Seventeen Years Versus a Single Meeting

Emrhys spent our seventeenth year together celebrating my birthday in a crowded, noisy sports bar, watching a soccer match.

Before kickoff, he slid a diamond engagement ring across the sticky table.

If Team A wins, we get married.

I froze, staring at him in disbelief.

The referees whistle blew.

Without waiting for my answer, and without looking at my face again, he turned his head back to the screens.

By halftime, Team A was in the lead. Sasha, the waitress serving our section, sashayed over to our table. Wearing a cropped red jersey and tight denim shorts, she swung a cold bottle of beer by the neck and offered it to me with a smirk.

"Let's make a bet of our own," she purred. "If Team B turns this around in the second half, you hand your boyfriend over to me."

"Sasha, stop messing around," Emrhys interrupted. His voice, usually so steady and cool, carried a slight, nervous tremor when he spoke her name.

Sasha took a long swig of her beer, her eyes turning glassy and red. "Are you really marrying her? Then what about us?"

A heavy silence fell over the table. The two of them stared at each other, completely ignoring my presence.

"Emrhys," I called out.

He heard me. He wanted to look away, but his eyes clung to her, unwilling to break the spell.

I sat there like an outsider, watching this familiar silent dialogue. The same intense eye contact had happened for the first time just seven days ago. They had only known each other for seven days.

But in that single moment, I realized my seventeen years had just lost to her seven days.

A drunk customer at the next table waved an empty bottle, shouting at Sasha. "Hey, sweet cheeks! Cut the PDA with your boyfriend and get us another round!"

Sasha didn't hear him. Under the flashing neon lights, her eyes were locked onto Emrhyss. The roar of the bar faded into white noise. I sat quietly in the dim shadow, my gaze drifting for a fraction of a second, but I still saw it clearly, the raw, overwhelming devotion in Emrhyss eyes, a look he had never once given me.

"Hey! Waitress! The beer! Are you deaf?" The man next to us stood up, slamming his hand down. "Flirting on the clock? I'll get you fired!"

Sasha snapped out of her trance, her brow furrowing. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to start a fight.

Emrhys immediately grabbed her hand. Grabbing an unopened bottle from our table, he stood up and brought it over to the angry customer. "This one's on me. Don't bother her again tonight."

The man slammed the table, but when he saw the bottle, a rare, seventy-thousand-dollar vintage Richard Hennessy, the threats died in his throat.

Sasha turned around, pouting. "That bottle is insanely expensive. Why waste it on a jerk like him?"

Emrhys smiled at her, his voice dripping with tenderness. "For you, it's nothing."

I stared at the empty space where the bottle had been. Just a few days ago, it had been sitting in the most prominent spot in our living room. The vintage matched the exact year of my birth, a rare, limited edition. Emrhys knew my taste. He had tracked it down and brought it home, saying, "You've always wanted to try this vintage. I saved it specifically for your birthday."

Today was my birthday. He brought it, just as promised, only to hand it away to a stranger to protect Sasha.

"That was my present," I said, my eyes still fixed on the empty table.

Emrhys lit a cigarette, sounding thoroughly annoyed. "It's just a bottle of liquor. Do you really need to drink that much anyway?"

I turned to look at him. I used to hate alcohol. I only started drinking years ago because I had to entertain clients for his startup. Day after day of business dinners had slowly built my tolerance. Unlike Emrhys, who drank anything, I was fiercely loyal to Hennessy. Stubborn. Single-minded.

The whistle blew for the second half. He turned back to the screen. "Just watch the game. If Team A wins, you'll be Mrs. Ward. Why fret over a bottle of booze?"

"Is this your idea of a proposal?" My eyes stung from his cigarette smoke.

"You've been wanting to get married, haven't you? Nana's expecting it too."

We had been together for seventeen years. I had always assumed that when he proposed, it would be sweet. No grand gestures, maybe, but at least a gentle question, a moment meant just for us. But now, he was treating it like a casual bet on a sports match. He hadn't even looked at me once, let alone asked what I wanted.

"Team A has always been trash," someone at the next table murmured. "Can't believe they actually pulled ahead in the first half."

Emrhys was a die-hard fan. He knew the stats of every team. By betting on Team A, was he betting on them to lose?

"Go, Team B! Shoot! Goal!" Sasha squeezed in right between Emrhys and me, cheering loudly. She looked back at me. "Audrey, don't forget our bet. If Team B turns this around, Emrhys is mine."

"I'm not interested," I said coldly.

She turned around, holding out her half-drunk beer. "Don't be such a party pooper, Audrey. Nobody likes a stick-in-the-mud."

I didn't move.

"Oh, right. Miss Audrey only drinks Hennessy. You're too good for a cheap beer, huh?"

"Yes," I said quietly, looking her dead in the eye. "I am."

Sasha gasped, stomping her foot in mock hurt.

Without a second thought, Emrhys snatched the bottle from her hand and took a long swig. "Actually, it tastes great."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Emrhys was a germaphobe. He never shared drinks. If I so much as took a sip from his glass by mistake, he would immediately pour it out and get a fresh one. Now, they were casually sharing a bottle.

