Dimitri, Caleb, and Aiden are seated in a booth at the far end of the club having a drink together. People could be seen dancing and rubbing against each other on the dance floor.
“So you’re finally joining the married men group?” Aiden asked after the waiter had brought their order and left. He took a swing from his bottle before settling it down on the table.
“Yeah,” Dimitri answered in a bored tone.
“So when is the wedding?” Aiden inquired.
“Don’t know” Dimitri gulped down the whole bottle in one go, after putting it down on the table he grimaced at how strong it was.
That was what he needed at the moment, maybe it would just take him out of this joke he calls a life and brings him peace...he hoped.
“You don’t seem the least pleased, are you not happy about your upcoming marriage?” Caleb asked observing his cousin’s mood.
He would be having his engagement party in a few weeks and he was very excited he would be marrying the love of his life soon. The case was different for Dimitri.
“I am happy, yay!” he didn’t look anything happy.
“I see” was Caleb’s response.
“Now you see who needs all the settling down talk” Aiden comments earning a glare from Dimitri “Chill bro, who are you getting married to anyways?”
“Some girl, father, friends with my Dad” he answered.
“So it’s more like an arranged marriage?” Caleb clarified.
They are his best buddies, there was no harm in telling them. He and Audriana had to show their love in front of their parents and the world, that’s if there would be a press conference.
“Yes,” he nods.
“Why? Why get into a loveless marriage then?” Caleb asked.
Dimitri just shrugged and took another bottle.
“This is not the Dimitri I know, you wouldn’t succumb to anyone’s command, not even your Dad’s order, what happened then?” Aiden said.
“Well, I guess the Dimitri you know has changed” he replied then started taking gulp after gulp from the bottle.
“And you are not getting your ass drunk again, are we clear?” Caleb took the bottle from Dimitri just as he was about to finish the bottle of alcohol, his action earned him a low growl from Dimitri.
Dimitri tried to grab the bottle from Caleb and he put it out of reach, then he looked at the table and went for the one beside Aiden, Aiden was quick to grab it before his hand could get to it.
“Give me that” Dimitri grunts. He was tipsy and they both know if he has one or two more he would be uncontrollable and that would be a disaster.
Aiden called the waiter to take the drinks and suggested they leave that place as it won’t help Dimitri in any way.
“I can walk on my own” muttered Dimitri when Aiden and Caleb tried helping him out of the club gate.
“Yeah we can see that, where did we park?” Caleb asked Aiden then grabbed Dimitri and slung his hand over his shoulder so that Dimitri could rest on him.
“Help me here”
“I think we parked over there” Aiden pointed to the parking lot outside the club “Oh man you’re heavy” Aiden grunts as Dimitri's weights rest on him a little.
“I am holding him too you know” Caleb stated and they began dragging their friend towards the parking lot.
“I am driving, stay with him at the back,” Caleb said once they put Dimitri in the back seat.
“Come on, why do I have to stay with him? I am not even drunk,” Aiden threw his hands up in the air.
“You both had a lot to drink, well Dimitri had more...and I am the sober one here so do comply with me and sit your ass with him,” Caleb said in a final tone “And please don't let him puke on my seat, I just bought them from the shop yesterday” he pleads.
“No promise, let’s move” Aiden got into the car and so did Caleb, he started the car and drove out of the parking lot to the direction of his apartment.
***
“I am getting married”
Her words hang in the air as Sofia gave her a look with one of her eyebrows raised.
“You are what? How? When? Where?” she asked, surprised at what came out of her friend’s mouth.
Audriana sighs and sits up properly giving more space for Sofia to sit, Sofia scoots closer to her and brings out a large bowl from underneath the bed and a bag full of chips from her bag.
That was like their thing as friends when one of them was in distress and wanted to share what is stressing them out... They would do that, eat chips or any kind of snacks without drinking juice or water. They would take water or juice when they are both feeling okay and have sort or say out their mind.
“I am getting married” Audriana repeats.
“To who?” Sofia asked, pouring the chips into the bowl she cleaned. “When did you start dating that led to a marriage?”
“It’s an arranged marriage” she states “I do have a choice but my guilt is having a tight grip on me”
“To who?”
“Some guy named Dimitri, his father, and my father are long-time friends” Audriana filled her mouth with chips.
There was a little silence, just the crunching of chips could be heard.
“Oh, why did your parents decide on an arranged marriage?” Sofia asked after some time.
“My Dad you mean, well according to him our company was experiencing some issues like I told you the other day so I didn’t know it was that bad, you know we spent lots of money on this project and since it failed all the money spent on it is gone...we had about two companies invest on this project because they taught it was going to work and I later got to know a loan was taken from a financial investment company so this project was supposed to bring out more than was spent but that isn’t the case at the moment” Audriana explains.
“So our company are kind of going bankrupt an-”
“Kind of?” Sofia interrupted.
Audriana sighed “Okay we are seriously going bankrupt and I don’t think we would be able to survive and keep the company going if we pay off the debts...next week the month ends and if we pay off the debts what of our employees? Do we put them in pain or distress because we couldn’t pay their salaries? No'' Audriana explains taking more chips in her mouth “Tell me you brought more of this?” she asked.
“Yeah, yeah” Sofia poured more in the bowl “So what brought about the marriage? Couldn’t there be some other way?”
“Well, no...we can’t think of anything else and borrowing at this moment is totally a stupid idea” she put more chips in her mouth “Some days ago or about a week ago he went to pay his friend a visit and told his friend about the issues Bernard Tech was facing and his friend offered to help with a condition their kids get married”
“That’s crazy,” Sofia concluded.
“I know” Audriana leaned on the headboard “He is so full of himself, I hope I don't get frustrated when we get married”
“Sounds like my cousin” Sofia gave a short laugh.
“Caleb? He doesn't seem like that”
“No not Caleb, he is the better one as you know...let’s just forget about that my one cousin and focus on how to make you feel better”
“Maybe I should run away?” Audriana said, giving Sofia a mischievous look.