You Belong with Me

2

Noey POV

As I sat there, watching my friends laugh and banter, I couldn't help but feel a heavy cloud of sadness looming over me. Lately, things between Irin and me had become strained, and it weighed on my heart like an unspoken burden.

Irin was the one I loved, the one who had brought a smile to my face like no one else ever had. Our relationship was something special, something private, and I cherished every moment we spent together. It was still new, a fragile and beautiful thing, but the chemistry between us was undeniable. Irin had a way of making me feel happy in a way that went beyond mere flings or infatuations.

But then came her parents' decision to arrange a relationship with someone else, someone I had never met. It felt like a dagger to my heart, a cruel twist of fate that threatened to tear us apart. I knew I had to respect their wishes, to honor the traditions that bound them.

So, I tried to make distance between us, to give Irin the space she needed to navigate this new path chosen by her parents. It waks a painful choice, one that left me feeling empty and lost.

I attempted to engage with my friends, to lose myself in their laughter and camaraderie, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Irin. It was as if she occupied every corner of my mind, a constant presence that refused to be ignored.

I knew that I had to be strong, to stand by Irin and support her in this difficult time. But it didn't make the ache in my heart any less painful. I longed for the days when we could be together without fear or restraint, when our love could flourish without boundaries.

As I gazed at my friends, I couldn't help but wonder if they sensed the turmoil within me, the silent struggle I faced. I hoped that one day, Irin and I could find a way to bridge the gap between us, to navigate the complexities of tradition and love, and to be together openly, as we had always dreamed. Until then, I would carry the weight of our secret love in my heart, a bittersweet reminder of what we had and what we hoped to one day reclaim.

Flashback

Irin's eyes were filled with tears, and her voice quivered with disappointment as she tried to pull away from Noey's embrace. "No... let me go. I thought our relationship was special. If you really love me, you would fight for me, not let me go with someone else," she pleaded, her heartache palpable.

Noey tightened her grip, her own eyes moist with unshed tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice filled with regret. "But maybe your parents' blessing is the best choice for you. How can we continue our relationship knowing you will get married to someone else?"

Irin, her tears now falling freely, turned to face Noey. "Then fight for me," she implored, her voice breaking. "Prove it to my parents that you care about me."

Noey hesitated, her heart torn between her love for Irin and the harsh reality of their circumstances. "But your parents don't like me," she said, her voice heavy with resignation. "And I know our statuses are not linked at all." She couldn't help but feel like an ordinary person compared to Irin, the daughter of a millionaire.

Irin's disappointment was palpable as she looked deep into Noey's eyes. "I'm disappointed with you, Noey," she said, her voice filled with pain. "How I wish I could rewind time to never have met you."

With those words, Irin made the painful decision to leave, to walk away from the love that had brought them both so much happiness and sorrow. Noey watched, tears streaming down her own cheeks, unable to stop Irin from slipping away from her life.

As Irin walked away, their love story remained unfinished, a painful reminder of what might have been if only circumstances had been different. Noey was left with a heavy heart, longing for a second chance that might never come.

Freen POV

After enduring the excruciating experience of yet another arranged meeting with a girl her mother had chosen, I couldn't help but feel a wave of frustration wash over me. Dating strangers, especially under my mother's watchful eye, was a form of torture I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

As we sat in the elegant but stiflingly formal restaurant, my mother, Fah, couldn't contain her anger any longer. "Freen, you think I don't know you've been hiring other people to pretend to be you every time I arrange a date? It's disrespectful to disregard my decisions like this. Do you think I'm not serious about finding someone for you?" Her voice was tinged with frustration.

I let out a heavy sigh, feeling a mixture of guilt and exasperation. "Mom, please, not again. I'm not in the mood to date anyone right now. I need to focus on the company," I explained, hoping to reason with her.

But Fah wasn't about to be swayed so easily. She wore an unsatisfied expression and continued, "Always working, just like your daddy. He has been obsessed with his work and neglecting our family. I'm lonely, Freen, and I don't want you to end up like that."

I knew deep down that my mother had a point, but the prospect of searching for a partner was utterly uninteresting to me. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to bridge the gap between my mother's wishes and my own desires.

As if to punish me for my reluctance, Fah handed me a list of names. "As a punishment, there's a list of girls you will be meeting, and you will be in deep trouble if I find out you're hiring someone else to pretend to be you on these dates," she declared with a tone that left no room for argument.

I looked at the list in shock, the sheer number of dates she had lined up for me, making my head spin. "Seriously, Mom? Twenty dates in a week? How am I supposed to find the time for that?" I complained.

But Fah seemed unfazed as she got up to leave, a satisfied expression on her face. "I don't care," she said simply before walking away, leaving me to grapple with the daunting prospect of twenty dates and the inevitable chaos they would bring to my meticulously scheduled life.

But my mother paid no heed to my complaints, and with a satisfied smile, she had left me to deal with this new predicament. As I glanced at the list again, I couldn't help but wonder how I had gotten myself into this mess and how I was going to survive the onslaught of arranged meetings that lay ahead.

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