Scarlett only needed three things in her life: her phone, her laptop, and coffee. Anything else was a luxury she was happy to afford, if she did that is. You could always find these things in her vicinity. It was, therefore, no wonder that her phone and laptop were on her bed when she woke up. That was the upside of living alone in a one-bedroom apartment with a queen-size bed.

She glanced at the time on her phone. The light was too much for her but the glaring 10.30 AM digital clock on the screen was the bigger evil.

"Dang!, I'm so late!"

She had overslept again. She jolted from her bed. She was going to be late for the weekly developers meeting. Not that anyone expected her to be on time anyway. She grabbed the coffee mug that sat on its permanent place on her nightstand and headed to the kitchen. She started the coffee maker and left her coffee to cool off.

She hated Thursdays. Thursdays meant that she had to go to the office by 11.00 AM for the weekly meeting. And that meant that she had to wake up earlier than her usual time, noon.

She quickly fumbled around her apartment trying to get ready as fast as she could. She threw on a blue dress with black leggings. Normally she would take time to dress up and do some makeup up but today she did not have the time. In thirty minutes, she was already out the door, her coffee, phone, laptop and a jacket in hand. She got to her car and drove off into the busy streets.

She could see her office building as she approached, the big letters MACE TECH written on the front. She was a software engineer in one of the busiest tech companies in the region. She had been working there for 2 years now.

Being a software engineer meant that she got to work from anywhere she wanted, anytime she wanted. The only catch was that she had to be physically present for the Thursday weekly meeting. The only time anyone was excused was when they had travelled for work or was on official leave.

Scarlett was quite happy with this arrangement. Except for the weekly meeting, which she would gladly give anything to have it scrapped off her schedule.

As soon as she arrived at the parking lot, she picked up her essentials and fled to the elevator. It seemed to be slower today. She looked at her phone, it was now 11.30. She was officially late for the meeting. She noticed a couple of notifications on her phone too but she decided to check them after the meeting.

She finally reached her office floor. When she got off the elevator, she bumped into someone and mumbled a quick sorry without bothering to see who it was. Today was not turning out to be a good day.

She placed the stuff she had carried on the open space table she used anytime she was here. She then walked across the room towards the boardroom where the meeting was.

She opened the door slowly and walked to the only empty spot at the table with fake modesty.

"Nice of you to join us, Ms Gray!"  said the guy who was standing in the front, in the middle of a presentation. He said it with a smirk and one would tell that he was half-joking. He was a tall guy, with blue eyes. He was wearing a navy blue suit that matched with his skin tone.

Scarlett just glared at him and settled down. "I will get you Declan!"  She thought to herself. She was going to save her remarks for later when there was no audience.

The meeting went on as usual. Guys reported on their projects, raised any issues they had come across and confirmed whether they were still on schedule or not. There were still a few guys waiting to report before it was her turn, so she decided to check on her notifications.

As she had expected, there were a few unimportant messages. Three WhatsApp texts from her workgroup. Two others from her friend, Lou, asking if she had plans for the weekend. She scoffed at this. That girl never knows when to stop, does she? There were a few social media updates that she wasn't keen enough to read before dismissing. Then the final notification caught her attention. It was a text message from a strange number. She rarely got messages from a strange number. She clicked on it.

"Hi, Amy..."

She froze.

This morning she thought that the worst thing that could happen today was coming late to the meeting. Little did she know that worse things were waiting for her.

She did not need to read the rest of the text to know who it was. That text only meant one thing. That her past had come to haunt her. A past that she had carefully hidden away for the past 6 years.

A past she would rather keep locked in a dark room and throw the key into a black hole.

**********

Scarlett had been living a simple life for the past few years. It was just her, her work, her friends (whom she could count on one hand), and her small apartment. It had always felt complete yet one text from the last person she expected to hear from was enough to remind her just how much incomplete her life actually was.

"Miss Gray, miss Gray, SCARLETT!" She was brought back to the present when she heard her name. She had spaced off, her mind was miles away and she had not realised that it was her turn to give an update on what she had been working on.

