The Royal Contract

Dani was already dressed and prepared for their dinner date with Alex's parents. She was waiting for Alex to pick her up. Then they were off to the restaurant that his parents had picked.

"Would you stop pacing around? You're giving me a headache again," Jacky told her as she dropped down on the couch to watch a movie. But Dani's moving around in front of her was making her dizzy.

"Sorry, I can't help it." She apologized to her friend, who only raised her eyebrows at her. 

She was slightly agitated. No, that was a lie. She was very apprehensive about seeing Alex's parents again. Especially after hearing from him about his mother's wedding plans.

It was like experiencing again what happened to her during lunch with her mother. Laura would not stop talking about the wedding arrangements that would be perfect for her.

"Can you relax? Nobody can force you or Alex, for that matter, to get married. All you have to say is no if you don't want to, so calm down." Jacky talked to her as calmly as she could.

"I know that, but they are putting us in a spot. I am not sure if we could handle it. I am not sure if I am ready for that." She told Jacky.

"I like Alex a lot. As in so much. But marrying him in six months of being together is just too soon. We might not like each other by that time. Many things could happen." She whined on and on to Jacky.

But the bottom line was. Dani was afraid that Alex did not feel the same way as she did. She knew that maybe she could see herself marrying someone like Alex in the future.

If she was honest with herself, she could see herself marrying Alex in her future. But what if Alex could only see her now, but marrying her was a different story. They had not even said the L-word.

"Stop fretting on things that are not yet happening now. Just enjoy discussing the wedding with Alex's mother." Jacky counseled her.

She stood up from the couch and turned the television off, giving up on watching. Then, she moved closer to her and took her hands in hers.

"Hey, let this be another experience that you will never forget. At least you get to practice what to do for a wedding. So, if your wedding comes up, you already know what to do." Jacky hugged her and went back to the couch. She grabbed the remote and scanned the channels.

"I guess you are right." She told her. She could not do anything about it now, but she could pretend to like it for the sake of Alex's very adorable mother.

After a few minutes more, the doorbell rang, and Alex appeared by the door. As usual, he looked strikingly fashionable in his semi-formal clothes.

"Ready?" He asked, offering his hand to her.

"Yes," Dani replied as she walked out of the door. Both of them said goodbye to Jacky before closing the door.

"By the way, you look stunning tonight." He complimented her very sexy and classic dress that fully showed her assets without looking distasteful.

"Thanks, I can say the same thing with you." She told him, glancing again at his appearance.

"I wish that we did not have to attend this dinner so I can have you to myself." He whispered behind her ears once they were in the elevator going down.

She could sense the tingling sensation that went through her spine, down to her toes, with the way his breath touched her skin. But she had to control herself because they were not alone in the small space.

She was relieved after a few minutes when they were safely inside the backseat of his car. This time, he opted not to drive.

"I hope that I did not give you a heart attack earlier when I called about what my mother was planning." Alex finally opened up the topic that he was dreading since lunch. He grabbed her hands and rested them on his lap as he gazed into her eyes, checking on her reaction to what he said.

But it was an unavoidable topic that they needed to discuss whether they liked it or not. 

"Almost. But my mom already beat you to it. When I had lunch with her, it was also the topic of our discussion. It appeared that your mom already talked to her about our lack of preparation for our wedding." She spoke to him with a slight anxiousness in her voice.

She narrated to him what happened during lunch, where her mother suggested a thousand arrangements they could choose from for the wedding.

"I guess we can't do anything about them." He conceded since it was what they made their parents believed.

"I agree." She said, looking at the view outside of their window.

"Hypothetical question." He stated but waited for her to return her gaze at him before he continued. "You know how much I like you. There is no doubt about that. I know that you also like me as much."

He slightly shifted his position until he was facing her. With a light kiss on her hands and a deep breath, he again looked into her eyes.

"Yes," Dani replied to him, wanting him to continue.

Her earlier anxiety suddenly increased tenfold as the suspense of what he wanted to say hang in the air.

But looking through his eyes and seeing the familiar passion and longing in his eyes assured her that there was nothing she should fear.

"What if I was not able to find a solution to my problem? What if I would have no choice but to marry someone for the sake of my parents' honor and family name?" He stopped for a second to search her eyes for her reaction.

Although this was the last thing he wanted to do, he could not help but think about it. He never wished to force himself to marry anyone just for their tradition. Nor did he plan to put a girl in a situation of a loveless marriage.

But somehow, he found himself in a tight spot, and he had no choice but to explore his options. If he was to marry anyone, he believed that Dani was the only woman he preferred to end up tied to at the moment.

"What are you saying?" She asked. But at a certain level of her intellect, she already knew what she was about to ask her. 

Was she ready to answer his question? Her nerves were back with a vengeance as she felt butterflies flipped inside her stomach and cold sweats started to form at the back of her neck.

"You don't have to answer me right away, but maybe think about it." He said before asking his next question. "Would you marry me for real?"

He felt her hands slightly retracted from his hands but not strong enough to break their connection. Was that a sign that she might not be ready for his question?

Or maybe she was just as surprised as him with the suddenness of it.

"Are you proposing that we get married?" She could not stop the question from spilling out of her mouth. 

Was he? He asked himself also the same question as soon as it left his mouth. He had not planned to ask her that question. It did not even cross his mind before. 

Silence befell them both as a million things ran through both their mind with that hypothetical question.