"Ares you can't do this to me." She shook her head. "I'll never marry you."

    "You will. I don't care if I have to force and drag you to the altar." Ares glared at her.

     "You planned this didn't you? You always have everything planned! You made them do this, you talked them into our marriage." Mia wanted to strangle him.

    "Damn right I did. I even got to your mom, she was so easy to convince." Ares chuckled.

    "Do you think after everything you've done to me, I'll want you? You claim you love me but you disgust me, you make me wanna puke, your whole being makes me wanna puke. And you do this?" Mia scoffed sarcastically. "I hate you with my whole being, I loathe you."

            Ares growled, gripping both her arms. "Hate or not, you're stuck with me. We're getting married in three months, and if you keep resisting, maybe we'll just get everything over in two weeks." He loved that he could see the fear in her eyes.

    "Ares..." Mia's eyes watered with tears.

  Ares releases her and finds his way back into the house.

   She knew he was crazy, crazy enough to beat any guy that came close to her, crazy enough to stalk her while in school, crazy enough to turn his room into a shrine with her pictures all over, what she didn't think was that he was crazy enough to make her marry him. She couldn't understand why her mom agreed.
✴✴✴✴✴

     "I will not marry Ares godfather!" Mia stormed the house as soon as Karen and Samuel got home.

    "Why not?" Samuel asked. He was not so tall, fat, bald headed, had eyes of a hawk and a mole beside his nose.

    "Because I don't love him. There are so many reasons why I can't marry him. He's arrogant, he's nuts, he has no respect for women." Mia said to him.

    "You behaved so rudely at dinner by walking out, I didn't raise you that way." Karen reprimanded Mia.  "Did you know that Adela couldn't stop throwing tantrums because of it. It was so annoying."

    Mia faced her mom. "Are you even listening to me?!"

    "Ares is a good kid. He's really nice, good looking, wealthy, from the same social status as we are. What else do you want?" Karen headed towards the grand stairs just in front of the living room.

     "I thought you were on my side! How come I was the last to find out about the marriage stuff, mom, I just graduated a few months ago. I don't wanna tie my life down to someone I don't love."

    "Mama knows what's best my baby. You'll thank me later." Karen smiled at her daughter.

     "But mom, I won't be happy. Mom, godfather, please don't make me marry Ares. I'm begging you. Don't do this to me, please." Mia looked at her godfather, then her mom.

     "If you can give me two reasons why you think Ares is not good enough, I'll rethink." Samuel said to her.

    "I-I just said them. I can give you a hundred of them, please don't let me marry that sonofabitch." Mia pleaded to them.

     "Your tongue young lady." Karen climbed the staircase.

    "Can't you at least... Let me fall in love?" Mia said to her mom. "I've always done what you've asked of me and I never once complained. I'm begging you mama, don't let me marry Ares. It'll kill me." She pleaded earnestly.

     Karen turned to look at her daughter for a while and then spoke. "I'm doing this for your own good my sweetheart."

    "How?" She looked at her godfather. "Godfather please. If you really love me, you won't do this to me."

  "I'm doing this cos I love you." Samuel smiled at her.

   "And you better apologize to Adela tomorrow for your uncalled behavior!" Karen's voice echoed around.

    "This... This is so... Unfair. It's so unfair." Mia couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears, fleeing from the house.
✴✴✴✴✴

    "I was suffocating. Then I started drinking because I didn't want to accept the fact that I was being married off to a good-for-nothing. After a while, let's just say I finally came in terms with the fact that I was really marrying Ares. I decided to give our relationship a trial." Mia raked her fingers through her hair.
✴✴✴✴✴

   "Your mom wanted me to check on you. You weren't picking your calls." Mia said walking into Ares' apartment. "Don't tell me you're drunk... Again." She frowned at him.

    Ares chuckled... "Isn't it that the groom isn't supposed to see the bride few days to the wedding."

    "Can you look at the whole place Ares. It's like a pig sty." Mia frowned at him. This was her husband in four days, it's been three months already so she was trying her best to be the best she could be. She could never learn to love him, not now, not ever.

   Mia helped Ares get the house cleaned up and decided to cook up something for him to eat.

    "So what would you like to eat?" Mia wore an apron and turned on the stove. She'd learnt to cook really well from her mom.
  Ares stood behind her, placing his hands on the counter trapping her between his arms.

    "You." His kissed her cheek.

   Mia froze on a spot. She had avoided being intimately close to Ares as she couldn't trust him.

    "My beautiful pumpkin. I can't believe you'd soon be mine. Mine forever." He moved her hair away from her shoulder and began to place soft kisses on it.

