Player's Guide To Catfishing (PLAYBOOK #1)

CHAPTER 67: Castle on the Hill

ODESSA

"Didi," Felix's booted feet are following mine.

"Odessa," mama is right behind us as I pass many halls and even many more doors while in search of an exit.

Damn, castle on the hill.

"Didi!" Papa's hand is the one to wrap around my forearm and stop me when I make a hard turn. "What's this huh?"

He gestures at my body but I know he is talking about my behavior, I have never acted like this before but can anyone blame me?

I literally feel like I am losing my mind.

"What the hell is going on?" Felix adds as mama closes the door. "Since when do we keep things from each other?"

"I didn't—"

"I found out about Julliard because I was using your computer, I waited weeks for you to tell me and still, you didn't."

"It slipped my mind," I swear it actually did.

"You achieving the thing that has been your goal since sophomore year just slipped your mind?" Felix takes a loaded step towards me, "are you expecting me—"

"Enough." Mama steps between us, "I mean it. Step back Lexie," she shoves him when his eyes pierce into mine.

"Didi—"

"It was my idea." I look at my parents and Felix, "the night I eloped. It was my idea to get married."

I finally remembered my impromptu wedding night and it was one for the books because the 21st gift, poor Liam Griffith wanted was...

"A promise for my hand?" My body turned towards his because I couldn't believe that was what he wanted for his birthday.

He didn't know it but the sky was truly the limit but all he wanted was me.

"Yes, I want you to promise me that one day we will get married and be together forever." His entire body was already facing mine when he leaned in to say, "agree to that and you'll no longer owe me a gift."

"You want to get married?" I finished off my drink.

"Yeah and I want it to be the best—"

"No," I held Liam's hand to make it clear. "Want to do it tonight?" His face froze, "I'm not one to keep debts, I like to pay upfront" was my genius explanation.

"I thought it wasn't real," mama deflates like she has finally figured out an old riddle.

Took her long enough.

"I do want to get married." I answer the question that seemed to paralyze my super autopilot.

"I want to be proposed to in a strip club at 3am in the morning. I want to blink and be in some fancy jewelry store because my fiancé is the heir to a jewelry company and apparently has connections like that."

I finally remember how I got my ring.

"I want to use every penny that I have accumulated from all my crap jobs to buy him a gold band and I want to walk barefoot down the aisle in a green dress that makes my boobs look great."

I look at my family.

"I want a drug dealer Elvis Presley impersonator who has no business ordaining a marriage to marry us, while I wonder why my husband to be is also barefoot and how his jacket made it into my shoulders."

I rub my empty ring finger and admit,

"I want the first meal that I have after saying I do to be street hotdogs with everything on them. I want my husband to hold my hair back because he knows how much I need it off my face and I want to him to give me a piggy back ride down the strip because he wants me to see the perfect sunrise."