An Arranged Marriage to a Jerk

Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Terms and Conditions

I decide that I need to forgive Connor. if I'm going to marry him, we should probably be on good terms come our wedding day. Today is September 20. I have three months, four days left to fall in love. 

My phone is charging near my cat house. I glance down to see it needs about five more minutes, so I run downstairs and find my parents on their laptops facing each other on tan rocking chairs on our screened-in porch. Hansel is serving them some biscuits and gravy for breakfast, since it's ten past eight. I smile as I pass him and he squeezes my arm a little. I face my mother first. "Where is my cat?"

"Your cat?" She asks, barely glancing up from her computer screen. The website for a local gym is reflected off her glasses. It figures that my mom would get a new gym installed in our house and already be sick of exercising with my dad and a personal trainer. I really hope that I never turn into this.

"Yes, my cat. Prince Willie? The only person I trust in this house?" Good thing Hansel is out of the room. "What have you done with him?"

"Didn't Hansel tell you-"

"Yes, he told me. Tell me what you did with Prince Willie and I will consider your request."

"No, first you have to agree to our demands," My father cuts in.

"Your demands?" I give a harsh laugh. "You sound like a kidnapper! More like cat-napper!"

"Yes, our demands. You have to call Connor. He was very upset with you and your mother and I had to re-convince him to marry you. This is serious."

I take a deep breath and try to calm down. They can't possibly know how ridiculous and arbitrary they are being. But I know from past experience that they won't listen to reason when they believe that they hold the only option. Which is exactly what they hold right now. "Fine. I'll... I'll call Connor and beg him for forgiveness. I will throw myself at his feet, crying in the pouring rain and offer him my hand in marriage."

"Good!" My mother claps her hands and resumes typing. Hansel comes in holding a crate with Prince Willie in it. "We're glad your'e finally seeing reason! Please, don't let this happen again."

I clamp my mouth shut and stifle a remark. I grab the cage from Hansel's hands and run up my room. Or at least I hobble on my crutches at a semi-fast pace. I slam my door, which is harder to do than you'd think with fresh carpet. Prince Willie springs from his crate and runs to the safety of his cat castle.

I smile and unplug my phone. It's fully charged now... which I'm sure I'll need. I dial Connor's number from my contacts (it's not like I memorized it or anything, or even put it on speed dial).

He answers on the first wring. "What, Allison?"

I blink. "Nice to talk to you, too, Connor. Listen, I just wanted to-"

"Beg for my forgiveness?" 

I pause.

"Yeah, your parents just texted me. So, yes, I accept your forgiveness on a few terms." I can hear the smirk in his voice. 

"Wait, you are accepting my forgiveness? No, no, no, I should be accepting your forgiveness. You were a complete jerk! I did nothing wrong."

"Look, you can either agree to my terms or i won't marry you-'

"Good!"

"-and you can go to law school yourself1"

Sadly, he's right. There's no way that he would marry me after this. And there is no way that I'm going to law school. So I have to do what he says. "What are the terms."

He smiles; it's clear through his voice. "Just two. They're pretty simple. The first term is that you are to introduce me, wherever you go, as your fiancee."

That is so not happening. "No way."

"Hmm. Fine, your boyfriend?"

I consider this for a moment. It's not that bad, and I can hopefully avoid any potential boyfriends. "And you have to act like a good girlfriend," he adds.

I sigh. He's got me. Whatever the second condition is, I just hope it's not that bad. "Fine. And the second one?"

There's a long pause. "You have to stop dating other guys."

"That's not fair! You're basically guaranteeing that I marry you!"

"You didn't let me finish. At the end of October, you will give me a list of potential boyfriends that I will review. If I don't like some of them, you can't date them." 

"But you'll only leave the losers! This is totally unfair!'

"Do you wanna be a lawyer or do you wanna agree to this?"

"Fine."

I let out a loud yell and hang up the phone. How did all the people I know get to be so damn cunning?!