    "Ares no. Stop." She panicked moving away before he could trap her again. She took off the apron, dropping it on the counter top. "Maybe you should get some rest, you've had too much to drink." She told him before making her way to the living room.

    Ares groaned, rolling his eyes. "Why do you always act so chaste? I'm gonna be your husband soon," he goes after her. "And you barely let me touch you. Am I that repulsive? Do you really not like me at all?" Ares said to her.

   Mia ignored him, scurrying towards the entrance door.

    "Answer me." Ares was getting pissed. "I said answer me!" He violently pulled her arm, turning her to face him squarely. "Answer me Mia!"

    "Let me go, let me go Ares. You're hurting me." Mia cried out to him.

    "You've been hurting me! I'm always hurting when you look at me like I'm the monster! I love you, I love you that it makes me insane. You have no idea what I've done for us to end up together. I'd kill for you, I'll fight for you, for goodness sake Mia, I would even die for you!" Ares held both her arms. He pulled her closer and kissed her. His kisses were angry and possessive that Mia could feel bile in her throat as she struggled to get free. He moved to her neck, kissing her like his life depended on it.

     Mia wanted to fight back but he was way too stronger than her. "Ares! Ares no no please no." She pleaded, trying to avert his kisses.
   
    "Give me what I want." Ares wrapped his strong arms around her without breaking his violent kiss. He tried lifting her dress but Mia struggled to stop him.

     "No. Ares, please don't." Mia screamed. She suddenly had a surge of strength, giving him a headbutt. He staggered backwards, with blood oozing from the side of his mouth. Mia didn't wait for his brain to register the impact, she gave him a resounding angry slap and kneed him in his crotch area. "Don't you ever touch me, you pig! I'll kill you if I have to!" Mia spat on his face before walking out.

   He was in a lot of pain and anguish as his held his groin. "Mia. Get back here!"  He tried to follow her. Mia ran for her dear life, leaving the house quickly.

    Two days to the wedding, Adela told Mia to get Ares for their dinner rehearsal. She hadn't told anyone what happened the other night, she didn't plan on telling anyone anyway. She had avoided him in anyway she could, but the wedding was still happening.

   She found the door to his apartment unlocked. It was quiet and peaceful when she entered; unusual. Dressed in a royal blue backless dress, Mia found her way to his room.

   The door was left ajar and loud moaning noises were all that could be heard. And that's where she met him, with a girl on top of him. They were having sex.

    "Shit!" Ares pushed the girl off him as soon as his door opened slightly.  "That's my fiancée bitch." He couldn't care less where the girl he was screwing fell. "Pumpkin!" He stood up, trying to hitch his briefs on. "Pumpkin wait!" He called out to Mia but she was already leaving.

   Mia hurried away from the scene. Ares caught up with her, stopping her before she leaves the house.

    "My pumpkin. My Mia. Don't leave, let's talk things out first. I swear to God, that whore is my first and last! She can't even fuck right." Ares panicked.

  Mia scoffed and turned to him. She suddenly started laughing hysterically. "You think I care about that cheap slut? No Ares I don't. Tsk, tsk. To think I was gonna give us a chance to work things out? To think I was gonna marry you?" Mia smiled. "Whoa! I'm clearly out of my mind, that's right, I'm losing my freaking mind! I don't care how many whores, prostitutes, sluts you sleep with Ares. In fact you just made me realize I've been an idiot." Mia shrugged. She looked content with herself.

     "Sometimes I ask myself, is this who I truly am? A weakling? Seriously I could do better." Mia chuckled. "Look, I gotta thank you for this. I'm serious, no joke. You've finally given me a reason to tell everyone why I dumped your sorry ass. Thank you Ares, this is the best you could do for me. Thank you lord! I'm finally free."

     "Pumpkin be reasonable. You know it's you I love, you and no one else. Give me a second chance to prove—"

     "Keep having your party." Mia glanced at his semi erection and chuckled. She looked at him. "Now I know why she can't fuck right, peewee. Eww." She mocked him, giving him a taste of his own medicine —his smirk.

   Mia turned to leave. She had only taken two steps when she turned back to him. "Before I forget." She looked at her hand, where the emerald engagement ring sat on her finger. Mia pulled it out, tossing it to God-knows-where. "Keep your stupid ring, there will be no wedding." After she was done, she flipped her hair away from her shoulder to gain her confidence.

     "Mia no please. Don't do this. The wedding is in two days, you can't do this." Ares felt humiliated and disgraced.

     "I already did. She gave him a fake smile before strutting out of the house.

     Mia was finally free from him. She couldn't believe her luck  everything just happened at the right time. Well, that was the last time she'd seen him. She told everyone that Ares was unfaithful that very day and that was the real reason for their break up. The next day, she took the next available flight to America. She promised herself the next time she would see him, she won't be the same person he knew.
....................................................

