Chapter 6
I slowly leapt to my feet and took a few steps in her direction, pulling her back into my arms passionately.
"Yes, I will! I will marry you, Philip," she exclaimed with tears in her eyes. My heart was in utter excitement and amidst our joyous laughter; my arms enveloped her for the second time.
The attention in the room started to shift towards our direction.
I picked her up and swirled her around because she had just made me the happiest man in the world. I sat her on her feet and embraced her once more invoking another round of wild laughter.
"I will!" She exclaimed again.
"Say? You will do what?"
"I will marry you!"
Excitement filled the hall at once as everyone turned towards our direction bringing their hands together in rounds of applause, letting out screams of joy and excitement.
The music became louder; screams and applauds erupted even more as we held on to each other and started to kiss passionately.
Thoughts of the first day she kissed me filled my mind. The relationship between Natasha and me had been magic from then on.
Each time we had spent together was amazing. We had both grown so attached in such a short while it was believable that we had met before in their previous life and joined together in this one.
Jerking from my thoughts by the numerous congratulating voices in the background, my eyes once again focuses on my beautiful fiancé and the excited voices of the people surrounding us.
I thanked the crowd for the love shown before asking to be excused politely. I take Natasha’s hand in mine, dart out excitedly out of the room. Natasha looks flush from our abrupt departure.
In one quick turn, she turns back before exiting the hall and wave in her usual dramatic fashion to the crowd and then stepped out into my waiting arms.
Natasha couldn't hide the blush on her face the whole time. She was totally in love with me and I with her, I had never felt this way before in my entire life, except with Stacy, and I never thought I could feel this way again until I met her.
"Where are you taking me to?" Natasha asked as we walked in brisk steps towards the vehicle.
"Sincerely, I have no idea; I just want to get you out of here before I burst open of excitement." I responded almost immediately.
The drive from the venue to the rendezvous was pretty fast. I drove in blistering speed, overtaking every automobile on the way out of enthusiasm. I was visibly joyous at the outcome of my proposal and Natasha could tell. She was equally excited; she had loved me from the very first time their paths crossed, she confessed.
Soon, we were at a fancy restaurant; the ambience was calm, suiting albeit with a tone of flamboyance.
"Do you like it?" I asked as we stepped in, Natasha holding her flowing dress in her hands.
"Of course, I love it! It's beautiful!" She responded.
The hostess led us to a table and we took a seat.
“Your server will be over momentarily,” the hostess said giving us a menu and walked away. In seconds, he was at their side with my menu list in hand.
The server arrived, and we made our order after scanning through the menu list and in seconds, the attendant disappeared with the promise to reappear with their order as soon as possible.
I stared into Natasha's eyes with a soft smile on my face.
"Oh my God!" She said shyly, hiding her face in between her palms.
"Why am I so shy around you all of a sudden?" She asked inaudibly as her words were distorted by her palms.
"Well, I think it's because you just said yes to me," I replied with a wink.
Natasha laughed at the sound of my words closing her face more tightly.
"You are not helping," she blurted out again inaudibly.
A minute of silence ensued as I took time observing the beauty in front of me.
"What are you doing?" She asked still covering her face.
The smile on her face widened.
"I was thinking... We should go see my mother for a formal introduction; it's what people do, right? I felt really bad that you did not meet my mother the last time" I said as she looked on with adoration in her eyes.
“I am so sure she would be glad to meet you; we have discussed so many times about me bringing you home, my mom and I. She seems to have gotten fond of you without even seeing you.” I said.
Natasha slowly uncovered her face to reveal a wholesome facial blush that had been hiding behind her palms.
She didn't have to say a word. Her expression already answered it; she already relished the opportunity to see my mother for the first time. She had also seen a few pictures of her on my tablet, but nothing was better than actually seeing her in person.
"So, I'm thinking we could do it during the weekend? Is it a good time for you, Natasha," I inquired to see how her schedule was?
"No problem; I'm good for my weekend." She said shyly in a soft voice.
“So much in a day.” She mused as she slowly covered her face again as she turned pinker underneath the dim light that served as the source of vision in the small fancy but restaurant.
The server returned shortly with a large metallic tray in hand carrying one tall bottle of champagne and two wine glasses.
He slowly positioned the two glasses in front of the couple and nicely placed the champagne bottle at the center of the table.
"May I?" The server inquired pointing towards the bottle in style.
"Nah! We got it." I responded politely.
The attendant straightened up immediately from my bent posture and promised to get back with our remaining order in no time, disappearing at once just as he had appeared.
The ambience of the room darkened we chatted on amidst shy laughter and joyful noise.
**
Time seemed to move faster than it had ever gone and in the blink of an eye, the weekend was upon us. I was at home with Lillian and Mother, getting everything ready as we awaited the arrival of the love of my life. Mother was ecstatic because she saw joy in me once more. And finally, we heard the soft melody of a car outside and we all stepped out as Natasha made her way out of the car. I was all smiles and so was mother. Lillian had a wide grin and the dog kept on barking. But just as Natasha stepped out of the car, I looked at mother and noticed that the smile had wiped from her face. She seemed lost somewhere in-between confused and upset.
[Oh my God] he said.
Even Natasha could notice the drama that was unfolding.
[What’s wrong mother/] I asked.
[You cannot get married to her, Phillip] she said.
[But why/] I inquired,
[Because that is my sister’s daughter] She said and stormed back into the house, almost caught in tears.
The next couple of days were tough and I had to admit, I had no idea of what to do. But through all of this, one thing had not changed. I loved Natasha. We tried to prove mother wrong. It had to be a lie. Something must be wrong somewhere. But alas we confirmed from Natasha’s mother and she corroborated the story. They were indeed sisters, divided by hatred for each other.
But we were not ready to let such thing as a taboo come in-between us. No matter what would be thrown at us, we were determined to see this through. I invited Natasha for a talk a month after the heat had been at its peak. We had to iron this out once and for all. She obliged and came. We were in Tennessee now, not Colorado. Now I was in y own turf.