Rouge Cray

Work the next day was... Well, let's be honest, it was dull as dishwater and about as palatable. Lauren and Moira are busy finalising the details of our contract with the new client, and until then we're thin on the ground and even thinner on work. I try to get some small talk in with Sunny, but it's like getting know a brick wall, typical teenager I guess... Hey, I'm almost Nineteen, I can judge young people now...

On the bright side, my free time gives me a chance to peruse the listings Elise found, the one near Jasper's certainly convenient, and it's not like it's super expensive or anything, but... I just don't see it, I can't seem to put my finger on it. It doesn't feel like us. Or maybe it's just because I looked at it after the further away option. The two bedroom apartment wasn't what I'd call mind-blowing in terms of space or aesthetics, but when I look at the pictures my mind races. I can see me and Elise relaxing on the sofa, or me failing at cooking in the kitchen, or her playing music in the spare room.

It's crazy isn't it? The obvious answer is to play it safe, go with the one near my family, but all I can think about is how much I want the other one... Maybe I'm just allergic to good decisions. Either way, I book in viewings for tomorrow after work, that way Elise and I can go together. Go see our new home... Maybe anyway. Whatever the case may be, my stomach buzzes at the thought of starting our life. Eventually, the clock strikes five, and it's finally time to meet Rouge, who I find loitering outside of the office with a document binder in her arms.

"Are you here to serve me notice or something?" I chuckle.

Rouge snaps to looking at me. She's wearing a dark pantsuit, and her hair is tied up into a short pony tail, and she's wearing dark-rimmed glasses for some reason. Whatever we're doing, she's going in prepared.

"Nah, I considered the law degree but it seemed too easy, gonna stick with becoming a super-doctor." She smiles. Weird... She's smiling differently too... If I didn't know better I'd say she'd been replaced with an identical twin, but I sure haven't pretended to be her... Recently. "Come on, it's not far from here." She informs me, leading me away from the office.

We're walking in silence for a couple of minutes, but this soon grates on my nerves. "So I get you're not going to tell me where we're going, but can you tell me what you actually need me for? I'm not exactly the most capable person we know." I state, not expecting a response.

"You're here because I need a witness for everything that happens... And for moral support." She clarifies.

Moral Support? Rouge? That's a new one. And a witness in what sense? I get the feeling my questions are going to be answered soon anyway, so I don't push the matter for now.

Continuing down the winding streets we eventually arrive in a residential district, the houses around here aren't exactly posh, but it doesn't look run-down enough to worry me, so no clues there. I remain silent until my sister suddenly comes to a screeching halt outside one of the houses.

"We're here." She tells me, her voice noticeably shaky. She's really nervous... Wait, is this... "This is Trish's house." She reveals. "I'm here to speak to her parents."

Suddenly it all makes sense, this is her terrible idea. She's going to try and talk them down, that's why she's dressed like that, I'm guessing that folder has stuff she wants to present... Like a business proposition. She wants to reach out to them in the only language they understand. This realisation makes my role all the clearer, she was there for me, now I need to be there for her.

I take her hand, causing her short breathing to skip in surprise. "No more solo runs. You're gonna knock 'em dead." I smile at her. This appears to be exactly what she needed to hear, as her confidence returns, and we're soon striding up to the front door and awaiting a response to her knock. Finally, we receive our response as the door opens to reveal Trish's father... Kind of wish I'd bothered to learn their names before coming here, oh well, I just have to let Rouge do the talking anyway.

"Mr Patel, I'm sure you remember me." Rouge introduces herself, the man only grunts and nods in confirmation. Right, their last meeting was her verbally destroying them... A bit awkward. "I'm here to talk to you about Tricia, would you mind if I came in for a few minutes?"

Trish's father seems to consider Rouge's demeanour for a few moments, trying to figure out her game. Good luck with that one, been trying for years and still haven't figured it out.

