How to Fake a Love Story

21:Of Proposals

Ryan wasn't quite sure if he should be worried or terrified.

Since reuniting with Jared and Samantha, and after being scarred for life from Cynthia, the girls had gone their separate ways. Cynthia had left satisfied, leaving Ryan in a perpetual state of horror

Samantha had left... smiling and Ryan wasn't sure if that was altogether a good thing or not. He never actually got around to phoning her up again like he said he would all those months ago.

Now he was sitting alone in row 16A of some football game. There was a ball on the field, people were moving, the crowd cheered like raving lunatics every so often, and that was all he understood. Ryan didn't really know. He wasn't really the physically-able type to be playing sports for recreational purposes.

The sky was dark and Ryan glanced at his watch. Eight o' clock. The day had gone by in the blur and he did enjoy spending time with his mother.

Looking around at the various spectators, Ryan sighed. Jared had been gone for some time now and Ryan was tempted to leave since the half-time break was almost due.

Jared would understand.

Right?

Right.

But then a small ounce of guilt always kept him back. Jared had been nice to him in a non-s****l-harassment kind of way for the rest of the afternoon. He had also made an effort to get along with Ruby despite the fact that she wasn't very gentle with him. He could understand his mother's point of view too since she had seen Jared try to molest her son just a couple of weeks back but he hoped that she would let him stay here instead of taking him back to London with her.

On top of that, he realized that he had gotten used to Jared holding his hand everywhere they went and had even stopped thinking about it. On the contrary, it felt quite pleasant to have someone warm hold his normally cold hands. Not to mention the fact that Jared was actually being nice.

Ryan had decided it was rather pleasant change.

By the time the break was announced and the score was tied, Ryan was getting impatient and began to-

Uh oh.

And for a few deer-in-the-headlight moments, Ryan could only wonder why Jared was grinning at him.

From the large four-screen.

He took a sip of his soft-drink, hoping it was poisoned. Every kind of bad and ominous feeling settled in his stomach all at once as he sunk lower in his seat.

Ryan had heard of this kind of thing before and opted not to do it on the rare chance that the girl would refuse or that they would get hitched and some random person would remember he was once married. That and it cost a lot of money he was unwilling to part with.

Jared knelt to the ground, holding up a box of the size and shape Ryan was fairly familiar with. Ryan didn't know where Jared was but it seemed to be somewhere on the higher VIP stands. He sunk lower in his seat, praying to every deity he knew about to be struck by lightning.

"Ryan Grayson-"

He was not.

"-the love of my-"

He was not.

"-life, will you-"

He was not.

"-marry me?" echoed throughout the stadium, currently seating over three-thousand some-odd patrons.

He was.

The screen panned to Ryan and he could feel a small part of him die inside. Proposing was one thing, but being proposed to was something entirely different.

Especially when it involved a lot of media attention as eyes everywhere swivelled in his direction as the screen panned to show him. The part of Ryan that wasn't dying from several different forms of embarrassment and horror was taking note that humiliation was making good use of the media. At the same time, there was something else weighing on his chest.

Something akin to guilt and sadness.

There were whispers everywhere and a few excited giggles.

Marriage was a solemn bond that signified the undying love between two individuals. It was sacred. It was something big, something important, and generally something you didn't do on a whim. It was also a very legally binding event. And if that wasn't bad enough, the numerous witnesses that saw the proposal made it worse. He was feeling guilty.

He hadn't even felt this guilty when he left Myra.

Maybe he should just reject it but.....

Jared Winston was rich.

And he was no longer single.

And he was offering Ryan the keys to the much sought-after bank account of the world's richest man. Despite the public humiliation and guilt, Jared's offer was terribly tempting.

"I... Uh..."

Ryan glanced around.

There were a few who whispered 'Say yes' behind him encouragingly and many others who were smiling in his direction knowingly. An employee tapped his shoulder and handed him a microphone with which to voice back his response. The screen panned back to Jared.

He started to look worried and his lips turned down just enough, as his eyes-

He used it.

Kicked Puppy Look.

"Will you?"

Ryan cursed the day he was born with everything he had.

"I..."

"I love you."

Cue the resounding 'Awww.'

Guilt.

He pursed his lips, wanting to die just that much more with every passing-

"I'll marry you..."

Cheers erupted throughout the stadium and everyone around him was congratulating him and throwing popcorn in the air and-it was a horribly public display that Ryan would remember for the rest of his days.

They opted to walk home. They talked about idle things, like the marriage. There was a bit of teasing but Jared mostly strolled along with a tiny content smile on his face. Ryan had called his mother and asked her to meet them at Jared's estate. He was still a bit apprehensive to go to Jared's house but since his mother would be there it was fine. Not to mention the fact that he was now engaged.

Engaged.

It will definitely take some time for it to sink in.

When they got home and told Ruby about it she just laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

So much that tears were forming in her eyes.

And then she had Jared pinned against the wall with a gloved hand squeezing around his throat. No one had really even seen her move. "How dare you! You evil little, scum-eating, vile, worthless-"

"Miss, murder is still slightly illegal in Rosewood," Timothy intervened calmly, restraining her wrist easily as she lashed out futilely. Her mouth became a fountain of profanity. Timothy leaned forward to whisper something in her ear and she stopped cursing.

Ryan stared at his mother in horror. He didn't even know his mother was capable of such language let alone such violence. They were still crowded around the entrance hall.

She was still making a pretty mean effort at escape and shot Jared a few not-very-friendly looks even as she kept her mouth shut.

"Miss apologies for her earlier behaviour and congratulates you both on this happy news." Ruby glared, exhibiting anything but apology and happiness.

Timothy turned to Ryan. "Ryan, I'm glad you've found someone to share your happiness with. I wish you both all the very best." Timothy smiled and Ryan felt his lips tug up into a smile despite his mother's disapproval.

There was a knock on the door. Jared frowned, rubbed his throat, and muttered something darkly about what other freaks were banging on his door just as he opened it to-

"RYAN!"

Ryan had exactly three seconds to let out a strangled cry before being tackled to the ground by-

"Scott!?"

Scott hugged him around his middle as tightly as possible. He gave a small sniffle before nuzzling into the crook of Ryan's neck affectionately, sobbing slightly.

An indiscriminate shiver passed through Ryan and the urge to kick him off and escape manifested as his homophobia came out full force. Out of the corner of his eye, he registered the deadly blank look on his mother's face while everyone else stared on at the scene in stunned silence.

Ryan didn't even want to know how had Scott came to know where they were. But then, he abruptly remembered about the note that Cierra had left behind. He had been too distracted to think much about it at that time. But it still didn't explain how Scott had reached Jared's house and why he was now sobbing on Ryan's shoulder.

"How could you leave me for Jared!? You said I was special!" Scoot wailed.

Ryan's eyes widened. "I don't-what!? Get off of-"

"Ryan, I love you!" he declared proudly, right before placing both hands on either side of Ryan's face and planting a kiss on his lips.

Ryan's eyes widened and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Jared's horrified face.