Oh my God!  She's really kissing him. Rory looks frozen while the girl do her thing.
 The sudden sound of a car door slamming short pulls all three of us out of our little bubble

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/set-me-free

. Rory jerks away and the lady falls to the ground.
"Ouch!" She yells. I wince.
"What did you do that for?!" Rory yells. The lady brush the sand off her butt before standing to her full height which isn't much by the way, to face Rory. 
"You nearly killed me! I just took the apology I need!" She snaps. I try to stifle my laugh in vain. Rory's eyes flashes to mine. I feign disinterest.
"Are your country women always this crazy?" He asks, clearly astounded. I don't need to answer. The woman answers for me.
"Excuse me!" She snap and stamp hard on Rory's feet before storming away. 
"What the--- did you- I mean I--" Rory furiously stutter. My eyes catch a paper on the floor and I alight the car to pick it up. The lady must have dropped it when she hit the floor.
"Wow." I gasp as I read through it. It's a list of things she'll do. The top heading reads "Things I'll do if I --- I can't tell the rest part because she cancels it with black ink. The first thing on the list is eat chocolate. Such a mundane thing. It hasn't been marked off like the second item which reads wear sneakers to work.
"Interesting list." I say.
"What's that?!" Rory snatches the paper from my grasp. His brows furrow as he reads through. I jump up and down behind him to read more.
"Kiss a stranger!  There!  It's on her list!" I burst out in fits of laughter.
"Crazy woman." Rory mutters under his breath as he pockets the paper. 
"You are going to keep it?" I ask and he shrugs. 
"Just a reminder of how crazy women are. Now go meet your William and don't disturb me." My smile falls at the reminder of why I'm here. I look across the street to the small house where Rory says William lives.
"Just go and get it over with." Rory snaps.
"Fine." I snap back and match across the road and to the front of the house. It's silent inside. I should knock. My hand freeze just shy of the gate. He's going to be mad at me. Maybe I should just find his number and call him to inform him I'm here. I look back across the street. No Rory in sight. I should just leave. The wooden door inside the house pulls open at this moment and I turn back my head to see William. He's looking good enough to eat in a suit. I swoon even in my nervous state.
"Michelle?" He gasp. I freeze. 

William:

 I snap out of my shock and fly out the balcony to meet her. 
"William." She laughs awkwardly.
"What are you doing out here?" 
"I--i came to see you." She looks down at her toes. My heart skip several beats but I shut the organ down. Mother could be just by the window watching.
"Follow me." I grab her hand and pull her towards the side of the house.
"My God, Michelle!  You flew thousands of miles to see me?!  Are you out of your mind?!" Why am I saying the opposite of how I feel? I'm ecstatic for Christ sake! Michelle's face fall.
"I--I thought I'll give us a chance. We can be together here." Her eyes are beginning to water. I'm a coward but I can't accept this. This just reminds me of another girl who dropped everything to take a chance with me. She suffered then died. I can't do this. I turn my back to her. 
"William. Are you not happy to see me? I've made such a big sacrifice to be with you." She touch my shoulder lightly. I bite down on my teeth before turning to face her. 
"It's these sacrifices I can't accept."
"Baby, please. We can make this work. I can make it work. I'll make sure to love  your daughter, if that's what you are worried about. Hell, anything that comes from you. I love with all of my being." She comes closer and I take a step back.
"You don't understand." I say. 
"Understand what? I love you. You love me. It'll work." She takes a big step and take my hand.
"That's the problem. Love isn't all that matters here." 
"What else matters? Is it your daughter's mother? I don't mind that. We can--"
"She's dead." I spit.. Michelle's mouth clamp shut. 
"She's dead because she took a chance on me. I couldn't protect her! She suffered all those months without me and died without me by her side!" Tears sting the back of my eyes. I drop Michelle's hand and rub my face harshly. 
"William."
"No! I have to protect you from making the wrong choice. Look at this place!" I motion around to the lousy place I live in. A far cry from her posh beach house in the states.
"It's no place for you! You deserve all the good things of life. I can't give them to you now." I continue
"I don't want them, Liam. Can't you see? You are the only thing I want. You and your daughter." My heart sink at this. She's already including Aurora with us. She would have been a perfect new mother. 
"I can't let you do that. You are young and finally free. You don't need a father and daughter pulling you down. You'll regret this. I don't want to be your regret. I want to preserve our dream not make it a living nightmare."
"Isn't that my choice to make? Living without you is the living nightmare!" She yells in my face.
"That's not true. Give it time. A week, a month, the memory of me will fade."
"Is that what you plan to do? Give yourself time for me to fade from your memory? A week?  A month? Is that all I'm worth to you?" She's crying. My fingers ache to wipe those tears. I clench them into fists instead.

Read " Mirage " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. I have to do this.
"Yes." I say silently.
"That was all you were. Just a fantasy. A week and you'll surely fade."
"Fuck you!" Michelle's fist flies and land against my jaw. I taste blood. 
"Just go back to your country. There's no place for you here." I say through the pain slashing my heart and walk away from her. My legs feel like lead. I don't want to walk away.
"I'm sorry Michelle. This is for you. I can't take losing you too." I say under my breath before hailing down a taxi. As soon as I shut the car door, the torrent of tears pour down. God, it hurts too much.