Chapter 12: The Friend

Brandon Cornwall's POV

I was walking through the park as I was trying to clear my head. I remembered distinctively about my conversation with Alex when he was talking about marriage. He even comes up with a stupid plan to find himself a bride.

~***~

"Come on, Alex. It's not that bad. She was not that bad, I've seen it," I said as I was looking at my friend who was sighing beside me. All that I know was that Alex's parents have been making some plans for him to be in an arranged marriage.

"Look, just think it like this. If the girl was willing enough to marry you for god knows what the reason is, you still get laid and she was sated. It's a win-win situation," I said to him as I sipped on my brandy and he was sipping on his beer. He sighed before I was looking at my friend right now.

"Why you always be so positive?" He asked me as I was chuckling at his stupid question. This guy can solve anything related to Chemistry but not to the chemistry of romance or love.

"Well, I was supposed to be the reasonable one, Cam has to be the aggressive one and Dylan was supposed to be daydreaming one. And you, my friend has to be the one that just follows with the following, if you get my joke," I said before smiling and winking at him. He grunted. That means he had no comeback for my absolute truth.

"Well, I supposed your parents had told you to find a girl yet?" He asked. I smiled before I sipped on my brandy again.

"Well, I told my parents that if the first-born of the noble family was not married, do not pressure it on me," I said as I was chuckling with amusement at him.

"Well, I appreciated it that you took me as your example and escape plan," he mumbled before he slammed his mug and paid the bill. I looked at him with an amused smile on my lips before Alex was about to leave the premise.

"Alright, I see you later then, mate," he said as he was going for the exit.

"Woah, where do you think you're going?"

"I need to think. I talk to you later, bye," he said before I was left alone in the bar as I looked at his back disappeared from the exit, out of my sight.

~***~

I sighed as I was pausing in my morning walk as I took in the fresh air. It was nice to think when I can hardly think of anything else. Alex was being ridiculous when he said that he was doing something impossible, falling in love with someone in a short time.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, my mind said as I was looking at the couple that was playing with their children. If I don't know any better, I was in a park that spoke of affection, love, and romance.

I grunted before I pulled the coat even closer to my body before I walked out of the park and went to my apartment immediately, trying to get off this romantic aura and security of a lover.

I have something to do tonight. Alex has invited me to dine with his family and friends. Lucky for me, as I was the only best friend that he had in NYC right now. I saw Cam last weekend but he had to be in Seattle for his work.

And Dylan has not turned up where we expected him to be. He was a wild child like that, chasing someone that was not meant for him.

Or something. I don't even know what he did these days.

I sighed as I went to look at the crowd in front of me before I went into the city and being out of the civilized city of NYC.

"Good, you're back," Sabrina said as she was typing something on her iPad. I doubt she had something to say for me right now. It was only one day after returning to New York, damn her!

"What do I owe you to have your presence in my house?" I asked her as I went to the bar and poured some brandy for me. I asked her if she needed one but she just shook her head. If I think about it, Sabrina never drinks.

Ever.

"Okay, so we have something that needs your attention,'' she said as she was pushing something into my hands as I was looking at her. She never bothered to solve herself before but if she came here, then it must be urgent.

"Okay, I need you to look at here and here and here. I don't think it would be complicated but it was your company, so," she said as I was reading it before I signed it. I looked up to her as I arched my eyebrow at her.

"Anything else that I can be of service to you?" I asked her as she shook her head. I nodded at her.

"Good, now I need to prepare to meet my friend again," I said as I was moving toward my bedroom as I was about to change for the dinner invitation of one Mr. Alexander MacWatters.

I was sauntering around the living room as I was waiting for my friend to be here. I wanted to know what was the surprise and he needed my strength to be here. Then I saw him and he was walking with his date.

I think it was Azalea something for her surname.

I must say, she did turn up good. Black hair. Slightly shorter than Alex but it was a good complement for his height. Then she was scanning the room before I saw her eyes.

Ocean blue.

My heart started to beat as I know what that means. Barbara has been the uncanny color for her eyes as well. I don't think that somehow this will be correlated to our powers.

Or was it?

I took a sharp breath before Mrs. MacWatters was coming to greet them. I don't want them to settle before Mrs. MacWatters announced that the dinner was served. I went to the dining hall and I was thankful to find my seat before my friend and his intended bride were coming to greet me.

"Brad, a pleasure to meet you, Azalea, right?" I asked as we shook hands. She smiled at me.

"Yes, that would be me," her sweet voice replied. I laughed.

"Alex never told us about you," I said. Then, she arched her eyebrow at me.

"Us? Who are the other 'us' beside yourself?" She asked as I was looking at Alex who was in the conversation with another person before I turned to look at Azalea.

"Well, there's me, Alex, Cam, and Dylan. You will meet them eventually but for now, you stuck with me," I said as I winked. She laughed before I saw Alex was scowling at me.

"It seems you get to know better, Brad," he said as he kept his scowling to me. I was hardly containing my laughter when I saw him like this.

"Easy there, bro. I was just getting to know your bride-to-be. I think I like her," I said as he still not pleased with my answer.

"Well, just don't cross the line, Brad,"

"Would never dream that," I said before Mr. MacWatters was coming inside the room dramatically. I always like his style. It has a certain flair, unlike someone I know. I looked at Alex as he was mumbling under his breath before I sipped on my champagne. I think this night could not get any better.

Then, Alex dropped the bomb. Azalea was his fiancée now and we asked him to tell the story. He stood up to tell it and when he said where to begin, I shouted at him.

"At the beginning, dumbass," before there was laughter in the dining hall. And then he told the details of how he met her and I think I just wanted to tease him a little bit.

"Creep," I shouted before laughter broke.

But then, he did something amazing as he asked for Azalea to be his wife again in front of everyone and I think that took courage. Something that I don't have.

"Way to go, MacWatters!" I said before we were clapping and everything was well. Except when I was sitting at the bar with him and talked to him about something that I did before I was in NYC again.