Destined Hearts - 2. Chapter 2: The wedding and a new life.

It was early in the morning and Antonio was seated on his bed with his mind elsewhere. He wasn't himself. All he had been thinking about was his boyfriend, how much he loved him and how much he wanted him. He didn't even call him to say good morning to him and give him a kiss.

He didn't sleep the entire night. He had been thinking about what his mother had done and how he regretted coming back home. The previous day morning he had been happy, he had been texting his boyfriend and he had been laughing. Had it been someone else that had caused so much anger to him then he would have understood. But it was his own mother.

Antonio heard a knock on the door that got him out of his thoughts. He had no idea why the knock got him so mad but he had a hunch that his mother was the one knocking. He didn't want to see her so he just ignored it and continued with what he was doing.

He heard the knock again but decided to ignore it. This continued for several seconds until he heard the door opening. His anger got intense and he furiously clenched his fists.

"Please, mom I don't wanna see you so can you just..."

"Antonio, are you okay, son?" He heard his granny's voice.

He quickly moved his eyes to the door and saw her slowly entering with a smile on her face.

"Are you mad at me, son?"

"No!" He quickly got up from the bed, standing still. "Why would you say that, granny? You know I would never be mad at you."

Somehow, he felt relieved when he saw his granny. He knew that talking to her was gonna help him feel better.

"But you are mad at your mother and we never thought you would do that." She stood in front of him with her arms crossed on her chest. The way she was looking at him made him feel sad.

"Granny, you know what mom did to me is not fair." He complained. "How could she ruin my life like this?"

Granny smiled faintly, dropping her hands. "I know that you are very angry right now. But don't you wanna have breakfast with your family? It's the first breakfast we are having together in four years."

"No!" He didn't wanna see his mother but he wasn't gonna tell his granny that. "I am not hungry, granny. I think I will just stay in my room the rest of the day."

"Why?" Granny chuckled. She was acting as if everything was going perfectly. "Is it because of what happened yesterday?" She sighed. "Antonio, I think you are overreacting, my grandson."

"What?" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "Are you being serious right now, granny?" He couldn't believe she was saying that to him. "You saw what happened yesterday. I didn't..."

"And you think your mother can choose to ruin your life?" She chuckled. "She is your mother, Antonio and I have seen just how much she loves you. She's doing this for you and your father. I know everything that happened. You owe your life to that boy's mother and I think it's just fair..."

"Do I have a choice?" He simply yelled. "Mom just blackmailed me and..."

"But you also had a choice, Antonio." Granny said softly. "You could have left her there and live your own life but you didn't. I know that you think your mother is selfish but no mother would want to ruin her child's life. If she did this then she has a good reason to and..."

"Granny, please," Antonio slowly sat on the bed with his hands on his face. "I don't wanna hear about what had happened yesterday."

"I know that." Granny sat with him, putting her arm around him. "But I am just saying that your mother was just looking out for your interest. Parents never go wrong, you know. Besides, it was your father who made the vow. Your mother was just fulfilling what she has promised."

"Granny, I..."

"Please, listen to me." She pleaded, putting her hands together. "You wouldn't have been alive without this boy's mother. Sometimes what parents do for their children may turn out to be a blessing after all. Who knows, this boy might just be the light you need to brighten your whole life. Besides," She smiled, massaging his neck softly. "I wanna see you marry."

"Granny, if I wanna get married then I have a boyfriend that I love. I will do that but mom wouldn't want to see me happy."

Granny lost her smile and shook her head. She had nothing to say anymore.

"Let's just drop this topic." Antonio said softly. "I am trying hard to forget about it."

"Okay!" Granny raised her hands. "Whatever you say, baby. But I want you to please cheer up and don't do anything stupid. It's just a marriage and I am sure you will like the boy when you see him. Your mother has..."

"I don't wanna hear it." He said hoarsely. "Can't we just drop this topic because I have a terrible headache as it is?"

"Okay!" Granny got up from the bed. "But can you eat something? You are making all of us worried, my son."

"I am not hun..."

"Antonio, since when did you reject food that was cooked by your grandmother?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I will eat later." He looked away.

"No!" She shook her head. "I am bringing the food and I will feed it to you. I just can't sit and watch you torture yourself over nothing."

Antonio couldn't say anything. He just looked at her and let her do what she wanted to do. True to her word, granny went out of the room and came back with a plate of deliciously made breakfast. He tried to reject the food but granny made sure that he ate all of it.

Gosh! She was just trying to cheer him up. She was just hoping he was gonna do real soon because she was missing her crazy grandson real badly.

***

"Eduardo, I know what I am doing." Emilia said with a sigh. "You people just don't understand anything at all."

