Men Troubles.

Amara.

Ife popped a chip in her mouth and munched loudly. I looked over the book in my hand and at her where she was seated and leaning against her desk and found her looking at me, her head in her palm. When I looked away, she sighed loudly and continued her loud munching.

“Anything you want to get off your chest?” I dabbed my pointer finger and thumb and flipped the page I was done reading over without looking up at her.

“A diamond ring, huh?” I heard the rustling of the chip bag as she moved it to the side.

“Yup.” I added an extra pop to the ‘p’ and looked up at her. “Just the way I like it.” Truth be told, I loved rings, diamonds especially, but there was nothing exciting having someone else’ ring on my finger. Technically, it was mine but it totally wasn’t.

“So, when are you moving in with him?

My eyes widened at the question. Moving in with James? I hadn’t even thought about it after he mentioned it because I was worrying about the absurdity of having an extravaganza -I was certain- engagement party for a fake marriage. But hearing it now, it was just…

“What? You guys haven’t discussed it? You are getting married and you haven’t discussed about moving in?”

“Of course, Ife, we have discussed it a lot of times but, you know, I don’t think I’m ready.”

Ife, sat up straight and turned fully to me. “ I don’t know, Amara, you said yes to him but you are not ready to live with him? Tell me, is he forcing you to do these things?”

I gave out an exaggerated scoff. “you think anyone can force me to do that?” I shook my head and continued, without waiting for her response. “The thing is, apart from my parents, I’ve never lived with anyone, much less a husband… fiance. I’m just nervous. I feel like I will fuck up a lot of things for us.”

Ife sighed, and I exhaled a breath of relief knowing my words ‘lies’ were working. The less she knew about my arrangement with James, the better for her. And me too.

“James loves you, right?”

I nodded, “Yes. I mean, I guess. It’s been perfect so far, so I want to believe that he does.”

“Then there is really nothing for you to worry about. I don’t think there is really anything that you can do that would ‘fuck thing up’ for you guys. I saw the tabloids this morning, I saw the way he was looking at you. You two would be great.”

All what I received yesterday from James were the scowls and glares, which I feared for a moment, that the press may have noticed, but of course, James McKenna knew how to wear many faces at the same time. And if Ife says he looked at me like he was head over heels in love with me then, I should be grateful for his multipe-faces-at-once ability.

“Thanks, Ife. Really. I’m glad you are not freaking out bout this whole thing. My parents are doubting what I have with James and they think I’m making a huge mistake, but I’m not, I know I’m not. What we have is real and I love you for seeing that.”

She gave me a thin lipped smile. Knowing Ife, I knew she had more to say but she shook her head and nodded. “Of course, little sis, I’d always support you.

I groaned and threw a pillow at her, “do you always have to remind me of our age difference.”

“Yes, you little child,” she chuckled and threw the pillow back at me. “And this engagement party, should I wear a black dress or the shiny silver one I have been looking for an opportunity to wear?”

“Speaking of the engagement,” I stood up from the bed and placed the book back in the bookshelf. “I have to meet with James now to discuss a few things.”

“It’s like past eight right now, I thought you were sleeping over.”

I began making for the door and she followed me. “No, I wasn’t. I just came to escape my mind for a few minutes.”

“But you just got here. Can’t you guys postpone till tomorrow? The party isn't till a week and some days.”

I stopped walking and turned to her, “Ife, there is a lot to prepare, so we need to make use of the time we have. Besides, you don’t have to beg me to stay over, this is basically my second house and once this is over, you’d be the once chasing me away.” I chuckled. “What?” I asked when she gave me a passive face with narrowed brows.

“James knows about the house, right? He knows about your house?”

I forced a spittle down my throat. James had no clue but he also didn’t deserve to know. I have no idea what was going on in his life so he has no right to know about mine either. “Yeah. Of course he knows.” I said with an awfully chirpy tone as I turned around and continued on my way out.

“And tell Ayo that Keith misses him. The fact that he is now a teenager shouldn’t make him stop visiting his brother.”

“You are literally the only person that calls him Ayo, he hates that name and he hates me even more when I call him that.”

“Let’s just say he loves me.”

“I’m his sister.”

“Well, sucks to be you.” She chuckled loudly as I walked through the front door. I turned around to bid her goodbye but she caught my wrist and pulled me into a hug.

“That care of yourself.” she whispered to my ear.

I exhaled a breath of relief once the door seamed shut. Ife was worried about everything going on with James, I was sure, and I wanted to put her mind at rest, I wanted to stop lying to her but that would mean breaching mine and James contract. A contract that wasn’t legally drawn up as a matter of fact. But I just didn’t want to take my chances.

Exhaling deeply again, I turned around and began heading back home. I had no engagement with James, I made the lie up to escape Ife before she worries me into telling her everything.

“You are making a big fucking mistake, you know that right?” Hot breathe fanned against my neck as a deep voice vibrated in my ear and throughout my whole body. A gasp escaped my lips as I jerked and turned around to see a huge familiar figure standing a breath away from me.

“What the hell, Vincent!” I tried to shout but my voice barely made it past a whisper.

“Is it because of the diamond ring? I can get you as much as you like. I’d give you a fucking diamond palace, Amara, just leave that loser and come with me. We’d get away from this town… this country. We would go wherever you like, ill give you whatever you want, tons of diamond rings, a big ass studio.”