Sashas cheeks flushed pink from the alcohol. She leaned into him, her voice turning into a sweet, playful whine. "Emrhys, what do you think about the bet I just made with Audrey?"

Emrhys looked at me. A flash of hesitation crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his usual indifference. "Sure, why not? That way, neither of us has to make a hard choice. Let the game decide."

"If we lose, it just means we weren't meant to be."

The bitter taste of betrayal coated my tongue. I suddenly remembered how I first met Emrhys. It was also because of a game.

He was ten. His mother had taken him to the park, a rare treat. "Let's play hide-and-seek," she had said to him and his little brother. "Whoever hides the best gets ice cream." Emrhys wanted his brother to have the ice cream, so he hid right behind a tree near the entrance. But his mother never came back. It was dark when I found him shivering under that oak tree and brought him home. His stepfather refused to take him back, leaving him homeless.

That was when my Nana took him in. I had no parents either; I grew up with Nana. We got by on her meager pension, but when Emrhys arrived, she worked herself to the bone, running a street stall and collecting recyclables just to feed us. By the time he went to college, Nana sold her only house to pay his tuition. Emrhys had held that thick envelope of cash wrapped in a faded cloth, his eyes red. "Nana, how will I ever repay you?"

Nana had smiled. "If I'm ever gone, just promise me you'll take care of my little Audrey."

Emrhys nodded solemnly. "I promise, Nana. I'll cherish Audrey for the rest of my life."

And he did. For years, he was the perfect boyfriend, devoted, gentle, attentive. When his business finally took off, the first thing he did was buy a massive house to bring Nana to live with us. But lately, Nanas health had been failing. She kept asking, "Audrey, Emrhys, when do I get to see you two walk down the aisle?" Emrhys used to laugh and promise her it would be soon. But starting seven days ago, his tone turned into quiet irritation whenever she brought it up.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I quickly excused myself to the restroom.

"Audrey, sweetie, did Emrhys ask you tonight?"

"Yes, Nana... he did."

"Oh, thank goodness," Nana rasped, her laughter cut short by a heavy cough. "I just want to see you settled. If I leave you all alone in this world, I won't be able to rest in peace..."

My throat tightened. "Nana..." I couldn't say anything else. I couldn't tell her he was betting our future on a soccer match. I couldn't tell her his heart was already with someone else. "Don't worry, Nana. Get some rest."

I hung up quickly, wiped my eyes, grabbed my purse from the booth, and turned to leave.

Emrhys caught my wrist. "The game isn't over. Where are you going?"

"Home to check on Nana."

He let out a sharp, frustrated sigh. "What is it this time? Do you have to use Nana as an excuse every time you throw a tantrum?"

"You asked, I answered."

"Today is your birthday. We came out to celebrate you. Walking out like this is incredibly childish."

"Nana is alone. I'm worried."

"This match decides our marriage. Do you really care that little?"

I didn't want to watch the match anymore. I was terrified of the outcome. Part of me still desperately wanted Team A to win. But another part of me was terrified of what would happen if they did. Seventeen years of shared life, undone in seven days.

"Just tell me how it ends," I whispered, pulling my hand from his grip and walking out.

Behind me, Sasha's voice drifted over the music. "Is Audrey seriously leaving already? Is she on a curfew? Talk about an old lady."

Emrhyss reply was flat. "Ignore her."

Just as I reached the door, a massive roar erupted from the crowd. I couldn't help but look back. Team A had missed a crucial shot. The score was tied 1-1.

My eyes found Emrhys through the sea of bodies.

I saw him clearly. He had let out a long, slow breath of relief.

He didn't want Team A to win. He didn't want to marry me.

Outside, the night air was chilly. There was a small bakery down the street that sold the lemon tarts Nana loved. I walked over. The owner smiled as he boxed them up. "Where's that handsome young man who's always with you, dear?"

"He's busy with someone else," I said quietly.

The owner paused, looking at me with pity. "Well, true love doesn't always have smooth sailing. Strong roots need a bit of storm to grow deep. It'll work out."

I nodded, unable to tell him that this wasn't a storm, the roots were already rotting.

The moon tonight was slivered and gray, a far cry from seven days ago when it was full and bright. That night, Emrhys had held my hand, a box of tarts in his other hand. We were walking past that very sports bar when the cheers drew him in.

We found a quiet table. In the center of the bar, a girl was shaking a bottle of beer, spraying it everywhere, laughing wildly. The spray soaked her hair and her clothes, clinging to her flawless figure. She was a wild fire in the dark.

Emrhys was transfixed.

Sasha caught his eye and walked straight to us. "Hey there, handsome. Which team are you pulling for? If you join my side, there's a reward." Before Emrhys could reply, she slipped the cigarette right out from between his fingers and took a deep drag, her red lips curving into a smirk.

Emrhys had just stared, utterly breathless.

That night, back home, we slept back-to-back. Emrhys, who hadn't posted on social media in years, posted a single line: "Love at first sight is the only real love. Anything else is just hesitation."

