The Random Bride

Sarah turned away from her brother. Her eyes lurked left and right before she lifted them to her father. He met her gaze.

"Are you getting married?" Aaron repeated as he walked to the fridge.

Again, her lips slightly parted, but Sarah couldn't find the right words that would be the reply that satisfied her.

"I... I don't know." The words finally escape her lips as she lowers her gaze.

Aaron poured some water into the glass and gazed at his older sister. "What do you mean? You either are, or you're not. So, are you?"

Sarah rolled her lips in and looked from her father to her brother and back to her father.

"I might."

Aaron sighed. He held the glass in his hand and walked to the table, where he sat on one of the seats. He stared her directly in the eye. His russet brown eyes, similar to her dad's, darted from one orb of hers to the other. Then he relaxed his back and drank the water from his glass.

"I didn't know you've been dating," Jerome said as he rolled his eyes away from his son.

I haven't. Sarah casually bit her bottom lip instead of saying that.

"She's not dating." Aaron interrupted as he stood to his feet. His lean frame swam a bit in the pyjama he had on. "If she was, don't you think we would have noticed something different about her?" He questioned while he walked away from the table.

"Okay, Sherlock. You know everything about me." Sarah got defensive without a second thought. Aaron stopped and turned to them—a light amusement played on his face.

"Yes. You're not that complicated. You've never had a relationship outside of your family and instead of admitting you're scared; you always use us as your excuse."

"Aaron," Jerome called in a stern voice.

The young man lowered his eyes from them and casually lurked them left and right. The amusement he once played on his face had disappeared. He walked away back to his room.

"You know he doesn't mean any harm." Jerome turned to his daughter.

Sarah forced a smile. "Of course. I know Aaron likes to push buttons sometimes. I'm used to it." She stood on her feet and carried his empty plate to the kitchen sink.

"If there's someone you plan on marrying, you only need to tell us when and where. We'll be there. I trust you."

Sarah's smile broadened. His support meant everything to her. Although it was nice to hear, she couldn't help feeling that he was being nice to her out of guilt, most of the time. "Dad, I don't regret any of the decisions I've made up to this moment. I want you to know that."

He wore a warm smile. "I know."

Sarah turned away to wash the plate. During that time, thoughts clouded her mind. She thought about how she might help lift off the guilt he felt. In her heart, she knew the only way would be if he saw her happy or if he came to terms with knowing her life hadn't come to a standstill since the accident that claimed her mother's life and caused his limping today. Surely, seeing her with a husband in her home would at least give him a sense of that. That train of thought was enough to get her to lean more towards giving in to Ramsey's proposal.

* * *

Ramsey finished his call at the swimming pool area and walked into the mansion through the back door. Suddenly, he stopped and took a few steps back. The door was slightly ajar and he gazed into the small theatre room. Sarah was standing between the wide-screen TV and the furniture. There was a small wooden center table and a long, wide grey sofa with throw pillows. Her back was towards the door, and a vacuum cleaner stood beside her as she seemed engrossed in something in her hands.