Friends and Marriage

Chapter 3

Bruno had dropped Irina off and somehow drove himself back to Tana for no reason. At least that was what he tried to claim. However, both women knew something was nagging at him, and Irina told her he was all hers to question.

"So... you aren't here to get more hot chocolate, are you?" She joked.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind," he replied. That in itself was proof for Tana. He needed some comfort and she had it in a cup. Of course, hugs worked too, but she knew he needed to talk.

Bruno would sometimes be direct, or circle a bush before he got to the point. Luckily Tana had time for it, since she was free until she had a house call in the evening. She had prepped everything she needed two days before this moment.

For some reason, Tana always felt she needed to think ahead. It was probably because she was an introvert. Or perhaps trauma... she wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe she just couldn't keep up with everyone and prepped for the moment she could power down or out... whichever came first.

Bruno took a deep sip of the hot chocolate and sighed at the comfort. "Like a warm hug."

"You're needing more of that, or them?" Tana pointedly asked. He let out a laugh and sighed. She instinctively found a stool and sat down. Whatever it was he had on his person, it seemed heavy. She would need to sit down for it.

Bruno did not often do this, but it had happened enough times. He had a good soul, and sometimes people took advantage of it. He would get upset and wonder if he just imagined something happened. It was either Irina or Tana's job to reassure him that his observations were right, and his feelings were valid.

Bruno sighed again before launching into a different story this time. It wasn’t about his family or his workmates, but about his business venture. Him and one of his close friends were working on starting a company but were having problems with funding. This was because both of them were single. For this reason, the banks turned them down, despite knowing how much of a profit the business would make.

"That is weird... I didn't know banks could be... biased towards single men." She tilted her head as she tried to figure out the situation. "I thought women were the only ones subjected to situations like these-"

Bruno scrutinised her and she burst out laughing. "You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"

She nodded. "I mean, did you tell them who your parents are?"

"That's the thing, they know my parents, and my business partner's too. However, they feel like since our company will make it big very soon, the dynamics work better if we are both married."

"Aaah?"

"We can have a steady flow of clients and business if we seem like we are committed to either each other... or two women. Neither of us are gay, and we barely have time to meet women."

"Aaah, I get it. They're looking out for your interests in advance. How sweet!"

Bruno did one of his epic eye rolls. Tana internally fan-girled and even though she didn't show it, he knew. "Don't be shy baby girl, show me what you're feeling."

She burst out laughing as he rounded out the moment with an exaggerated wink.

"Fine, you win, but you still need to find yourselves wives," she teased, making Bruno eye her with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Found them," he deadpanned.

"Where? That fast?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and she gasped. "What?!"