??Unexpected ?
? Love ??
By: Worthy liBr@ry
Genre:R0m-nce
Tags: arrange marriage, betrayal, love, hate and revenge.
Chapter 7
?First Date ?
We get to the restaurant in about ten minutes. A hostess recognizes Connor at the door and silently leads us to our table. It’s in a secluded corner with candles and a harp player.
“Wow,” I say. “You’re a pro at this.”
He smiles . “A pro at what? Picking restaurants?’
“No. At impressing innocent girls.” I slide into the booth and pick up a menu.
“Why do you think I’m trying to impress you? Or that I’ve done this before? How do you know I’m not doing something special for my fiancee?”
I’m silent. It’s true, I don’t know that. But there’s no way I’m letting my guard down. “You’re loaded, Connor.
I’m guessing that you use some of this extra money to get lucky with girls, which requires this.” I gesture to the harp player and hanging candles.
“Look, let’s just have a nice dinner, okay?”
“Fine.”
Looking over the menu, I am shocked at the dishes.
They’re simple, yet elegant. And they all sound delicious.
Jumbo shrimp, tilapia, the list goes on and on. I l-ick my li-ps.
I can already taste the sauce. Out waiter shows up and I decide to order the Caesar salad with calamari on the side and Sprite.
Connor orders the Jumbo Shrimp and Coke.
When the waiter, Kurt, leaves, Connor takes a sip of water. “So,” he says. “How is your dating race going?”
“Great. One down, and I have another one two days from now.”
“Oh, really? Because Thomas seemed to think that you’re a crazy witch. I’m paraphrasing, of course.”
I feel my cheeks get red. “Well, he didn’t like the whole lawyer idea.”
“Here’s a hint? Don’t mention the whole marriage and law firm thing until maybe the third date. Then they might be a little more reasonable.”
“I don’t have time for that! I have four months. And with me going out with you once a week I have even less time.” He flinches.
“Sorry I’m such an inconvenience.”
I look down. “Look… why did you even agree to this? We ba-rely know each other. And you want to marry me? It’s crazy.”
He stares at a candle above the table. “I… I thought it was a good idea.
I’ve dated plenty of girls but never really been happy.
I’m smart and want to be a great lawyer, but your dad’s company is much bigger than ours.
If we combined it, I could do really great things, and not have to send all those innocent ‘little people’ to jail. I could do good.”
“Right. But marrying me? Having kids one day, owning a home together, growing old? All of it, together, no divorcing. That’s crazy!”
“Yeah, but… you’ve always been so nice. So smart and happy but I never thought of you as a girlfriend type. But a wife? Definitely.”
Our food comes and I dive in. It’s delicious. We don’t talk for a few minutes, engrossed in our food. Once my salad is nearly gone and my stomach is full, I clear my throat.
“Here’s the problem,” I begin. This will not go well. “I don’t want to marry you.”
He stops chewing and slowly puts down his fork. “But… you ba-rely know me.”16
“Exactly! I shout. The harp player falters and stares. “We don’t know each other, I don’t want to marry someone that I ba-rely know!
Just to save some stupid company that I want absolutely no part of! There is no way I’m getting married to someone I ba-rely know and don’t even like! Marriage is supposed to be about love! This isn’t love. This is…”
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m sorry that you feel that way.
But I’m willing to make this work. If you’re not, then I guess I just won’t marry you and make you become the lawyer.
I’m not an idiot. I know that you want to be a vet and hate lawyers. So if you don’t want me to marry you, let me know.”
We pay the check and drive home silently. He drops me off at my house. “I’ll call you later.”
He drives off before I can respond.
Well… that went well.
??Unexpected ?
? Love ??
By: Worthy liBr@ry
Genre:R0m-nce
Tags: arrange marriage, betrayal, love, hate and revenge.
Chapter 8
?Confessions?
Everyone is furious with me when I tell the story at the girls night in.
We are in the middle of The Titanic with snacks, pop, and pillows surrounding us. I stuff some Twizzlers in my mouth and look down guiltily. I know I blew it.
