The Arrangement: It Led Me To Love

Chapter 17 - Ellison's POV

^^ 😍😍 Ellison 😍😍^^

It's Sunday evening, and I am sitting in my car outside Laurene's house. We had a chat after I watched her dancing, and I have decided to go with her to Greece. I love Greece, and I am going to take her on a tour when she is not in meetings or at dinner parties. A week alone with her... It sounds like paradise. I hope that this exciting and nervous feeling never wanders off. If we do get married, then I hope there will never be a day that goes by when we wake up bored of each other. Just the thought sends a shiver down my spine.

I realise how much I have come to depend on Laurene. I think about her more then I realise, and I often wonder about what she is doing and whom she is with. She is one of my closest friends, apart from the boys. A relationship built on the foundation of friendship is always the strongest, or so I am told. Thinking about the boys makes me remember that I have been rather neglecting them lately. What with the business, my dad and Laurene I have not spent much time with them. I guess I should meet up with them tonight. I connect my phone to Bluetooth, and then pull out of the drive, going well over the limit trying to loose the vultures that patiently waited for me outside Laurene's house. I arrange to meet the boys at Max's mansion, as it is closest for all of us. My closest friends are Max and Olli. When we were younger we were called the three musketeers, and I was always the leader. As we grew older we stayed close and regularly met up, but we have other friends as well. Sometimes it is nice to be just the three of us though.

I have arrived at Max's house and Olli is already there, and they are in the lounge pigging out on crisps. When they see me come in, they jog up to me and give me a bro hug, slapping my back.

"Ayy Ellison what's up man?" Olli remarks.

"Nothing much, how're you? Anything good going on?" I reply with a grin. It has been too long since I last saw these boys.

"Where you been man? I guess you didn't get out of the engagement then." Max says throwing a punch at my arm.

"Busy. Also no, I mean Laurene is lovely, but I do not know if I want to marry her... She just deserves so much better, you know. She is beautiful, like wow, and she is definitely wifey material, but I do not think I can settle down you know. I just, it is hard to trust people. And I'm worried she'll find someone better and leave me behind you know." I ramble on but stop when I saw Max and Olli looking at me weirdly.

"What?" I question.

"Wow that was deep man. Why you overthinking it? You seriously considering settling for this girl? You only have to be with her for five years, and I am sure you can have others on the side." Olli carelessly speaks as if he has experience in this matter.

"But I have to admit she is gorgeous, like you are lucky man. If you weren't to be engaged I would snatch her up like candy." Max laughs.

For some reason Max's words drive a knife through my heart, making me feel a powerful surge of jealousy and bitter anger towards him. I would never let him have her. He is better then Olli, but he is not immune to using girls then tossing them off at the side when he is done with them. I used to do that too. Wait, used too? I literally used Brianna less than two months ago, but I have not slept with anyone since. Wow, that is a record – I guess Laurene has been taking up so much of my time I have not had the chance to think about craving another woman or to go partying. Anyway, I am sure that it would hurt Laurene if I did that.

In addition, I will not let anyone hurt Laurene.

Because she is my friend.

Nevertheless, you want more... My conscience taunts me.

Heh. No, I do not.

"Ha, yeah sure." I laugh weakly along with Max and Olli.

"So how's it been going then?" Olli asks me as we are playing a game of GTA.