Office Diaries

For someone who used to be a playboy, I sure had come a long, long way into being a better person. But I think it's all because I found true love.

"Tonight is your stag party," my fiancée reminded me with her brows raised.

The two of us were in the living room. Ash sat on the sofa while I used her l.a.p as my pillow. We just got home from meeting with my parents at the restaurant where we had to go through the whole details of our wedding tomorrow for the nth time.

"So it is," I commented blandly as I closed my eyes, totally uninterested.

I felt so drained even though I didn't do much today aside from sit and grope my fiancée under the table while my mom chattered our ears off. She really could win paranoid of the year with the way she panicked over everything. It was a good thing Ash was there to soothe her because I already gave up.

"You don't sound excited," Ash pouted as she pulled my nose and I sat up in protest. It's painful!

"Ouch!"

Ash wasn't apologetic though, but I didn't mind. Ever since our confession yesterday, my fiancée had developed some confidence that no matter what happened, I wouldn't leave her.

 "Do you think mom would keep her promise and not freak out anymore? I mean tomorrow's the wedding right? There shouldn't be any more changes," she wondered which made me snort.

"If I were dad, I'd tie her up in the bedroom and gag her so she'd stop complaining about everything not being ready. Would you believe it? I lost count on how many times we studied table cloth patterns, china patterns, flowers, souvenirs and so on," I enumerated comically making my lover chuckle.

"Don't be like that. Your mom just wanted everything to be perfect for our wedding," she said and I sighed in resignation.

A playful slap on my shoulder made me frown at her. It's funny how in spite of going through all the preparation circus with my mom, Ash still felt sympathy towards her. But then again, I knew I shouldn't complain. I was truly happy that my family loved Ash as much as I loved her, and that she loved them back.

 "Oh well, just promise me that when mom volunteers to take over preparations on our wedding anniversaries, say no."

With my words, I watched as tenderness filled her eyes – amethyst eyes and my heart swelled with warmth knowing that finally, I was able to make her genuinely happy.

Years ago, I first met Ashley at a bar where my colleagues brought me. I was still a foolish youth back then – totally bored with the norm, thus I found gambling a source of fun. But it wasn't just an ordinary form of staking I used to participate in. What my friends and I used to wager on was hearts – or in most cases…beds.

Ashley had been a legendary beauty at a bar back then. Hearing about her, the elusive beauty challenged the competitive person in me. When I came to the place, I expected to be the one to conquer the prize. However, instead, the beauty with those mystical amethyst eyes had been the one who conquered me.

After meeting Ashley, I knew that my Casanova days were over.

Too bad my fiancée didn't believe that immediately, though. Even if she came with me that day – even if we'd been intimate after that time, my clueless love thought I was still playing and that what we had was nothing but a s.e.x.u.a.l relationship. For a year, while I tried hard to woo her, my beautiful secretary thought we were just s.e.x friends!

Imagine that…

It took me years before I was able to make her believe that my love for her was real – and that was yesterday, two days before our wedding. After our argument the day before, however, I was glad that everything's finally cleared between us. No more insecurity.

"I'm tired," I g.r.o.a.n.e.d as I tried to lie back down on her l.a.p, but she pushed me away.

"You can't go to sleep yet, your friends are waiting for you," she told me and I frowned.

I really didn't care about those fools. I'd rather spend time with my fiancé. "I can just cancel," I stated nonchalantly but she shook her head.

"You go and settle your bet. You don't want your friends to think you're backing out, right?" she asked and I looked at her in disbelief.

"You want me to win the bet?" I asked which of course was ridiculous considering that I've won the bet a long time ago.

My fiancée, however, was determined, judging from the way her lips set into a grim line with her eyes blazed with an inner fire. "Veni, Vidi, Vici – that's your motto, right? Win the bet," she said with finality which made me purse my lips as I whistled silently.

Uh-oh, I told myself.

I knew that look. Mrs. Alex Li had a bone to pick. The other party? My stupid friends. I felt amused but at the same time, I pity those bastards.

"If you say so," I murmured giving in. Then again, there's nothing in this world I wouldn't give her. 

=======

"And the sky was made of amethyst, And all the stars look just like little fish

You should learn when to go. You should learn how to say "no,"

Might last a day, yeah, Minus forever.

