Hop, Skip, Wed

Argument

"Time doesn't really heal a heart , It just makes the heart forget about the pain."

-Anonymous

❤️️

The taxi driver looked at me weird and I couldn't really hold that against him, considering the fact that I had practically jumped into his car and manually locked the doors. Regardless, he did as instructed and started the car, I breathed a sigh of relief and prayed that the man from the airport wouldn't get to MY parents house before I did. Even after we were far away from the airport I was still on the lookout for him.

As soon as the taxi pulled into my parents driveway, I got out and took out my suitcases and set them onto the ground, paid the taxi driver and ran towards the front door without my suitcases because I knew someone else would get them for me.

I noticed the door was open and I walked inside and counted my blessings. I couldn't believe my luck, I had made it here before him!

I spoke too soon because as I made my way to the living room where everyone was, I saw him sitting with MY family with a smirk plastered on his face. My family finally noticed I had arrived and began greeting me but I couldn't stop looking at the arrogant man sitting on my parents couch. I wanted to smack that smirk off of his face.

"Sophie, why don't you go and freshen up? I'll set the table, you're probably hungry. Archer's family will be here any moment."

"But I have-" Before I could finish my sentence, my mom interrupted me.

"You should really go freshen up, we can talk later, sweetie."

I trudged up the stairs and tried to come up with a plan to wipe that smirk off his face. I gently place a sleeping Mia on my bed and surround her with pillows so that she doesn't fall off the bed. I grabbed the towel and toiletries my mom had left on my bed and made my way into the bathroom.

I took a quick shower, wrapped the bathrobe around my body and hoped that someone had brought my suitcase upstairs. I stepped out of the bathroom and nearly screamed when I saw Archer sitting on my bed, cooing a now awake Mia.

"What the hell? What are you doing here?"

Archer turned to look at me before and quickly let go of Mia's hand which he had been holding. He shot me a glare and looked towards the door, which I noticed he had locked.

"Don't fucking scream. Your mom told me to bring your suitcase up."

"Okay? Thank you. You can leave now."

"What the hell was that at the airport?"

"What?"

"Why the fuck did you lie?"

"Don't swear there's a child in the room and I don't answer to you. Get out of my room" I said through clenched teeth.

"Don't tell me what to do! I waited at the airport for an hour before you decided to finally show up. Then you didn't even have the decency to come with me. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I told you, I don't answer to you. You're not the boss of me. Now get out of my room." I said walking towards the door. If he wasn't going to leave I was going to push him out. I was tired of men thinking they could push me around.

But before I could cross the room, Archer grabbed my wrist and spun me around. I shut my eyes and flinched away, instinctively. For a second the room was silent before I opened my eyes and saw Archer staring at me. Confusion clear as day on his face.

Embarrassed and filled with fury I pull my hand out of his grip.

"Don't EVER touch me again. Now get out of my room. I'm so done with this. I should have told my parents that the wedding was off as soon as I walked through the door." I was seething at this point.

Before he could leave, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

"Sophie?" My mom asked.

Clearing my throat, I tried to sound as normal as I could, "Yeah?" That sounded normal enough, right?

"Hurry up! Archer's parents are here."

"Okay, I'll be.....right out"

"Oh, have you seen Archer by the way?"

I stopped breathing. Shit! Did she know he was in here with me? No, right because how could she have known? I didn't want her thinking we were getting along well. I didn't want to give her the wrong idea.

"I...I don't know....I have been...ummm...taking a shower, remember?"

"Yeah, well hurry up." I heard her footsteps receding, and I felt like I could breathe.

Archers' eyes narrowed, he clenched his jaw, "Fine, you do that. But remember they're going to find someone else for you to marry and he might not be as understanding as me."

Before I could ask what in the world he was talking about, he turned to look at Mia, sleeping on my bed. I had never considered that. What if the person I married didn't like kids? What if they wanted me to give up the orphanage? Doubt clouded my mind but I couldn't let Archer know that he had found my weak point.

"I'll think about it."

"Well, you don't have very long. My parents want a decision by tomorrow or else they will find someone else for me."

I didn't understand why he was going through with this. I mean he was a good looking man. He could easily marry anyone he liked. Why was he going for an arranged marriage? It made sense that I was getting an arranged marriage. I was following tradition and also because I had given up on finding romantic love. I didn't care if I had a loveless marriage, I just wanted my parents to get off my back. Hence why the arranged marriage. If I let them choose my husband, then when it ends terribly they can't tell me to get married again. Foolproof plan. But there was no way I was going to marry him. He seemed quite arrogant. He was about to get rejected.