Chapter 4: The Encounter

"Can you really define love and what is it really all about? How will you accept this into your heart, when there is no sufficient words to describe its greatness and power?"

She was sitting quietly while drinking her wine in the garden, when Marcus found her. And he seemed to be so concerned about her, when he kept her warm with the fur coat she left inside the hall.

He missed her, so she snatched her hand and gently kiss it.

"I've been looking for you all over the place, what are you doing out here? Don't you feel cold?” Marcus asked Alyssa with a sweet tone.

"You know how much I hate this kind of party, right?" she rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I easily get suffocated when I am in a bunch of hypocrites. You know me since middle school, so you should know that by now."

Alyssa spoke in a sarcastic way, her eyebrow furrowed and that didn't left unnoticed. He saw that and his mood changed

"You should start getting along with them. Once we get married, you will be surrounded by those kind of people you called hypocrites."

Marcus replied with a rough voice. His arms were folded across his chest while standing firm in front of her.

"Let’s go inside. Dad was looking for you" He tugged her wrist and pulled her up.

Out of willingness, Alyssa jumped to her feet. She fixed her dress and gave her hair a little shake.

She called the waiter who walked past her, and grabbed herself another glass of wine and drunk it, up to the last drop.

"I'm going to the ladies room, will you give me some time to fix myself?" She asked. Refusing to go back inside with Marcus, she came up with an excuse.

She saw someone she knew passing by and she gave her a sweet smile- it was one of her regular client in the shop. Her eyes were half closed when she grinned.

"You're drunk!" Marcus yelled.

"No I'm not!" Alyssa yelled back. She stood up straight and showed Marcus that she could stand on her own feet. "See, I told you- I am not drunk!"

Then she started walking away, but Marcus tried to stop her. "Alyssa! Come back" but she didn't even took a moment to stop and get a glimpse...instead,

"Don't worry, I am not leaving you!" She yelled against the cool breeze of the night, and her voice was the only sound she wanted to hear, then.

Marcus went back to the party, and preferred not to argue with Alyssa. He knew that it would just create a much bigger gap between the two of them, if they will always collide and fight.

So it's better if he would just let her be.

While Aly was on her way to the ladies room- she tripped on the stairs accidentally, while rushing.

And when she was about to lose her balance and fall on the floor, someone behind her caught her by surprise.

Her back was laid on his buff chest as she fell on him. And out of shock, her body was shaking.

“I got you baby!” His hands were on her shoulders. “Stay still, so you won’t fall” He whispered in her ear and she felt relieved knowing that someone just saved her.

Time suddenly stopped, and all she could hear was the beating for her crazy heart and the sound of his breathing in her ears. For some reason, the sound of his voice captivated her mind in an instant, and the warmth of his hands, felt so well on the surface of her skin.

"Are you hurt?” The man muttered while still holding her tightly.

She cleared her throat before answering "No, I'm fine. Thanks to you." her voice was low and shy.

Without looking at the man's face, she hurriedly returned to her balance and started walking up stairs.

"Hey, wait!" The man called. "Can you at least give me your name?"

But Aly didn't stop from walking fast. She forcefully opened the cubicle door when she entered the ladies room to hide her self while panting.

She breathe heavily as she succeeded. She closed her eyes for a minute, and remembered his addictive scent that was quickly registered in her nostril.

She felt her blood rushing ridiculously.

Feeling half crazy, she shook her head to wake herself up from daydreaming. She went out of the cubicle and washed up, to freshen her face.

While standing in front of the mirror, she looked at herself carefully and dare to ask the girl right before her eyes.

"Where's the girl I used to know?” She mumbled and her tears were beginning to pool in the corner of her hazel eyes.

“Why do you look so sad Alyssa?” pathetically, she questioned herself.

Once, there was a happy girl who lives in a small town of Skaneateles village, where the beautiful finger lake of the same name lies.

Life was simple back then.

She has lots of friends, and so many people loves her. Including Marcus...her best friend.

Alyssa was a brave girl, compassionate, unselfish and independent.

She takes full responsibility in everything she does, and she was also considerate about others feelings.

