Arranged Marriage (Completed)

How did we get here?

Ally's point of view

I woke up with arms around my body. I was on top of Normani with my head in the crook of her neck. Her hand was rubbing my back as she hummed a tune. I sat there and listened for a few minutes while she was staring at the ceiling. The song ended. "Thank you for last night, Mani." I croaked out.

"Oh you're up? No problem, Ally. How are you feeling?" She asked but didn't move me off of her.

"I'm good." I lied.

She stopped rubbing my back. "Stop saying that when you aren't. Yesterday, you called me out for being a bad friend. I am here trying to do better. It's okay not to be okay. We don't have to talk about it, but don't lie to me when you are down. Friends don't lie to each other. Remember?"

I didn't say anything. I just laid there, trying to find the right way to tell her what's wrong with me.

She sighed. "Ally, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's my brother." I blurted out. "Me and Dinah have been in an arranged marriage for most of our lives. Dinah liked girls and my brother was too old to marry her. My brother was a typical rich kid breaking laws because he knew my parents would get him out of it since he had to take over the company. One day, he got caught with drugs and my parents told him that he had one more time to mess up before they sent him away. Like the spoiled brat he was, he didn't listen. He broke into the Hansen's company and stole a bunch of information from them, so I could get out of this marriage. I told him to put it back. That same night one of the drug dealers that he pissed off decided to shoot him. I held my brother in my arms as he bled out until the ambulance came to save him. They took him to the hospital, and I was arrested. They never charged me with anything. They kept me updated on his condition, but they wouldn't let me see him. I stayed in an interrogation room for a couple of weeks. At my lowest point, I was alone. They found the shooter and then I was homeschooled. My parents swept it all under the rug and when my brother got healthy enough to travel, they sent him away. I haven't seen him since that night he was shot. I still haven't been able to find him. My parents told me that I had to marry Dinah and take over the business. I miss him. I just need to know if he is okay." I spilled. I sit there quietly as I wait for her to say anything.

She held me tighter to her. "Ally, I had no idea. I'm so sorry that happened to you. No one should have to ever go through that. You are so strong and brave. Thank you for being open and honest with me. I'm here for you no matter what. You can always talk to me; it doesn't matter what time it is. Whenever you are ready, I could ask around and pull a few favors to help you find out where he is. Okay?"

I drew patterns on her stomach. "No, I could never ask you to do that. My parents are powerful people. I don't want them to ruin your career. If he wanted to be found, he would have been seen a long time ago. He's had plenty of opportunities to reach out to me."

"Okay. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." She kissed my forehead.

I nodded my head. "Okay."

"You hungry? I can cook you some breakfast."

"No, can we lay like this for a little bit longer? It's been awhile since I've been held like this."

"Absolutely. We can lay like this for however long you want to. I have nothing to do today anyways."

"Thank you." I closed my eyes as she continued to rub my back. The sound of her heartbeat lulled me back to sleep. I woke up to the sound of Megan's voice. She was telling us that Keke cooked breakfast. I skipped it because it was around 11:30. I told them all goodbye and went home to get ready to meet Dinah at my aunt's restaurant. I got there a little early, so I could chat with Becky and Auntie.