Marrying My Best Friend (MMBF)

I'm Sierra White. I'm just your average university student. I thought my life was going brilliantly until I got a dreaded call from my parents. I picked up the phone, it was my mother. "I'm calling you to invite you to dinner." She spoke clearly. "You've never bothered before. What's changed?" I snapped. "We need to speak to you and would prefer to do it in person." My mother replied. "Fine." I huffed. I abruptly hung up the phone. My mother and I never had a good relationship. We would always argue and butt heads. I missed my father dearly, but being in the same room as my mother is difficult, I needed to just suck it up for the day. I threw on my shoes and headed down to my car. As I was crossing the parking lot, I saw a familiar figure passing behind my car. I almost hit him. My jock best friend. "TYLER!" I yelled. "What the F, I almost hit you." I continued. "I wanted to catch you. Can we talk?" He asked. "Can it wait?" I asked. "Not really. Where are you going?" He raised an eyebrow. "My parents, they want me to have dinner with them." I explained. "But it's been Three years, S how can they expect you to forgive them?" Tyler asked. "I don't want to do this alone. Please come with me, we can talk on the way." I pleaded. "Sure." he smiled. Tyler climbed into the passenger seat. I was focusing on the road while listening to Tyler talk. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to a movie." he asked sheepishly. We had never discussed feelings of more than friendship, I assumed this was just our usual hang out, which we hadn't done in months because of studying. "erm...sure...I'd like that." I stuttered. Tyler and I have been best friends since we were kids. We grew up on the same street, went to the same school, our mother's are best friends and we became best friends, we've been neighbours for a long time, until my parents moved when my fathers business took off. Tyler's been by my side through my none existent love life and I've stuck by him through his heartbreak. Tyler had thrown me off a little with the question of movies, I felt a little awkward but at the same time it was Ty I never felt awkward for long. Finally we pulled up to my parents house, we weren't billionaire rich but we also weren't poor either. I'd say more middle class, we lived in a mediocre town house, it was a gated community but it wasn't a fancy mansion. I stepped out of the car and headed up the path, reaching the porch I knocked on the front door, there was no answer so I pushed the large wooden door open and stepped inside. It was unusual for my parents to leave the door unlocked, despite the gated community there still had been break ins in the neighbourhood. The entry way is exactly as you'd imagine, pristine with a flower on a side table, beside a shoe rack and a coat rack, everything had a place. "Mom, Dad?" I called out to my parents. My mom peered her head from around the kitchen door, she smiled at me softly and approached me wrapping me in a hug. She looked over to Tyler. "Sweetheart hi, oh you brought Tyler. I didn't know you were bringing a guest." She forced a smile. "Great way to greet him. Where's dad?" I asked. "In the lounge sweetie. Go on through." She smiled again. It was weird seeing her trying to be nice, especially after so long, I moved on to campus when I first started university because I couldn't live with my mom. I walked into the lounge with haste to see my dad, I had missed him, it had been three years since I had seen him properly because he worked all the time. I was taken aback to see a well dressed man, who was 6ft 6 with the stature if the incredible hulk towering over me. I hadn't notice Tyler following closely behind me. My father smiled up at me from his chair. "Sierra, this is Theo, we invited him over for dinner." He gestured to the tall man. "Hello." Theo flashed a smile at me. "Yeah." I muttered. Something was off about this, my mother wanted to speak to me after three years and coincidentally they invited Theo for dinner, things were adding up. "Don't be rude." My father scolded. I didn't know this dude and I certainly didn't plan on getting to know him. What the hell are my parents up to? "What's going on?" I asked. "I'm not sure I follow." My father replied dumbfounded. "You and mom invited me for dinner. Theo was invited also and mom looked pissed when I walked in with Tyler." I smirked. My father showed his cowardly side he began looking down at his feet and mumbling to himself. "What I can't hear you!" I snapped. "Theo is here for an arranged marriage." My father spluttered. "What?!" I gasped, raising my eyebrows. My mother casually strolled in as though there had been no shouting going on. "Your father and I think it's best if you have an arranged marriage." She added. "Since when do you and dad know what's best for me, you've not been in my life for three years." I snapped. "We assumed you were single still, we haven't heard otherwise and we need you to agree." She explained. "Why?" I questioned. "Because it will look better for our family if you marry Theo." My mother declared. "You mean it will look better for dad's business." I snapped. "Well...yes." My mother sighed. "So all I am to you is a daughter you can marry off for your own personal gain?" I could feel tears creeping to the corner of my eyes. I felt a squeeze at my hand, Tyler had attempted to comfort me the best he could given the current situation. I composed myself. "I'm sorry but I have a boyfriend." I replied confidently. "Since when?" My mother's voice cracked. "None of your business, if you had given a thought to call me over the last three years you would know." I snapped again. My mother fumbled on the spot, as though she was trying to find a justifiable reason for no contact over the past three years. I didn't have a boyfriend but I was damn sure I wasn't marrying Theo. "You have two choices." My father snapped. "Those are?" I replied. "Marry within the week or we will pull you out of university and send you to a boarding school." My mother added confidently. "So you're resorting to blackmail?" I huffed. "What else are we supposed to do?" My mother asked. "Maybe ask me how I feel being married off." I sighed. "Sierra, your behaviour has been so sparatic and destructive. We allowed you to take the university course despite our wishes and now we thin it would be a good opportunity to get and arranged marriage sorted." She explained. "I'm Twenty Three. I don't want to be married yet." I replied. "Unless you introduce me to this coincidental boyfriend then in a week you shall be married to Theo." My mother snapped. "My boyfriend is right here." I declared confidently. I pulled Tyler closer to me, he looked confused for a moment, I threw him a look as to say play along. "Yeah." Tyler added. "How long have you and Tyler been dating?" My father questioned. "Six months." I replied quickly. "Marci never mentioned anything last we spoke." My mother looked upset. Marci is Tyler's mom. She's been more of a mother to me the last few years than my own mother had. "We've been keeping it a secret for a while now. You know how people love to gossip." Tyler smiled. My mother thrived for gossip, she seemed a little disappointed that she didn't have this gossip sooner. "Right, well, you both need to be married by the end of the week to annul what we have arranged with Theo's family." My mother smirked. I exchanged a look to Tyler, my mother stood proudly as though she had won and had gotten what she had wanted. "Sure." Tyler replied. Tyler had agreed to being married in a week. I didn't love him well not in the romantic sense, he was just my best friend. We finished up at dinner and headed back to campus, a second longer with my parents and it would be a riot. We headed into our shared dorm lounge, I slumped onto the sofa. "Are you crazy?" I asked him. "You were the one who said we were in a relationship." Tyler smirked. "I panicked, I'm not marrying Theo." I replied. "Then what are you going to do?" Tyler raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking we could get married, keep up the charade until my parents backed off, get divorced and you can go back to your bachelor lifestyle and I can get on with my life." I replied. "Are you insane?" he gaped at me. "No but my parents are." I laughed. "That would explain where you get it from." Tyler chuckled. "You're such an ass, please Ty I need your help." I pleaded. "Fine but only because I can't say no to you." He smirked. "Sorry." I muttered. "It's fine, but I have to call my mom." Tyler replied. "Sure do whatever you need." I smiled. I parted from Tyler. Guilt built in my stomach for roping him into this, it was a big commitment.