Daisy, a Kenyan student in the US gets married to her classmate Wallace on a drunken whim. The fallout could be so much more than even she fears. Check out Marriage On A Whim: Their Vegas Wedding Could Ruin Her Life Part 1
His phone rang, and he glanced at the screen to find it was his brother.
“I’ll fix this. I promise you.” He said before answering it and putting it on loudspeaker.
“What the hell, Will? You sent people to threaten her aunt with deportation?”
“It wasn’t me, it was Dad.”
“Can you just send the papers, please?” he all but begged.
“Yeah, you’ll have them in the next five minutes. Print them out, make sure she signs all of them, then scan them and send them back to me.”
“Thanks,” Wallace said, voice terse.
“This will be over soon.” He said, slipping his phone into his pocket, his soft green eyes searching her face, trying to convince her.
****************************************
Her phone started ringing, and she walked to it on the bed. It was her mother.
“Maybe for you,” she muttered, defeated.
She took a deep breath. “Hello, Mom.”
“What is this I hear?” her mother asked. Daisy slid to the floor, bracing herself for what was coming.
*********************************
Half an hour later, she looked up to find Wallace was gone. The sun was beginning to set, and she was hungry as fuck. She got off the floor and slid into the bed, burying her entire body under the covers.
This was not how she’d imagined this Vegas trip playing out. She’d imagined things going so differently. Especially with Wallace.
Speak of the devil, she thought as the door slid open and she peeped out, revealing him and a sheath of papers.
He smiled apologetically as he held the papers up. He sat on the edge of the bed, laying the papers and a pen between them. She sat up and scanned through each of the papers, the pen still on the bed.
She looked up at him. “You mind telling me why something so simple has pretty much ruined my life? Also, before I sign, I need to know what happens with my aunt?”
“Nothing, I promise. Once it’s signed, all this is over.”
“For you.” She reiterated, drained.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t know it would become this huge a deal. I am so sorry. I never, ever meant to hurt you or mess up your life.”
She scoffed, disdain dripping off each word. “So, what, is your family rich or something?”
“Yeah, my dad inherited a lot from his dad and I have a trust fund that they were afraid…”
“Afraid I would want it?” she asked derisively.
“Yeah. I told them there was no way, but they are not exactly a trusting bunch.”
“What happens if I refuse to sign things now?”
“You wouldn’t. You’re a decent person, a good person, and you have ample evidence that they are not.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, reaching for the pen.
He reached for her hand, covering it. He waited to see if she’d pull away. He sighed in relief when she didn’t.
This was the only reason he’d come to Vegas. He’d been meaning to ask her out, tell her how much he liked her. If he waited until she signed the papers, she may not believe him. If he chickened out and failed to do it, then what was the point of all the chaos his family had unleashed on her?
His eyes fixated on their hands. She pulled her hand away.
“I like you. A lot. It’s the only reason I even came to Vegas, I’ve been here too many times to count. I just wanted to be with you. I wanted to be part of the memory of your first trip to Vegas.”
“Congratulations, you are.”
“Not like this. I’ve been meaning to ask you out all semester. More accurately, since that first colloquium we had, and I saw you go toe to toe with that visiting lecturer. I’m sorry about ruining your first trip to Vegas. If you ever feel like you don’t hate my guts, I’d love to take you out, maybe even come back here and fix your memory of Vegas… and me. I really am sorry. That’s it.” He said with a final nod.
She nodded, then took the pen and signed everywhere his brother had marked.
“Thank you,” he said, then appended his signature on every blank next to hers.
“When will it be done?” she asked.
“My brother will probably file tomorrow… so I guess tomorrow.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Can you please get another room?” she asked.
“Already did.” He said, even though he hadn’t. He’d considered it and then deceived himself into believing she wouldn’t immediately want him out of her life.
*********************************
After Summer Break
Daisy sat at the cafeteria, taking a much-needed break from working almost full-time from her room. She’d just come back to the States after going back home to Kenya over summer break.
She’d been so apprehensive about going home, but things with her parents had only been tense for the first few days. After that, they’d just been happy that things had worked out. She still had her full scholarship, and all was well in her academics. Her aunt was not deported. More importantly, that unfortunate drunken wedding was a thing of the past. Hell, the few relatives privy to the information considered it one of those hilarious, uniquely American occurrences.
She sipped her iced coffee, so happy to be back. Being home had been great, but being under her parent’s roof had gotten old fast. She was so happy to be back in her own space. So happy to be an adult again.
*************************************
Wallace stood at the cafeteria entrance and watched her sipping her drink, looking happy and relaxed as she twisted one long braid around her fingers. God, he’d missed her. He’d missed her so much it felt like an ache in his chest. He’d missed being around her, missed seeing her happy and relaxed. He’d missed her more than he cared to admit to himself, much less anyone else.
It was embarrassing. I mean, he was excited about school resuming for the first time in his life. He shook his head, laughing at himself.
He and Daisy were finally cordial. There was some distance that had not been there before, but he didn’t care. At least they were talking. Summer Break had obviously helped her gain whatever perspective she needed to forgive him, and he couldn’t have been happier.
He walked up to the counter and ordered her favourite finger snacks, then made a beeline for her.
“Hey, Daisy,” Wallace said, a huge smile he couldn’t help lighting his face up.
She looked up at him with a smile. “Hey, Wallace,” she answered.
He sat down, placing the tray at the centre of the table. She looked at him, then the tray.
“You trying to butter me up or something?” she asked, voice light and playful.
“What, I can’t just be happy to see you?” He asked, matching her energy.
“I guess you can,” she said, taking a bite from the assortment of snacks. “If this is how you express your joy, I’m here for it.”
“I missed you,” he said in response, shaking his head like even he couldn’t believe it. “So much.“
She smiled, “I missed you too.“
“I was wondering, would you like to go out with me when you can spare a second this semester?“
“I’d like that. I’m still not ready for Vegas yet.“ She laughed.
“We’ll get there, you’ll see.“ He said, voice low, resolute like he was making a promise.
Check out
Our Love Burned Hot And I Was So Happy. I Did Not Know I Was Being Set Up For A Con
She Made The Biggest Mistake In The Wedding Planning Business & She Fell In Love With The Bridegroom
A Mistake Exposed His Affair And Ruined His Marriage
Dating My Workmate Was The Biggest Career Mistake I Ever Made
Lonely Eyes: A Searching For Love Romance
Not Even Cabo: Will Their First Vacation Together Also Be Their Last?
She Fell In Love With Him After He Had Moved On. Will She Get A Second Chance At Love?
