Marriage proposal 2

Arlen didn't think he would be starting his morning like this. He glanced at his dad, who gave Justin a disgusted stare. He pinched his eyebrows as he knew the 'talk' was coming for sure.

After throwing on a shirt, Arlen had opened the door to find him standing there. The mayor stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.

"I'm sorry to see you under these circumstances, sir," Justin said as he adjusted his wrinkled blue shirt.

"You can leave," Arlen's father said sharply.

Justin nodded. He wasn't exactly eager to stay after last night.

When they returned from the bar, Arlen had become affectionate, trying to deepen their kisses. Justin had pretended to be tired and even made himself throw up several times to avoid going further.

He knew what kind of intimacy he wanted, and it wasn't with Arlen.

"I wasn't expecting you, Dad. Is something wrong?" Arlen asked, feeling a bit worn out from the previous day.

"What is he doing here?" his father replied, ignoring Arlen's question.

"We've talked about this, Dad. He was just stopping by," Arlen replied, feeling his irritation rise. He didn't want to tell his dad he was dating Justin—not because his dad didn't know he liked guys, but because of who Justin was.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him? I warned you whose son he is."

"Dad, we met at a bar. He just stayed over for the night; it’s not a big deal," Arlen responded, growing more frustrated. His dad and Justin's father had a serious falling out about a year ago. That feud still lingered on, with neither side willing to move on anytime soon. That's why Arlen hadn't mentioned his relationship with Justin to his dad. Whatever had caused the rift, his father had never fully explained it, only ever referring to it in vague, bitter terms whenever Justin's family came up, as though the details were too distasteful to repeat.

Arlen had previously argued that they shouldn’t be pulled into adult conflicts. But his dad insisted that he looked into Justin and found him to be cunning and manipulative. "Like father, like son," he'd said.

But Arlen couldn't see any of those traits in Justin; he wasn't like how his father described him.

"It doesn't matter if you met in space, Arlen. It's fine to meet at an event, but spending time with him beyond just saying hello, is not a good idea. Stay away from him; he's trouble," his dad said while sitting on the sofa.

Arlen sighed, "I don't think that's why you're here, Dad."

His father straightened up. What he was about to say was much more serious than just warning him about that troublesome boy. "I've arranged for you to marry my friend's son."

Arlen blinked, trying to process what his dad had just said. "Sorry, I think I'm still feeling a bit dizzy from yesterday's party. I need some water." He went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, gulping it down before returning to the living room.

"Sorry, can you say that again?"

"You are going to marry my friend's son." The mayor said again.

Arlen waited for his father to laugh and say he was just kidding but nothing like that happened. A chill ran through Arlen.

"Marry? What? Dad, what are you talking about?"

"My friend Stone, you're going to marry his son." The mayor hadn't intended to be so direct with his son, but seeing Justin there made it feel like a final decision for Arlen.

Arlen blinked in surprise. "What? I’m not marrying anyone’s son! How did you even think of this?"

"You will," the mayor replied firmly. "It’s for the Italian restaurant that Stone and I are starting together. This marriage will help solidify our partnership. You understand how big this will be, right? That’s why we need to do it."

Arlen didn't know it, but his father already knew about his relationship with Justin. His private investigator had gave him proof. And convinced Justin's family was using his son to get revenge, he devised a plan to separate them. Fortunately, Cade was single. Arranging Arlen's marriage to him would provide the perfect cover for his scheme. If you asked the mayor, it was a brilliant idea.

“Dad, you want me to marry someone I’ve never even met. That’s—”

“You have met him before. In fact, you’re friends with him. It’s Cade, Stone’s son.”

Arlen's blood ran cold.

"Cade?"

The same Cade who always looked at him like he had done something wrong?

"Dad, Cade and I aren't friends. We don't even get along! How can we possibly get married? I doubt he would agree to this."

"You're mistaken. His father called, and he has agreed to it."

Arlen was stared at him. There was no way Cade would actually say yes to marrying him—especially since they both knew he was dating Justin and didn’t like each other at all. Nothing about this situation made sense.

“What? You think I’m lying?” his father asked. “Even Cade realizes this marriage could be beneficial. He—” The mayor paused as one of his bodyguards entered and whispered something to him. “I have something urgent to take care of. Let’s have dinner at home by 7pm today so we can discuss this more. Until then, think it over, okay? Justin isn’t right for you.” With that, he left the room, his assistant trailing respectfully behind him.

The last comment made Arlen question whether his dad was aware that he was dating Justin. That would surely explain the sudden mention of marriage. And to whom? Cade. Of all people, Cade? He'd prefer to marry Brennon over Cade any day.

There was no way he could agree to this, especially when he was in love with Justin. How would Justin react? The thought of hurting him made Arlen's chest tighten.

He grabbed his phone and called Justin.

No answer.

He tried again.

Still nothing.

Arlen stared at his phone, his uneasiness growing. Justin had answered his calls before, even when he was busy. Maybe he was still asleep after last night. Arlen then realized this wasn't even something he wanted to discuss over the phone.

Arlen quickly got dressed and headed to Justin's house. This wasn't something he wanted to discuss over the phone. On the drive, his father's words kept replaying in his mind. Arlen tightened his grip on the steering wheel. It sounded ridiculous. Yet his father had been completely serious.

And then there was Cade. Arlen couldn't understand why Cade would agree to such a thing. Unless Cade had his own reason.

Arlen shook his head.

He was thinking too much. The only person whose opinion mattered right now was Justin. Maybe they could finally tell their parents about their relationship. If his father knew they were serious, perhaps he would abandon this ridiculous marriage proposal.

Arlen pulled up outside Justin's house and quickly turned off the engine.