Page 97 of Spark
Chuckling weakly, I shrug. “I guess that’s true.”
“So…”
“I met a guy.”
“Always fun.”
“He helped me when I really needed help, and we fell for each other,” I start.
“I’m sensing there’s going to be a but,” Leo says with a soft smile.
“He asked me to marry him.”
“That’s the but?” she questions.
“Sort of. He told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. He takes care of me in a way no one ever has before. But it all feels one-sided.”
“One-sided how?” she asks, leaning forward toward me.
“I live in his house and eat his food. He got me a card for his bank account.”
“Okay.” She elongates the word.
“I told him I had an interview for a job, but he doesn’t want me to work because he works long hours and he’s worried that if I’m working too, we won’t have time to spend together. So we got into an argument, and I…” Swallowing thickly, I close my eyes and cringe at the memory of what I said to him. “I said that if I don’t find some way to contribute, that he’s basically buying me, that he’s paying me for sex with a nice house and food.”
“Oh…wow…” Leo says, her perfectly curved eyebrows rising in surprise.
“I know,” I groan, burying my face in my hands. “I’m an asshole.”
“What did he say after you accused him of trying to buy you?” she asks.
“He made me breakfast, then drove me to my interview, and then afterward he dropped me off at an apartment. He rented it for me and offered to pay for it until I get my salary and can pay for it myself. He told me that he didn’t expect anything in return, and if I wanted to pay him back, I should just donate the money to charity,” I admit.
“Fuck,” she hisses.
“I ruined everything. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried calling him, and I left him a voice message, but I think he blocked me, and I just want to go home because I love him,” I blurt, my voice thickening as tears stream down my face.
“Did you mean it? Do you feel like he’s been buying you?” she asks bluntly.
“At first, it all seemed too good to be true. I mean, who finds someone who needs help and just helps them without expecting something in return? But then after we…figured out the attraction between us, I felt like maybe I was using him. I worried that I was only attracted to him because he was giving me so much.”
“But?”
“But then I realized that I just liked him and I had sex with him because I love him and he makes me feel things I didn’t even know I could feel. He asked me to marry him, and I told him I couldn’t because I didn’t want to feel like I was just taking from him. When I told him about the job interview, I thought he’d be happy. I was excited to be able to contribute, to feel like I was his equal, and not just a mooch, but then he told me he didn’t want me to work and that he could take care of me. So I got mad, and I said all the stuff about him buying me. I didn’t mean it, but now it’s over, and I don’t know what to do or how to fix this.”
For a minute, Leo looks stunned. “Wow, that’s a lot to process. How long have you been together?”
“Less than two weeks.”
Blinking comically, she screws up her face, then smooths her expression again. “A dude you’ve known for a week asked you to marry him, and you were thinking about saying yes?”
I nod. “It’s insane. I know it’s insane, but apparently this town is crazy, and the men are crazy, and two weeks isn’t even close to being the fastest relationship that’s ended in marriage,” I ramble. “Ask Betty and Octy.”
Scoffing lightly, Leo nods. “Oh, I definitely will. But what was the plan? What are you hoping Octy will do?”
I shrug, because honestly, I don’t really have a plan. I was hoping that she would. “I don’t know. How do I fix this?”
“I mean…and don’t take this the wrong way, but is there a chance that this dude only helped you because he wanted to fuck you? I mean, look at you, you’re a walking wet dream, with your cute teenage butt and that innocent face. Maybe he’s acting butthurt now because you called him on it?” Leo asks.
