7. THE PAST 7

Yvonne noticed a lot of changes in Ray, she felt he was trying to distance himself and at the same time, trying to get closer to her. Each time she brings up the to find out what was going on or what was wrong is also the same time he remembers unnecessary things, he has been wanting to say like he was avoiding the topic. Her best friend, Susan was coming over to visit. "Hey, babe." She hugged her after opening the door for her to come in. "Best part." Susan hugged her back. "Thank God you came today." Going to the sitting room. "Well have been everywhere so no time to visit anyone." Susan followed her to the sitting room and sat down. "What would you like to take?" "Let's order pizza and get some ice cream." "I have ice cream in the freezer so ordering pizza it is," Susan ordered pizza while she stood up to get the ice cream. "Guess what?" Yvonne asked excitedly, on entering the sitting room with the ice cream. "What is it?" Susan collected her ice cream from her. Yvonne sat down beside Susan with hers, "My fiance is coming over." "I will finally get to know my best friend's fiance and the guy who captured her heart." She laughed at what Susan said, "Don't say that to him or his head would swell." "I would keep that in mind." The doorbell rang out, "Maybe it's the pizza I ordered..." Yvonne went to answer the door, "Hey..." The pizza delivery guy greeted her and handed her the pizza, "You ordered for this..." "Yea. Thanks." She collected it and paid him. He left. "It was the pizza delivery guy." They opened the pack and ate from it, taking it along with the ice cream. "So... Any guy?" She asked Susan. "Guy? What guy?" "Stop acting like you don't understand me. A guy you are in love with or like?" Yvonne said frowning her face at Susan. "No one that I can think of." She said, staring into a distance, "Yea... Except for one guy, my dad's friend's son." Yvonne looked at her confused, "I don't understand." "My dad and his friend want to mix match us but we both rejected it." "Since when? Was it before you traveled?" "Yes. That was 2 years ago." She sighed. "Have you seen the guy before?" "Yes... Girl, he's handsome and someone you would want as your life partner." Giving her a look, "Susan, I have known you since. I know you would want someone like that." "Fine... I like him but he pleaded with me to reject the proposal, saying he was already in love with someone else and can't give me the happiness that's needed in a marriage. So I let him walk away." Yvonne went toward her to console her, "It's okay. You did the right thing. Someone better will come for you soon." While they were still talking, the doorbell rang out. "It should be him." She jumped up from beside Susan excitedly and went to open the door. She opened the door to let Ray in, "Hey baby." He hugged her tight. Before she could reply to his greeting, suddenly, she felt him go rigid and stiff like he had seen a ghost. "Hmmm... Love birds." Her best friend said from behind. She released from the hug and turned back to see her best friend looking at them. It was as if she had imagined it, it had looked like Susan briefly glared at her at that moment. She smiled at Susan, "Susan, meet my fiancee, Raymond. Baby, meet my best friend, Susan, the girl I told you about." Looking at Ray, She noticed he was looking at Susan with mixed emotions, fear and panic were visible in his eyes. Susan was the first to stretch her hand out for a handshake, he stared at her hand briefly before receiving the handshake. She noticed the awkwardness between them and also how they shared a known look but she chose to ignore it but reminded herself to ask Ray later. "Baby..." She called Ray, held his hand, and tapped him lightly. "Let's go to the sitting room." He lowered his gaze to her, pecked her forehead, and nodded. They all went to the sitting room and settle down, Ray took over her unfinished ice cream and pizza. After eating them all, "Am hungry." Ray complained to Yvonne. "You've eaten my ice cream and the remaining pizza, love." "Am still hungry... My stomach is aching me." "Fine, I will go and prepare something for you to eat." She went to the kitchen to prepare something for him to eat, leaving Susan and Raymond alone in the sitting room. Susan kept looking at Raymond and he did the same, she knew he was surprised to see her there. What shocked him the most was the fact that she was his fiancee's best friend. She took out her phone to chat him up. "Hey, handsome." He took out his phone when it beeped, he looked at her as he saw it was from her before replying to the message. "Don't flirt with me. As you can see am your best friend's fiance, so..." "You were mine first before you became hers." "I was never