5 An Alliance

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"I promise, it won't be as bad as it sounds."

He was gagging while gasping for breath because the bitch punched his stomach with enough force. He remembered Laurie did a lot of karate shit for she wanted to be a ninja when she was eight.

"How could it not be bad? We are trying to get away with this quicksand called marriage, and you went there and declared that we are going to get married!"

"We are not going to get married! To be your husband is the last thing I want in this life." he gritted his teeth.

"Wow! I don't know if I should be offended or comforted with that fact!" She was hissing in a mixture of anger and panic. Being married to someone you don't love is already hell, but to be in a union where you can't consummate it and where you should always watch out for your husband's best bud is another level of hell.

"I just need you to trust me on this one. I promise this shit won't bring us to the altar.", his eyes were pleading for his friend to agree on his idea. Because, if she won't help him, the love of his love would be taken away from him and that is something he won't allow to happen! Not in this lifetime or the next.

"I'm so hungover to deal with this shit right now. To be honest, I just want to get off this island and get away from my mother and yours! Especially yours, - no offense meant."

Their heads were bent too close to each other, they could already be kissing by this point while they were whispering. Andrei was gripping her hand too hard, for he was afraid she would blurt out the truth to his mother.

For their mothers who were watching them from across the room, they don't look like they are threatening to rip each other's throat, rather they look quite lovely. Exchanging secrets, clasping each other's hands.

Mrs. Tan has her hands in her chest, swooning at how perfect his son looks standing next to Laurie in a glass wall with the sun streaming brightly, bathing them in ethereal bliss.

"We should have the wedding in the Cathedral of Lourdes." she blurted out in excitement. "Their church altar is exemplary! Overlooking the lake, the wedding would be so dreamy if we go for a sunset wedding," she turned her head to Mrs. Crisostomo who was wiping the corner of her eyes, watching her daughter next to Andrei.

"It's almost close to impossible to book that church for a wedding especially if we will have it early next year."

Maricia waved her hand in front of her face, "Nonsense, I could just donate to the church to bump their list and have Laurie and Andrei on their list."

"I just married off one of my sons, and with my husband's death, I don't have the energy to go through another chaos of picking the guest."

"Don't worry, Amiga. I would take care of everything," she patted her hands in comfort. "I will have a wedding planner and I'll make sure to be on top of everything."

"I would be eternally grateful! You have no idea how relieved I am that Laurie would be married to your family and not some…" she shook her head in disgust, recalling the men her daughter mostly hangs out with.

"Oh, don't say that. Your husband was one of the few people who helped us when we were destitute! Our family would never forget that. Besides, Laurie is the best choice for my Andrei." she grimaced, thinking of all those daughters of nobody who were clinging to his son.

"Your Andrei is a good boy."

"And so is your Laurie," she nodded in agreement. Mostly with the fact that her son Andrei is a good boy. "I'm excited to have a daughter! I guess, in your case, since you have four sons, my Andrei would be just another one."

"Oh, no, no… Andrei would be a delightful addition to our family. Compared to my rowdy sons, your Andrei has always been calm and very… mature." she shot Mrs. Tan a smile. At the back of her mind, she was worried if Laurie would be okay having her as a mother-in-law seeing that she could be very controlling.

Meanwhile, the lovebirds have red and swollen palms from digging their nails into each other's palms. They couldn't fight openly, for their mothers were watching them with euphoric expressions on their faces, - it was so creepy!

There is a look of fulfillment on their faces as though they have already accomplished their life's purpose.

"There are so many ways to make this wedding from not happening, but right now, we don't have so many choices to leave this island without our mothers whopping our asses! "So Laurie, I beg you... we have been friends since we were kids, please help me out." There were tears glistening in his eyes, as he was desperate.

"This has something to do with Eric?" she probed. She didn't really have to ask the obvious for there are only a few people who can make Andrei Mark Tan beg for something in his life.

"Yes. Before he really leaves for Spain, I need to talk to him!"

Her tongue clicked, "Eric can still have your panties in a bunch after so many years."

"You are the only person who understands," he gave her his famous boyish smile and his abandoned puppy look in his eyes. Those are the two lethal combinations that Andrei has used throughout his life, that helped him get anything he wanted.

"Huh!," she scoffed as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'd better get something worthwhile out of this shit, Andrei!"

"You help me out, you can ask whatever you want for all the days of our lives. Anything you want, I'd do it - just help me this once, okay?"

She cocked her head to one side and squinted her eyes at Andrei, whose hands clasped tightly around hers, the scene looked like a rehearsal of them exchanging marriage vows.

"You got yourself a deal!"