"You know, from the moment I met you, I could've sworn sparks flew between us."
"You're making me lactose intolerant with how cheesy you're being."
⭑ she/her pronouns
⭑ recommended to be read on a phone.
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My mother insisted I wake up early and look my best for this meeting. She also mentioned cleaning up the apartment beforehand so I did some tidying up. It's not like it was actually dirty anyways. I dust myself off, eyes glancing around everywhere in the apartment. It all looks fine.
As I'm about to sit down, I hear three knocks at the door. I look through the peephole to see my mom with a few other people. I let them in, bowing my head at them one by one. I look up at the last person to enter the apartment, who instead envelopes me in a hug.
"Ivy!" the way he says my name sounds like a form of nostalgic honey. It brings back so many long forgotten memories shared between the two of us.
"Jake!" I respond, my arms instinctively wrapping around him too. He feels so warm, a form of comfort while in a confined space with my mother's cold glare.
"I see you two are already friendly." a lady I've never met before, presumably Jake's mom, states.
"Oh yeah, Ivy and I met in high school. We became friends our first year."
Hearing him say my name, after all these years feels weird, a good kind of weird. Different. It's a kind of heartwarming that's needed in this kind of situation. Though, Jake has never not made me feel that way.
"A pleasure to meet you." the guy with her says, I'm guessing Jake's dad.
Jake and I sit next to each other at the table, spacing out as our parents discuss us as though we're not in the room. From what I've gathered, Jake didn't have much of a say in this either.
He still looks just as handsome as the day I first met him.
I still remember it all so clearly.
------- I was part of yearbook all four years of high school. It was my freshman year, I hadn't learned to stay a little farther away from the out of bounds lines yet. I was trying to get a specific shot when a defender on the other team kicked the ball out, right at me.
Well what would've been right at me, if not for Jake.
He caught the ball with his hand, tossing it to his teammate. I opened one eye, confused as to why I hadn't felt an impact. Jake was standing right in front of me, eyes connecting with mine.
"Are you okay?" he asks, eyes wandering to glance over all of my face.
"Oh yeah, I'm just fine. All thanks to you."
He rubs the back of his neck, inviting me to sit beside him on the bench.
"I'm sure it gets pretty tiring standing out there the entire time."
"But now you're standing just so I can sit, doesn't that mean that you'd also get tired?"
He bites down on his lip and before he can respond to my question, his friends come back from the concession stand.
"Hey Jake we got you a bottle of gatorade too- hey wait who's this?" one of them asks, noticing me. If I remember correctly, I believe his name is Ethan... Lee, I think. He's in my math class.
"Oh, this is, uh.." he says, looking nervously at me.
"Oh, Ivy." I say, giggling a little after realizing we hadn't properly introduced ourselves.
"Right, I'm Jake."
"Jake's in the advanced classes for math, he's really good at it. He could definitely helped you if you struggle on anything" the guy beside Ethan teases, shoveling chips in his mouth.
"Shut it Chris." Jake responds, rolling his eyes.
"Actually I'd really appreciate that. I mean, if you have the time and all that." I say, pulling out my phone for him to enter his contact information.
I notice how he can't help but to smile as he puts his number in, and how his ears start to turn about the same shade as a tomato.
"Oh my god, Ivy, there you are!" I hear Felix shout, clearly worried to death with Lily trailing right behind him.
"Sounds like that's my time to go, it's been nice meeting you all. I'll text you later, Jake." I comment, getting up to leave, winking at Jake as I left.
What can I say, he's always been attractive to me.
I almost couldn't help but to flirt with him.
-------
Now here I am, in the present, being forced to sign this contract with him. Being forced into this marriage with him.
