I gulped down some orange juice that Jason had left for me and searched under the bed for my heels. I tried to stay calm as I put my shoes on, but I could hear Paul shouting outside the room.
“Hurry, Lily!” Paul said.
“Okay, okay!” I threw the cup into the sink and ran out to the elevator. When in a rush, things seem to take forever—like today. We waited in the hotel elevator for three minutes until it reached the bottom floor.
Paul ran out first, and I didn’t think a chunky boy like him could run that fast. “Hurry!” he said.
“I’m coming, Paul!” I ran out the elevator and hurried to the taxi outside the hotel.
“Hurry Lily!” Paul shoved me into the taxi like a rag doll. “Gosh, I told you 11:50 and it’s…11:55. We’re going to miss our plane!”
Paul had the hideous furry red shirt on again. I laughed to myself, thinking of the last time he had it on. He was breathing fast, as he tried to catch his breath.
“It’s not funny that we will miss our plane! Barbara’s wedding is today. We have to be there!” He pulled my seat belt to buckle me in as if I were three years old.
“No, it’s that shirt,” I said and rolled my eyes. “Barbara doesn’t even like me, so why should I go to her wedding—”
“Well, Lily, the world doesn’t revolve around you! I really wanted to go to this wedding.”
“She won’t even notice you’re not there—”
“Oh my gosh!”
“What?” The taxi driver said in the rear-view mirror as he drove off. “Did you forget something?”
Paul pointed at my pink diamond that sat on my finger. I had forgotten about it and wanted to tell Paul before he found out on his own. Apparently, that was too late.
“HE PROPOSED?” Paul’s eyes narrowed. “When?”
“Oh…yeah…” I kept my eyes on the ring, not knowing what to say.
“No way…when? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Um yesterday? I was going to tell you, but I forgot.”
His eyes began to turn glossy and his lips dried. “Wow,” he gasped and began fidgeting. “I guess I’m happy for you,” he mumbled.
“Hmm, yup.” I felt the stone in my heart coming back as Paul’s words came back to me. In the hotel room, in France.
“You okay, baby?” Paul said.
“I should be asking you. Are you okay?”
“I’m perfect,” he muttered and it seemed as if he were holding back tears.
“Me too,” I lied and closed my eyes to rest.
I knew I was fully asleep when I did not hear Paul’s voice again, asking if I were okay. I couldn’t believe it as much as he did. I was going to be getting married.
Was Jason really a generous person, or maybe Ana was lying…because she was jealous of me. But, if she were lying how was it like my dream and how did Paul know?
“Lily!” Paul shook me awake. “Hurry! The plane is here!” He dragged me out the car and ran to the terminal. “Oh my gosh…no!” Paul ran to the window as our plane took off. “11:50, Lily!”
“Sorry, Paul,” I said.
“Oh no…11:55! Damn you!” He threw his body to a chair and put his hands on his face.
My heart dropped as the memory of Jason’s voice played in my head as Paul shouted at me. It wasn’t the first time Paul had yelled at me though, but I always knew when it was all over he would be in high spirits again. But this time, he seemed far from that.
I dropped to Paul’s lap and held his waist. “I’m so sorry, Paul. I really am!” I cried. “I know how much you wanted to go to Barbara’s wedding.”
“It’s okay. Now get up,” Paul whispered.
“Everyone is against me these days. I don’t know why? Why does everyone hate me?” I cried.
“Okay, Lily get up, people are starting to stare at us. We’ll talk about this later!”
“Paul, you don’t understand…”
“Lily, just stop yelling. You’re embarrassing yourself and me.”
I began crying hysterically and I couldn’t control myself. Stop. Stop! Lily, Stop it. You are making a fool of yourself. But, I couldn’t stop. I just kept screaming and crying like a child. I assumed the people standing over me never saw anything like that before…honestly, I hadn’t either.
Paul moved away from me, as if I had some disease. “Help! HELP!” Paul shouted for security and they came running over in seconds. “She won’t stop it!”
“What the hell?” one of the security men said as he stared with cautious eyes. “Why is she crying?”
“Make her stop!” Paul said. “This is so embarrassing.”
There were now about fifty people staring down at me—wondering if I was Lily Blair Evans and if I had lost my marbles. One security guard tried to grab me, but I snapped at him like a vicious dog.
“She might be a terrorist.” The security guard dug in his belt, grabbed his stun gun, and shocked me.