ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Cross Pov

“I can’t believe you are getting married man, that’s so not you, never expected you to be the first of the two of us to get married,”

Dean my best friend said, obviously, mocking me, he knew how much I didn’t want to get married.

“Cut it out man, for real,”

“Come on, it’s a good development, at least now you will leave all those ladies for us the single men,”

“What? No way, yes I am going to marry the damn spoilt brat, but there is no way in hell I am leaving all those pussies, just to be with one, I don’t even care about her,”

“That’s bad of you, I am against cheating,”

“Says the one who cheats on his girlfriends,” I said rolling my eyes, I may like women but at least my women know their place at least I make them know where they stand with me, Dean, on the other hand, gather them like trophies.

“Man, we are different, those women are not legally mine, but this woman, she is gonna be your wife, I am against cheating for real, I ain’t joking,”

“Enough, dude, I didn’t ask you to come just so you can lecture me, I just need a drinking buddy,”

“Chill out, I am just saying, anyway, how does she look? Is she pretty?”

“I don’t know,” I said without interest, my mom has still not sent her photos, that’s not a problem because I already knew what she looked like, a tiny weeny like teenage girl crossed my mind, my memory of her was somewhat blurry but I could still picture her complaining about almost everything, each time I met her she always had one issue or the other, ten years must have done a hell lot of things to her but I couldn’t conclude, I tried looking her up, but I didn’t find anyone that fit her look on the net, even on her brother’s page.

“Wait! You don’t know her or how she looks? Man? That’s messed up,”

Dean said, I was starting to regret why I called him here, I should have just had the drink myself, Dolly has been pressing and disturbing me with calls, begging for us to get back together, I didn’t quite get why she couldn’t understand that I don’t want anything with her again, ladies are s so high maintenance.

“Cross?”

“Man, I know her okay, I knew her when she was still a teenager but I don’t know what she looks like now,”

I said sipping my beer.

“Why don’t you look her up then?”

“Come on Dean, are you high? Do I like I have the time to be looking up a girly that my parents want me to marry? Dude, I am a busy man, I don’t have that time and besides, I will see her at the engagement party,”

“If I were you I will check her up, what’s her name let me help you,”

“Mind your business dude,”

I said getting up, I was tired of him, he wasn’t any fun tonight, I would rather just go to sleep than sit with him.

“I am off”

I said and walked off, the annoying dude followed me.

“Are you offended?”

He asked in his annoying voice, I don’t know why I was best friends with him anyway, he and I were so different, I am an heir, while Dean is a self-made man, I envy him a lot, I wish I had broken off my family and started something on my own back then, but I love my family too much to do that, my mom would have cried herself to death if I had left the family, not that I am not proud of how well I handled my family’s business here but sometimes I feel like everything was offer to me on a platter of gold unlike Dean that had to work his way to the top, I had mad respect for Dean and look up to him a lot, he lost his parents when he was young and had lived in foster homes until he came of age, compared to me that had both my parent with me and also was born with a silver spoon.

“Arent you gonna talk to me? Remember I am going to be your best man,”

He said in his annoying voice entering my car without an invite, the driver looked at me and I told him to carry on, resting my head on the car seat I try to avoid him but the man could be a pest if he want to be.

“Cross? Are you angry? For real?”

“Dude, leave me alone,”

I said waving him off but he didn’t back out.

“So when are we leaving for Arizona?”

“A day to the engagement or two days to,”

I said with my eyes close.

“Okay, does that mean you are moving back home after the wedding?”

“No, way, my wife and I are coming back to live her, she doesn’t have a choice, if she wants to stay with her family she might as well tell them she didn’t want the marriage,”

I said, there was no way I am moving back to Arizona just to be with one woman, no my life is in New York, I have lived here by myself for the past ten years and I am used to it if I wanted peace and quietness in this city I know where to go to get it.

“I should start thinking of getting a wife soon too, I will be thirty-two soon,”

“He said and I looked at him weirdly, here is the one I envy wanting to cage himself in a marriage, I just dont understand humans, I wish we could switch places so that he would be the one getting married, I mean he is rich too, so spoilt little princess might not have a problem.

” hmm, wanna marry her in my place?”

“Thanks, man, but I don’t want, I can get my own woman, this one is yours,”

“Chicken,”

I said and covered my eyes again, I just don’t know what was wrong with me, at the beginning of this week I was fine, even when Dolly that bitch kept disturbing my life I was still fine, but as the week drew to an end and the day to my supposed engagement party drew closers I became less and less happy, normally on weekends I enjoyed myself and party to the fullest but the thought of that freedom been taken away from me left me unhappy, I should just talk to my mom and tell them I wasn’t ready for the marriage yet.

“Dude, stop I need to get off,”

Dean said to my driver bringing me out of my thoughts.

“What up man?”

“Grace,”

He said and I understood immediately, he had a sister, more like a foster sister and she is a pain in his neck always getting in trouble.

“Okay, man I will see you around,”

He said as he got off, phone in hand already making calls.

“Sorry I can’t come with you,”

I said not feeling bad at all.

“It’s okay, you need some time alone yourself, you don’t look too fine, just know that being married is not as bad as you think it is,”

“Whatever,” I said and my driver kicked off leaving him behind.

When I got to my apartment I took a bath and tried to get some sleep but I couldn’t fall asleep, I called my mom instead, I needed to speak with her, she picked up on the first ring.

“Hey, son I was meant to call you but I have been very busy with preparations,”

“It’s okay, ma,”

“What’s going on Cross? Your voice doesn’t sound so well,”

My mom asked already panicking I could feel it in her voice, I really wanted to tell her what’s on my mind, but I didn’t want to disappoint her.

“I am fine mom,” I said instead.

“I just had a little too much to drink,” I added when she wasn’t convinced.

“Cross, I told you not to drink so much,”

“Sorry, ma,”

I said.

“Ma?”

“Yes, boy?”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“Do I really have to marry her?”

I asked, I couldn’t keep it in again.

“Son, I…”

“What is the essence of this union mom? I need to know,”

“I didn’t want to tell you this over the phone but since you didn’t come home and are not coming until the engagement I will just tell you,”

“Okay, I am listening,” I said all ears.

“Well, son, you guys were already promised to each other the day she was born,”

My mom revealed and the tiredness suddenly washed off me, I rose off the bed and started pacing up and down.

“What? Why am I just knowing this?”

“Son, listen to me will you?”

“You guys should have told me at least,”

“I am sorry, but we didn’t want you to live with the burden from a young age,”

“I am twenty-nine years old mom, I should have been informed, what if I had fallen for someone else?”

I asked trying to control my disappointment, I thought my parent doesn’t keep anything from me and this felt like a blow, a blow from an unknown hand, it hurt and I was disappointed in them.

“Let me explain son,”

My mom said but I was too upset to listen.

“No, ma, I gotta go,”

I said and hung up throwing my phone away, just why did they set us up without notice, this just goes to show that spoilt princess might not want this union too, which goes against a lot of things I had thought, I walked to my winery, picked up my favorite wine and glass and walked back to my room all the while pissed with my parent, I filled a glass and downed it at once, they should have told me at least, I would have been more prepared. I needed more information, more answers as to why we were betrothed at her birth when we are not living in the olden days, but I didn’t want to talk to my mom in this state, I will wait till tomorrow when I am much calmer and speak to her, then I will know if I am gonna continue with this or break off the engagement. With that thought, I kept the wine back, went back to my bed, and tried to get some sleep…