User blog:SodaCat/Diamonds Chapter 10.5: Trophy

“Piper, you’re here.”

Piper Harrington stood idly in the doorway of the trophy room of the Glass Jaw Boxing gym, her blood red winter coat wrapped tightly around her thin frame, cheeks and nose tinted delicately by the cold from the outside, her black hair obscuring one of her sapphire eyes.

Bif sat at one of the stools on the bar, dressed in his boxing clothes, one of the gym’s employees giving him a pre-match back massage. He gave the man a dismissive wave of his hand when he saw Piper.

“Yes,” Piper replied, her voice stiff, “I suppose I am. Seeing as Derby ever so kindly delivered your message to me before taking Parker, I thought it’d be easiest to just comply.”

Bif’s shoulders sunk just a bit at that, but his face did not change. “I wanted to talk to you. Since you’ve been doing such a good job of avoiding me, I thought that’d be the only way… asking Derby.”

She sunk into one hip, leaning against the doorframe and calling the most uninterested attitude she could compose. “Honestly, I’m just utterly shocked you were able to convince Derby to do your bidding.”

“Wasn’t hard,” Bif answered, “just made it seem as if he was the one telling me what to do.”

Piper let out a small laugh, looking out towards the countless trophies sitting on the shelves, a fair share of them having been earned by Bif. He smiled as she did, having missed the sound of her prim and delicate laugh. Regardless, she cleared her throat and straightened, as if remembering where she was.

“What was it you wanted to see me about?”

Bif sighed, placing his hands on his knees and pushing up so that he was standing. He made his way closer to her and though she took a deep intake of breath, Piper remained where she stood.

“I made such a big mistake, Pipes,” Bif said automatically, his green eyes locking on her blue ones. “I miss you so much. I hate that we’re not talking. I walk by the balcony every day and I always feel like texting you to meet me there but I know you won’t be there.”

“Bif,” Piper whispered, reaching out and taking his warm hand in her smaller one.

He held her gaze for a moment, a bittersweet smile forming before he looked down at the floor and studied the tiles. “I never should’ve let you run off with that… that philanthropist…”

Piper’s gaze snapped up to meet his softer one. “But I can call our fathers and get you betrothed to me as soon as possible.”

A few moments past before either of them spoke.

“Are you joking?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Bif stared at her, confused. “Of course I’m not. Piper, I love you!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh stop.”

<p class="MsoNormal">She dropped his hand as if it were burning her and took a step back, still staring at him with a wild expression as if he’d shape shifted into her worst enemy. “I have waited so, so long to hear you say anything of that sort, but I will not stand here and listen to you say them merely because you don’t want to lose me to Parker as if I were some… trophy that you needed to win over and then set on a shelf!”

<p class="MsoNormal">Bif’s warm gaze shifted to one of equal bewilderment as Piper’s. “I don’t think you’re a trophy… Isn’t this what you wanted? Piper, we can get married, we can live the life you always wanted!”

<p class="MsoNormal">Piper shook her head, letting out deep breath. “No, Bif, this isn’t what I want.”

<p class="MsoNormal">She tightened her coat around herself, turning and starting to walk away from him. Before she began walking down the steps, she turned to look at him one final time.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re not what I want anymore.”