Loving You Was Never the Plan

“Let’s get married!” I nearly spat out the water I had just taken a sip of. He was in good enough shape that I couldn’t exactly call him drunk. It was the night we had decided to meet again. He had asked to see me after I told him I was separating from my husband. He said he wanted to cheer me up. But what kind of comfort was this? Asking me to marry him? Crazy. Setting aside his outrageous proposal, I was the one person who knew him better than anyone else. We had been best friends for years. Just friends, because I had never been interested in him romantically, not even a little. And that was partly because of one simple fact: he was a little unique, a little different. Which was exactly why his proposal made absolutely no sense to me. He knew me, and I knew him. The idea of us being together was almost laughable. “I think you’ve completely lost it!” I shot back. Honestly, it was a bit harsh. This was our first meeting after five years apart. And then, out of nowhere, he asked me to marry him. What kind of nonsense was this? “I’ll lose it for real if we don’t do this!” he groaned in frustration. I figured that made sense, considering he was clearly in a difficult and unexpected situation. I crossed my arms over my chest, then crossed my legs, fixing him with a sharp stare. Then I pulled a cigarette from inside my leather jacket and lit it. Deliberately, I blew a stream of nicotine-laced smoke right into his face. “I’d be the crazy one if I actually said yes. Don’t tell me you’ve been in love with me since high school.” I said it with a mocking tone. The man I was teasing only winced and pursed his lips, as if what I had said was complete nonsense. Which, to be fair, it absolutely was. “Don’t flatter yourself. You know exactly who I’ve liked, and we used to argue about it all the time.” I rolled my eyes. That story again. It was ridiculous to think back on. We had once gotten into a huge fight over that very subject. But somehow, no matter how badly we argued, we always ended up close again afterward. “Then give me one logical reason why you’re putting me in this situation.” I wanted an explanation. At the very least, maybe I could offer him some solid advice instead of getting personally entangled in his life. “Because you’re the only person I trust.” That answer only left me even less satisfied. “Your father’s getting suspicious again?” I knew how this went. More than once, he had placed me in situations where I had to play the role of his “girlfriend” in front of his father. And stupidly enough, I was so naturally convincing that I always slipped right into whatever scenario he had created. “He wants me to get married. Even though he knows I’m not into commitment. Especially when it comes to a partner…” He looked genuinely desperate now. I felt a flicker of sympathy for him. Just like me, he had his own bad experiences that left him wary of commitment. Maybe that was one of the reasons we had remained such good friends all these years. We understood each other because, in some ways, we were alike. “There are plenty of women who like you. Why not just marry one of them? Like Claire. Wasn’t she into you since high school?” I brought up a name that, as far as I knew, still had feelings for him even now. She was sweet and adorable. It would be much easier to marry someone who loved you than to propose to someone like me, who felt absolutely nothing for you. I didn’t just lack romantic feelings for him, I was so far removed from seeing him as a man that the thought barely existed in my world. “I don’t like her.” He shook his head. Fair enough. Claire was beautiful, but she just wasn’t his type. I searched my memory for other women I knew had feelings for him. “Then what about Grace?” His expression darkened even more. More than that, he was actually pouting at me now. “Hey, you’re the one I’m asking to marry me. Stop trying to set me up with other women.” “You know my situation, right? I’m a woman who’s already been married, even if only for a short time. And I have no intention of being in a serious relationship with you. I’m not interested in you.” That was my more polite way of rejecting him. But I knew exactly what kind of person he was. Stubborn to the core. Once he wanted something, he had to have it, no matter how anyone else felt. Seriously, the guy had zero shame. “How about this? I promise I’ll give you anything you want. In return, you become my wife.” I frowned. Honestly, that was a little tempting. “What kind of offer is that? Totally unfair.” I decided to raise the stakes a little. If we were going to negotiate, it might as well be in my favor. The point was simple: I had to come out with the better deal. Keeping a secret like his was no easy task. “Fine. I’ll also give you a monthly allowance. Plus other bonuses. Just accept it already. Besides, I know you’re unemployed right now.” He had a point. I had just been fired from my part-time job because my behavior had apparently been “inappropriate” toward a customer. Even so, I was perfectly satisfied with getting fired. At least I’d gotten to punch that woman first. “How much are we talking?” Now I was interested. Honestly, pretending to be his wife didn’t sound so bad. I could lounge around all day and never have to work for money that barely amounted to anything anyway. “Three times your previous salary.” If this were a cartoon, my eyes would have turned into giant hearts by now. But this was real life, and sadly, physics still applied. Still, I was pretty sure the man in front of me could tell I was absolutely tempted. “Wow. Just how much money do you even have?” “I’m a stylish and highly skilled designer. Money is the least of your concerns. I just need you as my shield.” “Okay, I get it. Fine, let’s make this deal official right here.” “Wow, you’re such a gold digger.” He clicked his tongue at me afterward. Of course. What woman in this world isn’t interested in money? I firmly believed money was the source of happiness. It could buy anything I wanted. Even people could be bought with money, just like what this man was doing to me. “Why do you think I divorced my husband? Because he was broke.” I flashed him a mocking smile, and he merely snorted. “Alright. Starting tonight, you’ll be my partner, Eida.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. Everything would change from this moment on. I, Eida, was about to become the wife of Leorio, a handsome, successful designer. Sounds like every woman’s dream, right? But there was one thing not every woman knew about Leorio. He wasn’t a straight man who loved women. He swung the other way. “So, should we kiss now?” “What would I want with kissing a woman?” I burst out laughing. This was how we had always been with each other, relaxed, blunt, and completely unfiltered. “Oh, do you have a boyfriend right now?” I asked casually. He nodded shyly, almost like a teenage girl. “Yeah. He’s my type exactly.” I laughed softly. He had always been the kind of person who fell in love easily. And we used to argue all the time because we often liked the same men. Well, except during the time I was with my ex-husband. We had lost touch back then. My ex had been ridiculously possessive, always jealous whenever I spent time with Leorio. What he never realized was that if he had actually met Leorio in person, Leorio probably would have ended up liking him instead. The thought made me laugh as I remembered those days. Then I turned my attention back to Leorio. “He must be handsome. And hot.” “Our taste in men has always been the same.” He muttered it like he was mildly offended by my comment. “You’re right. What if I end up falling for your boyfriend too?” I had only meant it as a joke, just a little teasing. But to my surprise, he took it far more seriously than I expected. “That will never happen.” And that was how it all began. I married a gay man who would never be interested in my body. In return, I served as his shield, protecting him from society’s judgment and helping him maintain the image of being “normal” in everyone else’s eyes. And what did I get out of it? Instant wealth. Honestly, what could be better than that? Living life in complete laziness was the absolute dream.