𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐰𝐬 || ᴋᴛʜ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ꜰꜰ

FOUR

Her Pov

I stopped at the word homo without completing 'homosexual,' as by his expression, I was sure that the halfway of the word was enough for him to understand and react. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and offense as if I'd slapped him.

"Wait, what?! You told your mom what?!" he asked, disbelief dripping from every word. My heart raced. I hated this confrontation, but there was no escaping it now.

"You are a homosexual," I said, finally letting the words spill out. His eyes widened in a way that mixed anger and bewilderment.

"I'M NOT GAY! What the hell made you even think that in the first place?!"

I scoffed. "I know that! But you also know why this is happening. You were a tad too... flirtatious at that wedding two years ago. It left quite the impression. I mean, you practically sparkled when the bride's brother looked your way."

His face turned a deep crimson, mostly fuming but also unmasking a hint of self-consciousness. "I can't believe you. I can't believe you went and told your mother this ridiculousness. Do you realize how offensive it is to call someone something they are not? Did you even think before you spouted such a bullshit lie?"

I was tired of the accusation that I hadn't thought things through. "That's why I said I acted up without thinking twice!" I shouted back, throwing my arms out in annoyance.

He glared at me, his frustration radiating off of him like heat from a flame. "Yeah, and look where your 'acting up' has gotten us. Now your family thinks I'm gay, and I don't know how to fix this mess you've created. Do you have any clue how hard it's going to be to convince them that I'm NOT gay?!"

"What are you going to do about it then?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He let out a scoff, throwing his hands up for emphasis. "What do you mean 'what I'm going to do'? You messed up. Now we both have to fix it. You should be the one coming up with ideas on how to convince your parents that I'm NOT gay. Otherwise, this whole engagement thing is going to fall through, and all our efforts so far will go to waste."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, okay? I was dumb and thoughtless, and I acted without thinking. But I never meant for things to get so out of hand. I never expected you to propose this contract marriage thing..."

His sigh cut through the air too sharply, clearly straining against the last bits of his calm. "Well, you should've thought about that before you went and spilled such nonsense to your family. Now we're both stuck in this mess because of your actions. And let's not forget that I had to propose this marriage arrangement to salvage my inheritance. Without it, I'm screwed-thanks to you."

"So am I!" I shot back, just as frustrated.

His expression shifted momentarily, from anger to understanding. "Yeah, I know. You're screwed too. But do you realize how much worse this is for me? I'm being labeled as gay, and now I have to prove I'm not because of your silly lie. It's not fair."

"Don't act like you haven't contributed to this either! Who the hell told you to flirt with anyone when you're not even interested!? Remember, that wedding two years ago? You practically had a mini tour of 'homo land' for three days. I thought, despite all the womanizing, you were adding another dimension to your... capabilities." I pinched my nose bridge. "Oh god, I'm doomed."

He raised an eyebrow, torn between feeling offended and bemused. "Wait, are you bringing up that wedding from two years ago? It was harmless! A little joke, nothing more. You know how I like to mess with people. It was just a joke! And your mom took that, mixed it with your nonsense, and now it's a whole damn fiasco. This is ridiculous."