As soon as they were done with their final exam, the girls all dashed to their rooms to prepare. They had agreed to have a night out to celebrate the completion of their university degrees.
After the coast vacation things had changed between Sean and Sidney. Just the occasional hello. She had also gotten close to Amber. They would sometimes have lunch and go shopping. She was such a friendly person Sidney. Devin had been her world. His outgoing nature forced her to come out of her shell. She now found herself doing things she would never have imagined. She loved the new her.
Exactly 9pm Devin picked them up. As usual they were all dressed to kill. They arrived in one of the prestigious uptown clubs. Devin was popular, the scene was covered with a few media personalities and bloggers. They insisted on having photos of the her and Devin.
Sidney was not sure when this had become her life. From a simple girl pursuing her degree to a sophisticated lady dating one of the affluent bachelors. She smiled at the paparazzi as they took photos. Devin put an affectionate arm around her. He was fond of marking his territory not that she minded. The club was filled with most of their friends from campus and some of Devin's acquaintances. Entry was invite only. The evening was fun. They drank champagne as they danced to their favorite songs. Sean was around he came over to greet her then left with Devin to move to a quieter place to talk.
"I am glad you are treating Sidney right, the two of you look happy" he told him.
"She is my world brother," Devin replied sincerely.
"I think it's about time I settled down,"
He was a little taken back. He had not expected his cousin to take things this fast.
"Settle down?" he asked
"I think it's time I did" he tapped his pocket moved away from Sean and headed to where Sidney was.
Sidney was dancing next to her friends when a group of exotic dancers serenaded her. They were dressed in gold sequins and moved around Sidney in unison. All attention was on her and the dancers. She shyly danced back as they led her towards Devin before making their exit dance. The music switched to a much slower tempo that was more romantic. Their attention was diverted to the screens where photos of Devin and Sidney were being displayed. Everyone watched. Suddenly the photos stopped and on the screen were the words: will you marry me?
She turned and saw Devin on his knee holding a red velvet box. In it was a gold and sapphire ring. She silently stared at the ring. She had not seen this coming. Over the weeks they had developed an extra closeness. She was so attached to him and wouldn't bear any thoughts of not seeing him frequently. She looked round and saw the joyous looks on her friends faces then looked at him.
"Will you be mine? Always and forever?" he asked.
He seemed nervous. She smiled at him.
"Yes" she replied enthusiastically.
Devin slid the ring on her finger and stood up to kiss her. Everyone applauded and moved to congratulate them.
The music resumed. Sean stood watching them. Tanya walked over to where he was.
"You love her" she told him noticing the look in his eyes.
"Why don't you tell her what you feel?"
"I love her like my sister" Sean replied moving away. He could not define the emotion that he was feeling. As he approached the newly engaged he felt a gush of emotion seeing her happy. She was beaming with joy. Maybe they truly loved each other. Suddenly he felt lonelier than he had ever felt in his life.
"Congratulations you two, I wish you the best" he told them as he hugged the two. He was smiling but deep inside he felt like the false joy was killing him.
As more of their friends surrounded the two he slowed moved away and went to the corner of the bar and sat.
He felt angry and frustrated. He was happy his cousin had finally found his joy but he could not help but feel a sense of foul play. Devin might have just given a ring to Sidney to prove ownership and mark his territory.
Two hours later he was drowning his second bottle of whisky when Tanya and Lavina walked to where he was seated. He composed himself as they approached.
"Devin is drunk" Tanya told him.
"Tanya that is not news, my cousin never goes easy on the alcohol especially when he is in a celebratory mood."
"You also seem to be getting drunk" Lavina commented genuinely concerned for them.
"Sean we need you to come with Devin's car right now we are leaving with the other car. We shall drop him at his house on our way. He is too drunk to drive so please don't also get drunk" Tanya told him.
Sean nodded and took the keys from them. He then watched the group leave and ordered another bottle of whisky.
Sidney had insisted on being dropped with Devin at his place. She did not want her fiancée going inside the house drunk, he might injure himself.
