Tug Of Love

Serena Davison & Oliver Knight

The beautiful blue dress was drenched but Serena didn’t care. The flimsy material of her party attire stuck to her skin under the torrential downpour. She walked away from the huge mansion on foot, knowing full well that it was the most stupid idea she could come across. But she didn’t care as long as her legs moved away from him. The valet and the security at the entrance took in her ragged state but remained silent when they noticed her bloodshot eyes that could be crying under the rain. The security guard offered to get a cab for her but she dismissed him as she started to walk away from all the glamour of the night. She could feel the itching in her eyes due to the running mascara and she knew she  looked a mess with rundown makeup and a completely wet dress. But she didn’t bat an eyelash about her appearance as she saw a few passers-by running for shelter. The coldness of the night finally settled in and she had to hug herself around the chest to remain warm. She finally came across a park after walking for about 20 minutes in her 3-inch heels.

The park was entirely deserted as she made her way into the place to settle down on one of the swings slowly rocking to and fro. She felt the pain in the ankles grow second by second. But somehow, it didn’t distract the pain that was gnawing her heart. He promised her that he wouldn’t leave her side and that she would be comfortable the entire time. Serena looked back into her life where nothing was as dramatic or interesting as it was now. Three months ago, she had met Oliver Knight at a café and they has instantly hit it off. She loved his carefree attitude and confident approach which were highly contrasting to her quirky self. She could never understand what he saw in her but after a week of coincidental meets, they started dating. She has never been happier in her life as she constantly waited for the other shoe to drop. But after a month of blissful dating, he had finally confided his financial status which appalled her primarily. He was rich and popular in the Tech world that she was completely oblivious to. Though Serena made a handful income for herself with the wedding planning, she didn’t expect him to be that settled. She had her initial fears on the relationship but he convinced her in every turn of their lives.

After a rocky 3 months, he wanted them to be official and she gladly agreed. This party was supposed to be her moment of happiness but it was all snatched away when Oliver’s ex-fiancée, Amy Rangil latched onto him like a leech. The presence of an ex-fiancée was a surprise to Serena but what irritated her more was the way she was acting around him, like Amy had a claim on Oliver. He tried to reason with Ser but she wasn’t in the mood to talk about all these in the party. She plastered on a fake smile to all the antics of Amy but was cursing her mentally. But when Amy kissed Oliver, she lost all her resolve and fled the scene even before informing Oliver. She knew she had to give him a chance to explain but the pain was too raw and new to think rationally. She wanted to be away from them and now that she was in the deserted park, she felt angry and upset.

She felt all her tears flowing down her cheeks and all the anger leaving her system. Her initial thought was Oliver and the fact that she walked out of there without informing anyone. Minutes that felt like hours, passed by and the rain was nowhere ending its course. Her constant sniffles and the tatter of the rain on the cemented ground resounded in her brain which was numb with every passing minute. She pictured Oliver’s face and how he could make her smile despite the worst circumstances she faced. It wasn’t half hour before she was with him but she missed his presence terribly. She wanted him, no, needed him to make all of it right.

Serena heard Ollie’s voice amidst the splattering rain.

“SERENAAAAAAAAA”, his voice broke at the end.

Before she could make any movement, Oliver entered the park. His black hair was sprawled across his forehead, his tie hanging loosely across his white shirt and his black suit was over his arms. He was fully drenched like her from tip to toe. He was about 10 feet away but he made no progress towards her. She looked at his 5’11 frame and his brown eyes darkened to charcoal black under his fuming anger. Despite their worse moods, Serena felt herself involuntarily run towards him. She flung her arms over his neck and hugged him with all her might. His arms secured her against his soaked self and his breath fanned her neck. A tear threatened to escape her eyes but she quickly withdrew herself from their embrace.

“Just because I hugged you, doesn’t mean I am over my anger”, she mumbled in a low tone.

“The feeling is mutual, love”, he whispered in an anger laced voice.