“How could this happen?!” Sarah yells. “You looked perfect! And he didn’t even say anything? And then you got into an argument and…”
“And ruined everything!” Nikki cuts in.
“What could have possible made you say that! Everything could have been fine, you could have kept dating, and-” Kim begins.
“And what?” I yell at Kim. “What could I have done?
I am getting married to Connor. And I hate him!And I have four months to fall in love with another man who is willing to get married after graduation and take over my father’s extremely powerful law firm?”
“Well… yeah.” Kim’s eyes get red.
“Really? Because I think this seems like a terrible plan!
Can’t I just run away and hide and pretend like this never happened?
Never get married, throw away this stupid ring, and just forget all of this?” I pull off the ring and throw it at the wall.
Mark walks over and brings it back. He sets it on my lap and looks away.
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit overdramatic?”
Nikki asks quietly. “I mean, it’s not that bad. Sure you have to get married, but as soon as your parents… forget their agreement with his family, you can have a happy divorce and move on.”
“But I don’t want to get married at eighteen!”
Sarah’s eyes are brimming with tears and I roll my eyes.
This is my problem, not theirs. She stands and runs to the kitchen.
Nikki gives me a hot look and chases after her. Kim looks around awkwardly and says “Well, we’re out of Pepsi and Sprite! I’ll go get some.” She follows them to her kitchen.
I’m left sitting in the dark with Mark. “You haven’t said anything,” I say quietly.
“Yeah.”
I sigh. He’s being difficult. “Why?”
He pauses for what seems like forever. “Because there’s nothing I can say to help.
You are in a… terrible situation. Nothing can be done about it. I know you and running away is not something that you would do.
It wouldn’t solve anything. And nothing I say can change the fact that your life right now? It su-cks.
There may seem like there’s no way you can get trou-ghthis, but there is. We’re here for you. And until you walk down that aisle, we won’t stop trying to… well, to stop it. Okay?”
I can feel a hot tear dripping down my face. “Okay,” I whisper. I grip him in a hu-g and cry into his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” he says. I give him a funny look and he laughs. “They’re dancing. Leonardo doesn’t die for another half hour! You’re crying at the wrong part!”
I laugh and my friends come back into the room. We laugh, we cry, we play Truth or Dare.
And in the end, we fell asleep way too late. But right before I drifted into unconsciousness, I was at peace. And then I had one, final thought.
I have another date tomorrow…
??Unexpected ?
? Love ??
By: Worthy liBr@ry
Genre:R0m-nce
Tags: arrange marriage, betrayal, love, hate and revenge.
Chapter:9
?Speed Dating ?
The next day, school breezes by. The cl@$$es take next to no knowledge, and I look my best thanks to my friends and a little make-up.
Connor even stops me in the hall to tell me how nice I look.
I ignore him and keep walking. When the final bell rings, I rush to Sarah’s house.
It’s dark when I get there and I throw my bag down. There’s an outfit and a note lying on the kitchen table.
Allie-
My parents are at my brother’s soccer game and we’re at Mark’s house.
Change into this, fix your make-up and hair, and meet us there. Do not call anyone. 30 minutes or less- HURRY!
Sarah✉️✉️
I smile and put the note down. The dress is a blue with black sp-ots and a thick black belt running throu-ghthe middle.
The shoes are black three-inch heels. I gently pull the dress over my head and hurry to the bathroom.
My hair is a complete wreck after Spanish- we had a fiesta which included a pinata stuffed with candy- not pretty.
I pull it into an elegant bun and dab on some li-p gloss and blus-h.
I strike a silly pose in the mirror and grab the shoes. No way am I walking down her gravel driveway to my car in heels.
I feel rain hit me as I sprint to the car. I pull the door closed and see another note on my windshield.
I hadn’t bothered to lock my car. I’ve known Sarah for years and the elderly neighbors wouldn’t bother walking down her long driveway to rob my car.
Confused, I pick up the note and read:
Are you busy tomorrow? Call me.
-C
I know it’s him before I see his ‘signature.’ The elegant script can only be Connor’s.
