The Devil's Sweetheart

After driving him out of the room, Leena pulled her hair in frustration.

"If I am not careful enough, he would even trick me into growing his family population also," Leena gasped in surprise at her ludicrous thoughts.

"If I am here for a single minute, I have to doubt my sanity."

To clear her mind, Leena peeked outside to check if he is the room. She thanked all the gods for throwing him out of the room for the time being and cheerfully walked out of the room.

She knocked on the adjacent room door to play with Andrew but there was no response.

"He must have gone to the church again to get holy water."

Leena then walked into Leah's room and looked at the messy bed with the dresses and jewelry scattered all over. Kyle was organizing them but Leena did not even bother to look in her direction.

"I am here!" Leena exclaimed looking at the busy Leah.

"Hey, darling! you are here. I am inviting Kyle to be my bridesmaid. Just give me a second. I will be done."

Leena nodded her head and leisurely settled on the bed to watch the entertainment. Looking at both the woman standing in front of each other, Leena was in the thought process. Even for inviting a bridesmaid, they have to exaggerate? Shaking her head, Leena started hearing their conversation.

"Plan with me, stand with me, laugh with me, Will you become my maid of honor and hold my dress while I pee, Kyle?" Handing an invitation, Leah posed.

"I am blessed to be your maid of honor, Leah." With a shy smile, Kyle accepted the offer.

"Thank you, Kyle."

Leena yawned feeling sleepy looking at their funny exchanges. Hold my dress while I pee? Where did Leah copy such a foolish tag?

After Leah was done inviting Kyle, she directly walked close to Leena with a dress in her hand.

"Sorry for the wait, Leena!" Handing over the attire, Leah added. "This is going to be your dress for my wedding. Wear it and let me know if you need any amendments. Kyle suggested the mismatched bridesmaid's dress theme. It's unique and trendy nowadays. She has taken the sole responsibility to choose the dresses for all the bridesmaids including you."

Leena gazed at the Godet gown for a second which Leah was holding and immediately turned back not to taint her eyes with the absurd dress. She likes Godet gowns but Leena neither liked the color, not the design of it which Kyle has picked. When her eyes unconsciously darted to Kyle's red breezy chiffon stunning shashy skirt dress which looks swishy if it is worn, Leena's mood turned sour.

She would have purposefully selected the grandma dress for me.

Leena still remembered the scathing look of Kyle when she revealed that her leg was injured due to playing a sliding game. She knew there should be a reason to dislike someone and she has long observed the deathly stares Kyle has been giving just because someone is giving importance to her.

Because she has never hit the sore spot, Leena has kept quiet. But today she has reached the threshold limit when she has given her a gaudy dress.

I will get winter fat if I don't give a face slap to her today.

"Back to earth Leena!" Leah snapped her finger to bring back her friend from her thoughts

"I am sorry! So what were you saying?" Leena asked coming out of her imagination.

"I am talking about your dress darling. Here is the invitation."

"I said yes to him. Now, will you say yes to me and be my bridesmaid, my Leena darling."

"I curse like a seadog

I drink like a frog

I throw tantrums like a lapdog

And I am imperfect for the job

Do you still want me to become your maid of honor?"

"Wow! Just wow, Leena! What a rhyming? Shakespeare has to bow down his head in front of my poetry. Am I right, Leah?" Leena excitedly asked.

"You are the best Leena!" Not intended to continue with her narcissism, Leah played along with her.

"You are showing attitude by rejecting Leah outright," Kyle said, referring to the bridesmaid invitation.

"I don't have an attitude, Miss Sawyer. It's called personality. Sorry, if you don't have one." Leena started crossing a leg over another.

Kyle gripped her fists into balls in rage. She has been insulted again.

"Don't mind my darling, Kyle. She has a little sharp tongue." Leah butted in when the conversation was getting heated up between the two women.

"Why don't you want to be the maid of honor, Leena!" Leah pouted.

"I have my reasons."

"Care to tell, darling. We will sort it out."

"First of all the dress color and choice is terrible. The last time someone has picked me an outfit was when I was 7. Besides, I would never wear someone's choice." Stating that, she looked at the woman. Leena internally rejoiced to watch the fuming Kyle. Let her suffer! She has not even picked a mediocre dress for the wedding. Even when Leena was not going to be the bridesmaid but she wanted a face-slap. Did she think, me, the great fashionista would wear a dress according to her choice?

Kyle's face paled when Leena talked about her preference for the dress. She is hurting my feelings again.

But Leena was not yet done.