“So, care to tell me about the reasons for your sudden departure without even talking to me? I mean, you were by my side one second and gone the other. I was worried sick, woman. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you in these desolated areas? These are not safe places at all. What if something happened to you? You don’t even have your clutch with you”, he said in a reprimanding tone.

“Then what was I supposed to do? Smile when a gold digging witch was kissing MY boyfriend? Act like everything is fine when you both were inseparable? You were the one who promised to be my side, Ollie. I didn’t even want to come but I did it all for you. What would you have done had you been in my place? You tell me, Ollie”, she screamed with tears threatening to break entrance.

“I would have trusted you, Rina. I would have at least let you explain yourself. I wouldn’t have just walked out of everything as if I wasn’t a part of it”, he said in a low voice that made Serena feel guilty.

“Would you have really stayed in the place if I kissed another guy?”, she questioned.

“Ri, it was nothing like that. Yes, she kissed me but I pushed her away the next second. Please believe me, Ri. You know I would never intentionally hurt you”, he pleaded.

She finally looked him in the eye but he was scared by the intensity of her gaze. She finally said,” So you never wanted to hurt me when you ‘forgot’ to inform me of your previous engagement?”

“Ri, it was never like that.”

“Then what was it like, Ollie. Forgive me but I was angered when that skank introduced herself as your ex-fiancée, someone I didn’t even know about. I am not asking for all your dirty little secrets in this short span. But I need to know the depth of the water before I get in, I don't want to drown. I felt like the left out one when she reminisced all your “moments” with her. I need time, Ollie. I don’t want to be in this relationship if you aren’t ready to be serious about it yet”, she whispered before turning to walk away from him.

“RI... SERENA … wait.” He jogged over to her to come in line with her. He ran his hands through his hair as a sign of his nervousness.

“I-I-uh. About what Amy told you. That’s all a lie. We were together only as a show. We weren’t even an official couple. She used me for popularity and I used her for escaping my mom’s matchmaking. Me and her, we never had anything, Ri, not like you and me. I didn’t want to tell you this in haste. But you have given me no choice, love. We may have known each other only for 3 months, Ri. But I have never seen a girl who is as wonderful as you. You are beautiful, brilliant, kind and the nicest person I have ever met. You play with my confidence and I can’t even think straight when I am around you. Your quirky sassy attitude and the mischievous self is the only thing I look forward to when I wake up. I can’t imagine to have a good night sleep after a fight with you. I want to wake up to your smiling face every day and I can’t wait to return home to your nonsensical singing in the evenings. I want to dance with you every night even though you step on my toes at all occasions. I want to hear how your day went and I need my daily dose of hugs and kisses. I can’t imagine my life without you, Ri. And I certainly didn’t want to blurt this out but I Love You, Serena Davison, with every cell in my body. I don’t want to imagine my life with anyone else. You are not the most important thing in this world for me. You are my world, Rina. And I swear to God that I will spend my entire life proving that to you. Please don’t leave me, love” he finished only to find his girlfriend crying.

Serena was bawling her eyes out after his little speech and she couldn’t stop the tears no matter what. He had captured all of her emotions and she noticed his red, teary eyes that were brimming with anticipation. She couldn’t get a word out of her mouth and instead of repeating the three words to him, she raised on her tip toes to reach his lips. They kissed fervently pouring all of their unspoken emotions into the single kiss, with the stormy clouds as their audience. The rain splattered around the noisily and they smiled against each other’s lips. Somehow, this kiss was different from all the other ones they have previously shared. This was something more passionate, something with much more meaning and emotions, something with more love. They broke off but her hands were around his neck and he rested his forehead against hers.

“So, is it safe to assume that you won’t leave me?”, he asked jovially.

“Nah, Mr. Knight. I guess you are stuck with me for the long term”, she smirked at him.

“I guess I have no choice then, Ms. Davison”, he grinned at her, kissing her again claiming her as his.