She has so many good traits that made her lovable, that's why Marcus fell in love with her, over time. But she didn't like her best friend to be her lover. So she rejected him after he confessed his feelings.

Their friendship started to change since then, and deeply inside her – she was hurt for avoiding him.

Because missing him was the hardest days in the whole summer. Yet she tried to endure those days, without him being around.

Until her world started to go upside down when her father got a financial issue.

He swindled Marcus's father, when his parents gave her father an opportunity to handle their craft business, after his retirement. They've been so good to their family, but her father took their trust and kindness for granted.

Little did she know, his father started to gamble in the casino, and he was spending the Lee's money for the betting game. Her world crashed upon hearing the news, and there was nothing she can do to save his father from being in jail.

Until Marcus came to negotiate. He told his parents about his feelings for Alyssa, and he begged for her father's freedom.

His parents were hesitant at first to cancel the lawsuit. However, they couldn't afford to reject his request, knowing that Marcus would definitely freak out, once he experience rejection. So his father granted his request to forgive her father, and let them pay the debt in a most convenient way.

But in return of the favor, they asked Alyssa to accept Marcus as her boyfriend. Also, she has to encourage Marcus to undergo behavioral therapy, to manage his anger issue, on top of his anxiety disorder.

Alyssa had no choice but to grant their request, the same way they granted Marcus's. She told herself before accepting his love..."It's not going to be that bad, I guess. After all, his my best friend and I somehow love him".

And a new relationship began.

Marcus became stable after a series of therapy with the help of Aly. She supported him all the way, and she became a better girlfriend to her. Yet, as time passed by, learning to love Marcus in a most intimate way, was still hard for her.

The feelings never became mutual.

Alyssa thought about running away, after Marcus had successfully finished his therapy.

She decided to pursue her dreams somewhere a bit far from him so she could at least breathe.

She didn't hesitate, so she left her small town to earn her degree in fashion design. She went to Brooklyn to attend college in a state university.

College days were tough, and at times like these. She missed Marcus a lot. She wanted to deny the fact, but her heart was truly yearning for his jokes, for his thoughtfulness and kind gesture.

But it was only for a little while, until Marcus moved in. He enrolled in the same state university where Alyssa was, and had managed to study in a public college- as long as he can be with her.

So the idea of having some sort of freedom, disappeared.

Alyssa suddenly came back to her senses when she heard voices coming inside the bathroom. She took a deep breath and began fixing her hair and make-up before heading back to the hall.

Surprisingly, she saw Marcus waiting for her while sitting on a lovers couch at the hallway.

"Are you okay?" he asked her with a concerned voice as she walked towards him. He stood up and studied her face. She looked pale.

Out of curiosity he asked her "Did you threw up?

Aly nodded her head to answer his question.

"Nope! I am good! I'd like to ask if we can leave now." She looked at him in the eye and she can tell that he was actually thinking the same thing.

"Sure, let’s go!" He hurriedly grabbed her arm and started to walk a little fast.

"Hey, take it slow" she said with a small voice.

Marcus looked at her with compassion "Are you drunk? Let me carry you!"

"Oh no, don't..." before Alyssa could finish her word, Marcus took her arm and placed it around his shoulder and his other hand slid around her waist.

She bow her head down feeling ashamed of herself.

While walking towards the hotel’s exit, she noticed a man standing in the lobby on a Gray suit, looking at her.

As they walked in front of him, the man smiled at her.

She wanted to return the smile he gave to her, but suddenly Alyssa refused to do so.

She remembered how Marcus approached the guy back then when he saw him smiling at her.

He easily gets jealous, and his act of possessiveness was truly annoying.

So instead of smiling back, Alyssa just looked down on the floor and continued to walk until they have reached valet parking.

The black Mercedes Benz arrived at the valet parking and Marcus opened the door for her.

Alyssa got in the car feeling a bit dizzy, but her consciousness was still up at that moment, her eyes were glazing at the man who was standing firm in front of the hotels entrance.

"He's handsome" she mumbled. A sweet smile was plastered on her face as she recalled his addictive scent.

"It was him!" under her breath she has spoken her thoughts. "I'm pretty sure it was him...I smelled his fragrance when I walked past to him"

Her heart started to race as she watched him from a distance...