E L I S H A
The new year started quietly for me. After months of no words from France, I had tried to move on, to build a different life. But then, an unexpected email arrived. Not from him, but from his family, and mine. They wanted us to meet. To talk about an arranged marriage.
It was wild. I hadn't seen or heard from France in what felt like forever, and now this. My parents had told me it was an old family agreement, something made long ago. But as soon as I saw the serious look on their faces, I knew there was more to it.
So, here I was. Sitting across from France in a quiet café, far from the party lights of Paris or the familiar places back home. We were in a city that was new to both of us, a neutral place. Months of silence hung heavy between us. He looked older, maybe a little tired, but his honey-colored eyes still held that same deep look I remembered.
"Hi," he said, his voice a bit rough, like he hadn't used it much recently.
"Hi," I replied, my voice shaky. It was hard to believe we were really here, talking about this. "So... an arranged marriage. This is... something."
He gave a small, humorless laugh. "Yeah. 'Something' is one way to put it. My parents, your parents... they've been busy. And desperate, it seems." He paused, looking at his coffee cup. "Look, Eli. I know this is a lot. A total shock, probably. For me too. Especially since it's about my family's business."
"I... I had heard whispers," I admitted, my heart sinking as he confirmed my fears. "Your family's company, France... it's really in trouble, isn't it?"
He nodded, a grim line to his mouth. "Worse than trouble. It's on the edge, Eli. Very close to falling apart. This old family agreement about marriage, it's apparently the only way to merge certain assets, to bring in enough capital to save it. It's their last resort, a lifeline." He spoke, but his eyes seemed to drift, for just a second, to something far away. A slight shadow crossed his face.
"So, this is just a business deal then? A cold, hard way to save your family's name?" I asked, a sharp pang in my chest. Even after all this time, that thought still stung. I knew my family's business was stable, so their reason for agreeing had to be the old promise, or maybe even sympathy.
"It started as business for them, yes," he said, his gaze fixed on mine again, though a flicker of something, a slight hesitation, was still there. "But for us... it doesn't have to be just that. Or it doesn't have to be at all, if you really don't want it." His voice trailed off a little at the end, as if he was thinking of another person's feelings, another possible complication. I knew who it was. Chloe. The thought of her, even unspoken, made a cold knot form in my stomach. I couldn't deal with a man who was still in love or unsure about me because of someone else.
"They're making it sound like we don't have a choice," I pointed out, my voice colder than before. "Like your family's whole future depends on this."
"They're putting a lot of pressure on us," he corrected, but he didn't quite meet my eyes now. "But ultimately, it's our lives. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. What do you think? And... if we do this, it has to be all in. No half-measures. No doubts. Not about us." My gaze sharpened. He seemed to understand my unsaid thought.
I honestly didn't know what to think. My mind was a mess. "I don't know what to think, France. One minute, I'm trying to forget you, and the next, I'm getting emails about marrying you because your family is going broke. It's too much."
"I get it," he said, nodding slowly. "Believe me, I do. My head's been spinning too. I guess... I wanted to see where you stood. To see if there's any part of you that would even consider it. Beyond the financial pressure on my side. And if you do, it has to be for us. Only us."
"Consider what?" I asked softly. "A real marriage? Or just going through the motions to keep your family afloat?" My thoughts kept drifting back to that tiny hesitation I saw. Was he thinking of Chloe, of what she'd say, or how she'd feel about him potentially tying himself to me for good? I couldn't have that. I needed certainty.
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes serious. "A real marriage, Eli. That's the only way I'd even think about it. Not just a paper deal to save the business. We'd have to make it work. Truly work. And I need to know that if we try this, there are no other people, no other feelings, that will get in the way. Not from your side, and not from mine."
His last words hung in the air. He didn't say Chloe's name, but the message was clear. He knew I was thinking it. He knew that was my biggest fear, my biggest block.
"After all this time? After the silence?" The words came out sharper than I intended.
He flinched a little. "I know. And I'm sorry for that, Eli. For the silence. For everything that happened. I messed up badly. I know that. And I understand if you can't forgive me for it. But if we do this, if we even *try* to make this arranged marriage real, then it has to be about us, and only us. No shadows. No past loves. We have to be completely sure, completely in it, for each other."
"It's not about forgiveness right now," I said, looking away, then back at him. "It's about... how do we even start to think about something like this? About building a life together, when we haven't even spoken in months? And how do I know you're truly over... everything else?"
"We'd have to talk. A lot," he said. "Be honest. Be open. We'd have to figure out if there's anything left of what we had. Or if there's something new we can build. And I promise you, Eli, if I say yes to this, if I ask you to walk into this future with me, it's because I'm ready to be all in, only for you. I wouldn't waste your time or mine with any lingering doubts." He looked directly at me, his gaze strong, trying to push away the unspoken questions. "Our families are pushing for a decision soon. They want a big New Year announcement, make it official, tie the businesses together quickly to save mine."
My mind raced. An announcement? A New Year's engagement to a man I hadn't spoken to in months, under an old family agreement, all to save his failing company? It was crazy. But his words about being "all in, only for you," about "no lingering doubts," echoed in my ears. It was what I needed to hear. The thought of him still unsure, still thinking of another, was a deal-breaker. But he seemed to be answering that, facing that unspoken fear directly.
"So, what are we saying then?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "Are we saying no to them, even if it means your family's business might crash? Or are we... trying to see if this could work? With no hidden conflicts, no past issues hanging over us?"
He looked at me, a question in his eyes. "That's what I need to know from you, Eli. Are you willing to even try? To build something new, with a clean slate between us, knowing what's at stake for my family?"
My gaze met his. His eyes held a mix of hope and anxiety, mirroring my own feelings. It was a huge step, a leap into the unknown, with his family's financial future hanging in the balance. But the alternative – walking away without even trying, leaving this huge "what if" to haunt me, and never truly knowing if he could be fully mine – felt even worse. And he had, in his own way, addressed my biggest fear.
"Okay," I said, the word coming out stronger than I expected. "Okay, France. Let's try. But remember what you said. No doubts."