"Second thing, I have to show excitement all over the wedding. My beautiful facial muscles will start spasming. It is better than licking your 80th wedding envelope."

"Third, I can't dance with the least attractive groomsman. I am very expensive." She again looked at the fuming woman.

"Fourth, I can't hold your dress while you pee, unlike someone." Leena snickered looking at the sickly face of Kyle.

"Lastly, I don't want to be a competition for you when you knew my beauty is over the top. What if I steal the Bride's spotlight?"

"I have never seen someone flaunting their beauty except you." Kyle sneered at Leena's harsh jab of words.

"If it's not my job to flaunt my beauty, then I don't mind if you take up the job," Leena declared. If a peacock itself is proud of her beauty, then me, the great beguiling beauty should be more proud than her.

"Enough, Leena." Leah stopped their childish fights." I made a mistake asking you to my bridesmaid when I knew about you. I am getting a call from the event manager. I will be back some time."

After Leah walked out of the room, the tense atmosphere became worse when both women started staring at each other in silence.

"You rejected to be bridesmaid just because I am going to be one of Leah's maid of honor right?" Kyle broke the silence.

"You think highly of yourself." Leena chuckled.

"You are trying to sound like a jealous woman right now," Kyle shrieked.

"Jealous of whom? The word doesn't even exist in my dictionary. Why beat around the bush. Come to the point." Leena added. She knew where their conversation is heading but Leena is not done with the playing.

"You very well knew what I am talking about."

"I am not a mind reader like you."

"Then, I will be straight to the point. I like him. No, I am in love with him since my schooling." Kyle confessed.

"You are confessing to the wrong person." Leena smiled. Although she felt pain all over, she still composed herself not to show her weak front. She has sensed Kyle has liked him when they were watching the basketball game. Leena thought it wouldn't affect, but reality hit her hard.

"You stick to him like a leech all day even if I wanted to talk with him." She has confessed her feelings, but still, Kyle's heart wanted to bring it in front of this woman to make her jealous but she guessed it wrong. Leena is stronger than she thought.

"That's not my problem. I am a magnet and a magnet has the attracting capability everywhere it goes." Listening to Kyle's confession, Leena's heart suddenly felt numb. There was only one thought running in her mind, will he accept her for real if she confesses? She didn't dare to think further.

"You_"

"What exactly are you implying here?" Leena demanded. She was tired of beating around the bush.

"I was abandoned by my family, I was bullied in school. No one came to my aid when I was beaten to death. But he saved me, protected me. In the path of my darkness, he appeared as my light. That's when I decided to stand next to him proudly one fine day to confess my feelings. I have changed myself for him in everything. I have worked hard to be worthy of him but your presence is scaring me now." Kyle sobbed confession her feelings which she has been holding for a long time.

"Look Kyle, I understand you have a sad past. Everybody has. Infact, I have suffered worse than you." Leena's thoughts suddenly flew back to her accident. Kyle's pain is not even compared to the distress Leena has suffered. She lived with broken bones during a period.

Kyle suddenly looked up in confusion.

"He is not the one to decide your worth. The only one who gets to decide your worth is you. No one is blamed for your state, but you alone, because you never loved yourself. You have done everything for someone and in the process, you forgot yourself. Think about it. Do you at least know what is your favorite food?"

When Kyle listened to her words, she recalled the food she liked. But she long forgot when she replaced everything with Devin's choices.

"When you look back to your past, you will see only see someone's footprints. There will be no you and when you die, you cannot go to your grave and tell how much you loved yourself. Do that when you are still alive."

"I am tired of the long speech. You know what, I don't speak much because I have to release lots of calories. My cheeks have already reduced and it's time to have my energy drink. Bye," Leena walked out of the room in frustration to reprimand that shameless man for attracting every bee.

Kyle collapsed on the floor hearing to Leena's harsh true words.

...

Ending the call, Devin was about to leave the garden but he was called by Drew to play the basketball match. There is no reason to play now that his darling is not seeing him. But still, he went not to get nagged by his friend without knowing there was a big commotion happening in their room right now.

Bored with the childish play, he walked back into the house. Just when he was about to climb the stairs, he watched a man emerging out of his room.

"Who allowed to enter the room without permission? Who are you?" Devin demanded. Since he found a suspicious servant, Devin was wary around all the unknown people.

"I am a technician. I am appointed to check the AC connection, sir. Daisy madam instructed to test all the rooms if everything is working fine." The man escaped soon when Devin left him after interrogating the questions.

The moment he went away, Devin walked into the room and began surveying for any suspicious things.. His intuition was warning that something is wrong.