Although she was also drunk herself she was able to help him to his room. She let him sleep on top of the bed as she went to the shower. The warm water hit her as she stared at the ring. In the bathroom light it was a shade of light red. She loved the ring but not more than she loved him. She would soon be his wife the thought excited her.
Realizing she had been in the shower for quite sometime she left the bathroom and wrapped a towel round herself. Feeling a little bit tipsy she went downstairs to get Devin some water and painkillers just in case he woke up and needed them.
As she opened the kitchen cabinets she spotted a vintage bottle of sparkling wine. She always had a thing for sparkling wine. Staring at her ring and feeling all smitten she poured herself a glass after all it was her engagement night and she was allowed to indulge. She was almost finishing the bottle when she stopped drinking.
Her head was pounding she searched around for the painkillers. Finding a packet on a nearby shelf she swallowed two and downed it with some wine. She then left the kitchen and turned off the lights.
Upstairs Devin was still fast asleep on top of the covers with his shoes on.
"I thought he had removed his shoes" she whispered to herself.
She put the glass and pills on the bedside table and helped him get comfortable. She removed his shoes loosened his belt and was in the middle of removing his shirt when he suddenly woke up.
They both paused for a minute. He was caressing her face as if not sure if he was dreaming. He held her close to him then kissed her, at first lightly then passionately. Her towel fell off, desire was evident in his eyes. He admired her body and shifted her weight beneath his. At least now that he was on top he had a better view. He reached again for her lips this time kissing her deeply. Sidney began to panic when she realized he wanted to do more than kissing.
This was not how she had imagined their first time. They were both drunk. She had to put a stop to it. She tried to move away from him but he forced his grip on her. The more she tried to stop him the rougher he got. She begged him to get off her but he continued to forcefully kiss her. He held her hands together on the bed as her moved lower to tease her nipples with his tongue. A soft moan escaped her throat. He let go of her hands and caressed her other breast tracing kisses down her body. His lips moved to his inner womanhood. She let out another moan as his tongue teased her sensitive area. She tried to suppress her moan but her body let her down. She was more than aroused.
She looked at the ring on her finger and stopped feeling ashamed of the situation after all he was her fiancé. She almost let out a scream when he penetrated her. The pain between her thighs made her wince. As they made love the pain turned into pleasure. She caressed him and kissed him as he brought her to the peak of desire. He was the love of her life.
She was woken up by the streaming light in the room. The curtains were half open. Glancing around she realized she was in Devin's house. She sat upright in bed and saw the few stains of blood on the sheet. She remembered the steamy night she had shared with Devin. She was not a virgin anymore. She looked around for any trace of him but there was none.
She walked to the bathroom, looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was tousled she looked like she had been run over by a train. She grabbed a bath robe and left the room.
Downstairs she heard her phone ring in the kitchen. She answered relieved to hear Lavina's voice. She wanted to know if she was okay. Sidney requested her to come pick her. Fifteen minutes later Lavina and Tanya were waiting for her inside a cab. They took one look at her and no one asked a question.
*****************************************************************************************
Devin woke up quickly had a shower and went to his study room. He had to work extra hard now that he was engaged to Sidney.
A few minutes later he heard the sound of glass break. He assumed the cleaning lady had accidentally broken something. Seconds later he heard someone fall. He quickly rushed upstairs to where the sound had come from. Devin's house was big and had many rooms.
"What the hell! You almost scared me" Devin said laughing as he saw Sean struggle to stand up.
He had fallen from the sofa in the upstairs entertainment room.
"Why did you not sleep in one of the bedrooms?"
"I can place a bet on my life I do remember getting into bed" Sean replied groggily.
Devin helped him get up and sat on the sofa. He noticed the sound of broken glass was as a result of a broken whisky bottle on the floor.
"How much did you have to drink" Devin asked
"You should start by thanking me for bringing your car over. I used the spare key to get myself inside, listened to music and continued drinking" Sean replied half irritated.
"Looks like you still have the alcohol in your system why don't you shower then we go and get something to eat and celebrate my bachelor days. They're about to end"
Sean remembered why he had been drinking too much. The engagement had triggered something in him.