"You have five minutes." He answers, gesturing for us to enter. I don't know what to make of Trish's house, it's... Retro? Honestly, it looks like something out of an old soap opera, ugly wallpaper, brown carpets, like the set of a low-budget film... Or a high-budget porno. Is that harsh? It feels harsh. Mr Patel enters the nearby room that turns out to be the living room, which houses several mismatched sofas and Trish's Mother... Hard to say she's pleased to see us. The couple exchange words in Punjabi before we take our seats opposite them.

Rouge opens her folder and takes a deep breath. "So, it's my understanding that you don't approve of Tricia and I's relationship. Now, I appreciate that, you don't know me, I'm an unknown quantity, and your traditions rely on you making informed decisions, even if they seem uncompassionate." She begins. "So, you want her to marry Randeep, that way she's taken care of, and your family takes its proper place in society. It's a noble goal, and I want those things too, but I want to offer a counterproposal."

My sister hands both of them a sheet of paper each, my brief glimpse shows several charts and graphs. "This is my predicted income and influence for the next twenty years. It's based on my capabilities so far, as well as worst-case scenario expectations for my education and career moving forward. As you can see, my value would exceed that of Randeep's within approximately four years of graduating from medical school. I'm also well connected, my brother is the head of IT at a major firm, my mother leads a non-profit, and my sister here is the youngest recruit at Evolution Marketing Solutions. Your family's prestige is safe with me."

Rouge is arguing like she's asking for a mortgage, it's taken me by surprise... Even if technically Sunny's the youngest recruit, but does work experience count? Who knows? Who cares? I'm captivated by my twin's diplomacy.

"Finally, more than anything, I believe you care about Tricia, you wouldn't go to such lengths otherwise. I care about her too, and I can't express how important she is to me, I want to make her happy. I... I love her." Rouge concludes. Wow, even dropped the L-bomb, it's the first time I've heard her use it. she's really serious about winning them over.

For a while, everything's quiet... Trish's parents seem to be seriously looking over the documents in front of them. Maybe Rouge really can win them over? It' not like she hasn't pulled off the impossible. Husband and wife whisper to each other in their native tongue, surely discussion is good? They're not shutting her down outright.

Trish's father finally clears his throat and looks back to a waiting Rouge. "This... This is very impressive. You make a strong case, a case neither me or my wife can argue against. But there are other factors. The big one is your gender, people form our culture face extreme prejudice for engaging in relationships with the same sex. Now, despite what you may think, we are not homophobes, but they exist, and I cannot have my family become a target." He states. it's clear English isn't his first language, but he's definitely become quite eloquent over his years here. "What's more, Randeep is a proven provider, he makes his value right now, yours is... Just a hypothetical. I'm sorry. I cannot accept your 'counteroffer'." He concludes, handing back the pages.

That piece of shit. First William, then Ashley, now... Whatever the fuck your name is... Do parents get lobotomised of their humanity or something? What is this? Rouge even laid it out in cold, hard facts, and they still won't accept her? What more do-

My fury is cut off by a chuckle from my sister, who accepts the pages before taking off her glasses and letting her hair down.

"Well, I gave you the option." She replies. "I wanted to give you the chance to do the right thing, but if you refuse, then it's nuclear option time."

Rouge takes out another page and hands it to Mr Patel. "That was submitted to the council offices yesterday, a parent of a friend helped us rush it through, usually it takes a lot longer, but lucky for us, we managed to get it all turned around very quickly." She smirks.

Okay, I'm lost. The look on their faces is one of shock, fear, but most of all, defeat. "What is it?" I ask, breaking my silence.

"That, dear sister, is what I was doing all day yesterday. You see, I knew no matter what, these two would be trying to marry Trish off for the rest of their lives, I needed to cut them off from the option. So, when I came with my proposal... It wasn't hypothetical." Rouge explains.

"How could you do this?" Mrs Patel blurts out in a near shriek.

"If you mean, logistically, it's actually surprisingly easy with the right connections. If you mean, how could I outwit you? Well that's even easier. I'm Rouge Cray." She answers victoriously, rising to her feet and beginning to move towards the door, before stopping to turn back.

"Sorry... Still getting used to it. I'm Rouge Cray-Patel. Motherfuckers."