His Fallen Disaster

Prologue: What Happened to Him // Why I Fell

Bethany’s POV: What Happened to Him

            “Where do you think he is?” I asked, biting my lip nervously as I gazed outside my window, waiting for my boyfriend to appear.

            Penelope Adams shrugged and slumped on the sofa. “I really don’t know. You know, I was kind of looking forward for this dinner. I wanted to meet this mysterious boyfriend of yours.”

            I sighed as I slumped down next to her. “Yeah, I also wanted you to meet him. He’s a nice person.”

            “Oh, I’m sure he is,” Penelope replied. “But why is he not showing up?”

            “I don’t know!” I wailed, my eyes watering.

            “Hey, hey, no need to cry,” Charlotte Hall said, sitting down next to me and wrapped an arm around me.

            “I wasn’t going to cry,” I retorted. The last thing I wanted to do is look weak. And God knows how I hated to look weak.

            I’ve been waiting for my boyfriend, Nick Simmons, for two hours now. He’s supposed to attend dinner tonight so my aunts—my dad’s cousins—could meet him. Aunt Fatima, who rarely visits us, came to this dinner because she wanted to meet Nick. Aunt Fatima never married and she travels the world. She’s a journalist, you see.

            Aunt Beverly never got married, too. She told me—we’re pretty close—that she never wishes to marry because the person she loved had married someone else. I don’t know what she means by that. I always asked her who she loves but she never told me. Anyway, she adopted Penelope when she was ten years old and raised her as her own. Penelope calls her ‘Mom’ even though they’re not really related. But Aunt Beverly treats her like her own daughter. She even gave her the family name.         

            Anyway, back to main problem. My boyfriend knows that both of my aunts are coming and he promised that he’d attend. But he’s two hours late and I’m really worried. It’s not like Nick to be late. He’s always very early.

            “Hey, guys,” my father greeted us as he stepped in the living room.

            “Hey, Dad,” Charlotte said, grinning at him.

            “So… is Nick here already?” Dad asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

            I shook my head wearily. “Not yet. Could we wait for another thirty minutes? Maybe it’s the traffic…?”

            Dad sighed. “We’ve been waiting for him for almost two hours, Beth.”

            “No, it’s really two hours. Not almost,” Penelope corrected him.

            “Penelope!” I warned her. She’s two years younger than me and she acts as if she’s older than me. She’s just exactly like my sister. No wonder they’re best of friends.

            “Well, Bethany, I think we’re going to have to eat dinner,” Dad said firmly. “You don’t want Beverly and Fatima to get hungry, do you?”

            I sighed. I have no choice. “Fine.” Suddenly, the doorbell rang. My eyes widened and I jumped off the sofa. I ran to the door and opened it immediately. “Oh my God, Nick, I’m so—.”

            “Um, hi?” Carl, my Dad’s best friend, said slowly, frowning at me questioningly.

            I blushed, embarrassed. “I—I’m sorry. I thought you’re Nick.”