Chapter 5

The following morning, Amy got a message on where they would both meet. She thought about it, what he could possibly want to discuss with her. Perhaps she should also use the opportunity to see if there was a way she could get out of the marriage. Would acting unpleasant do the trick? No, she decided. She did not have the courage to do that. She was too proper.

She left few minutes before one in the afternoon to meet up at the coffee shop he had chosen. Her driver had taken her but she didn’t mind, seeing as she had never been there before.

The coffee shop was not large, but not small either. It had a modern look but gave off a cozy feeling.

Amy did not have to look round for long before spotting Reynolds. It was almost like she had known where to look for him. The table he was at was close to the glass windows, offering a perfect view of the road. Perhaps he had seen her coming.

He looked good, leaned back on the chair, scrolling through his tab and sipping what she guessed to be coffee.

When she was close to the table, Reynolds looked up noticing her. His eyes travelled upwards from her legs, taking her in. She wore a floral sundress that did really flattered her figure. Amy Bennet was a catch and every bit of the princess her father made her out to be. In a different time or scenario, he might have pursued something with her. It was not that he was completely uninterested in having a romantic partner. But time had made him believe that sometimes you had to let some things come to you, because when you actively pursue it, you might get it wrong. And he had gotten it wrong once.

By the time he was looking at her, she had reached the table.

“Hey” he said by way of greeting and she responded with a ‘hello’ and then sat opposite him.

“How’s the day going?” He asked.

“Good”.

“Okay”, he nodded. “Would you like anything?”

She thought for a moment, but decided she was to nervous to take anything down. She still did not know why they were meeting.

“Alright then. I’ll cut to the chase”. He leaned forward then, hands intertwined on the table.

“I want to know how you feel about this.. this marriage. How invested you are in it”

For some reasons, this caused her heart to skip a beat. Could she really speak her mind to him, tell him how she really felt about the marriage?

“Are you interested in it at all?” Reynolds asked after she remained quiet. “I mean- this is an arrangement between our fathers and one of us might not be so pleased by the idea”.

As she stared at him, she decided to give it a shot. It was a family arrangement as he had said, it did not mean they both had to be okay with it. “No. Not really. I am not interested in an arranged marriage “

“Then it seems we are on the same page. I thought about it and came up with an idea. We could do this on our own terms, have our own arrangement if you’d put it that way”.

He watched her reaction looking for  permission to continue.

“What do you have in mind?” She asked. 

He leaned back again. “First I’d like to hear your thoughts”. He gestured towards her. “Do you have an idea in mind?”

“Can’t we just avoid the whole thing. Fake the marriage or the documents, but avoid the real thing?”

He thought for a while. “That wouldn’t be difficult. But it might turn out to be a problem later on if word gets out”.

She nodded in understanding. “What do you suggest then”.

He leaned forward again. Confident, Amy thought to herself. “I suggest we go on with it. Be together but with an agreed period of time between us. Or we can just date, get engaged,do whatever.. We might not eventually have to get married either. Perhaps I can push off wedding talks until we can get out of the arrangement. Our dates and meetings will be planned. We don’t always have to see each other if we don’t want to. We can decide what we want”.

What we want. What she wanted was to live on her own, in her own space, on her own terms. And somehow Reynolds suspected it. It would be the only motive for her to accept this.

Amy stared at the table thinking. If they simply went out for a while, there was no guarantee she would not be put in another arranged marriage. But if they got married, and then a divorce…

First she would be out of her father’s hair, and afterwards, she could continue however she wanted. Perhaps then she would have the courage and means to defy her father if he still wanted her under his control despite being divorced.

“We have to get married. For this to work both ways, you and me, I’ll need the marriage. And then we divorce. After the agreed time of course”.

He stared at her for a while before agreeing. “Then its settled. Let’s go over the details”

They went over every minute detail, covering every loophole they could think of. Amy asked if she would have to live with his family. He assured her she would not as he had a place of his own. She seemed relieved at that.

“What will be your conditions for the divorce? I mean what you will want when it's all over?” 

She had not thought of that but surprisingly, it did not take long to decide either. She was not interested in his assets. She wanted to try starting something of her own. When they ended this, that was what she would do.

“Nothing”, she replied.

“Nothing?” He asked,tilting his head slightly “Are you sure?”

She was not sure how much she was willing to share, just as a precaution, so she took a breath before replying. “I want to try something when this is done. You can support me when the time comes. That’s all”.

He nodded in assurance. “That’s fine”.

Amy let out a deep sigh after all the talks were done. She would be going against her father now. But she would not regret it. She hoped not.

Reynolds sat back in his chair, watching her. She had seemed much more interested than he had thought she would be. 

“When do we move in together?” She suddenly asked.

“Eager much?” He teased.

Amy flushed, her cheeks starting to burn.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and let out and nervous laugh. “I just like to be prepared that’s all”

“Whenever you want. But like I said we don’t have to rush into anything” he said sparing them both the awkwardness.

“Yeah of course” she replied softly. She was the one who could not wait to start her life. She felt embarrassed for sounding so desperate. 

He watched her some more and then put his hand out. 

“Deal?” 

“Deal”, she accepted.