Found Love When Your Gone

Chapter 6 The Fiance

Jonathan Pov...

The moment I dropped her off, I drove straight home. My mind is louder than the engine, thinking about this damn marriage.

The word 'marriage' suddenly felt foreign in my head, heavy and suffocating. I stood in front of my closet, staring blankly at the rows of clothes I couldn't even see, as my mind was elsewhere. Somewhere out there was the woman I was supposed to marry. A 'perfect match,' according to my father.

For me she is strange or worse.

My phone buzzed and as expected who would be.

Dad.

Don’t be late.

Of course. He will keep reminding.

“Yeah, I’m coming.” I typed back, my jaw tightening in annoyance.

The restaurant was already buzzing when I arrived. My eyes immediately found Dad seated at a private table, talking to a man whose back faced the entrance.

I took a step forward when suddenly I saw Gertrude walking towards their table smiling.

I completely froze digesting what I just saw.

My fist clenched tightly as I walked straight toward them, while in my mind I kept on saying, 'no.'

I'm focused that i dint saw dad looking at me.

“Jonathan!”

Dad’s voice cut through the ringing in my ears, but I couldn’t move. My chest tightened as realization crashed over me like a punch. I didn’t see that coming.

This… is the woman? I couldn't believe asking myself.

She raised her head after peeking at uncle Homer's cheeks, including dad, and our eyes met mine. She was shocked wide eyes and mouth agape, staring at me.

“Is he?” She asked Uncle Homer, her shock evident as he smiled and nodded in response. She sank into the chair, visibly stunned by the revelation.

“Uncle Homer, can I speak with Gertrude for a moment?” I asked, my voice wavering as I swallowed hard.

" Of course, we’re just setting the date. Take care of my daughter! " He said with a smile. I looked at him in disbelief, wondering if he truly believed we could be a couple.

I grabbed her hands and yanked her out of the restaurant. Unknown to me that Dad and Mr. Homer had witnessed the whole scene, and they were pleased by it, while I was seething with rage and feeling like I was choking with anger. They thought we were holding hands, but I wasn't.

“What the hell is this?” I snapped the second the doors shut behind us.

She pulled her hand free, glaring. “You think I know?!”

“You knew I had a girlfriend!” My voice dropped, sharp and dangerous. “And it's your best friend, Gertrude.”

“I know!” She shot back, equally furious. “And I wasn’t expecting it to be you either.”

The air between us turned volatile.

"Then talk to your dad. Tell him I am already engaged! " I pushed her hard to understand.

She let out a short, humorless laugh.

“Why don’t you?” She challenged, crossing her arms. “Your father called you the best fiancé candidate for me. His words. Not mine.”

That shut me up because suddenly this didn’t feel random anymore. I felt it was planned.

"Do you have feelings for me? I heard you made threats because I chose your friend." I felt I had no choice but to confront her directly. Her head snapped toward me.

"Excuse me!" She said coldly.

"It looks like my intuition was correct. We're not friends anymore, and who said I had feelings for you? " She asked mockingly. I frowned, puzzled by her response. No one knows what lies inside my heart and mind besides one person.

"For the record, I'm not here because of you. I'm here because of our business. Dad needs me, and I don’t need you. If you’re curious, maybe you should ask your father why he suggested we get married. Regardless it's not my concern to handle. " She spoke with a serious tone, her smile fading as if she were addressing a purely professional matter.

A chill ran down my spine.

“I have to go!” She muttered, glancing past me annoyed. “Your banshee is coming.” She added.

Jessica.

I turned and saw her mouth agape shocked.

"I don’t have the time or energy to handle both of you. Deal with yourself!" She said, grinding her heels as she turned away. I was already taken aback by the situation, struggling to understand her words. What could she possibly mean? All I knew was that Dad was always very strict whenever we met Gertrude's father.

“Wait—” I grabbed Gertrude again.

“By the way,” she added, pausing just enough to look back at me, “I will tell my dad.”

Panic hit me fast and hard. Not now. Not like this.

"Are you two still not hungry out here? Come on let’s go inside." Uncle Homer ushered and glancing at our nearly intertwined hands. It was too late to pull her hand away now. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Jessica's angry and hurt expression as she watched us.

As Uncle Homer walked ahead, Gertrude yanked her hand away with force, trying to free herself from my grasp. I held on, not yet ready to reveal what I had planned to share with her. Her annoyance was palpable and the tension between us grew as she struggled to understand my hesitation while I grappled with the right moment to speak.

Not yet.

Not until I fixed this then everything go wrong. Her heel slipped and her body crashed into mine. Before I could react our lips touched.

Time stopped and we both froze. Her eyes widened in horror while my grip tightened instinctively. And somewhere behind us. I heard a quiet, satisfied chuckle.

I pulled back just enough to breathe.

Our parents smiled with satisfaction, not shocked. Like they were waiting at this exact moment.

A cold realization settled deep in my chest that this wasn’t an arrangement, it wasn't a coincidence or even about the marriage but was a setup, and we played our parts perfectly.

Behind them was Jessica stood frozen. Her face was pale and her eyes were shattered.

And for the first time. I wasn’t thinking about the marriage anymore. I was thinking about one thing.

What did our fathers just trap us into?