So, as a treat for being such good readers and fans and helping this book reach a ranking of #775 in the Romance section, I worked hard to push out Chapter 2 of The Betrothed! Enjoy this new chapter written from Hunter's POV! :) Happy reading!
* This chapter may or may not contain grammtical errors and typos. *
Hunter on the side :) -->
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Hunter's POV
I woke up to the annoying nudges of my mom as I heard the loud shrieking of my alarm clock. My mom, Janice Young, was almost to the point of slapping my arm to wake as my alarm clock didn't seem to properly do its job. Yes, I'm that difficult to wake.
"Wake up, Hunter! You're going to be late for work!" she shouted at my face. Too bad all I can do at this point is groan, though; I'm really not much of a morning person. Hell, I probably wouldn't even wake up during the anticipated "Great California Shakeout" when it comes! Seriously, it kinda worries me that my parents will leave me here to die.
"Hnmmm..." I complained with my eyes still shut closed. I shuffled around on my bed and slapped my mom's hand away. "I'm up! I'm up!" I said just to stop her nagging. She didn't leave though.
"No you're not! Get up!" At some point, she gave up on waking me up. I smirked knowing that I won. I really should be getting up; Work starts in about an hour. My eyes widened at the realization. An hour! Shit! I'm gonna be late!
I grabbed a change of clothes and quickly hopped in the shower. I never liked showering in the evening because I knew I'd want to shower again in the morning anyway. Plus, it's a known fact that everybody sweats in their sleep! Showers are also a nice way to wake up — especially if they're cold showers.
It was a record time for me as I finished all my morning rituals within fifteen minutes. I ran downstairs only to find everyone already at the dinner table.
"Finally you wake up!" Christine said.
"Good morning, Grandma," I greeted, walking to my seat at the table. The breakfast table was filled with food. There was a plate stacked with a whole mess of pancakes, there was another stacked with waffles, another plate filled with bacon, and another filled with scrambled eggs. I filled up my plate as I started eating.
"Are you going to be back for dinner tonight, Hunter?" my mom asked.
"I'm not sure yet, I might have to work overtime," I said, stuffing my face with food. I looked up and saw everyone staring at me with an amused face. "What?" I asked.
"Slow down, Hunter! You'll choke yourself!" My dad chuckled. "Anyway, don't work yourself too hard, okay? You gotta think of your health too."
"Seriously dad, I'm fine. I have a lot of patients to care for."
I gobbled up the last of my eggs and bacon and stood up to put my plate in the sink. After drinking a tall glass of orange juice, I gathered up all my stuff and proceeded to walk out of the front door.
"Bye everyone! I'll see you guys tonight!"
The way to work was usually a quick drive, but there was construction in the road today so it set me back about fifteen minutes. Looking out of the window, I saw a couple walking down the street together hand-in-hand. It reminded of the beautiful relationship I had before. She's gone now though. She didn't even seem to care about how I felt when she just left all of a sudden.
Thirty minutes later, I finally entered the parking lot of the hospital. I sped through the aisles looking for a spot so I can finally start my day. It took me another five minutes just to find one spot that was all the way at the other end of the lot, furthest from the from entrance. I groaned in annoyance.
"Hunter!" my best friend and colleague called out from behind me.
"What's up, Stan?"
"Oh nothing really... You ready to start the day?" he asked.
"Yeah sure." Just then, the elevator doors opened, revealing a tall, sexy woman that has curves in all the right places. I couldn't help but stare at the attractive woman. She walked out of the elevator car leaving me and Stan alone to use the elevator.
"So, you've moved on, eh?"
I cocked an eyebrow at Stan. "What?" I was really confused as to what he was talking about.
"You've moved on? You know from Francine?"
"Pssh... I've forgotten about her since the day she moved away. If she didn't like me, she shouldn't have dated me."
"Yeah, right man! You were moping around for weeks after she left! Frankly, I still don't think you're back to your old self."
I gave him the finger before stepping out into the eighth floor. I shuffled over to the nurse's station to get my patient list so I can make my rounds.
"Go away, Stan. Get back to work!" I commanded. Stan was never a work person. I don't even know how he became a doctor in the first place. No offense to him, but he's not the most competent person in the world. In fact, he kinda sucks. He messes everything up. It's surprising that he even still has patients! Don't tell him I said that though.