It was Declan who had called out her name.

"Um, uh, sorry Dec, I spaced off for a second there"

"I know, I was about to throw this notepad at you, are you ready to give us your update"

"Well, y-yes, y-yeah, right away" She stuttered as she got up from her chair.

Scarlett had never been a shy girl and she had never had issues speaking in front of people, but today her usual poise was gone. She could feel her hands shaking as she was preparing her presentation.

"Morning team?"

"It is past noon Scarl..." Dec corrected.

"Thank you,  Dec, for the correction, Good afternoon team?"

The rest of the guys responded indifferently.

Declan was a bit taken aback that Scarlett had not retorted in any way. That was his second shot of the day and she had just been silent. It was so unlike her.

"During the past week, I have been working on the finance project. I mainly worked on... " She went on to explain the rest of the work she had done. Lucky for her she did not have any major issues that needed to be discussed and her audience did not have any question. The last thing she needed was debating with her colleagues. Presenting updates close to the lunch break had its perks after all.

After her presentation, the rest of the meeting went on without a hitch or her attention. The only thing that was in her mind was that text. What was she going to do now? Should she reply? She could just pretend that she didn't get the text in the first place.

"That is it for today. Good work team, see you next week." She heard Declan's closing remarks as the guys began packing up to leave.

"Hey, what are you doing after this?" One of the girls approached her.

Before she could reply, the girl continued, "We are all gonna grab lunch at UncleMugen's cafe, wanna join?"

"Sorry, Mia. Not today, I have something I need to do." On a normal Thursday, attending the team lunch at their favourite cafe would have been the perfect end to her day. But there was nothing normal about this Thursday, nothing at all.

"Cool, see ya around," Mia said with a big smile as she walked towards the group that was exiting the boardroom.

Scarlett stood from her chair and walked towards the window. She could see the city below her, people walking on the streets, some seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere while others walked slowly in groups as they chatted away, it was a beautiful view. This city had become her new home. It was far from perfect but she had managed to find her place. The place where she belonged. A place where she made her own decisions.

"You okay? You look like you have seen a ghost" Declan asked as he stood beside her. She had not realised that he had not left with the rest of the team.

"Hi Dec"

She may not have seen a ghost but she had definitely received a text from one.

"So what's up?" Declan had been one of the first friends she had made since she moved into the city. He was also the head of her department.

"This view is amazing" that was all she could say. She couldn't tell Declan about the text yet. As close as they were, she had never told him about her family. The topic had come up a few times but she always found a way to play around it. Declan must have known she was trying to avoid the topic because he never asked her about it directly.

"Yes it is, but that is not an answer am looking for"

"I am fine Dec"

"Are you? Then why did you turn pale in the meeting? and on top of that, you were stuttering during your presentation."

There was silence for a minute or so. Scarlett knew that she couldn't get out of this without a convincing excuse.

"I received a text from someone I did not expect" She finally answered. She was hoping that he wouldn't press her for more details.

"Did someone die?"

"What? No, I was invited to my...," She decided to hide some details to avoid the long conversation she was inevitably going to have with him. "a friend's wedding. I did not know she was getting married so that is why I got shocked." She felt guilty for not telling him the entire truth. She was going to tell him at some point but now was definitely not the right time.

"An old friend? What so shocking about that?" Dec looked at her with a questioning look.

"Well I just did not expect to hear from her at all"

"You had a fallout with her or something?"

"You could say that..."

"So, when is the mystery wedding"

"Next weekend"

"Are you gonna attend?"

"I don't know yet, I am still letting it all settle in"

"Look Scarl, I know you well, and I know that you are hiding something from me but I won't ask what it is. If you need to talk, you know where to find me, okay?"

Declan placed his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. She looked at him with a feigned smile. He smiled back at her and she could tell that he had a million questions to ask her. He let out a sigh and began to walk out of the room.

"You are a good person Scarl, I know you will make the right decision," he said from the door as he left.

The right decision? What was the right decision in this situation? That text had changed everything.