   "Well that's it! My pathetic life story." Mia giggled. Clearly drunk from the too much alcohol she'd had.

    Ryan was also drunk but he still had control over his senses. "Why would you give him a chance to walk over you?"

     "This is the new me Ryan. The old me would allow shitty stuff slide down her back. The... Real... Reason... I was mean to you was because, I never wanna repeat the same mistake twice. Men are scum! Look what love did to Ares, it made him crazy." Mia laughed... "Love makes people lose their sanity."

     "I'm nothing like Ares. Not all men are the same."

     She snorted... "I doubt that. So tell me, what's your story big guy?" Mia looked up at him.

     He chuckled... "I'll tell you. But Some other time."

     "Why does it seem like you're hiding your past from me? You're so uptight about it." She drank another shot.

    "I'll tell you when the right time comes. Trust me." Ryan smiled at her.

    The duo left the bar laughing like senseless idiots...
✴✴✴✴✴

     They were seated on the bed laughing and talking. No of them was sober.

     "Okay fine, ask me three questions." Mia said to Ryan drunkly.

     "First one. Why do you take Benzodiazepines? What's it for?" Ryan asked her.

    "Nosey!" She laughed carelessly. 

    "It's my first question." He pouted.

     She rolled her eyes. "It's because I wanna forget some terrible things I did in the past."

     Ryan frowned... "Is that like induced amnesia?"

    "Yep." She smiled at him.

    "What do you wanna forget?"

     "My past." Mia rubbed her temples.

     "What past?" He asked.

    "Three questions are up! It's my turn." Mia giggled like a child.

   "Okay." Ryan said. "Go for it."

   "Okay then, my first question is what's S O P H. You got it as a tattoo." Mia asked him, pointing to his chest.

    "Oh that? You mean Soph. It's the name of someone."

     "Who?"

     Ryan paused for a while. "My first love." He then nodded.

     "Ohhh. First love. So her name was just Soph? What did it mean?"

     "It's actually a name I gave her. It's the short for Sophie." He told her sadly.
   
     "For you to get a tattoo of her she must have been special. What happened to you guys?"

     "Oops! Three questions are over." He chuckled.

     "What?! Already?" Mia shook her head.

   Ryan turned to look at Mia, staring at her.  "Hey. Can I ask you something?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Why is it you never kiss me? You only return my kisses."

   Mia turned to him. "Really?"

   "Yeah. I noticed." He shrugged.

    "Now that you mentioned it I do wanna kiss you." Mia grinned at him.

     "You do?" Ryan blinked.

    "Yeah." Mia smirked. She rolled over to him, straddling him while placing her arms around his neck. "It's our wedding night after all." She whispered before planting a soft kiss on his lips.

    After a while, she inched away to look into his eyes. They were dark and craving. Then she leaned closer again, kissing him slowly at first, they both picked up pace with intent passion. 

   Ryan wrapped his arms around her, not letting her go.
......................................................
      Mia slowly opened her eyes and the first person she saw was Ryan. His messy hair onto his forehead while he slept peacefully, facing her. His arm was draped around her and their legs were tangled as his body pressed against hers.

   Her hand reached for his face and she slowly moved his hair away, caressing his cheek. She smiled. Gently, she moved his hand away from her body so as not to wake him. She carefully rolled away, getting up from the bed with her dress on.

   That's right! Her dress was on meaning nothing happened between her and Ryan. She certainly had no memory on what happened last night, the last thing she remembered was going into a bar to drink.

    Deciding not to wake Ryan up, she took a shower to relax herself and also painkillers to reduce her headache.

    Ryan groaned as he woke up. He raked his hair with his fingers, trying to think of how he got to the room. Who's room? His hangover was terrible but he had flashes of images that happened last night. He still remembered. Mia? Where was she? Did she leave already?

      "Hey. You're finally awake." Mia said to him as she stood in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe. She was dressed in a white bathrobe.

     "Hey." He gave her the warmest smile. "We passed out?"

    "Yes we passed out hopeless. Two things... I can't remember a thing from last night, and the other, nothing happened between us." Mia told him. "Sorry I didn't want to wake you, you were sleeping like a baby." Mia smiled at him.

     "It's okay." Ryan managed to get up. "Argh." He massaged his temples.

     "Do you need painkillers? I have if you need." She told him.

    "Thank you."

    Mia got to her bag to get pain killers, she then handed it to Ryan.

     "Thanks."

     "Whoa! Your breath stinks." Mia joked.

    Ryan laughed... "I know right."

    "There's an extra brush on the sink, feel free to use." Mia informed him.