yours nor would I be, Susan." "Should we explain things to her then? I guess she would understand my plight. Or what do you think, my Love?" She sent it with a kissing emoji. "Don't you dare..." He glared at her from where he sat, she smirked at his reaction. Yvonne came into the sitting room, she sat beside Ray and rested her head on his shoulder. "Kitten are you done with cooking?" He pecked her forehead. "Almost Love. It should steam a bit before serving." They sat down in silence when another beep was heard from his phone. He took out his phone, knowing it was from her, "Is my baby afraid?... Aww... I want you back, Ray." With a dreamy eyes emoji. He coughed violently after seeing the message, holding his chest tightly, Yvonne rushed to get him some water. He looked at Susan to see her smirking. Yvonne came back with the water, he sipped from it while she patted his back. "Thanks, babe." He kissed her hard on her lips to irritate Susan and it worked. Yvonne served the food for the 3 of them to eat. Raymond sat away from Susan, he knew she would try some trick that would expose him. Susan left after lunch. "Bye Best." "Bye." Susan hugged Yvonne, bye and waved at Raymond. Immediately she left, Yvonne noticed Raymond sigh in relief, "Do you know Susan before now?" She couldn't resist asking. Raymond flinched, "And why would you ask that? Do I act as if I know her?" "Stop answering my questions with your questions, Mond." "I know her before now. We knew each other back in Paris." "Why were you shocked to see her? Earlier, it was as if you had seen a ghost." She noticed his facial expression. "And don't even think of denying it." "Kitten, It wasn't like that." He held her hand. "I took her on a date twice and that's all. I made it clear to her that I love someone else and that was even before I met you." "So I guess, you knew she hasn't been around for 2 years now?" "I don't know but I have been free of her since she traveled." He held her closer to himself. "Why were you guys acting like you don't know each other before now?" She asked confused. "Well, we weren't on good terms before she left." "Okay. If you say so." With curiosity clearly in her voice. __________________________________________________ A year after, One sunny morning, Yvonne got a call from Raymond, suddenly instructing her to pack up, "Let's go on a vacation to my beach house." "Okay... Why so sudden?" "Nothing babe. I just want quality time with you, Only you and I, no distraction." "Since a week ago that I told you about us going on our vacation, you didn't give me a response, so why now?" "Kitten, please. I will explain things to you when we get to the beach house. Okay?" "Okay. I will inform my parents and pack my bags." "I will be there in the next 30 minutes." He rushed his words. "Why do you sound so panicked? Are you all right?" "I will explain things to you later." He said in a slightly raised voice and ended the call. She called up her parents to inform them after she packed the things needed for the vacation. While she was running around to pick up things, she heard her phone ringing, "Sorry unknown caller, I will call you later." She said. 30 minutes later, Raymond arrived at her house. He texted her that he was waiting outside, she called him up to help her with her luggage. He rushed out with her bags to his car, kept them in the boot. He opened the passenger seat door for her, went over to the driver's seat, and drove off. "Oh... I had a missed call earlier." She brought out her phone to check the caller, "It's Susan." With lightning speed, he collected her phone from her, "Don't call her back. This vacation is between me, you, my sister, and your parents. Okay?" She looked at him confused, "Okay. The only reason I am agreeing to all these things and am not objecting is because of the explanation you promised me this morning." "I did not promise, I only said that I would explain things to you and that's if I want to." He replied harshly. "So you aren't giving me any explanations for your strange behavior?" She raised her eyebrows at him. He ignored her and focused more on his driving, "You know what f**k you." She flipped him the middle finger and turned to look out of the window in anger. Not too long, they got to the house. He opened the boot for her, she took out her bags and went toward the house. Seeing her struggle with the bags, he followed her to help her. He held her arm, "Babe, am sorry." Hugging her from behind. "Sorry won't ease the anger and won't make me forgive you, only the explanation." "Fine. I'll give you the explanation you want, Kitten." "The truth... I want the truth, Mond. Nothing but the truth." "Okay." He pecked her forehead and helped her with the bags.