Emily Meyers stood in front of her mirror, struggling to zip up her dress while muttering curses under her breath. Her heart pounded with a mixture of anxiety and dread. The engagement party her parents insisted on throwing felt less like a celebration and more like a hostage situation. The fact that her supposed fiancé, Luke Edmunds, hadn't even bothered to show up to get ready with her made it all the more unbearable.
"Figures," she muttered, yanking the zipper. "The one time he should actually show up, he doesn't."
With a final tug, she got the zipper up and grabbed her bag. She glanced at her phone, but there were no new messages from Luke. No surprise there. Sighing heavily, she headed out the door, flagging down a taxi to take her to the bar where the party was being held.
The bar was already packed when she arrived. Her parents had gone all out, booking a private room filled with decorations, candles, and enough champagne to drown her growing frustration. As she stepped inside, she was immediately bombarded by relatives and friends offering congratulations.
"Oh, Emily, you look stunning!" her mother gushed, pulling her into a hug. "Where's Luke?"
"Good question," Emily said through gritted teeth, scanning the room. "Let me know if you see him."
Her father clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetie. He'll be here. That Luke is a character!"
"Yeah," Emily muttered under her breath. "A real character."
It didn't take long to find him. Luke was sitting at the bar, a whiskey glass in hand, chatting with the bartender like he didn't have a care in the world. His tie was loose, his jacket draped over the back of his chair, and he looked completely unbothered by the fact that this was supposed to be their engagement party.
Emily marched over, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. "Luke!"
He turned, his face lighting up with that infuriating grin. "Ah, there's my fiancé! Aloha, Emily."
She ignored his attempt at humor, glaring at him. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Drinking," he said, gesturing to his glass. "Want one?"
She clenched her fists. "You're supposed to be mingling with the guests, not hiding at the bar!"
"I wouldn't call it hiding," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm just... observing."
"Observing?" she repeated, her voice rising. "This is our engagement party, Luke. You can't just sit here like you're an audience member."
"Why not?" he said, shrugging. "You're handling it just fine."
Emily stared at him, her frustration boiling over. "You're unbelievable. Do you even care about this?"
He took a sip of his drink. "Not particularly."
That was it. She had reached her limit. "You know what? I'm done. I'm so done with your antics, your stupid parties, and your childish behavior. You've turned my life into a circus!"
Luke smirked. "You're really giving a speech at the bar? Classic Emily."
"Don't you dare 'classic Emily' me!" she snapped. "You've humiliated me over and over again. You called me names with random states, ruined my presentations, threw parties that destroyed my desk, and made my life hell!"
"Oh, please," he said, rolling his eyes. "You're so predictable. Always complaining, always trying to control everything."
Her jaw dropped. "I fired the HR department because of you!"
"And how did that work out for you?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "You're like a walking hurricane of overreactions."
Emily's hands trembled with rage. "Do you even realize how much I hate you?"
"Yeah," he said nonchalantly. "The feeling's mutual."
Before she could respond, her mother appeared beside them, her expression a mixture of concern and embarrassment. "Emily, what are you doing? People are starting to notice."
Emily turned to her, her voice trembling. "Mom, do you know what he's been doing? He's a nightmare! This entire engagement is a joke!"
Her mother frowned, placing a hand on her arm. "Emily, you're being dramatic. This is supposed to be a happy occasion."
"A happy occasion?" Emily repeated, her voice rising. "This isn't happy. It's humiliating!"
Luke leaned back, sipping his drink with a satisfied smirk. "She's just proving my point."
That was the final straw. Without thinking, Emily grabbed a glass from the bar and hurled it at him. It missed his face by inches, shattering against the floor.
"Emily!" her mother gasped, horrified.
But Emily didn't stay to explain. She turned and stormed out of the bar, her heart racing. Tears blurred her vision as she pushed through the crowd and out onto the street.
She didn't get far before she heard Luke calling after her. "Emily! Wait!"
She spun around, her fists clenched. "What do you want, Luke? Haven't you done enough?"
He jogged up to her, his tie flapping in the wind. "You can't just run out of your own engagement party."
"Watch me," she snapped, turning to leave.
But before she could take another step, he grabbed her arm. She yanked it free, and in the process, they both lost their balance. The next thing she knew, they were tumbling down a small hill and landing in the grass of Central Park.
They lay there for a moment, tangled and disheveled. Emily's dress was smeared with dirt, and Luke's shirt was wrinkled beyond repair. She pushed him off her, glaring.
"You're such a mess," she muttered.
"Right back at you," he said, sitting up.
They stared at each other, their breathing heavy. For the first time all evening, there was a moment of silence between them.
Finally, Luke spoke. "You know, you're kind of terrifying when you're angry."
"And you're kind of insufferable all the time," she shot back.
He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Fair."
Emily sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "What are we even doing, Luke? This engagement is a joke."
He shrugged. "Probably. But hey, at least it's never boring."
She looked at him, her anger softening into something resembling exhaustion. "You drive me insane."
"And you keep me on my toes," he said, smirking.
For a brief moment, she almost smiled. Almost. But then reality set in, and she shook her head, standing up.
"I can't do this," she said, brushing the dirt off her dress. "I'm done."
Luke stayed on the ground, watching her walk away. "See you around, Wahine."
Emily didn't respond. She kept walking, her mind racing. The engagement might have been a disaster, but one thing was certain: this was far from over.