"But mom..."

"Eduardo, he will be happy, I promise you."

"But don't you think this is a little too much?" Eduardo complained, staring at his mother. "He is probably hurt right now. Maybe you should go and talk to him."

"Not now." Emilia sighed. "I will talk to him later. I know that he feels that I am blackmailing him but I am not. I am doing this because it's the right thing to do. It's not like I am forcing him into it."

Hearing what his mother had just said, Eduardo just looked at her without even blinking.

"What?" Emilia shrugged, raising her shoulders. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Mom, we all saw what you did last night." He added. "I think that's what made him agree to marry this mysterious boy of yours. He wouldn't have agreed to it if you hadn't done what you did. All of us were scared of losing you. Even I would have agreed to anything with the way I was feeling. He did that because..." He paused and took a deep breath. "...he loves you a lot."

"And so do I." Emilia said softly. "You are still young and don't understand certain things but you will understand when you have a child. Besides, Praveen is the sweetest, kindest and well-mannered boy I know."

"He might be but you know maybe Antonio likes someone who's crazy, wild and just down to earth." Eduardo was trying to make his mother understand but she wasn't.

"He will be happy with Praveen." She smiled faintly, rubbing on her son's cheeks. "All I want is to see my son in the hands of someone I know will make him happy, someone that can do anything for him. That boy is Praveen. If anything ever happened to me then I want to leave my children in the best hands. You have Celine and he will have Praveen. I will be happy and I promise he will be happy."

Eduardo knew that his mother was doing everything for his brother and she was probably doing it for his benefit.

"You are probably right." He was speaking softly. He took her hands and kissed them. "But I need you to talk to him. He is probably hurt because of what had happened yesterday. He didn't come for breakfast but please..." He warned. "...I don't want you two to argue."

"Yes!" She smiled brightly. "I will talk to him later."

"Thanks."

Eduardo kissed his mother's cheeks and left the room.

Emilia remained on the bed just thinking about her son. She just hoped she was gonna find him calm and cool. She didn't want to hurt him or find him crying or something worse. She wasn't gonna back down because it was all for him.

She took a deep breath before she finally left her room for her son's. When she reached his room, she found him with Andrea and the two were busy talking. But when he saw her, he moved his eyes away and remained quiet. He just didn't want to see her.

"Hey!" She greeted. "How are you this morning?"

Antonio shook his head and looked at her with anger in his eyes. "What do you think, mom?" He said hoarsely.

"Hmm," She moaned. "I can see that you are still mad at me and I am sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did and..."

"Why are you apologizing?" He chuckled bitterly. "Didn't you get what you wanted? I agreed to marry the boy. I hope you are happy now."

Hmm, he was madder than she had actually thought? He'd never spoken to her like that.

"Anyway," She cleared her throat. "I will be sending a message to them. We will go and see them in three days so that you can get to meet him." She started getting closer. "I am sure you are gonna love him. He is a nice boy and I promise you won't have any problem with him."

Just hearing his mother talking about the boy made him really pissed. He was already clenching his fists, ready to tell his mother to get out. He wasn't interested in what she had come to say to him. He furiously tried to stand up but Andrea held his hand tightly, signaling him to sit down.

Antonio got the message and he didn't even stand up. He was just staring at his mother, trying to hate her. But deep down inside, he still loved her so much and just the thought of losing her was making him scared.

"I will be calling his aunt today." She smiled brightly. "I just..."

"I get you mom." He said hoarsely. "Why are you telling me all this?" He wasn't interested. "After all, you are the one handling all this."

She could still feel the anger in his voice. Emilia just sighed and slowly turned to leave. But she didn't even take a step. She slowly moved her head and looked at her son.

"You will like him and you will thank me for this one day."

She turned and started leaving. But she didn't even get far before she heard someone call her.

"Mom..."

Emilia stopped in her steps and turned to find her son up and staring back at her. She didn't even know what to say to him anymore. She didn't know if he wanted to tell her something bad or reject the marriage or even threaten to leave the country. She knew that her son was stubborn and he could do whatever he wanted.

"Please..." Antonio put his hands together, staring into her eyes. "Don't ever do what you tried to do yesterday." He said with tears in his eyes. "You really scared me and up to now, I am still thinking of how I almost lost you. I swear if you choose to end your life, I will follow you."

Emilia's eyes watered and she got emotional at that moment. But she couldn't cry. She was definitely happy.

"My son..."

"Please, promise me you won't ever try to take your life." He started getting closer to her. "I have lost my dad. I can't afford to lose you too. You are the one of the most important people in my life right now."

"Son!" Emilia sobbed, opening her arms. "Please, come and hug your mother. I really want to hug you."