She looked out the window again but this time she couldn't see the view, her mind had travelled back in time to six years ago. The last day she had seen her family. She missed them, she missed her mother's cooking. She missed her sister, Victoria. Vic was only 2 years younger than her. And she missed her dad, well, for the most part anyway.

She couldn't believe that Vic was getting married. Clearly, a lot of things had changed. The sister she remembered could not commit to anything. When she was young, Vic could cry her heart out whenever she needed a new toy and when her parents got it for her, she could play with it for only a few days before tossing it away.  And this had continued in school, she could join clubs, be enthusiastic for a few weeks and then get bored and quit. Now she was getting married? As in wedding, rings, stay with someone forever, married, at 22 no less. Scarlett let out a sigh.

ring ring

Scarlett was scared to pick up her phone. What if her mum had decided to call her after not getting a reply? What would she say?

She picked up her phone. She had unknowingly crossed her fingers. She checked the caller ID, it was Lou. She let out a sigh and picked up.

"Hello"

"Hi, girl?" Lou sounded chipper. It was her default state so it was not a surprise to Scarlett. "You haven't replied to my messages."

"I was about to reply" she lied. "I just came from the weekly meeting so I did not have time to reply, until now, but then you called"

"Okay, no worries, so what's your answer?"

"Answer to?"

"My proposal to marry you! my text silly, what did they give you in that meeting?"

"Nothing, it was just boring as usual" Scarlett was having a hard time remembering what Lou had asked her in the text. "Well, I um..."

"Are you free or not?" Lou asked impatiently. "if you are, I have been invited to this white party and guess where the venue is?"

"Where?"

"The Fine Breeze!" Lou said with an excited high-pitched voice.

"The new place uptown?"

"yeap, the one and only. I heard that only famous celebrities get in. And now I have a ticket. And it has plus one and you are the lucky lady"

"I have heard about it, I don't know if I will make it"

"What? Are you serious? Come on, Pleeeeassse" Scarlett could picture Lou pouting on the other side of the phone.

"Shouldn't your plus one be your boyfriend?"

"What boyfriend? if you are talking about Jason, we broke up two days ago, did you not see my IG status update? I am a single girl now"

"I swear, Lou you never cease to amaze me. Didn't you just date for a month or so?"

"Three weeks and it's over. I have moved on. This party will be my best chance to find my next conquest. So I am not taking no for an answer. I will pick you up at 4 pm on Saturday"

"Lou, I told you...."

click

Lou hang up on Scarlett before she could give her an excuse.

"Looks like I'm going to the white party" Scarlett sighed.

That was Lou for you. Louise Hutton was Scarlett's best friend, she was a warm person, she rarely got angry at anyone and when she did all you had to do was apologise and buy her nice things and it would be as if nothing had happened. They met in college and they had remained close after graduation. She was the only person Scarlett had kept in touch with.

Louise was the happiest person Scarlett knew. She lived her life one day at a time. She said what she wanted and did what she wanted, no apologies, no regrets.

This was the reason why Scarlett loved her. She was a reminder of what life should be like. Making your own decisions, the slogan Scarlett used since she left home six years ago.

Thinking about Lou had distracted her from her thoughts for a moment. She looked at her phone, it was already 1:30 pm. Initially, she had decided to stay in the office to have some work done in the afternoon but now she did not have the motivation.

She picked up her stuff from the table and exited the boardroom. She looked around the open office only to notice that she was alone. Most of her colleagues had taken off and the others were probably having lunch at the cafe Mia had told her about.

She walked to the table where she had left her other belongings. All this time Dec's words kept running through her mind."I know you will make the right decision... "  If only she knew what the right decision was.

She read the rest of the text. Her mum had given her all the details she needed to know about Vic's wedding. In fact, she even asked her if she could go home during the week because there was going to be a bridal shower at the family home before they left for the venue, and the whole family was invited.

Scarlett could remember playing the bride with Vic when they were younger. She was always the bride because they thought she could get married first. Vic would play her best maid. They could walk around the house with makeshift flower bouquets. At one time they even asked their dad to officiate the marriage. She had wedded her long-loved fiancé, Teddy, the teddy bear. She was barely four when she named him hence the immense creativity.

