I walked down the stairs with trembling hands while looking at Zach sitting on a seat in front of my parents. "W-what are you doing here?" I asked him as if I never really knew what was happening.
"Sit down, we need to talk," Dad told me using a very cold tone. I gulped and did what he said. I sat down next to Zach whom I think I should sit next to.
This pressure wasn't actually what I was expecting. I expected a lot more pressure than this. This is less than expected. I looked at Zach when I saw him look at me too.
"He already told us everything," Dad started talking. I gulped and looked down, I can't even look at them right now, I felt how disappointed they were in me.
"Aira's older brother, Zach isn't it? Do you have any plans to marry my daughter?"
That's when my eyes widened. I looked at him in shock. Marriage never came into my mind. I looked at Zach and shook my head. "I don't think we need to come to that," I said panicking. I looked at Zacha but his eyes are just looking at my Dad's serious-looking face. "We can just co-parent with the child, there's no need for marriage," I said.
I looked at Mom to ask her for help even though I already knew she was never going to say a thing. "Of course." my eyes widened more and looked at him in shock.
"What are you saying/!" I exclaimed to him. I never thought about marrying him or something. I tried hard not to think about the future and missed the part where we have to deal with our relationship.
We never liked each other, we did it without any feelings toward each other. And I heard he might already be dating someone.
"Zach, you don't have to--"
"No," he looked at me and looked at Dad again, "I also want to take responsibility for both Xhyrah and the baby,"
I looked at Dad's expression and he seemed pleased about it. I was about to complain more when I remembered why I came to their house that night. Dad wanted me to become close with Zach, this must be the reason why he is asking these questions. He wants us to marry because he knew he can take advantage of Zach once he becomes my husband.
"No, I don't want that," I said bravely. Zach slowly looked at me as if he cannot believe what I just said, "I don't want to get married," I repeated and looked at how Dad changed his expression.
"What are you talking about, Xhyra?" he asked me with his voice almost roaring. "Are you going to raise the child without its dad?!" and he even pretended to care about the child.
"No. the baby is going to have a Dad, I just don't want to get married,"
"What do you mean?" he asked me.
"I just want to deal with Zach about co-parenting. There's no need for marriage at all,"
"Yes there is," he said but couldn't say any more because he knew there was no need to marry Zach. Co-parenting is the best choice for me and he has nothing to do with that if I refuse pm marry Zach. "I cannot allow that," he lost but still try to fight.
"What do you mean? Who made you think you have anything to say about us?" I asked. My temper is slightly taking over me right now. "We need to deal with it ourselves, you can't push us to marry like that,"
"Your tone, young Lady," And mom finally said a thing.
"I and Zach will be talking about it later, We only want to tell you about it, we never asked you to say something a--" I stopped when Zach suddenly held my hand. I looked at him right away but he's not looking at me.
"I'll marry your daughter, sir,"
"What the fuck did you say?!" I asked him madly and pulled my hand from him. "You can't just say that as if I want to do it with you too!"
Who does he think he is? He doesn't know what he's saying, he thinks marriage is a simple thing. It's obviously not!
"I really appreciate your choices," DAad said as if everything is already settled.
"What? No," I said and tried to complain more but Zach suddenly got up from his seat holding my hand.
"Excuse us for a bit,' he said and pulled me carefully outside,"
"What are you doing?!" I asked him immediately when we both got out of the house. "Why did you say that?!"
"You made me look like an idiot when you refused, Xhyrah,"
"I told you, we don't need it!" I said trying to get each word into his head. "Co-parenting is easier than getting married, for this reason, Zach"
"You know I can't do that,"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't let the child grow up with a broken family, Xhyrah," he said seriously which made me stop complaining. "And your Dad seems to want it too,"
"Why are you thinking about Dad's opinion?!" I am so annoyed because I can't even tell him that they only want our marriage to use him in the future. I can't tell him those words.
"I'm a man, if taking care of you makes them feel at ease then I can do it for them,"
NO, you're wrong because they never really cared about me,
I don't know what to say to him because the reason I was declining is too much to tell him. "There are more reasons to go than not to,"
"You don't understand anything, I said I don't want it,"
"I just want us to raise the child together, that's all,"
"I get your point but--" I stopped talking and sighed. I suddenly felt very dizzy. I tried hard not to show him that and walked back inside without saying a thing.
I saw mom and dad looking at me when I went in waiting for me to say something but I walked past them and went straight into my room.
"What the fuck," I cursed and laid myself in bed.