"It's okay. My shift's actually over. I worked the night,"
"Well what are you still doing here then? Leave and get outta my sight!"
"Well isn't someone being an asshole this morning. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, sweetheart?" he cooed cupping my face in his hands. I was so close to punching him. Luckily, he backed away before I snapped.
"At least you know when to stop," I smirked at him.
"For sure, man! You're like... ripped! I wouldn't wanna get manhandled by your freakishly large arms!"
"Manhandled? Dude, I don't roll like that. Don't make strangling you sound so sexual. It creeps me out."
"Well, it's true though. You know how fragile I am! I won't be able to handle your strength!"
I sighed. "And I thought you knew when to shut up. I guess I was wrong!"
"Whatever. I need to go. I have a lunch date."
"Uh..." I looked at my watch. "It's only 8AM?"
"I gotta look for someone to go on a date with first? Duh?" he said matter-of-factly. I don't know why though, he's not exactly the smoothest person I know.
"Dude, you suck at getting women. What makes you think you'll be able to ask someone out within the next four hours?"
"Don't think so lowly of me! I've had more women than you!"
"Only because I was in a steady relationship and you weren't," I deadpanned. "Plus, I doubt you've had more women than me. Francine wasn't my first girlfriend you know?"
"Okay, I get it. You've made me feel bad and hopeless now. Thanks for that."
"Anytime, twinky." He scoffed at the and stomped his foot, then he walked away without a word. He's finally gone!
I went back to work and tried to keep all distractions out of my head, but Francine keeps coming back to my thoughts and I can't keep her out.
"I guess you're still not over her then huh?" Ina, one of our nurses, asked me out of nowhere. I was walking by a room she was tending to when she walked through the door and spoke up. I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Seriously, why does everyone keep saying that?" I said with an annoyed tone in my voice.
"It's true! I can tell it's all you ever think about."
"That's not true! My head's been Francine-free for the last month or so. It was Stan's fault that she's back in my mind!"
"Sure, keep telling yourself that. You've got to get over her. It's been a year! If she left you without asking for your opinion, then she must not care about how you feel. You need to find someone else, Hunter."
She was right though. Sure it was true that I Francine had never crossed my mind in the last month, but when Stan mentioned her today, it was like I was excited to think about her. This was apart from when I was driving on my way to the hospital. That one couldn't be helped.
I need to stop dwelling on the past because I know that Francine is never coming back. Even if she does, I won't want her back. If she asks to be with me again, I won't think twice to reject her. If she doesn't care about me, then I don't care about her.
I sighed. "Why are you always right, Ina?"
"Damn right, I'm right!" A thoughtful look crossed her face. "Wait... I'm right?"
"Yeah. I really need to get over her." Maybe it was because she was right, or maybe it was because I just wanted her to shut up. Everyone keeps nagging me about forgetting about Francine, but it's not that easy. We've shared a lot of good memories. Good memories that aren't easy to forget.
I want so badly to forget about her though. She doesn't matter in my life anymore. She shouldn't because she's completely cut me off from hers. She left a year ago and to this date, she never tried to contact me. It must mean that she's already gotten over me.
**** FLASHBACK ****
We've been going steady for about two years now and I couldn't be happier to have her in my arms. Today we're going to be celebrating and second anniversary and I'm really excited to take her out for dinner.
In fact I'm at her house right now just waiting for her to come out so we can go to the restaurant. When she finally came out, I was dazzled by her beauty. I couldn't believe I was with this woman, and I couldn't believe that she was with me.
The drive to the restaurant was filled with excitement. Francine was my first love — and by that, I mean the first girl I went out with that I totally fell in love for — so this was all good news to me. I hope having lasted for two years means that we will last for more years to come.
"Are you excited, hon?" I asked, glancing over to my right to see her facial expression.
"Uh sure!" her hesitation made me worry a bit. Why did she have to think about her answer for a minute? Is she not as excited as I was? "Actually, Hunter, I have something to tell you."