Scarlett felt something wet on her lap. She had been crying but she was so into her thoughts that she hadn't realised it. She picked some pocket tissues and wiped her face.

Deep down she knew her answer. Deep down she knew her decision, and it was not going to be easy. She couldn't miss Vic's wedding. If she did Victoria could never forgive her. There were a lot of things that she needed Vic to forgive her for and she did not want to add missing the wedding to that pile.

How was she going to face her family? How was she going to explain the decision she made six years ago? What if they couldn't understand her reasons?

**********

That night Scarlett sat on her couch in a very sombre mood. Nothing seemed to be okay. Even her favourite TV show that night seemed distasteful. She flipped the channels trying to look for something to lighten her mood. Nothing. She finally gave up, switched off the TV and went to bed.

This was definitely going to be a long night. She wanted her mind to stop, she wanted to shut off the memories, but that was not going to happen. She remembered that night, the way their house looked like a ghost town from the back of the cab. The busy airport where she had always been afraid to be alone. Before that, her dad always held her hand, but that night she was alone with just her suitcase. The tears fell down her face endlessly. Nothing about that night was pleasant.

Scarlett sighed, she shook her head in an attempt to shake away the thoughts. She felt a wet patch on her pillow. She had not even realised that she had been crying. Another deep sigh came from her mouth, with it more tears. She did not hold them back.

"I am the head of this house and you will do as I say"

"But dad," Scarlett was cut short by her father. She had never seen him that angry before.

"You will do as I say even if that means I will lock you in this house. You hear that Amy?"

Scarlett jolted up. She looked at her surrounding. Relief washed over her face when she realised that she was still in her own bedroom in the city. That was just a dream, a nightmare really, a moment she thought was deeply buried in her brain until a few hours ago. She must have cried herself to sleep last night.

She sighed again for what felt like the umpteenth time. She glanced at her phone, it was only 5.23 AM. She yawned as she walked to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror to see giant eye bugs around her eyes. They looked like two giant ice balls ready to melt. She quickly turned away, too afraid to look at her reflection. She walked back to her bed. She lay awake for a while staring into the darkness. When it was clear that sleep was a long-gone idea, she decided to get up and find something to do. Some bit of light had started showing through her window which was an indication that the sun was about to rise.

She walked to her closet, searched for the nearest leggings, a sports bra and a hood. She had decided to go out for a run, who was she kidding, a walk. It would be a pity to waste the one sunrise she was awake to witness.

She quickly brushed her teeth, picked up her phone and was out the door as soon as she put on her favourite snickers.

She walked slowly past her street. It was quiet. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who liked to sleep in. The streets got busier as she walked towards the park. Some shops especially the coffee houses and restaurants had already opened in anticipation of the morning customers. Some neatly dressed people would occasionally walk in and out minutes later with takeaway cups and brown bags. Nothing like a good morning's cup of coffee and a doughnut, or a bagel. Not that she had any idea though. Usually, around this time she was deep in dreamland. She walked into the nearest coffee shop to get a mug of coffee.

It was fascinating to watch all the busy people. Unlike during the day where you could spot people chatting away on the streets, everyone was busy rushing somewhere.

She was finally in the park, coffee in hand. Carrying the coffee was her secret way of avoiding running. There were quite a few more people than she had anticipated. Most wore gym clothes and were running in the park. She even passed a group of people who were doing some coordinated moves, maybe yoga? "Isn't it too early for that?" She wondered. She walked until she saw a bench that faced directly to the sunrise. "Bingo," She thought as she approached it.

Sitting down was so relaxing. Maybe she should run across the park for at least one lap. "Yeah right..." She laughed at the thought and sat into a comfortable moment, staring at the sun as it showed off its majesty as it painted the sky with beautiful gold rays.

"I must be seeing things"

Scarlett was shaken off her stance by a familiar voice. She looked up to see a shadow standing over her. She couldn't see clearly as she had been staring into the sun, but she could recognise this person anywhere. His broad shoulders, his masculine body that seemed to calm her down.

