14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEJcdgCCoT
I stormed out of the house, barely feeling the cold air as it hit me. My chest felt tight like I couldn’t breathe under the weight of everything Mom had just said.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Theo without thinking. It rang twice before he picked up.
"Yo, Zain? What’s up?" Theo’s voice was calm like he wasn’t expecting my world to be crashing down right now.
"Can I come over?" I asked, already halfway down the street.
"Yeah, sure. What happened?"
"I’ll tell you when I get there." I hung up before he could ask more.
Fifteen minutes later, I was standing outside his place. Theo opened the door in sweats and a hoodie, his hair a mess. "Dude, you okay?"
I stepped inside and paced the length of his living room while he watched, arms crossed.
"They want me to marry Ella," I blurted, running my hand through my hair. "Mom said it’s happening whether I want it or not."
Theo raised an eyebrow like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "Bro, what year is this? They can’t make you do that."
I stopped pacing and looked at him. "Apparently, they can."
He shook his head, flopping onto the couch. "So, what are you gonna do?"
I stood there for a second, my heart racing. And then, before I could talk myself out of it, I said it.
"Marry me."
Theo sat up straight. "What?"
I could feel my face burning. "I’m serious. If I’m with you, they can’t force me to marry Ella."
There was a long silence. Theo just stared at me, like I’d grown a second head.
"You know that’s not how this works, right?" He laughed nervously, but I didn’t.
"I know," I said, my voice low. "But I don’t know what else to do. You’re the only person who gets me. If I go through with this Ella thing, I’m gonna lose my mind."
Theo’s eyes softened, but I could see he wasn’t sure how to respond.
"You don’t have to say yes or anything," I added quickly. "I just—I don’t know. I thought maybe if we… pretended, or something… my parents would back off."
He ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a deep breath. "Zain, I… I care about you, but this is crazy."
"I know," I said again, leaning against the wall. "But everything feels crazy right now."
Theo stood up and walked over, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Let me think about it, okay?"
I nodded, grateful he hadn’t just laughed me off.
"Thanks, Theo," I muttered.
He smiled, that familiar, easy grin I’d always liked a little too much. "Yeah… I guess we’ll see how far you’re willing to take this."
For the first time that day, I let out a small laugh.
Even if it was a mess, at least Theo was part.
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