Undefiled Queen

Just then Merlyn walked in. His breath clogged in his throat and words reduced to come out. He placed her identity in her hand while asking almost in a whisper, in a tone only she could hear. “Are you Merlyn, Merlyn James, the daughter of Samuel and Rachel James?”

Merlyn peered at Stephen blankly. “Yes. But why does it make you so uncomfortable?”

Who was he fucking kidding, he was good at sorting out his emotions before everyone. He gave off the air of being totally at peace with himself. He presented a good poker face to the world. It’s probably why the family business was so damn successful, he was the master of letting no one in. The English public school he was sent to, away from my family, had definitely helped with that. He had learnt the ‘stiff upper lip’ that the rich instilled in their children from an early age, and his American/English accent always won over the American business world. Getting back to his senses he stood up from the bed and pushed his shoulders back, taking a huge calming breath.

‘She was too young to nourish any feelings for you before she left the small town when her dad got transferred. She would most probably not remember you or even recognize you. You do not have to expose your identity to her. She is just another person living in the same universe. Few hours more and you are done with her, never to see her again. You can do this Stephen.’ – He pep talked to himself.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Both of us grew up in the same town of Minneapolis and the friendship of your dad Samuel and Raven was very famous. The friends were most talked after in the small town as a living incarnation of friendship. That’s how I was a little surprised when I saw your parents name and confirmed the information.” He lied to her.

“How did your parents die?” He was now more than concerned about the death of her mom and dad because he knows now who she was! His father would be lost if he came to know this news and maybe follow Samuel in his journey if he told him he was dead. He wonders till today how the best friends parted without even knowing an address of each other.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw her face suddenly fall.

“The geyser in the bathroom is not working. Let me call the reception to find out when it is going to get repaired.” He could hear the giggle in her voice. She did it again, concealing her grief behind her smile.

“You were talking non-stop till a few moments ago but when I asked about the death of your parents you shifted the topic. What happened? Cat got your tongue? Any boyfriend?” Stephen’s heart was beating like he was running a marathon. Why does her having a boyfriend suddenly affect him so much? Didn’t he just counsel himself after this journey, she was out of his sight and mind?

“No, no boyfriend.” She did not reply for the former but thankfully at least for the latter. And Stephen released a breath he did not know he was holding.

“I find it hard to believe. How come a girl like you does not have a boyfriend?

“Merlyn, despite the fact that you get on my nerves, you are a beautiful woman, yet it is shocking to find for a woman like you who seems to find positivity in the worst scenarios doesn’t have a boyfriend and cannot share her grief and happiness with her parents.”

He walked to the washroom and risked his health by picking the towel set on the towel stand of the washroom and began to wipe his face. He was expecting Merlyn to talk non-stop again for the chatterbox she was but unexpectedly she was quiet and then fidgeting with her fingers like always.

It was sure for him, there was something not so welcoming in her life concerning her boyfriend. Normally he had neither the time nor the interest to bother about other people’s business. But this was a matter concerning Merlyn and everything concerning her bothers him not now but from years they parted. “We were not compatible.”

“Was he a stick in the mud?” He asked and her eyes whipped up at him.

“It is a part of my job to read people and make a proposal with the best deal. And that’s how I stand today to be the top businessman in the United States.”

She snickered and looked up at him. “Is this a way to get me to open up? Why do you want me to share everything about my life while you keep enclosed in the shell you are in?” Again she was concealing her emotions behind that fake smile.

“I told you I’m a businessman and there is nothing splendid or noteworthy in my life that I have to share with people.” She knew he wasn’t ready to ventilate anything about him but wanted to know everything about her. Yet hell, she hated to admit it felt peace to share things with him and loosening up. She wanted to feel light like she was getting lifted up in the air like a balloon leaving the weight of stress and sorrow behind.

He walked up to her and saw her jaw was clenching. It was interesting to turn the tables especially to a woman like Merlyn who was a non-stop chatterbox yet there were things in life she couldn’t dare to speak. But the thing is that he was hell bent on exploring her fears, cleaning her tears and designing a new path for her in life which is only filled with roses and no thorns.

He could get to see her getting more and more uncomfortable. The more she talked, the greater he knew she had more than she was exposing herself to be and then the chilling thought ran through his mind. “Did he hurt you?”