Tiffany
I get the drift. A contract marriage. A loveless marriage is what Larry is asking of me and even though I have genuine feelings for him, I stop and pray I can't forget about it. The money is good, thank God, but most importantly, I can take care of Larry. He means so much to me now, like someone so close to my heart. And, of course, if getting married in a marriage like this is going to keep me with him, I'm willing to do just that.
Larry comes to meet me in the living room as I'm switching off the TV. Little Larry is asleep in his room, tucked neatly in bed while I'm here. It's been like this for days now. Both of us meeting like this when he's fallen asleep and there's no way to escape is becoming quite a thing. It makes me think that he is probably planning this in his head before coming out to meet me.
"Can we talk?" he asks.
I nod once, then slide down on one of the chairs; the one that sucks me in like strong arms. I cross, then uncross my feet. "What about?"
"This weekend…let's go meet my family," he says. I look at him watching me and can't tell if he's nervous about something else because when he opens his mouth to speak, his eyes seem to be saying something else, darting around the room.
"Why? It's not like it's a—"
"Real marriage?" he helps me finish. I nod. He bides his time, but he nods too. "Still, no one but us knows that. And part of the deal is for us to be able to pretend in front of everyone that we are absolutely in love with each other."