Read Online That One Time by Marian Tee - Free Book Online Page B

she thinks you proposed to her.”
    Nic’s head started to pound painfully. When his cousin said it like that, it sounded a lot worse, like a story straight out of a stupid TV drama. But — what else could he have done? Tell Ayah she had made a mistake in front of all of her friends? Even her friends knew he hadn’t meant to propose, but none of them had said a single word. They obviously couldn’t bear telling her the truth either.
    “Nic…do you want to marry her?”
    “I…”
    Sensing his inner struggle, Farica rephrased her question. “If you were to die now, would you regret not marrying her?”
    He closed his eyes just as he heard the doors slide open and the soft footsteps of Ayah as she walked towards him. “Yes.”
    Tears stung her eyes, and she let them fall because they were tears for joy. Nic was the most reserved man in their clan, the one all of them thought would never marry and yet now…
    “I think you have your answer,” she choked out.
    He covered his face with one hand. “This is so fucked up.” He undid a few more buttons of his shirt, feeling like he couldn’t breathe. Was he really going to marry Ayah because of a silly misunderstanding?  
    “You could look at it that way or…” Farica paused. “You could think of it as fate.”
    “Fate? I’m about to marry someone I don’t know if I truly love and you think it’s fate and not a goddamn disaster? I’m not even sure if she really loves me and—”
    “Nic…” She waited for him to stop talking. “I think it’s fate because…I need to think it is. When you told me what happened, the first thing I thought was what if I had been Ayah? If I was, then I hope…I hope the guy I love would make the same mistake because I think…” A sad smile touched her lips. “I think it’s the only way I’d be able to get him to marry me.”
    Nic lowered his head as his chest tightened with a mixture of fear and anxiety. A second later, someone was stroking his cheek, pulling his hand away from his face. When he opened his eyes, Ayah was there, on her knees before him, her lovely face filled with concern.
    Are you all right? she mouthed.  
    He looked at her, and he knew that Ayah hadn’t understood a word he said.
    He looked at her, and he knew that even so, Ayah had come to him because she sensed his pain.
    He looked at her, and he finally understood what Farica was saying.  
    It was fate.
    “I have to go.” He paused. “And Fari?”
    Farica answered with a smile, “You’re welcome, cousin.”
    When Luuk was done with his call, Ayah asked awkwardly, “Are you having trouble because of me?” Unable to wait for his answer, she continued valiantly, “Because if you are, we can push the wedding back. I can wait. It’s totally fine.”
    It didn’t look like it was fine , Nic thought, doing his best not to smile. She looked like a suffering saint, offering her life in exchange for the forgiveness of other people’s sins, and he knew that she was only doing it because she thought he was having second thoughts about their wedding.
    Ayah was still talking. “…I don’t want to start our life together as a burden to you. We can tell everyone that it’s just delayed—”
    She stopped speaking.
    She had no choice, not with Luuk suddenly pulling her up and dumping her on his lap then kissing her, a hard sweet kiss that told her he needed to kiss her just because he did.  
    When he allowed her a moment to breathe, she looked at him with wondering eyes. “What was that for?”
    “A hello kiss.” Then he covered her mouth with his again, sucking her lower lip hard.
    When he released her, she asked breathlessly, “And that one?”
    “A welcome kiss.”
    “For what?”
    “For this.” He kissed her a third time, and she giggled into his mouth. The sound shouldn’t have been erotic, but it was, and his cock shot up, poking Ayah. Her giggles turned into whimpers, and his hold on her tightened.
    “Ayah,” he