Episode 9: Big bro
1131 Words
Lila's POV
“I’m sorry... Say that again.”
“I met a child,” I repeated, leaning back into the couch.
Zara stared at me like that wasn’t the part she was confused about.
“At a café?”
“Yes.”
“And you just… sat there and had a full conversation with him?”
“He asked to sit,” I said. “And he wasn’t weird about it.”
“That’s because he’s a child, Lila.”
“Children can be weird,” I replied. “This one wasn’t.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. “You sound like you liked him.”
“I did,” I said, before I could overthink it. “He was… easy to talk to.”
Zara blinked. “You’re describing a six-year-old like he’s your colleague.”
“You know what I mean.”
She studied me for a second, then shook her head with a small laugh. “Only you would go out to clear your head and come back with a new friend who can’t even order his own drink.”
“He didn’t need to. He was just there for a break from the park.”
“Of course he was,” she said. “And you just happened to be sitting there, ready to entertain him.”
“I didn’t entertain him.”
“You absolutely did.”
I smiled slightly, not bothering to argue.
For a moment, the conversation settled.
Then Zara leaned forward a bit. “Okay, but let’s talk about the actual issue.”
I exhaled quietly. “Which one?”
“Don’t do that,” she said. “The marriage.”
Right.
“That,” I said.
“You’ve been avoiding it since you walked in.”
“I’ve been talking about a child.”
“You’ve been deflecting,” she corrected.
I let out a small breath. “I just… don’t know what to do with it yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don’t like how it’s happening,” I said. “I don’t like that it’s already decided. And I definitely don’t like him.”
“You don’t like him,” she repeated, like she was testing the words.
“I don’t.”
“Or you don’t like how he made you feel the first time you met him?”
I frowned. “What’s the difference?”
“There’s a difference,” she said. “One is about him. The other is about your pride.”
I stared at her. “You’re annoying.”
“I’m honest.”
“That’s debatable.”
She ignored that. “So what exactly is the problem? Be specific.”
I hesitated, then said, “He’s… difficult. Cold. Everything feels like a calculation with him.”
“And?”
“And I don’t see how that turns into anything that looks like a marriage.”
Zara nodded slowly. “Okay. That’s fair.”
Finally.
“But,” she added.
Of course.
“But what?”
“You’re looking at it like it has to be something emotional from the start,” she said. “It doesn’t.”
“That’s worse.”
“No, listen,” she continued. “You’re not being asked to fall in love tomorrow. You’re being asked to enter something that could work in other ways first.”
“Like what?”
“Stability. Compatibility in lifestyle. Mutual benefit,” she listed. “You both come from similar backgrounds, you understand the same kind of pressure, you won’t have to explain your world to each other.”
“That sounds very… practical.”
“It is.”
“I don’t want practical.”
“You don’t want controlled,” she corrected.
I paused at that.
She leaned back slightly. “And I get it. But not everything starts with feelings. Sometimes it starts with something else and grows into it.”
“That’s a big ‘sometimes.’”
“It is,” she agreed. “But it’s not impossible.”
Later that evening, I called my brother.
He picked up almost immediately.
“Lila?” His voice sharpened. “Why are you calling me like this? Is everything okay?”
I frowned slightly. “Like what?”
“Like you’re about to tell me something I won’t like,” he said. “What happened?”
I sighed, dropping back onto my bed. “They want me to get married.”
Silence.
Then—
“They what?”
“I knew you’d react like that.”
“No, hold on,” he said, voice rising slightly. “Who is ‘they’ and why are they deciding anything for you?”
“My parents,” I said. “It’s… complicated.”
“It always is with them,” he muttered. “Who’s the guy?”
“Adrian Cole.”
Another pause.
“…The CEO?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“And you’re just telling me this now?”
“It literally just happened,” I said. “I’m still trying to process it.”
“Do you want it?” he asked, more serious now.
“No.”
“Okay, good,” he said immediately. “Then it’s not happening.”
I let out a small laugh. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“It does for me,” he replied. “Do you want me to come back?”
“What? No—”
“I can leave this training,” he cut in. “I’m not joking, Lila. If they’re trying to force you into something—”
“They’re not forcing me like that,” I said quickly. “It’s just… pressure. Family stuff. Business.”
“That’s still not okay.”
“I know,” I said softly.
He exhaled. “Have you even met him properly?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
I hesitated. “I don’t like him.”
“Then why are we still discussing this?” he asked.
“Because it’s not just about me,” I said. “There’s a lot tied to it.”
“There’s always a lot tied to everything,” he replied. “That doesn’t mean you ignore what you want.”
I smiled a little. “You sound like Zara.”
“Zara is smart,” he said. “I like Zara.”
I laughed softly.
A small silence settled between us.
Then, more lightly, “If he annoys you, just say the word. I’ll come back and scare him a little.”
“You’re not scaring a CEO,” I said.
“Watch me,” he replied.
I laughed, shaking my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know,” I said softly.
And I did.
- Writer
