Contract Marriage With My Crush

Allyssa I was standing in the shaded waiting area beside the road, waiting for my bestie Eve to come pick me up. She had invited me to watch a movie with her. I had been waiting for about fifteen minutes when I got her call. "Hello, Allyssa. Can we watch the movie some other day? I'm really sorry. I have some important things to take care of right now," Eve quickly apologized as soon as I answered her call. "It's okay. I'll just go back home," I replied to her quickly. But the truth is, I didn't want to go back home yet. I'd only have to see the annoying faces of my stepmother and half-sister. But I didn't want Eve to feel guilty, so I just said that. I was ten years old when my mother died. Less than a month after Mom passed away, Dad brought his mistress and their daughter, who was my age, home to live with us. Dad couldn't properly marry Hilga because Mom left a letter before she died. It stated that if Dad married another woman, he would lose all rights to Mom's properties. So even though Dad wanted to make Hilga his legal wife, he couldn't. To this day, she remains the mistress who destroyed our family. Ever since those two moved into our house, my life has never been peaceful. I feel like I'm the illegitimate child, not Hannah. Dad spoiled and pampered her. Even when the mother and daughter bullied me, I was always the one who got scolded in the end. He only cared about them, as if they were his only family. But eventually, I got used to it. I learned to fight back and defend myself because no one else would stand up for me but myself. "Wait, Allysa," Eve stopped me before I could end the call. "Can you do me a favor? My brother's at City Bar and he's drunk so he called me to pick him up. Can you pick him up and drive him home?" I couldn't speak right away when I heard her favor. Her brother is back? That thought made my heart suddenly flutter. David is back! Eve's older brother, the one I've had a secret crush on for years. I met David and Eve at my mom's wake. He was fifteen then, but already looked like a grown man. I developed a crush on him the moment I saw him. But I didn't let myself dwell on those feelings, first, because I was still young, and second, because I was mourning Mom's death. David and I grew close. He became my protector whenever Hannah bullied me. He treated me like his younger sister. At first, I thought my crush on him had faded and been replaced by a brotherly bond. But when I found out he had a girlfriend, I felt a sharp pinch in my chest. I was hurt that he already had someone in his heart. That's when I realized my feelings hadn't gone away at all, instead, it had grown deeper. However, David went abroad when he was twenty, after his girlfriend suddenly got engaged to someone else. That was also around the time I had a scandal with Mike, his cousin. After teh scandal, I never got to see David again. I was fifteen and Mike was twenty. He was courting me, but I didn't feel anything for him so I turned him down. He got angry and secretly drugged my drink at my father's birthday party. Mike tried to violate me, but I fought hard. He didn't succeed in his evil plan, especially since Dad and the other guests found us inside a room. Mike slandered me in front of all the guests. He lied to Dad, saying I had shamelessly pursued him and offered myself to him because I liked him for so long. He claimed I seduced him, which was why we ended up in that room. Instead of defending me, Dad hurt and scolded me severely. I tried to explain everything, but no one listened. Eventually, I got tired of explaining and just let them think whatever they wanted. "Hey! Are you still listening to me, Allysa?" Eve called out from the other line when she didn't hear a word from me. She thought I didn't want to do her a favor and quickly took it back. "It's okay if you don't want to pick up my brother. I'll just—" "No, it's okay. I promise I'll pick him up right now," I cut off my friend immediately. Why would I pass up the chance to see the man who still occupies my heart and mind? "Really?" Eve was delighted when she heard me. "I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow night. And I'll tell you why we couldn't make it to the movies tonight," she said excitedly before quickly saying goodbye and ending the call. She sent me the number of the private room where her brother was, so I wouldn't have to look for David inside the bar. I took a deep breath before hailing a taxi and heading to City Bar. Soon after, I was outside the private room where David was. "Get lost, all of you!" I heard a man's voice shout from inside. It was David's voice. Even though I hadn't heard it in eight years, I could still recognize it. I flinched when I heard the loud sound of a glass shattering. I was about to open the door when it suddenly swung open from the inside, and three women, all dressed provocatively, rushed out. I hesitated for a moment about whether to go in or not. I was worried David might look at me with disdain, just like he did with those women who left. But I promised Eve I'd pick up her brother, so I couldn't back out now. I silently prayed he wouldn't throw a glass at me when I approached him. With my heart pounding, I went inside the room and approached David, who was leaning against the long couch with his eyes half-closed. David sensed someone was there and opened his eyes. "Haven't I told you to get lost?" he snapped irritably. He wasn't looking at me, so he must have thought I was one of the women from earlier. "It's me, Allysa," I introduced myself before he could throw anything at me. It had been eight years since we last saw each other, so he might not remember me anymore. "Eve asked me to pick you up and take you home," I explained quickly. David looked up when he heard me speak. Our eyes met, and his gaze seemed to reach straight into my soul. My heart started to flutter again. "Allyssa," David whispered my name softly. I was glad he still remembered me. "Let's go. I'll take you home." David suddenly grabbed my arm and pushed me against the sofa. "Take me home? Don't you know the consequences of taking me home?" he asked in a drunken tone. I was about to speak, but David quickly pressed his lips against mine. My eyes widened as he deepened the kiss, kissing me hungrily as if he had missed me terribly. Or maybe that was just my imagination because I had missed him so much.