"Wow, this is a rare sight. Scarlett Gray outside her house before noon. This is one for the newsstands." The man hovering over her continued. If she has not been so stressed she would have a nasty comeback of her own.

He sat down next to her. Her eyes had started to clear up. She looked at him to see a smirk on his face.

"It's you" she feigned nonchalance though her heart was pretty excited.

"Good morning to you too Scarl," Dec said with a smile as he nudged her with his shoulder.

"Hi, Dec" Scarlett finally greeted the all too happy guy beside her.

"Was that so hard?" Dec asked with a very childish pout.

Instead of replying Scarlett nudged him with her shoulder as he had done earlier.

"What are you doing up this early on a Friday, Scarl?" Dec asked with a curious look. Ever since he had known her, she loved to sleep in at any chance she got. He on the other hand always loved to jog in the park in the mornings.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk and watch the sunrise"

"Oh..." Dec replied as if he had just recalled something.

"How was the morning run?" Scarlett asked as she looked back up at the sun, a move she regretted immediately. The sun had become so bright already. She quickly looked down. Her vision clouded with bright colours.

"It was great, if I don't come here I feel sickly the entire day," Declan answered.

When Scarlett did not comment, Declan looked at her. She was looking down but he could see her swollen eyes. He immediately felt his heart sink into his chest. He hated to see her sad. He had grown fond of her from the first time they met.

He had learned everything there is to know about her, her favourite colour, books, TV shows, music. He knew stuff that she didn't like also such as the colour yellow. He didn't get why either. They would talk about anything and everything. Yet any topic related to family matters was off-limits. Not that Scarlett had told him that. It's just that any time it came up, she would change the subject.

In the years, he had known her, she had never mentioned her home or parents. She would spend all holidays alone. Maybe that is how his feelings started, he wanted to fill the holes in her life. He wanted her to feel at home there with him. He wanted to give her the world. Yet at any moment he felt close to her, he would also feel a great distance that he didn't know the cause or how to get rid of.

"Scarlett, are you okay?" He finally asked her.

"No, I'm really not," Scarlett told him as she looked up at him.

He was a bit surprised at this response. Every other time he had ever asked her that, she would always say yes, and shrug it off. Therefore, he knew that whatever was on her mind was very serious.

"What really happened yesterday, Scarl, the friend's wedding, I know that's not the whole story"

Scarlet took a deep breath. She looked into Dec's blue eyes, she noticed the concern that filled them. She knew how Dec felt about her. She also knew that he wanted more than their current casual relationship. But since leaving home, she had always kept everyone at arm's length. If you didn't let someone in, it meant that they wouldn't hurt you, right? She had made that mistake once and she was determined not to make it again.

"Wanna go get some coffee?" Declan asked her when he saw her hesitation. Why couldn't she trust him? Why couldn't she see that he was willing to do anything to make her happy? Declan had been a ladies man before he met Scarlett. That was how the casual flirting turned into casual dating. What he did not anticipate was that he would develop deep feelings for the brown-eyed girl. And that those feelings might not be reciprocated.

The coffee shop was a beehive of activities. It seemed like everyone needed a dose of their morning coffee. Scarlett sat quietly across Declan in a booth next to a window overlooking the park. As expected she had another coffee in hand. She knew that she would have to talk to someone.

Of the only two people, she could talk to, one was sitting across from her, worry written all over his features. The other one was Lou but she knew all her best friend could comprehend at that point was the white party. Ugh, the white party! The last place she wanted to go to yet she had to be there for Lou's sake.

Having a hyperactive best friend was both a blessing and a curse. It meant being dragged to all kinds of places whether Scarlett wanted to or not. Deep down she was grateful for Lou. She couldn't imagine how dull her life would be without her. Not that she needed to imagine though. The one year they had lost contact after graduation was enough to show her exactly what that meant.

Scarlett looked at the worried guy across from her. He was still handsome even with his frown. She wanted to reach out and touch his cheek but she knew that wasn't what Dec needed. He needed some answers. Some sort of explanation to help ease his mind.