We had never been love at first sight. Ours was a slow, quiet bond built day by day, woven into our very bones. If love at first sight was the only real love, what did that make us?

I liked the post. He deleted it seconds later.

I buried myself in work over the next few days. Since becoming his operations manager, I ran most of the firm's international accounts while he spent his days at the bar.

A car horn snapped me back to reality. Emrhyss Mercedes pulled up to the curb. The tinted window slid down, revealing his scowling face. "What are you doing wandering the streets in the dark?"

"Is the game over?" My voice trembled.

"Not yet. I was worried about you walking alone. Get in."

Just as I went to open the door, I saw Sasha lounging across his lap in the back seat. She waved a lazy hand at me. "Hey, Audrey! Surprise! I got off early!"

My head throbbed.

"Sasha had a bit too much to drink," Emrhys said smoothly. "She gets carsick easily, so she's sitting back here with me."

"I've heard of sitting shotgun for carsickness," I laughed coldly. "Didn't realize your lap was a cure."

Before he could snap, I reached in, grabbed Sasha by the arm, and hauled her out of the back seat, shoving her into the front passenger side. Sasha looked at our driver, immediately straightening up, then glared at me. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Go ahead," I said. "This car is already filthy anyway."

Emrhyss face darkened. "Can you stop being so petty? Sasha isn't like you. She's free-spirited. She can't handle your passive-aggressive attitude."

When we were kids, people used to call Emrhys a stray. I was a quiet girl, but the moment anyone picked on Emrhys, I would fight them tooth and nail. People called me touchy, stubborn, incapable of taking a joke. Only Emrhys had smiled and called it cute. Now, it was just "petty."

Suddenly, cheers echoed from the street. "Team A won! Team A won!"

Emrhyss face fell instantly. He rubbed his temples, casting a lingering, pained look at Sasha in the front seat, before turning back to me. "Audrey, since Team A won, we..."

Before he could finish, Sasha rolled down her window and screamed at the fans outside, "No way! Team A is garbage! They couldn't have won!"

Then, she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing.

Emrhys panicked. "Pull over," he snapped at the driver. He opened my door. "Get out. I need to take Sasha home first."

And just like that, I was left on the shoulder of the highway.

The car door slammed shut, and the taillights vanished into the night.

I walked home in a daze. Nana was still awake in the living room. "Audrey, sweetie, where's Emrhys?"

"He had some urgent work to finish," I lied.

She handed me a warm bowl of soup. "I made his favorite beef stew. He's been working so hard lately."

Watching her frail, trembling hands, my eyes filled with tears. "Nana... if I don't marry Emrhys, will you be disappointed?"

Nana went quiet, gently squeezing my hand. "Did he do something to hurt you, sweetheart?"

I shook my head. I couldn't bear to stress her weak heart.

"Then I'm at peace," she smiled weakly. "I raised that boy. I know he's good. Leaving you in his hands is the only way I can rest easy."

Emrhys had always been a savior in her eyes. Even after his success, he bought her whatever she wanted.

After tucking her in, I sat in the dark living room. By 3:00 AM, Emrhys still wasn't home. I opened my laptop to work, trying to drown out the silence.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from Nana's bedroom, the sound of glass shattering.

I rushed in.

Nana was deathly pale, clutching her chest with one hand. In her other hand, her phone was active. On the screen, a video was playing, Emrhys and Sasha, locked in a passionate, desperate embrace, kissing like their lives depended on it.

I immediately called 911. On the way to the hospital, Nana kept whispering Emrhyss name. I dialed his number.

Once. Twice. Thirty-seven times. No answer.

On the thirty-eighth try, the line connected. I heard Sashas giggling in the background.

"Emrhys! Nana collapsed! We're in the ambulance on the way to the hospital!"

"Can you give me a break?" his voice was laced with pure irritation. "How many times are you going to use Nana to guilt-trip me? Stop holding me hostage with her health."

He hung up.

I sent text after text. "Nana is in critical condition. She's calling for you." "I am not lying to you."

Hours later, a single reply came from his phone: "You'd actually fabricate Nana's death just to get me to come home? You're sick, Audrey."

Then, his phone went dead.

The surgeon finally stepped out of the operating room. "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could."

The world went completely silent. My only family was gone.

I collapsed by her bed, watching the white sheet cover her face. I cried until I blacked out, woke up, and cried again.

At the funeral home, I looked at the last texts sent to Nanas phone from an unknown number.

"You old parasite. Dragging your granddaughter along to bleed a rich man dry."

"Can't you two survive without leeching off Emrhys?"

"He's sick of you both. Forcing him to marry her is pathetic."

I called the number from a burner. Sashas voice answered. I hung up without a word.

I knelt before Nanas casket, bowing until my forehead touched the cold floor.

"I'm sorry, Nana. I won't marry him."

Three days later, the burial was over.

Emrhys showed up at our apartment door, holding a box of lemon tarts. "Where's Nana? I got her favorite tarts. We can eat them while we plan the wedding."