One Night of Freedom

The sound of the front door slamming shut echoed through the house.

“Xavier! Come back here!” His mother's furious voice followed him, but Xavier didn't stop.

He strode straight toward his car, yanked the door open, and climbed inside. His hands were still trembling with anger as he started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

He drove for several minutes before finally reaching for his phone and calling his best friend.

The call connected after a few rings. “Hello?”

“Jayden, where are you?”

“What's up? Why do you sound like that?”

“Where are you?”

“I'm out right now. What's going on?”

“Can we meet? I need to talk to you about something.” A faint thumping of music could be heard in the background, making Xavier frown. “Jayden, what are you doing over there?”

“Nothing special. I just went out with my boyfriend for a bit. He actually dropped me off a few minutes ago, so I was about to head home. Do you need me?”

“Yes. I really need to see you.”

“Is something wrong with your family?”

Xavier tightened his grip around the steering wheel. “I'll tell you when I get there.”

“All right. Come straight to my place. I'll be there waiting for—”

“Jayden!” A male voice suddenly called from the background.

“Hold on, babe. I'm—”

The call abruptly ended.

Xavier stared at his phone in disbelief before lowering it slowly. “What the hell?”

He let out a frustrated breath and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. “Damn it. He just cut me off.”

His jaw tightened as he pressed harder on the accelerator. Whatever had happened, he wasn't going to sit alone with his thoughts tonight.

He drove straight to Jayden's house.

---

A short while later, Xavier pulled up outside Jayden's house and hurried toward the front door.

It was locked.

Thankfully, Jayden always kept a spare key beneath one of the flowerpots near the entrance. Xavier crouched down, lifted the pot, and retrieved it. He squeezed the key so tightly that its edges dug into his palm before he finally relaxed his grip and unlocked the door.

Once inside, he dropped onto the couch and pulled out his phone, hoping a game would distract him from everything that had happened.

It barely worked.

He had only been playing for a few minutes when the front door suddenly opened.

“Xavier!” Jayden rushed inside, looking as though he'd just run a marathon. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath.

The moment he reached the couch, the two friends embraced. Jayden pulled away and studied his face. “What happened? I could feel how annoyed you were just from that phone call.”

Xavier dragged a hand through his hair and sank deeper into the couch. “Isn't it obvious? My parents.”

“What did they do this time?”

“Everything I do is for them, and somehow they still find a way to make my life miserable.”

Jayden raised an eyebrow. “Okay. What happened?”

“My parents told me I'm getting married.”

Jayden froze. “You're getting married?”

Xavier gave him a tired look. “Yes, Jayden. That's what I just said.”

“You're serious?”

“Unfortunately.”

Jayden stared at him as though he'd just announced something impossible. “But you're barely in your twenties. Why are they already talking about marriage?”

“I don't know. Apparently, they don't think I have a say in it.”

Jayden slowly sat beside him. “Wait. Don't tell me…”

Xavier sighed. “It's an arranged marriage.”

Jayden's eyes widened. “An arranged marriage? Who is the unfortunate person?”

“Oh, shut up.”

Jayden laughed. “I'm serious!”

“She's the daughter of one of my father's business associates. Apparently, our families have already discussed everything.”

“Wait, wait, wait.”

Jayden raised both hands as his expression changed. “I thought you were gay.”

Xavier rolled his eyes. “Of course I am.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“What do you think? Tell my parents?”

The humor disappeared from Jayden's face.

Xavier leaned back and stared at the ceiling. For a moment, the room became quiet.

He could already imagine what would happen if his parents found out. The disappointment in their eyes. The questions. The anger. The possibility that everything he had spent years building with them could disappear in a single conversation.

His stomach twisted at the thought.

His parents had always expected him to follow the path they had chosen for him, and now they were demanding that he marry a woman without ever knowing that he had never been interested in women in the first place.

Xavier swallowed. “If I tell them I'm gay, they'll probably bury me alive and make sure the police never find out I existed.”

Jayden stared at him for a moment before sighing. “Okay. Okay. Calm down.”

“I'm not exaggerating.”

“I know.” Jayden leaned back against the couch, thinking for a moment. Then a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. “Well, if you can't defy them right now, why don't we go wild tonight?”

Xavier slowly turned toward him. “Go wild?”

“Exactly. Tonight, you don't have to be the obedient son. Forget about your parents. Forget about the marriage. Just have some fun.”

Xavier didn't answer immediately.

He knew it was reckless. He still hadn't figured out what his parents were planning, and getting himself into trouble could make everything worse.

But how much longer could he continue living exactly the way everyone else wanted?

He had spent years obeying his family, following their rules, and putting their expectations before his own happiness.

For once, he wanted to make a decision for himself.

Xavier took a slow, deep breath before looking at Jayden. “Fine. Let's go wild tonight.”

Jayden's face immediately lit up. “That’s what I'm talking about.”

The two friends exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.