"So I may have left out a few details about the text I received yesterday" Scarlett finally spoke startling the worried Dec.

"I figured as much," Dec said after recovering from the initial shock. "You know you can trust me." He continued making sure the sentence was more of a statement than a question even though he wasn't sure Scarlett trusted him that much yet.

Scarlett took a sip of her coffee, let out a sigh and spoke, "I have a sister, her name is Abigail Victoria. She hates her first name so everyone calls her Vicky or Vic" She smiled as she said the words, she had not talked about Vic in 6 years and saying her name warmed her heart a little.

Declan was happy to see that smile although it only lasted for a brief moment before it turned into a sad one. Deep down he felt all kinds of emotions. On one hand, he was glad she finally talked about her family it meant she trusts him right? On the other hand, he felt sad because he knew that whatever happened for Scarlett to avoid her family must have been very bad. He wished he could do something to ease the pain that the memories brought to her. But he also knew that she could only avoid her past for too long before it caught up with her. Little did he know that it already had.

"So the friend's wedding I told you about, well, it wasn't so much friend but more of a sister." Scarlett finally said it. She could tell that Dec had a million questions but she appreciated the fact that he did not ask anything. If she was going to do this she had to do it at her own pace.

"Sorry I lied"

"It's okay Scarl am sure you had your reasons."

"I haven't spoken to my family for 6 years. I left home when I was 18, never looked back" She was looking out the window as she said this. She felt ashamed to admit it out loud. She had always felt guilty for leaving her family the way she did.

Declan was quiet. He wondered what would cause a teenager to leave home for good. His heart ached for her.

"I had found a way to move on but yesterday when my mother texted me, it all came crashing down." Scarlett continued. "It was the last thing I was expecting, I don't even know how she got my number." By this time, tears had threatened to start streaming down her face, so she looked up at the roof to keep them from falling. "I don't know what to do Dec, I can't miss Vic's wedding but am not ready to face them, am not ready to face my past." Her voice cracked at the last words and Declan could tell she was on the verge of tears.

Declan was never out of words but this time they seemed to have gotten stuck in his throat. Even without knowing the full story, he could tell that this was very difficult for Scarlett. It was a side of her he had not seen before. The Scarlett he had come to know was always a happy person, she was confident and always seemed to have the answer to anything. However, the girl sitting across from him not only looked weak but she seemed scared shitless. She was on the brink of tears and one could tell that it took all her strength not to let them fall. Her voice cracked when she spoke causing Declan's aching heart to break into many pieces knowing that he couldn't do anything for her. He could only listen and offer his shoulder hoping it was enough.

Declan stretched his hand and placed it on Scarlett's. He hoped that the small gesture would convey what he felt. That it would show her that she wasn't alone, that he would be with her through it all.

If it were any other time, Scarlett would have pulled her hand away and make a silly comment. But at that moment the warmth from Dec's hand on hers was comforting. She could tell that he did not know what to say. And who would blame him? If the situation was reversed, she wouldn't know what to say either.

She wondered what Dec would think of her if she told him the whole story. Would he still have held her hand? or would he turn away ashamed to look at her? Would he think any differently? She was thinking too much again. She often wondered whether her decision to leave home was a show of wisdom and independence or it was just the childish move of a spoilt brat.

"My mother actually invited me back home for the entire week." She finally spoke again.

"A whole week? Isn't a wedding supposed to be a one-day thing?" Declan asked.

"It is... but as usual my family has a way of making everything bigger and better. I can imagine my mom inviting all kinds of people, having 10 different events before the main ceremony" Scarlett remembered how they used to have birth weeks instead of birthdays. They would celebrate their birthdays for an entire week. Not that she was complaining. Their mum would invite all members of the extended family.

"What are you thinking?" Dec brought Scarlett back from her trip down memory lane. He could tell that this time though, it was a happy memory because her gloomy face had started to light up a little. He was hoping that she would talk about it.

