What Happened Before

The cutlery made cluttering noises.

The dim orange light gives the right ambiance for a restaurant.

Sheen was enjoying her meal while listening to Cha who's talking about her wedding.

Blue just let her get comfortable with her before asking the questions.

"And yeah, I choose garden wedding. My favorite flower, Lilies, will be the highlight."

Cha wiped her mouth with the table napkin.

"Why Lily? I thought you loved red tulips, you said that your father gives them to you on your birthdays. What made you change favorites?"

Blue was drinking his Cucumber Lemonade while looking at Cha.

She looks like she's having fun.

'She never enjoyed my company if Kady's not present,' he thought.

"Uhm, Kady gave me Lilies on my 20th birthday," she said while looking down on her wedding ring.

Her father died before her birthday due to cancer.

His promise of walking her down on the aisle on her wedding will not happen anymore which made her hate the red tulips.

But during her 20th birthday, after Kady gave her Lilies, he told her why her dad always gives her red tulips,

"He said, he's hoping that the red tulips will help you find your true love. The man who will love and will take care of you when he's gone. Every birthday, it was like a miracle for him to see you grow up. Even though he knows he will not make it to your wedding, the red tulips he gave you will guide you," she said reminiscing.

Blue was amazed by how Kady sent Cha's father's last message.

Sheen's eyes were tearing up, she was also closed to Cha's father when they were still kids.

His death broke their hearts, not only Cha's.

"So, what happened with the red tulips?"

Blue wandered why she still chose Lilies for her wedding.

"Oh, I kept it for myself and for my beloved for our night."

She giggled, making Blue and Sheen feel embarrassed.

They thought, 'I don't need to know about that night,'

"I want him to understand what it means. What marrying me means,"

She sighed then kissed her wedding ring.

They all felt sentimental.

They know how Cha's father cherished her.

They know how much he loved her.

Their tears were about to fall when Cha suddenly talk.

"Okay, about Kady. I know he's a wuss. He's pathetic. He's helpless. He even used me for his plans. He said I'm his first love! He announced that I'm his girlfriend! But I did play with that because you know, he's my crush; but gosh, I never knew that her relatives will get angry at her because she confessed while to him while he was in a relationship with me."

Cha's mouth talked non-stop.

Blue got nervous because she was talking a lot, he just wants her to say that she's not Kady's first love and say that it was Sheen.

"So, yeah. Foolish people got tricked, Kady cut the connection with them because they hurt Sheen. It was supposed to be just for a while to threaten them but they got the wrong idea and triggered his family that's where Kady's father stepped in. He cut the connection forever and baam! There she is, hated by her relatives but stupid Kady got scared because he hurt her and he freaking left her with all her assumptions, with all her pain and loneliness, he freaking left! And you didn't even tell her anything. She had no idea about everything."

She took a deep breath,

"I was never his first love, it was always Sierra."

Blue covered his eyes, trying not to look at Sheen but suddenly Cha stood up.

She went to Sheen's table,

"So you heard that, right? You want to be my bridesmaid?"

She asked with an oblivious smile.

Cha and Sheen were good friends, but not best friends.

She never understood Sheen, she doesn't know her that well.

All she can see is she's Kady's first love, and that she loves Kady as well.

Sheen was just eating the last piece of the cake she ordered.

She got a blank expression.

After finishing her drink, she stands up without looking at Blue or Cha.

"I need clarifications. I will answer your invitation after you tell me everything, detailed. I don't want shortcuts."

Her tone was monotonous, and when she looked at Blue, he felt like thousands of needles were pricking his heart.

'She hates me,' he was almost pulling his hair.

"Get out... Blue."

He did not even bother looking at her.

He stands up, left the payment and went out.

Cha was still smiling at Sheen.

She took her seat when Sheen took hers.

After a minute of awkwardness, Cha inhaled then started talking.

Sheen was just looking at her empty plate.

"So, you remember my 18th birthday? You were invited with all other rich kids. We know that you don't like socializing so we left you in the garden. Kady and Blue didn't want to leave you but since I wanted Kady for myself, I begged them to stay with me. Of course, you know how soft they are when it comes to girls, they said yes. But Kady, he was not having fun and I hate it. He asked Blue to stay with you and he did. We were having the best time when we heard your Aunt shouting. We all secretly looked out the window,"

Sheen got shook.

She looked at Cha with disbelief, 'I thought no one saw me.'

Cha got scared to continue, but Sheen's eyes wanted to know more.

"And uh, I was looking for Blue but he was not there. He was watching with us, he said you asked him to get her a glass of water. I stopped him from going back because I know your Aunt, she'll hurt anyone who disobeys her."

Cha looked like she was in pain.

She remembered how Sheen's Aunt threw rocks at her when she was answering back about flirting rich men.

"We all watch as she slaps and pushes you down the floor. While you were laying down and she was about to kick you, Kady shouted stop at the top of his lungs. Your aunt heard it so we all hide behind the curtain. Kady was about to storm out and he looked like he was ready to kill your aunt but Blue stopped him. He said that if anyone of us interferes, they'll hurt you even more."

Sheen looked away.

She's trying to hide her pain while thinking about what happened to her.

"Can I just ask something?"

Cha asks while looking at Sheen with pitiful eyes.

Sheen just nods without looking at her.

"Why do they hurt you? Everyone thought that they like you because you're the best."

Sheen gulps.

If she speaks, her tears might as well flow.

But if she will not, she knows Cha won't continue on talking.

"Because... I need to collect as many people as I can that they can use for their business. They want me to do anything as long as I can gain a rich person's trust and money."

Cha was not able to answer, she knew it.

Sheen's relatives were the thirstiest for power.

What they want to show to everyone is that they love Sheen, but deep inside they want her to creep in into their own hell and let her go along with their demon acts.

"Okay, then I'll continue. After that, Kady swore that he will do anything to make them pay. Of course, he was just getting his father's trust for their company."

Cha looked at the lights.

Telling the story will also make her feel as bad as she did before.

"So he started studying harder, but we saw they you were also having a hard time secretly. He then thought of an idea. If you let yourself do what they want, they will back you up. And they want you to engage yourself with a rich man, just like Kady."

They all knew that the reason why her relatives made her friends with Blue and Kady was to have an arranged marriage when the time is right.

"We thought that if you confess to him, your Aunt will help you get married to him and that, of course, was supposed to be your ticket out from your hell... but we were wrong."

None of the ladies looked at each other, they were reminiscing the moments.

"We, Kady and I, knew that if we told you that we're in love, you will do something about it. You confessed. It was a success. But, he rejected you."

Cha's tone got angry.

It was like she's been hiding her anger all those years.

"He rejected you. We don't know why he did, and that is where everything messed up. Your relatives thought you were trying to fight my family with flirting with my boyfriend. They hurt you again. Kady cut his family's relation with yours. Your relatives hurt you again. Everything then got messier, Kady's father, Kady leaving you... And I hid from the mess we made, Blue even hid the truth."

Cha's eye was full of anger, guilt, and pain.

Sheen nods, telling Cha that he understood everything.

"Are you... okay?" Cha asks.

"Yeah, I just need to go home."

Sheen stands up, leaving her bill.

"I'll be your bridesmaid, Cha. Don't worry."

She smiled before leaving.

As Cha watches Sheen walk away, she remembered how she also walked away when Kady returned home after five years.

She knew that the feeling they had for each other will never meet again.

She knew that Sheen's hate turned to hate.