"Our engagement?" Lalie asked in reply. "What about our engagement?"
"I think it would be a good idea if we took slow steps with the engagement," Kevin replied, walking over to Lalie.
"That's what we agreed on the plane, when we were coming back from Saint Paul," Lalie reminded him in a nervous tone.
"I think we should take even slower steps," Kevin replied, waiting to see her reaction. "It's hard for me to concentrate on marriage when my parents' has just fallen apart."
Lalie didn't reply right away, her heart began to beat faster. "I understand that you want to take things slowly," Lalie understood. "What happened to your parents, though, won't happen to us!" Lalie defended.
"You can't stamp it with a guaranteed sign, though, can you?" Kevin asked her. "How do you know it won't happen?"
"You're right, I can't," Lalie slowly replied. "I know that we don't have any affairs and secrets between us. I didn't think we had any problems, either."
"You didn't think?" Kevin asked her, noticing the past tense that she used.
"Judging by this conversation, I would say we do," Lalie replied in a serious tone. "If you don't believe in love and marriage anymore, then why is there an engagement ring that you gave to me on my finger right now?"
Kevin looked down at the engagement as Lalie raised her finger to put it in his vision. "I don't know," Kevin replied.
Lalie's eyes almost popped out of her head as Kevin walked back towards his desk. "You don't say something like that and then walk away!" Lalie yelled out.
"What do you want me to say?" Kevin asked her, putting his hands on his forehead in frustration. "It's hard for me to think of everlasting love at this moment. I'm sorry."
"Damn it, Phil," Lalie started, not recognizing her mistake. "I guess you didn't mean those words about never leaving me, and how you aren't that type of person."
Kevin turned around and looked at Lalie with a confused expression. "Did you just say, 'Phil'?"
Lalie felt her heart rate beginning to increase as she inadvertently called Kevin by Phil's name. "I think I did," she replied.
"Isn't that the name of the guy you were locked in the basement with?" Kevin wanted to know.
"It is," Lalie truthfully replied. "I'm not sure why I called you that."
"Obviously, Phil is on your mind," Kevin assumed, making his way back over to Lalie.
"On my mind?" Lalie asked him with a nervous laugh. "We were held captive by Marcia Santiago, it's a scene I'd like to forget."
Kevin looked at Lalie's uncertain face. "I'm sure you want to forget about Marcia," Kevin started, his eyes still focused on Lalie. "I'm not sure you want to forget about Phil."
Lalie swallowed. "What are you trying to say?"
"Maybe we do have some secrets between us," Kevin told her in a serious tone. "Did something happen between you and Phil?"
Lalie's jaw dropped as she heard Kevin's question. "We connected in that basement, yes," Lalie raised her voice. In her mind, she could almost remember the way Phil's hair and face felt when she tried to seduce him.
"It's apparent that the connection got to you," Kevin assumed, as Lalie looked distant yet again. "If you have feelings for your abductor, then maybe this really isn't the time for us to be walking down the aisle."
"I can't believe you're using Phil as an easy way out of this engagement since you don't believe in love... in us... anymore," Lalie accused.
"I never said I stopped believing in us," Kevin quickly replied as Lalie looked livid.
"You don't have to," Lalie replied. "You know what? I'll save you the trouble," Lalie told him as she pulled the ring off her finger and stuck it in Kevin's hand. "There, you're free again," Lalie told him in anger. "And to make things more official, I quit."
Kevin closed his eyes as he heard the deafening sound of Lalie slamming his office door shut. A moment later, he looked down at the engagement ring in his hand.
Fighting back tears, Lalie tried to hold everything she could get her hands on. She untied the balloons and held onto the flowers.
"What are you doing?" Georgia came up from behind her, wanting to know.
"I have to leave, Georgia," Lalie quickly replied, throwing her pocketbook over her shoulder, trying to stack some manila folders.
"Leave?" Georgia asked in confusion. "Leave for where?"
"Home," Lalie replied.
"You're leaving the bank?" Georgia wanted to know.
"The engagement is off," Lalie looked at Georgia in the eyes. "When I walked off that elevator this morning, I had no idea all these problems would surface."
"Lalie," Georgia started, shocked at what was going on. "Reconsider your decision to leave," Georgia implored. "I'll have a talk with Kevin, if you want."
"It won't help," Lalie replied, looking down at her desk. "Can you do me a favor?" Lalie asked as Georgia nodded. "Please tell whoever takes over my job, that these manila folders are for customer accounts, and you can also have access to them through the database," Lalie added, pointing to the computer screen.
