Chapter 5 A toast

Josh's POV

Emily's eyes travelled between I and Lina, her eyes dimming in on us before she tore her gaze away.

"What are you both doing here?''

Lina took a step back, attempting to walk away when my hands wrapped themselves around hers, jerking her toward me.

"Josh!" Emily called out, barely taking a gasp as she questioned. " Is this what is it? Does Max know? What you are doing?''

"What do you think we are doing? You found us talking, that's all"

Her hands went underneath her boobs in a fold before her words rolled out of her lips. "Weren't you talking about getting rid of the proposal, which you know well enough that you won't be able to? I won't let you to anyways,and you have no other choice than to go along with it"

Lina heaved behind me, before rasping out. "I'm leaving, I have to find Max, my parents will be worried, congratulations Emily, Josh loves you a lot" she whispered before walking away.

My hands clasped together, watching her footsteps, each short and angered.

"Well" Emily huffed before turning her eyes to me. "Have you thought about what Max is going to do? When he finds out that you like her? He will have your head"

"Is that all you have?" I waited for an answer, one that wasn't forthcoming.

All I wanted to do was rush after Lina and let her know there was no way I wanted Emily, that she was the only one who had my heart and no one else would, but maybe I was hoping for too much, maybe everything was going too fast and I had to stop it, but how could I? Emily was like a thorn, one that has gone too deep.

"Because there is no way I am getting engaged to you, you should get the hell away from me while I'm still being nice"

I had taken a step back when she screamed behind me, her voice running into octaves.

"Are you ready to risk it? Your so-called friendship with Max? Have you thought about how this will look like for Lina? How she will be segregated when people find out? Do you think you will ever be able to help her out of that?"

My nails dug into my palm at her words because she was speaking nothing but the truth, I wouldn't be able to see her and worse still, Max will hate me

Her scent wafted into my nostrils, reminding me of everything that was wrong, how she wasn't Lina to begin with, it repulsed me, every single thing she did.

"Let's go in, Josh" she wrapped her hands around mine as I gnashed my teeth.

"The least we can do is fall in love with each other. What could possibly go wrong?" She leaned closer, attempting to plant a kiss against my cheek when I flicked my head to the side, string of curses jamming the air.

" What is keeping you both?" Max asked, edging closer. "You love birds are having it out here, aren't you? While you both have us waiting"

Emily's face melted into a smile, her hands tugging at my suit jacket. "Do you know Josh has a crush? Someone he loves?"

Gnashing my teeth, I seethed in rage at Emily when Max turned to me wanting to know. " I do, but I have always thought you were the one, is it someone else?''

Emily turned to me, before bursting into a charade of laughter. "Really? I?" She poked at herself. " That means you never knew it was..." my lips slammed over hers before she could mutter out another word out of her mouth before pulling away as I tugged her with me.

" We will be leaving now, come in Max, we wouldn't want to keep you all waiting any longer"

My hands tightened around Emily as I pulled her with me down the vast hall, leading down the foyer, when I was sure we were out of earshot and no one else was on our tracks, I slammed her against the wall, gently enough not to hurt her but it seemed she enjoyed it too much because she had her tongue running on her lips, a failed attempt at seducing me, she was having a bad one before she even started.

"What was that for? Do you really think Maxwell will believe you? Just because you came ranting to him?"

" Then why are you scared? If she isn't the one, you wouldn't have pulled me here, you know...I wasn't sure I had heard correctly, damn it, I haven't even heard it at all, but I have never been stupid, you know that Josh and you know damn right what I have been known for, a lot of things but being stupid wasn't one of them"

" What are you talking about?" I tried to grasp what she was saying as her words were coming off in circles to me.

" I never knew you were in love with her, didn't even eavesdrop on your conversation but I had to put two and two together and I got it right, that she is the one you are in love with"

My hands folded in a clench at her words, I had been stupid all right, when I wasn't even supposed to, but that was what happened whenever I was with Lina, I lost my sense of reasoning as she took over every single part in me.

"I don't love her" I denied, hating myself for that, but it was the least I could do.

"You have it all wrong, I don't love you either, the person I have a crush on is someone different entirely, nor you nor Lina, do you really want to let yourself be thrown in the midst of this engagement when you know that?"

She puffed her shoulders in a shrug. " I don't care, really, I don't. As long as I have you by my side, whether you love me or not is none of my concern"

" You don't mean that"

" You were at the verge of going out with me before you dash out, you have always wanted me, so what's the big deal now?"

I threw my head backward, trying to hide how much Darren's appearance scared me, how much I really wanted him gone and how he was the one thing who had caused all these, the threat and all.

If he hadn't shown an interest in Lina, and had stayed back like others I had threatened, then I wouldn't have been clasped in this.

" You won't understand"

" Then. Make. Me. Do" she poked at my chest, before throwing both hands in the air, dragging in a puff of air, she sashayed away.

Leaning against the wall, my breath ran out as I watched her take steps out. Why was it that every single thing was out against me? Why was it that I couldn't just puff this out like I always do with my cigarette.

Snapping the stick of cigarettes into two, I trudged along, stepping into the hall early enough.

Forcing a smile on my face, I took steps toward the podium where Emily was all smiles and her yellow gown swayed all over.

"Well, like I said, my son Josh and my beta's daughter are getting engaged, can we raise a toast please, to the couples?"

I accepted the flute of champagne the waitress handed over me, boring holes into Lina whose eyes still had crystal rimming its beautiful edges,my hands tightened around the flute while I wished she wouldn't raise a toast as well, just to show she wasn't agreeing to this.

But when she did, turning around to look to her side where a figure had appeared, one which I could call his name even if I was asleep, I found myself running my fingers through my hair. What the hell was Darren doing here?