***** THIRD PERSON'S POV *****
Zach was on his way to follow Xhyrah to where she went when the old man coughed and caught his attention. "My daughter is so stubborn so I think I will need to talk to you, young man,"
He sat down back to his seat again and looked ta the old man silently,
"I want the both of you to get married," the old man said. Zach knew he was going to say that. He had always known that the father wants them to get married. And he is not so shallow not to know the reason why.
"That is what I also wanted, sir," he answered.
"If you can't convince my daughter to get married, you are never going to see your child."
Zach didn't expect to be attacked like that. He couldn't help but give a surprised expression at what the old man said.
"Both of you don't know how much we are disappointed right now," he added and looked away, "I want the best for my daughter and my grandchild so please convince her more,"
******** END OF 3RD PERSON'S POV*****
I tried to ease myself up inside the room. I still want to go downstairs and complain but I can't take the risk of falling down. I tried hard trying to ease myself up fro a few minutes buts suddenly, someone started knocking on my door.
And when I looked back, it was Zach entering my room. "Who told you that you have the right to come in here?" I asked him but he didn't pay attention.
"Your dad wants it," he told me,
"I told you, stop thinking about Zach's opinion." repeating this makes me feel dizzy even more.
"You don't understand,"
"Why do you want it so bad?" I asked him. I know I shouldn't be asking him this because it might make him think that I am expecting him to say that he has feelings for me but I just can't stay silent about it.
"I already told you about it, I don't want the child to grow up with a broken family,"
I get his point, I don't want that either. But I just can't risk myself getting into an empty relationship because I know we would only suffer more. Being tied with each other forever. And the worst thing si that we both don't have a mutual attachment with each other. All I have is a small crush that ended long ago.
Getting married will add more burden on both of us. "I am doing it for the child, not myself and nobody else, please think more about it," he said using a serious tone.
I looked down. I suddenly felt bad. He didn't say a thing and left the room. The dizziness went away in an instant. I laid my back on the bed again and closed my eye tightly.
We both don't need it. But when he did just hit me. He's not doing it for anyone else but the child, not even for himself. I suddenly remembered that Zach lived his whole childhood without his true mother.
I heard that he never really gets to be treated nicely by Aira's mom. Not that she never wanted to treat him nicely but she never had the chance.
He knew the feeling of living like that himself because he has gone through that. Who am I to refuse without knowing the feeling.
I had parents but they don't support me as others do, I wonder if the pain hurts the same, because I don't ever want the child to feel the same way s that.
"Damn," I cursed,
I went out of my bed and walked back downstairs. I saw Zach taking his leave. "Zach!" I called him. Everybody's attention went to me. I walked down the stairs and went to him. I gave him a look that will make him realize that I want to talk again.
We went outside again, "Isn't it cold?" he asked. "Is it okay for you?"
The atmosphere has changed, we were not as pressured as a few minutes ago, "Don't treat me like I was sick," I answered him.
We walked all the way to his car, "I had already thought about it,"
I suddenly hesitated so I stopped telling it all the way through. I only get to think about it for like 5 minutes but I had already come up with a decision.
I don't want to regret this someday. "I'll just go with your decision," I finally aid.
Later that night and the next few days, I convinced myself that marriage isn't a big deal at all and that I can live up to the possible consequences of the decision that I just made.
After a few days, papers came. I was told to sign all of them. I signed them with my eyes closed and went back into my room and never came out again.
I don't know what to feel anymore. I feel numb for getting myself into an empty relationship.
Whenever I feel like I will be thinking about it all night, I think of why I was doing it and for who I am doing it.
Then one day, I felt like I am missing something. I felt like I was forgetting something. I was so satisfied with the conversation with my parents about eh marriage that I had forgotten that I needed to talk to his family too.
WIths shaking hands, I dialed Zach's number.
"Is there anything wrong? "he asked with a hoarse voice. I expected it since I called him at 12 am. "Why are you still awake?"
"I-- uhm, I just want to ask when we're going to your house?"
"You want to come to my house that bad?__"
"No, you're parents' house," my cheeks heated up thinking that I had just embarrassed myself.
"About that," he paused. "I wanted to ask you when you are ready, I know it won't be easy fr you,"
I felt like a hand just caressed my heart. Why is he considering me first about this? He seems to be another person. I never expected him to be like this.
"Oh, okay, we'll talk about it later, Sorry for waking you up," I was about to end the call when,
"You're moving into my house on Monday," he said.
"What? R-right away?"
"Yeah,"
What the--
"O-okay, goodnight," I said and hung up the call.
I can't believe that I am moving to his house already. I am still thinking if the choice was right and now I am already moving into his house? and Monday s 3 days from now1
I was about to overthink what was going to happen when I move into his house when my phone beeped.
[From Zach
Don't stay up too late, we'll get you checked up soon ]
And because of that, I tried hard to get myself to sleep.
"