Marrying my high school bully

Lorraine

It was a lie-a blatant lie!

I felt something so strong that I didn’t want to acknowledge.

Gosh, I thought those feelings were dead but I guess they had been buried in a dark corner of my heart and all it took was a single kiss to stir it up.

I quickly walked away so that he wouldn’t notice how I truly felt. He’d use it against me once he found out that I was trying to rile him up.

The door of our bedroom flung open as I tucked myself under the duvet with Dexter sighing intermittently. “I saw Blake and Liam today at a bar. It’s been a long while since I met them.”

My throat constricted and a deep feeling of dread, stemming from the memories of the past dropped into the pit of my stomach.

“How are they?” I asked, hoping I sounded as nonchalant as I could because they never mattered to me, not after the indelible scars they caused me.

Dexter turned around and smiled at me. “They are fine. Did you ask because you actually care or you just want to know?”

I sighed, knowing that he caught me. It was becoming annoying that he could tell how I felt without even looking at me. I hoped he didn’t decipher how I felt.

“Good night.” I said curtly and pushed the duvet over my face.

Morning came by without hesitation and since I wanted to establish a punctual routine, I dressed up quickly and entered a taxi.

Surprisingly, the same taxi took me to work daily and brought me back. It was like he knew the exact time I’d close from work and honestly, it was becoming slightly unnerving.

It was at the tip of my tongue to tell him not to bother taking me today, but seeing how jovial he was I allowed him to shower me with his daily dose of princess treatment.

“Good morning, ma’am.” He greeted me with a smile before shutting the door.

I returned the smile as well and greeted him warmly, waiting for the right time to drop my question. He started the car and began to drive in the direction of my work place at a steady pace.

He was beginning to grow on me strangely. The skillful way he drove, and how he made sure that I was comfortable made me wonder how he could derive so much joy in being a cabbie.

“I want to thank you for always coming out here to drive me to work. It’s so sweet of you.” I began.

He nodded, swerving through a bend. “Oh, it’s my job and I feel that a beautiful woman like you shouldn’t be stressed out on a daily basis.” He chuckled.

I could sense the nervousness in his voice so I decided to flow with it. “I’m not stressed, I see it as an exercise. Besides, standing for a few minutes before getting a taxi won’t do me any harm.”

He shrugged, knowing that I’d been let into the truth. “Well someone doesn’t want you to be stressed anymore so just enjoy it, ma’am.” He said politely, dropping the conversation.

Even though he didn’t want to talk much, it was obvious that he was working for someone.

I’d have to tell Dexter about it, but after remembering everything that happened last night I had a rethink on my plan. It would be hard for anyone to hurt me because I was in a new city and none of my old acquaintances or friends knew where I was.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Have a nice day, ma’am.” He said after dropping me at the agency.

I walked in, feeling bright and expectant. Stella, my tutor, had already begun training me but she said that I was still in the process of acquainting myself with her procedures.

The routine was checking on our boss for any update, then waiting for the rest of the models to come around before we started training.

I knocked on Stefan’s door then went in with his permission. “You look great, Stefan.” I said after greeting him.

My compliments weren’t aimed at flattering him, he was truly looking good in the white shirt that had the sleeves rolled up below his elbows, and a grey pair of pants. I’d never seen him look this manly, which got me wondering what he could be on about.

“You don’t look bad yourself.” He said.

“Thank you.” I nodded in appreciation, staring at my black V-neck dress that fitted my body properly. I looked good in it, which was why I wasn’t surprised when I got the attention of some of the young men downstairs. “Is there any special event coming up soon?”

He looked up from his laptop and leaned back on the backrest. “We’ll be having a mini runway event in one month which means that you have to work harder. The agency tags it as ‘mini’ because it’s meant for the new models to showcase themselves and if you do well, you’ll be added to the main models who will model for the main event.”

My body became giddy with excitement at the information. I’d work hard to get to the top so that no one would be able to scar me anymore.

“Alright, Stefan. I promise to work hard.” I assured him.

“You have potential, Lorraine. No new model here has worked as hard as you are doing presently, and your talents are just perfect. Do everything I asked you to do and you’ll make it.”

The urge to jump on him for an embrace enveloped me, but I held back since I didn’t know how he would react. “Thank you for your kind words, Stefan. I’ll continue to work hard.”

By the time I returned to the training room, Stella was already waiting for me. We exchanged greetings and then we began training.

“I’ve noticed that you’re not so confident in heels, so we’ll work on that today.” She announced and set out to work.

I agree that wearing really high heels was scary for me because of the snide remarks I received in the past for wearing them. Snickers and pumps were more convenient for me because no one would insult me for wearing shoes that were out of fashion.

There was no good memory for me apart from when my parents were alive. Every other thing I remembered was hurtful.

I watched Stella arrange some blocks vertically which was surprising. “Ummm, I haven’t seen others using this.” I objected as my anxiety heightened at the sight of the blocks.

“That’s because they have better walking skills than you. It doesn’t mean you aren’t good, but you have to be confident enough to pull off your catwalks or everyone will look down on you. In modeling, confidence is key.” She explained.

And it was the same confidence I lacked, but I was ready to challenge myself to become a better person.

I was given a six inch heel and also asked to walk on the blocks with it. It was a hassle because I kept losing my balance and falling to the ground.

She asked me to walk on the blocks again and I did, slowly getting used to the steps. I’d almost gotten to the last block when I missed a step and fell on the ground.

A sharp pain tore out from my ankle, causing me to yelp loudly. Stella rushed towards me and touched the affected part which elicited a loud yell from me.

She sighed and patted my back. “Your ankle has been sprained.” She announced with a shaky voice, my heart taking a huge leap as I began to imagine how this injury will affect my training for the runway event.

Immediately, the door swung open with Dexter running towards me frantically. Without uttering a word, he scooped me up in a bridal style and dashed out of the room.