"Please don't do this," Georgia once again tried to change her mind. "After you and Kevin let off some steam, I am certain that a resolution could be in the works."
"The only resolution I see in the near future is the one I'll be making come January 1st," Lalie remarked as she headed for the elevator.
Georgia watched Lalie head over to the elevator, her balloons, flowers and any other personal belongings in tow. She glanced down at Lalie's desk and sighed.
"I'm not going home yet," Lalie told herself in the elevator. "There's something I need to do first," she said, pushing one of the flower stems away from her face.
Georgia shook her head as she walked over to Kevin's office door and walked right in without knocking.
"This isn't a good time, Georgia," Kevin told her, sitting at his desk. His hands running through his hair.
"To me, it is," Georgia told him in a serious tone. "Don't forget who has more authority."
Kevin didn't reply. Georgia was right, she did have more authority over him.
"I think we need to talk about what just happened in here," Georgia began. "As if I don't already know, but why did Lalie just run out of here like that?"
"We're not as ready for marriage as we thought," Kevin admitted, glancing down at one the papers on his desk, but his eyes couldn't stay focused on them.
"You were ready before you came home and found out about your parents' situation," Georgia reminded him.
"Actually, I don't think we were," Kevin began, looking at Georgia, refraining from giving her the details.
Georgia folded her arms, noticing that Kevin wouldn't elaborate. "You need to work through whatever happened," Georgia told him. "I won't lecture any further. Lord knows I do enough of that with Savannah."
"Thanks for the advice," Kevin told her. "I think Lalie and I both need to evaluate our problems before we're able to rethink this situation."
"Evaluate then," Georgia goaded him. "In the meantime, I have to send my father a progress report by the end of the week, so let's get to work!"
Kevin watched as Georgia left his office and shut the door. He once again tried to focus on his work.
Lalie parked by the curb as she stepped outside the car.
The smell of freshly cut grass was apparent as she made her way up the path to the door.
Lalie rang the doorbell, and waited for someone to come to the door.
"Hi, Lalie," a woman greeted her from the other side of the door.
"How are you, Vivian?" Lalie asked her.
"I'm fine," Vivian replied, stepping to the side. "Come in."
Lalie walked in and stood by the edge of the living room.
"Please make yourself comfortable on the couch," Vivian politely told her. "Would you like some coffee?"
"I really don't have time for that," Lalie replied, standing tall.
Vivian was silent for a moment. "What's on your mind?"
"You are!" Lalie yelled out. "Do you realize what that affair you had has done to Kevin?"
Vivian was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Lalie held up her hand. "Notice anything missing?" she asked, referring to her engagement ring. "The engagement is off! Kevin doesn't believe in love anymore!"
Vivian took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about that."
"That's all?" Lalie asked in reply. "Just sorry?" she wanted to know. "Your mistake with Heather's ex-boyfriend and the effect it had on your marriage has now made Kevin think that all married couples are destined to end up the same way!"
"Why are you pinning the blame on me?" Vivian asked her, her voice slightly raising. "Don't you think I am suffering enough about what happened?"
"Your irresponsibility and lack of self-control, your ignorance about those vows you took with your husband have ruined people's lives!" Lalie cried out.
"Stop right there!" Vivian halted this conversation from going any further. "Who the hell are you to barge into my house like that and say those words, when you don't know the half of it?"
"It's hard to believe there could be more," Lalie sarcastically replied.
"There is," Vivian sneered. "The reason for the divorce wasn't because of what happened between Ted and I," Vivian told her.
Lalie raised her eyebrows, her interest had been caught.
"I only shared a few kisses with that man," Vivian told Lalie in a serious tone. "My loyal husband broke our vows the same year we were married!" Vivian yelled out.
"You didn't know about this before?" Lalie asked her, not believing her yet.
"No!" Vivian cried out. "I found out after our last session," Vivian told her. "He slept with and got another woman pregnant!"
Lalie was speechless. "I had no idea about that, Vivian."
"Of course, you didn't," Vivian replied, between clenched teeth. "Why don't you think about the situation before you assume something false, barge into someone's house like a zombie and say hurtful words?" Vivian asked her, on the verge of tears.
"I'm-" Lalie began, but was cut off.
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," Vivian immediately said, walking over to the door and turning the doorknob. "Get the hell out."
Lalie stood there for a second, looking at the expression on Vivian's face. Slowly, she took a few steps forward and silently walked out of the house.
Vivian shut the door behind Lalie, and moved next to the window and watched as Lalie's car pulled away. "No one gets away with talking to me like that," Vivian muttered, squinting her eyes.
Chapter 3
Hosted {Fiction}
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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