Loving You Was Never the Plan

Official Agreement

I stood there with my mouth slightly open for a few seconds, waiting for my mind to fully catch up. My conversation with Leorio last night had been absolutely ridiculous. I still couldn’t decide whether it had really happened or if it had all been some bizarre dream. But even so, I didn’t regret the decision I had made, not even a little.

Marrying my best friend would give me freedom. Real freedom. Leorio was a designer, so financially, I figured I’d have nothing to worry about. As for love? Love would come when it came. But falling in love with Leorio? Absolutely not.

That would be the worst possible plot twist of my life. I outright rejected that nightmare. I laughed to myself, and my reflection in the mirror looked utterly ridiculous. Better to focus on all the benefits I’d gain from marrying Leorio. Freedom to be myself and freedom from the burden of earning money? Obviously. Check. Financial security? No doubt about it. I was convinced he was seriously loaded. A handsome husband? Leorio was easily the most attractive man in my life, even back in school when we were surrounded by generations of heartthrobs. Although... his preferences happened to lean in a direction that, unfortunately for him, only I knew about.

This really might be the best decision of my life. With this, I could leave a piece of my past behind and step forward with a bright smile. And my status as a divorcée would no longer be the subject of gossip. After all, I was about to marry an exceptional man, at least on the surface.

“Hey, where are you?”

That was the sweet greeting I received from my future husband. The reason I’d been standing in front of the mirror so early this morning was because I was getting ready to meet him. And speak of the devil, Leorio was calling me. He sounded ridiculously excited about this whole marriage idea. Honestly, if I pictured him right now, he probably looked like a patriot charging into battle for independence.

“Give me a minute. I still need time to get ready.” At the moment, both my hands were busy expertly working on my eyeliner while I held the phone between my shoulder and tilted head.

“Eh, forget it. Pretty or not, I still won’t be into you.” His voice on the other end sounded unbearably bored. I did not appreciate that response.

“Jerk! At least respect me as a woman, you i***t! I’m not doing this for you. I just refuse to look terrible out in public.”

“Fifteen minutes. If you’re not here by then, the contract’s off.”

To hell with it. I instantly stopped caring about my appearance. I grabbed a hair tie and pulled my hair back into a messy ponytail. Then I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Ugh, damn it!”

My footsteps quickened as I hurried out. All I was wearing was a simple shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers. I grumbled the entire way. Why on earth was he in such a rush over a simple meeting?

***

“You’re late!”

I let out a sharp sigh when that was the first thing I heard. But his expression quickly shifted into laughter as he watched me walk toward him. “What kind of look is that? Trying out a new makeup style?”

“This is all your fault, i***t! It’s so embarrassing. I didn’t even get the chance to finish the eyeliner on my right eye.”

“Thanks. This is highly entertaining.”

“Entertaining? I should smash your head with a rock!”

“Okay, let’s get straight to business.” He took a deep breath before launching into what was clearly a very serious discussion. “I’m going to draw up an agreement. We won’t be truly married, only legally married on paper. Once we reach the point where we’re bored, exhausted, or when either of us finds our own partner, we’ll divorce without needing the other person’s permission. What do you think?”

That actually sounded pretty good. I didn’t intend to be a parasite living off Leorio forever. Sure, I loved money, but that didn’t mean I needed to drain him dry like some bloodthirsty vampire.

“Agreed.” My answer was simple.

Both of us let out a sigh of relief. This was about to begin as a mutually beneficial arrangement. There would be no vows of eternal devotion, no love serving as the foundation of our marriage like in ordinary relationships. Everything would begin on paper, and one day, it would end on paper too. There would be no regret, no heartbreak. We were doing this as friends helping each other, not as strangers bound by obligation. I just hoped there wouldn’t be any worst-case scenarios.

Falling in love? I sincerely hoped that would never happen to me. Because if it did, I would become the most miserable woman in the world. Loving a gay man would be pure torture. It would mean loving someone who could never return those feelings. Even imagining it was enough to send a chill down my spine.

“By the way, should we shake hands to make this agreement official?”

Leorio slapped a hand against his forehead while I laughed at his reaction. “I just hope your stupidity isn’t contagious once we start living together.”

“Yeah... let’s hope not.” I casually smacked his arm. He didn’t seem bothered by my touch at all. In fact, if any other woman touched him, he’d probably react dramatically. But as he’d often said, I was the exception. At some point, my existence as a woman had apparently been erased in his mind. He saw me more as a rival than as the opposite s*x.

“So, what else do we need to sort out?”

He looked thoughtful. I shook my head and instead found myself studying his face. Honestly, his features were almost unfair. He was undeniably handsome. A man who seemed to have everything except for one tiny detail regarding his preferences, which happened to be directed nowhere near women. A real tragedy, if you asked me. What was the point of being that attractive when the gorgeous specimen standing in front of me had zero interest in the entire female population of the planet?

“Haven’t you been married before? Give me something to work with here. Use that brain of yours for once instead of just thinking about my money.”

“Tch!” I clicked my tongue and reluctantly revisited the bitter memories of planning my wedding with my ex-husband. There had been so much preparation back then. But instead of recalling the useful parts, all the painful memories came flooding back. It made me want to shut the whole thing out. Those were memories I had every intention of erasing forever.

“As your future wife, you’ll need to help me choose a wedding dress. And we’ll need rings too. Oh, and I want mine to be gold, with a diamond.” I was simply listing the parts of a wedding that interested me most as a woman. Luxurious decorations and elaborate venues didn’t matter to me. Those were just expensive ways to burn money. Better to skip all that for now.

“You really are trying to bleed me dry, aren’t you?” Leorio looked thoroughly disturbed by my mention of a gold ring with a diamond. But if a man wanted a woman, there was always a price to pay. And honestly, considering the secret I was keeping for him, I thought my demands were more than reasonable.

“So? Are you in or not? Because if not, I can always cancel our little arrangement.”