"You are right, we need to celebrate. And how comes you woke up feeling okay. Last night you were as drunk as a fish. I doubt you could even walk" Sean commented.
"Nothing beats a good night sleep especially yesterdays" Devin teased.
Half an hour later they left for the golf club as the cleaning lady went about her duties.
***************************************************************************************************
The next few weeks were the best. The girls had completed university and Sidney was engaged.
Dina's dad had hired the girls to work in his company as paid interns. Sean's architectural firm was doing well and Devin was still working in his father's oil company. He was learning the business as he waited to fill his father's shoes.The girls had also moved away from the university hostels. Dina was back to staying in her parents mansion, Lavina had moved in with her boyfriend, Tanya and Sidney lived in executive apartments.
"You do not look okay" Tanya told Sidney.
It was a sunny afternoon at work and the girls were in their office cubicles trying to reduce the workload. Sidney had just walked in from the washrooms and looked a little bit pale.
"I feel nauseous and I have a really bad headache" Sidney explained as she sat down.
"Why don't you go to hospital, I will explain you were sick and Tanya drove you" said Lavina offering to help.
"Okay tell Dina I have left" Sidney replied as she took her stuff. She had been vomiting all morning and was tired. Tanya followed her.
They reached the car and drove off.
"You really look tired, I just hope it's not anything serious" Tanya told her trying to balance driving and looking at her friend who was seated beside her.
"I have been feeling like this for a few days now," she replied as they took the turn entering the hospital
"Why don't you call Devin? He always has a way of cheering you up"
"He had a meeting with his father. He is supposed to call when he is done"
After waiting for a few minutes Sidney walked into the doctor's office. He asked a few questions before shortly sending her to the lab. An hour later she was called back to see the doctor.
"Your tests have come back and you have no infections. You are a healthy young lady who is pregnant. What you are feeling is as a result of the pregnancy. The nausea will fade with time however I can give you something to manage it"
Sidney was shocked. After the word pregnancy she had not heard a single word the doctor said.
She was busy doing her math. She had missed one of her periods but just assumed it was normal for her periods were not always regular. If she had counted right she was seven weeks pregnant.
Devin was standing in his father's office patiently waiting for him to arrive. His father rarely requested a meeting and when he did it was to reprimand him for doing something wrong.
Finally his father arrived.
"Sit down son" the old man was all serious.
"I will get straight to the point. You have done me proud the past few months. Now I am looking forward to retiring and leaving the oil company to you. Here is your reward."
He handed him an envelope before leaving the office again. Devin opened it, he had always dreamt of hearing his father say those words and finally h had. His father had always been distant and insensitive. While growing up, it was his Uncle, Sean's father who had been more of a father to him than his own dad. Devin remembered his father constantly comparing him to his cousin. All his life he worked hard to gain his father's respect and recognition and he had finally done that.
He tore open the envelope and saw his ticket to Moscow they had one of the best apprentice courses especially in the oil industry. Also in the envelope was an official statement declaring Devin the sole owner and director of the company. The only condition was that he should finish the one year training course before taking over the company.
Feeling excited he called Sidney. She picked up the call on the second ring.
He did not notice her gloominess when she answered the phone
"I have fantastic news" he told her
"Dad has agreed to leave the company to me but I have to leave end of this month to go for a one year training in Moscow" he told her happily.
It was only two weeks to end month, she was shocked.
"You are quiet aren't you going to congratulate me" he asked somewhat annoyed.
"I am happy for you, she said trying to convince both her and him.
"We shall have to talk about us and plan for the next few months I shall be away. I will call you later princess, I need to talk to my mother about my farewell party" he soon hang up.
Sidney was annoyed, a month ago she had lost her virginity to him and he had acted casually about the matter. He did not talk about it and so she also remained quiet. They had had dinner a few times and even gone to the movies yet he had not said a thing.
She noticed Tanya was talking to her. None of her friends knew what had happened between Devin and her and they certainly had no clue that she was pregnant. She said bye to Tanya and entered the house.