Chapter 11. The Anti-Romance

#ALittleFlashback

Back in the days on seniors. Lemy was on Nizsha's house nannying her friend after being left alone. Nizsha's mother was visiting her eldest child out of town along with her sister Lujian, well because her little sister was inborn of being a mother's-girl. Nizsha was left to defend there house. Because the news about theves on town respunds. Although they don't have enough valuable things. Atleast they have television and refrigerator that can be sold by theft gangs.

It was around 8 pm when Nizsha who was washing the dishes got panicked hearing Lemy wailed. She almost broke the glass she's holding out of fright, then hurriedly run holding a knife.

"What happened?! Is there bad guy?! Theft?! A theft?!…" Nizsha cried out while running towards her friend pointing a knife towards her direction. It gave Lemy a terror seeing a sharp knife running towards jer direction.

"Stooooop!" she screamed in which Nizsha follows. "Are you going to kill me?" she adds.

Nizsha immediately denies. "Ofcourse not. I just panic from your overacting drama, thought your in danger. You know a theft trying to hostage anyone."

Lemy shrugged her shoulder realizing her previous actions were truly overacting. "Well sorry. I was just in character. The episode today was too heavy I can't hold my emotions away. They really hit me so hard." Then wipe her imaginary tears as if she was crying.

Nizsha raise her brows and got intrigued she look at the TV and saw the crying scene of the protagonist. "A Drama-series..."

Lemy smiled crazily and invites her best friend to sit on the chair."Yes friend-sis! To gave you a slight synopsis listen carefully."Lemy started and begun her dramatic storytelling. "That girl was raise on an island with her old grandparents and her dog. Then she met these man who promise to marry her. This girl was illiterate and cant even write jer own name. All she knew was that love makes everything work, and her world was magical. But then, her comes the anti hero who tries to seduce and take the protagonist lover. And she finally succeed poisoning the protagonist mind that her now husband was cheating on her and marries her just to make the anti hero jealous. And now she's broke amd I want to mourn with her. I feel you miss protagonist."

"Well the girl is stupid. That's what I'm talking about Lemy. Choose education first before romance, so you won't end up like that girl from the drama." Nizsha sermons.

"Why are you being bitter friend-sis?"

"Well... Because... Romantic was too cliché, flowers and chocolates on February, dates, late nights chats and etc. of that so called sweet amd romantic actions. From what I heard, witnessed, read, and seen on dramas all the stuff of stories. Miss poor meets the super rich guy, miss shy falls for mr. cool and nobody together with the famous are all fake news. People who got married because of differences are prone to fight and what? When they have children and continue to fight because of their differences then turns out their marriage doesn't work out and what? Considering an annulment and bye bye marriage?..."

"Nizsha chill. I don't want to fight. We are young shouldn't we need to experience those stomach butterflies, slow motioned, and most of all falling in his arms. You're being serious."

Nizsha face her best friend and shake it's shoulder. "Lemy wake up, those things you just said, they all are meaningless. They were just invented by the creative minds of writers. Life is not a novel, where it all started in okey has climax and ends well. Be practical Lemy, wake up to the reality."

Lemy thinks for a while sensing her best friend has a point. But truly doesn't just want to have a debate about it. "Your almost right miss. But still... I want to experience the romance that these writers invented. But you are wrong in 1 thing."

Nizsha gaves a confused reaction as her response.

"Well it's the novel thingy. Maybe life is not a novel but, Life can be a novel. A beautiful inspiring novel."

Nizsha remains her confused reaction. But her best friend bids a good night cause the show she's watching was finished. She happily walks to her room to rest living Nizsha on the living room.

"Did she just flipped what I said. Life is not a novel, Life can be a novel."

#BackToThe Present

The car arrived just before the sunset. Hermosillo wakes up her passenger who fell asleep on the long journey. When Nizsha is finally awake, she was surprised to see the location she's in. It's a grand party of elite people.

"Is this the place my aunt wants me to be in?" she prankly asked.

Instead of replying to Nizsha's question, Hermosillo ask her "I was curious by the way. Didn't you memories the number of your aunt?"

From what Hermosillo just asked, it's already clear that the person who texted Hermosillo was not Nizsha's aunt.

"So who invited me in these formal occasion?" slackeningly ask.

"You'll know it when we get inside." Hermosillo reassured her.

He look back and grab a paper bag from the back seat. And offer it to her passenger. Nizsha look at him then the bag, and look at him once again. She raise her left brows as if signifying, 'What's inside?' like those silly pretending to not know ladies on a drama. But infact, in Nizsha's mind 'I know what's in the bag. To hell I'm not gonna wear what's inside. Hermosillo saw her reaction and cleared his throat before explaining to her guessing she might not aware what just happened.

"Ahhh... yeah... Well you know it's a formal gathering from big people in the city. So I want you to wear these so you know... somehow you could fit in."

Nizsha gave a wry smile amd get out on the car and strongly slammed the car, again. Hermosillo was having fun annoying her. When Nizsha look back and saw Hermosillo laughing, she kicked his car so hard the reason to create a noise on his car's alarm. Then she asked a hotel staff for a direction. Meanwhile, Hermosillo just do nothing but continue his mood.

Inside the hall, Hermosillo acquainted with some guest there. It's been a long minutes he waited for his parrtner then the giant door on the hall makes sound as it opens and spit out a guest who immediately caught the audience attention. Hermosillo was shocked to see Nizsha on the garmet he prepare. The crowds starts to murmur as they stare on her head to toe. She was wearing a peach silk dress that should be a sleeveless gown. Wearing a flat sandals that used to be a pointed heels. Her fashion sounds not special neither her non make up face and her braided hair. It mmay sound simle, but it was not her everyone was looking. It's the woman to whom she's blocking.

"Excuse me miss your in my way." she said but almost sound whisper on the ear because of her sweet but feirce voice.

"I'm sorry ma'am." She apologized and immediately walk away. She look around to search for the guy who brought her. But instead of finding him, she was caught on the guy she mistook as Narl. It was Castine and a girl who wrapped her arms on him was very familiar. She look very carefully and gasp before speaking to herself.

"Right she's the girl on our class. She's my new classmate." then she begun talking to herself gossiping her curiosity. Until someone joined her monologue gossip.

"That girl there is Gem Zean, and she should be your classmate. And the guy..." says the voice from behind.

"I know him, his Castine... Castine something, I forgot his last name." she intervene the voice.

"Yes he is Castine, Castine Bayes, Damascus's heir." the voice from behind said. Nizsha was stunned from what she heard. It keeps on repeating on her brain the word 'Damascus's heir'.

She quickly look back to speak slash have more gossip on the person behind her. But because of her immediate action she mistakenly turn in a wrong feet direction causing her legs to twist and lost her balance making her fall.