Now that got me really worried. "What is it?" I asked, constantly glancing at her to try to figure out what she wants to say without her having to actually say it. I was really afraid that she might leave me, but after two years, I decided that it was highly unlikely.She must really love me too, right?
"I'll tell you after dinner, okay?" she said with a reassuring smile.
I don't know how to feel anymore. I wanted to find out if it was a good or bad news, but since she won't tell me until after dinner, I guess I'll be fidgety throughout the whole thing. I can't get it out of my mind now. It's bothering me too much.
At some point during dinner, her big news went out of my mind. We had a nice three-course meal at an Italian restaurant in downtown LA. We laughed and talked about the last two years we've been together. It was a happy occasion but it only lasted until the though came back to my mind. What did she want to talk about?
"So... babe,"
"Yeah?" she asked.
"On the way here, you said you wanted to talk about something?"
"Oh yeah! I got in to a culinary arts school!"
I was relieved at her news. It was a good news after all! She's always wanted to be a chef every since we were in high school and now she's finally on her way to fulfilling her dream!
"That's awesome honey! Where is it?"
"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," she said.
All the happiness in me seemed to have just drained out. Just a second ago, I was jumping for joy at her news, but now... I don't know anymore.
"Why? Francine, what's wrong? Which school did you get into? Where is it?"
"It'll take me four years to complete a course, Hunter,"
"I didn't ask for how long. I asked you where the school is," I said getting impatient at her efforts to stall her answer.
She mumbled something incoherently. I couldn't tell exactly what she said, but it didn't sound good to me.
"What? Speak up, babe,"
"It's in France," she said lowly. My eyes widened.
"France? You're saying you're moving away for four years to study culinary arts in France?" she nodded. I couldn't believe it. She's actually leaving me. "So what you're saying is... you're leaving me?"
"What? No! I'm only going to be there for four years, Hunter. It'll go by quickly."
I still disapproved. I didn't believe in long distance relationships. They just don't last. It's not that I don't trust her — I do — but I just don't think I can handle being so far away from her.
"Is this for sure?"
"Yeah, Hunter. I already paid for my first year of tuition."
Shocked by her words, all I could do was scoff. It took me about a minute to finally get a word out of my mouth. "You mean you already paid for tuition and you only bothered to tell me now? What the hell Francine?"
"I didn't think it mattered that much,"
She was really starting to piss me off. It didn't matter that much? Did she really think that? I don't know what the hell she's thinking, but four years isn't a short time. She can get pregnant and give birth within that time period! Not that I think she would anyway.
"No." I stated as clearly as I can.
"What?"
"You're not going to France."
"It's too late, Hunter. I already bought my plane ticket. I'm leaving in three days."
"Oh really? Fine whatever. Let's just end this. Goodbye, Francine."
I was upset enough to leave her alone in the restaurant. I don't care how she gets home, she can figure that out herself. Why should I care about her if she doesn't even care about me? I just want to forget about her already. That was two years down the drain and to think that I actually loved that woman.
Don't think that I'm being too shallow right now — I might be — but I can't last four years without ever seeing her. Being a doctor is already hectic enough for me, I don't think I'll be able to visit her there during those four years! This is the most logical decision I can come up with right now. I don't care about her anymore. She can go right ahead and start on her new life. It doesn't have to be with me. She can just go and put her dreams in front of me. Who am I to stop her, right?
**** END OF FLASHBACK ****
It's hard to believe that I've been reminiscing about the past for the last five hours involuntarily. The memories I was working oh-so hard to forget were coming back to me faster than it left and I hate it. I hate it so much.
I'd by lying if I said I really hate Francine right now, because I don't. Somehow, a small part of my heart was still reserved for her, but she doesn't give a flying fûck. There's still a slight hope in me that she will get in touch soon, but I only feel disappointed when it never comes. I shouldn't feel hopeful in the slightest. I should strive even harder to forget about her.
A year's worth of effort was going down the drain and it seemed that I'm not even putting up much of a fight against it. I need someone to help me forget, but hey I'm not one to show my emotions to others. To my family, I was a strong man void of emotions. I try my best to keep a 'manly' façade in front of them and not show them my emotional side. It's only ever so rare that I ever show my soft side to them.
