Marriage with His Uncle!

An uncomfortable brunch

I trudged behind Uncle Luther obediently, watching how his back flexed with each step he took. Even through his suit, I can vaguely make out his rippling muscles with each powerful step he took. It was ridiculous how big and towering he was.

At least, I don't have to bear the scorching sun. His build provides a good shade. I mused.

“Get in,” Uncle Luther stopped abruptly, causing me to almost bump into him. I forced myself to stop, preventing me from crashing into his back. I stepped aside and got into the car.

“Thank you,” I thanked him for holding the door for me and got inside. Luther got into the other side of the seat. I noticed how uncomfortably close we were to each other. Our thighs were brushing and it made things more awkward than it already was. Luther, however, didn't seem to mind our brushing legs. If anything, he was leaning back in the seat comfortably as if he was lounging on a couch.

As his eyes were closed, I dared to peek at him.

He is beautiful! I thought to myself. My thought scared me for a second. It's ridiculous that the first thing I thought about looking at his face was that he was beautiful when beautiful would be the last word to describe the titan sitting beside me.

I found myself holding my breath as I admired the man beside me. It wasn't every day that I get to be this close to him or have the opportunity to observe him without cowering away.

I have known him for years yet this was the first time I looked at him so deeply. Usually, I chicken out and run the other way when I see him.

Well, it turns out I was missing out on admiring God's finest creature. With eyes as piercing as a dagger, a slightly crooked nose, a strong jawline, and supple pink lips, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it would be hard to find a man as fine as him.

His looks weren't the only things setting him apart. He had a powerful, buff, muscular body. Even forty-five years old, he was fitter than men in their twenties. He makes most men look smaller in front of him. Paired with his cold and aloof personality, he wasn't someone anyone would want to engage with outside work or gatherings, but they wouldn't be able to look away either.

“Done staring at me?” Uncle Luther said. I realized I was looking at him in a daze, and to him, it looked like I was staring at his lips.

I snapped my eyes upwards, meeting his calm gaze and then I ducked my head down in embarrassment.

Way to embarrass yourself, Alicia! I howled inside.

“I wasn't staring,” as if the humiliation of getting caught wasn't enough, I mumbled, making things worse. Had I kept my mouth closed and looked outside instead of fiddling with my finger, I would have noticed the car had stopped, but unaware of our surroundings, I said something that would cause me irreversible humiliation.

“I have been calling you for a while now,” Uncle Luther said. I snapped my eyes at him and then outside and my cheeks scorched bright red.

This couldn't be any worse. Why did I have to admire him right now! I was doing well when I didn't notice how he looked, and it wasn't even my business to study how he looked, I cried to myself.

“I like getting stared at,” Uncle Luther chuckled and got out of the car while I stared wide-eyed at the empty space he was in seconds ago.

To him, he was cackling a joke, but to me, it looked like he was warning me not to do that again. When Luther held the door open, I got out with an awkward smile.

God, please, let this encounter end quickly, I prayed to God.

“What do you feel like eating?” Once we were seated in a private space of a high-end restaurant, Uncle Luther asked me.

“I don't have much of an appetite,” I told him.

“Eat a little bit then; how about soup?” He insisted I eat something.

“Soup will do,” I nodded. After ordering me chicken soup, Uncle Luther ordered himself something. As he was whispering to the waiter, I couldn't hear what he was saying. Honestly, I was too engrossed in praying to God to give me a chance to escape for me to listen to whatever he was saying.

Not long after, the waiter came with two portions of soup and settled it in front of us. I felt bad for Uncle as I looked at the soup in front of him. To be polite, he ordered the same thing as me. If I had ordered a proper meal, he would have eaten something better as well.

But I was too lazy to correct my mistakes. If I waste my time ordering another food, it will take over half an hour for the food to reach our table, at least twenty minutes to eat, and another ten minutes to say goodbyes. It will be one hour more in his presence so I sucked in my guilt and all but slurped the soup.

Halfway through, Uncle suddenly spoke up.

“When is the wedding?” Uncle Luther asked all of a sudden. Caught off guard by his question, I choked on the soup.

With watery eyes, I looked at him in bewilderment. I knew the relationship between Nash and his uncle had never been close. You can say they have animosity between them, mostly from Nash's side as he was brought up with his parents warning him about his uncle. What I didn't realize was that it was so bad that he wouldn't even bother with his nephew's wedding.

“Did you not see the invitation?” I asked curiously. I wanted to know if he was deliberately ignoring the wedding or if he genuinely didn't see the card.

“Did you invite me?” He raised an eyebrow at me. I looked at him in shock and confusion. Yes, I didn't send him the invitation because his nephew would have.

“Nash has sent you an invitation,” I said.

“When?” He asked, tilting his head in confusion. Surely, it can't be, I thought to myself, frowning. Sure, they weren't on friendly terms but Nash wouldn't dare to humiliate him so openly, especially since it could affect the image of the company. The media is keeping a close eye on the wedding and it would be disastrous if anything were to happen.

“Did Nash not send you an invitation?” I lowered my tone and asked.

“Nope,” He said casually. It was then I realized that I was missing something.

“Then why were you getting a suit for the wedding?” I asked.

“Why can't I get a suit for the wedding if I didn't get the invitation? I said that I didn't get the invitation; that doesn't mean I wouldn't attend,” He mused.

What drug is this man on? How is he blissfully ignoring the blatant disrespect? It's clear that the whole family doesn't want him there, but here he is, preparing to attend the wedding without an invitation.

I didn't comment on his foolishness. I just smiled at him and said, “I wish you a good time at the wedding.”

“Oh, it will be a good time, alright,” Luther grinned suddenly. Blinded by his grin, I couldn't understand the underlying meaning behind his words.

~°~