Might last a day, yeah, Well, minus forever…"

As the singer crooned the familiar song, Alex was assailed with a sense of déjà vu. Stepping inside the dimly lit bar, it wasn't hard to spot Ash. Just like in his memory, on the farthest seat at the end of the bar she sat quietly, nursing her glass of whiskey.

With a smile on the businessman's face, he signaled the master who immediately moved to get his lover another glass as he approached.

"Have you been waiting long?" he whispered seductively against her ear, and she smiled as she turned around to face him, crossing her leg over the other as she did.

Alex stared at his fiancée, mesmerized. Those n.a.k.e.d violet pools took him again into another time, another place where he looked at those orbs for the very first time and drowned.  He'd never recovered since nor did he ever want to.

Just like years ago, all thoughts of winning the bet left his mind. Nothing else mattered except for his d.e.s.i.r.e to attain the sweet promise which burned within those violet eyes.

Yep, nothing else mattered anymore. For Alex, having Ashley to call as his, having her return his love, he already achieved his amethyst dreams. "Honey, are you really okay to walk over there without your glasses or contact lens?"

Ashley insisted that she was fine, and so, he was not able to do anything but guide her towards his 'friends' and introduced her. She had been enraged by the bet and was in the mood to punish the idiots so he would be there to support her.

"You're such a lucky bastard," the noisy group commented and Alex sighed inwardly. The stupid friends Ash said that he had were digging their grave deeper in each word spoken.

As soon as he introduced Ash to them – omitting, of course, the fact that she was his bride as he was instructed by Ashley, the idiots had been gushing over how beautiful she was and that she was better suited to be with Alex than the nerdy secretary he was to marry.

They'd never met Ashley before, though, so Alex had no idea how these bastards could say those words carelessly. He wondered too how in the world he ever got mixed up in this group. There must be something really wrong with him back in college, he thought.

"You know of course that this bloke's getting married tomorrow?" one of his buddies asked casually with that knowing grin and Alex had an idea the creep's trying to emphasize something. "I'm still single though. Why don't you leave that guy and get to know me instead?" he continued with that lecherous smile and Alex itched to plant his fist on the asshole's face.

Ash stopped him, of course. His fiancée, knowing his temper, gave him a surreptitious squeeze in the arm, telling him not to say a word or to move. Glancing at her profile, he frowned.

Ashley had been the epitome of serenity since they joined his friends and in spite of the bastard's obvious innuendos, she remained smiling. Not only that, his lover who was never one to readily display affection in front of others suddenly clung onto him, resting her head against his shoulder as she gave his friends an overly saccharine smile.

"I'm sorry boys but I can only be Alex's," she declined sweetly, and Alex was reminded of a wolf ready to pounce on his meat.

Uh-oh… Dead. Sliced. Killed.

Alex could enumerate tons of words that would befall his friends and all of them were synonymous or related to their demise. Despite his smiles, Ahsley's claws were all out, ready to draw blood.

But Alex was safe.

Playing along with her, he placed an arm around Ashley's shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"That's right. She's mine," he announced smugly earning them protests.

The fools had no idea they're all within an inch of getting the most embarrassing moment of their lives.

"That's so unfair Li. You're already getting married to that mousy secretary of yours. It's not fair if you'd take Amethyst Eyes too," one of them said and Ash smirked.

"Oh, but I don't mind him getting married. I actually approve of it," Ashley purred and Alex found himself wanting to burst into laughter.

She was seething in anger. He just knew it.

"You like married men?" his friends countered in disbelief.

"No, I just like a married Alex," Ash answered innocently. "In fact, I'll be attending his wedding tomorrow," she announced as she turned towards a grinning Alex and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"You're going to attend his wedding?!" the stooges gasped and Alex felt smugger.

Time to give the finishing blow, he surmised.

"Of course, my wedding day won't be complete without my Amethyst Eyes," he added as he pulled at Ashley's cheeks. "Right, Honey?"

"Right, Alex…" Ash answered exaggeratedly, and Alex nearly guffawed at the perplexed expressions on his friends' faces.

"What are you? A m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t?" they asked Ash who looked at them with all innocence.

"Oh no," she denied with her huge violet eyes sparkling with danger as she bared her fangs.

"I'm the mousy secretary," she announced as her eyes turned to slits, while Alex's smirk widened.

Checkmate.

"She's the bride…"