Because of that, I've never found the need to ask for help with my relationship problems, because I'd like to maintain that façade. I also want to be able to fully deal with my own problems although it's probably doing me more harm than good. No matter what, though, I have to fight hard to forget her.
I reluctantly left work, still surprised that I didn't need to work overtime, because I didn't want to face my family. I said I kept myself from showing emotions from them, but they always know when something's wrong and I don't want them to ask about what's troubling me. As much as possible I wanted to avoid ay topic that was related to Francine, because I knew that all it would do was bring back memories.
"Are you okay?" Ina asked as I grabbed my stuff ready to leave. I slung my bag around on my shoulder and turned to face her.
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
She scoffed at me. "Don't lie to me, Hunter. We've been working together for almost two years. You're one of the smartest guy I know. You're the youngest doctor I know! You should know better than to lie to me."
"I'm sorry, Ina. I just don't want to talk about it."
"I get it. It's hard to forget, but don't hesitate to go to someone for help, Hunter. And next time, you might want to practice your lying skills. You ain't got none," she smirked. I gave her a faint smile before turning and heading for the door.
I got in my car and pulled away from the parking lot. I already had an exhausting day yet I still had to walk through hell just to get to my car. I have to get up earlier tomorrow if I want a closer spot. It isn't worth it to have to walk this far after a long day.
The closer I got to home, the more I was worried about worrying my family. Ironic, isn't it? It might be, but I love my family too much, I don't want to worry them. I'm not the type of person who likes to bring stress to others. In fact, I usually comply with all of their wishes since I would do anything just to please them.
I finally arrived home, my family patiently waiting for me in the sitting room. These days, it's only me, my mom,my dad, and my grandma at home. My brother went to school in another state so he'll be gone for a while until their break.
Unlike me, my younger brother is actually the more outgoing, snappy, energy-filled one. More than that, he's gay, but he's not one of those stereotypical gays that act all feminine. I loved my brother. I never had a hard time accepting him, in fact, I welcomed him with open arms the second he came out to the family.
As I walked through the front door, everyone's gaze shifted to me. "You're home! Ready for dinner?" my mom asked. This is what I love about my family. They always wait for me before having dinner. It always made me feel so special to know that I matter that much to them. Of course, this is only if they know I was going to be home for dinner. Otherwise, it was fine with me if they have dinner without me.
"Yeah, I'm starving," I replied. I walked over to my grandmother and gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek. Then we all proceeded to walk to the dining room.
My mom started off with the table conversation. "So, after all these years, we finally got in touch again!" she cried.
"Oh really? Are they still in London?" my dad asked. I didn't bother joining them in their conversation because I didn't even know who they were.
"Yeah! I actually told them they should visit over the summer. They said they'll try to book plane tickets now since it's only a few months away."
"Well that's nice. It's been a while since we've seen them. We owe our lives to them for giving us their business."
I was starting to get confused. Who were these people and why do we owe our lives to them for giving us their business? I decided to finally butt in to their conversation.
"Uh...Who are they?" I asked curiously.
"They're our childhood friends, Hunter. We forgot you don't know anything about them. Well, we were very close when we were in high school and when we were badly in need of money after getting laid off from our jobs, they came to our rescue. They willingly gifted to us their business so we can cope with our economic problems," my dad explained.
"Yeah, and at that time, we didn't know how to repay them," my mom added. Dad and grandma nodded their heads in agreement.
"And so, how did you guys repay them?" I asked.
"That's the thing, we haven't yet."
"What? Why not?"
"Because you guys haven't met each other yet. I don't even know if they have a child yet." I was really lost in my father's words. What did he mean by that?
"I'm not sure I'm understanding what you're saying," I admitted.
"We're saying that we had an agreement to repay our debt to them, Hunter," my dad said.
"Mhm... And that agreement was...?" I asked, almost on the verge of impatience.
"... To marry you off to their first-born," my mother states calmly, flashing me a smile. I couldn't do anything but stare at them with wide eyes.
WHAT?
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (I hope it wasn't draggy lol)... Oh yeah! Please keep voting and commenting! Help the ranking for this book go higher! (remember, lower # = higher ranking! heheh).
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-panda_lover_1996
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Date Stamp: March 29, 2014
Word Count:3,678