“How did you know that? Have you been looking into me? Oh my God, have you been following me?”

“Your parents promised I’d have you, I had to see what I was getting.”

“You are sick in the head, Vincent. You are a sick man.”

I spun quickly to walk away but he caught both my wrist in his hands before shifting them to one hand as he dragged me to a wall and pressed me against it.

My eyes darted round in search of anybody or anything that can hep me out of the situation I found myself in but alas, the street was empty with no hope of anyone coming out to help me because people in that street were busy people and usually worked till dawn.

“What do you want from me, Vincent.”

He sucked in sharply and leaned against me, his thighs pressing up against my back. “I think the issue here is that you are not understanding what I’m saying. I don’t want anything from you, my darling, I want you. Just like your parents promised.”

“I am not a thing my parents can pass around to whomever they like. I am my own person and I have a fiance I’d be getting married to soon.”

“You would call off the engagement, you hear me and you would come to me.” His hot breath fell on my neck, keeping all my nerves on high alert. I always knew Vincent to be an idiot but I had no clue he was a psychotic idiot.

“My parents will kill you if they find out what you are doing to me.”

“Not if I kill you first. I bet they wouldn’t want to see their little princess dead, right?”

I felt a tip of a cold metal press into my neck and I didn’t need to be told that it was a knife.

Vincent had a knife to me neck.

He was armed and I was unarmed and…powerless.

I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed down the shocking realization that Vincent, the man I was supposed to marry, was a psychopath. My parents sold me off to a man that could kill me. Who could possibly kill me at this point.

“Vincent, please calm down, it doesn’t have to get to this.” I forced a spittle down my suddenly parched throat and tilted my head to look at him but he applied more pressure to the knife, keeping me in place. “You want me, right? You want us to run away together, right? And I promise, I will go with you, Vincent. I will go anywhere you go just don’t hurt me, please. Take the knife away and we’ll do whatever you want.

The force of the knife pressing into my neck loosened as a bit of Vincent’s weight fell off my body. “You’ll go with me?” He asked with a calmer voice.

I nodded and shut my eyes to keep the tears forming in my eyes from rolling down my cheeks. There were many ways this could go wrong. Vincent could either listen to me and leave me to find my escape or he could pay deaf ears to my pleadings and take me away or worse, send me back to my parents in parts.

A hot liquid trickled down the side of my neck and I knew immediately that the knife has found its way into my skin. I sniffled and prayed to God to save me from this moment. Just like he has been saving me from my bad decisions. But I guessed this was a different case.

“You promise?” Vincent’s voice drew me back from my spiraling mind.

“What?”

He dropped his whole weight on me and turned his face to my ear. I could hear his breathing clearly.

“You promise you’d come with me?”

“Of course, Vincent, I promise. I will go anywhere you go.”

“Good, good.” He pushed up from me and I spun immediately, forcing myself to catch my breath. I looked around to see if there was anyone around but I was met with an empty street. About two minutes has passed without anyone walking sown this road.

Damn this street and damn myself for deciding not to take my car today of all days.

“You know, it didn’t have to get to this.” He closed up the gap between us and held me by my chin, thumbing it lightly. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but you are a stubborn stubborn girl but I promise, so long as you do what you are supposed to do, I wouldn’t have to lay a finger on you, hmm?”

I nodded and took some steps back, creating a safe distance between us. Vincent kept waking towards me to close up the gap and just as reached out to hold me, I shot my legs out and kicked his groin as hard as I could.

He staggered back, almost falling over as he bent to cup his groin. Once I noticed that his attention was no longer on me, I turned on my heels and ran.

The house was unusually quiet when I raced inside. Normally, it was always, always quiet but tonight, it was particularly quiet. No sound of clanking in the kitchen from Jessie doing the dishes or the sound of Keith’s Nintendo switch game. Just quiet.

I leaned against the door as I closed it and peered my ears to listen for any sound but a sharp pain ran through my neck and down my spine sending goosebumps throughout my body, I reached for my neck and felt my dried blood against my neck.

Clenching my jaw to push down the pain, I hurried upstairs to check on Keith and treat my cut. A cut I got from the psychopath my parents almost sold me to.

“Oh.” I bumped into Jessie as she was stepping out of Keith’s room. She closed the door softly and with a tilt of her head, motioned me to a corner.

“Hi,” She said softly. Had I not known Jessie for so long, I’d say she was just being nice for her pay but, that was who she was. Soft and sweet. “He was waiting up for you. Bad day at school today, he wanted to talk to you. wouldn’t say anything else except he wanted to talk to you.”

“Shit.” I had left my phone with the intention of being free that evening. Another dumb mistake I made. Few hours of not being with my phone and car, I disappointed my brother and almost got myself killed.

“He’s not mad, little bit disappointed maybe.You should talk to him tomorrow.”

“I will.” I nodded. I had to and I most definitely will. “Thanks.” Jess, nodded and headed downstairs.

Blowing out a rush of breath, I quietly opened Keith’s door and took a peek. The corners of my lips tilted up in a small smile at the tiny thing lying peacefully on the bed. Shaking my head, I closed the door and turned to my room, ready to get over with the day.

“Holly Molly!"