I ignore the note and throw it into the back seat.
I’ll call him, sure, but he’s the last thing I want on my mind when I’m about to go on a date with another guy.
I drive five minutes until I enter Mark’s quiet neighborhood.
I pull into the driveway and silently close my car door.
I sneak into the house and try to surprise them. But of course, they’re waiting by the door.
“Don’t make us kidnap you again,” Nikki warns as she steers me into the kitchen.
“Where are we going?” I ask. The shush me with a gesture of their hands and push me onto a kitchen stool.
“Now, I know I told you you were going on a date with Trenton.
But there’s been a slight change of plans.” Kim looks anxious and excited.
I shift uncomfortably. “We decided last night, after you fell asleep, that we wanted to make the process a little fas-ter for you.
I mean, you’d have to go on a date every single night to make the deadline. So, we’ve made it a bit… simpler.”
Sarah pushes open the door to reveal twenty guys sitting at individual chairs. They smile and she slams the door shut.
“TA-DA!” Mark yells. “It’s speed dating! You know, you spend two minutes interviewing each guy, then give us a signal and we’ll either send them home or give you more time later.
At the end, you’ve got two or three guys that might have possibility.”
“Wow,” I say. It’s actually a great idea. Why didn’t I think of that?
“Yeah! Okay, so I’ll strike this gong,” Sarah takes a small hammer and gently hits a small gong, causing a low humming sound, “when your time is up.
Then, you either nod your head once to signal he goes home-” Mark demonstrates and I laugh.
“Or,” Nikki cuts in. “You cough to signal he stays for later.”
Mark coughs and ends up choking. I crack up, causing the stool to lose balance and me toppling onto the floor. Before long, we’re in a fit of laughter and holding each other ti-ghtly.
“Alright,” I say after a minute. “I’m ready.”
I try to push open the door, but Kim stops me. “Not so fast!”
She says. Each guy will be in a separate room. Here’s a list to show you which room is next. You have thirty seconds to get to each room.
If all goes well, it’ll take two hours. Your first room is the liBr@ry.”
Nikki gestures for the guys to go to their rooms and they quickly obey.
“How did you-”
“Never mind!” Nikki shouts. “Just go!”
I walk throu-ghthe hu-ge house to the liBr@ry. Mark’s parents are very wealthy wedding planners.
They were very accepting of his being g@y and his father even agreed to let him train in the family business. Mark was thrilled.
I see a boy facing the window when I enter. He quickly turns and engulfs me in a hu-g. I step back and see that it’s Mr. Saranto, Mark’s father. “Hey, Mr. Saranto!” I give him a friendly kizz on the cheek. “How are you!”
He smiles. “Great. How are you? Mark’s told me about your little predicament.”
“Of course he did. I’m doing better. Mark has helped me a lot.”
“OH, that’s good. Well, I thought it would be nice for you to see a familiar face before you began. And you don’t have to nod, I’m going to meet Sherry-Mrs. Saranto- at a restaurant. Have fun!”
The going sounds and he walks out of the room. “Bye!” I call out. I look at the card. My next room is Mark’s bedroom, way on the other wing of the house.
I sprint there, seeing Nikki laughing at me as I ran past the kitchen. I stick my tongue out at her and throw open the door.
There is Trevor, sitting on a stool near Mark’s large desk. “Hey!” He says as I enter.
“Hi,” i reply. I grab a seat and sit down facing him.
“So… Kim told me about Connor.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
It’s an awkward conversation. This makes it easier, but still just as ha-rd. “And?” I prompt.
“And I guess I’m okay with it. My parents are traditional. They think I should be married already. But what can i say, i’m greek!” I laugh. “So, if we end up really liking each other, I guess i could handle marriage.
And being a lawyer. I know I can make good money!”
I laugh again. “Hmm, I think you may just be a keeper. The gong sounds and I rise. “I’ll call you?”
“No, I’ll call you. Tomorrow.”
I exit the room and find Sarah watching me from a chair in the corner. I cough and she smiles. She takes his arm and directs Trevor to the couch to wait.
This will be a long night.
TBC