"I just remembered how mum used to make a big deal on our birthdays, instead of celebrating the birthday, we celebrated the birth week."

"Birth week?" Declan was amused.

"Yeap, courtesy of my mum. They had venues and themes too. So I can only guess how excited she is about the wedding"

"Wow... That's an overkill" Declan teased.

"Tell me about it," Scarlett joined. "It used to be fun though, the more the guests the more the presents."

"Lucky you, in our family we would be lucky if anyone remembered. My mama would bake us our favourite pie after leaving work. We would eat it for dessert after dinner and call it a night. No muss no fuss about it. Once or twice we got presents but that was it." Declan replied.

"That was sweet and intimate," Scarlett mused silently as if she was voicing her thoughts. She had always admired those kinds of families growing up. Where the mum and dad would take their kids to the park for their birthday. Just a couple of balloons and maybe a cake. Her childhood was the exact opposite. Ballrooms and themed parties. Sometimes it looked more of a business dinner than a kid's party, especially when they were in their teens. Scarlett could not complain though, during the week their mum made sure to put activities that they liked and were more to their tune.

Scarlett found herself talking about her childhood with Declan. It felt good to talk about the happier times with her family.

In the middle of the conversation, they had left the coffee shop and gone back to the park. There were more people there and the snacks vendors had begun to set up shop. The fresh air was perfect and Scarlett was happy that she had decided to leave her apartment that morning.

Meeting Declan in the park and talking about her family made her decision a little easier. Declan had always been easy to talk to. They laughed and joked around with each other. They fooled around once a while but neither ever spoke about defining what they were. Through it all whenever Declan got closer Scarlett would involuntarily step back. Her past pulling her. Her heart, at least part of it, still stubbornly holding onto the boy who pulled her out of the darkness just weeks after she left home. But she was determined to live in the present so she smiled at the handsome guy who looked at her like she was his world. They continued sharing stories from their younger years.

After a while, Declan had to leave for work so he asked her if he could walk her back to her apartment.

"Thank you Scarl, for telling me about your family," Declan said when they reached her apartment.

Scarlett smiled. "Am glad I told you about it. You know, I haven't spoken to anyone about them since I left home so it felt nice."

Declan felt special, he was more than over the moon to be the one Scarlett trusted with such a difficult topic. If only there was something he could do other than just listen to her. And that's when the thought occurred to him.

"You know Scarl, if you want me to, I could come with you... I think it will be easier if there is a familiar face there. Apart from your family of course... But... it's okay if you don't want me to... I mean you don't have to... it's your choice..." His face had turned into a shade of pink Scarlett had not seen before. He was scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.

She thought he looked cute when he blushed. Times like these were what led to their casual romance. Despite the circumstances, Scarlett felt the desire to pull him into her apartment but her logic mind kicked in and she restrained herself.

It was actually a brilliant idea to go with Declan to the wedding. He would be there for her when she faced her family. And if it went south then she wouldn't have to be alone like she was 6 years ago.

Declan took Scarlett's silence as a no. He felt dejected so he quickly added "God, Scarlett am sorry I asked that. You have too much to think about and am giving you yet another issue. Forget I asked."

Scarlett had not realised that she was silent for so long. "No... No... I mean yes... Thanks for offering, I would be glad if you came with me."

If Declan's face was pink before, now it was scarlet red. Pun intended. He was so happy. In the years he had known and liked Scarlett, he had never gotten this close to her emotionally and he had tried everything. Was he evil for secretly thanking Scarlett's mum for sending that text?

He ****** forward and held Scarlett in a tight embrace that conveyed his feelings. He hated that he had to go to work but also thankful. He wanted the next time they were intimate to be more than just fun. He wanted to build a relationship that wasn't about sex. He needed a deeper connection. He could only imagine how much his buddies would tease him if he were to say that out loud.

He waved goodbye to Scarlett after he let her go and begun walking back to the main road to catch a taxi to his apartment. He felt so happy. In fact, he was so happy he forgot to ask when they were leaving. Or where they were going. No matter, he would just text her. His day couldn't get any better.