A tear went down Antonio's cheeks as he rushed to his mother. He ran straight into her arms and hugged her tightly. Oh! Her hug felt really warm, cozy and breathtakingly beautiful. He had missed her hug and the giggles she was making were somehow taking some of the anger he felt.

There was something about the hug she gave him, something that he couldn't explain. It was just amazing. He didn't want to see his mother sad. After all, she wasn't to be blamed. All this was because of one person.

"Thank you so much." Emilia pulled away from the hug. But she cupped her son's cheeks and placed kisses all over his handsome face. "You have no idea how long I have been longing for your hug today."

"Thank you too, mom." He gave her a fake smile. "Just be smiling always and I will be happy."

"Okay." She kissed him. "I will leave you with Andrea, okay? I have to talk to your granny."

Emilia laughed before she gave her son one more hug. She kissed her daughter and then left the room. As soon as she left, Antonio lost the smile on his face and angrily sat back on the bed, breathing like a terrible killer.

"What the fuck?" He furiously gripped his hair.

"Calm down!" Andrea rubbed on his neck. "Being angry won't solve anything. But at least you were able to talk to her and she has no idea what we’re planning."

"It was hurting me." When he raised his face to stare at his sister, his face was wet with tears. "I just couldn't watch her being sad. You know how close I am to mom. Seeing her sad was just making things worse for me."

"And I am proud of you." Andrea said with a smile. "She doesn't deserve to suffer after all," She shrugged. "This isn't her fault. We all know who is to be blamed for this."

"Yes!" He clenched his fists.

"But promise me you'll take things easy." She sounded really serious. She even lost the smile on her face. "We shouldn't mess things up. Promise me that you'll get back all the wealth that boy has stolen."

"I promise." He held her hands. "I won't let that boy take what is ours."

"Yes!" Andrea smiled brightly. "And I promise that we will deal with him. It's his fault that this is happening."

"Yes!" Andrea rubbed on her brother's cheek. All she needed was the wealth back and secure into her brother's hands. "I know that you will be doing this for us and our pride. You shouldn't worry about anything because I am here with you."

"Thanks."

"Oh!" Andrea moaned softly, opening her arms. "Come here."

Antonio smiled and he hugged his sister tightly. He wasn't happy but he did everything for his mother. He wasn't used to seeing her sad. But his mind was still on Bruce, his lover. He hadn't told him anything and he honestly had no idea if he was gonna get the courage to.

He loved him so much and he wished he was with him.

***

Praveen was busy coming out of the house after having a great conversation with his aunt. She was telling him how much she was gonna miss him after he was married and how she was gonna miss his presence and everything about him.

Unfortunately, his aunt was leaving a few days after his marriage because her eldest son had called her to join him abroad. It was gonna be an emotional day for him and he was gonna miss her so much.

He could still remember how emotional he had been when she told him that,

‘Praveen, we will be leaving Ashton after your marriage.’

‘What?’ He had gasped. ‘Why? Where will you go?’

She had held his hand and said, ‘My son wants us to join him abroad. He has a good job now and he wants us to join him so that our family will be complete.’

He had been really emotional after hearing that.

‘Oh! You shouldn't be worried, Praveen.’ She had held his hands. ‘We will be visiting you from time to time. Besides, I know that you will be in great hands here.’

Praveen was really gonna miss his aunt a lot, especially his best friend, Mike. They had been his family for two years and he loved them like they were his own. But he understood them. They deserved a good life and he was happy for them.

Praveen was so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn't even aware of things around him. The next thing he felt was bumping into something really hard that made him take a step back. He was hoping it wasn't a person because he didn't want to hurt anyone.

He quickly moved his eyes forward and oh no, there was an angry looking fat woman in front of him. She was just average with her hair tied and she was in her 40s. Praveen got really scared when he saw the way she was looking at him as if she was getting ready to strangle his neck.

Praveen gave her a little smile and got a little closer to her.

"Hey, Aunt Meg, how are you?"

Meg was Victoria's friend who lived nearby but this woman really hated Praveen and he had failed to understand why.

"And why did you bump into me?" She said harshly, folding her arms. "Have you suddenly become blind?"

"I... I am sorry." He apologized. "I was just so lost in my thoughts that..."

"Well, I hope those thoughts of yours included leaving this place very soon." She said with mock in her voice.

Praveen lost the smile on his face and took a sigh. "What do you mean by that, aunt..."

"It's simple." She said angrily. "When will you leave this family alone? Isn't it enough that you have brought back luck to them? Do you want to kill them too?"

"What?" He slightly closed his eyes as a sharp pain pierced his heart. "Why would you say that? You know that I love..."

"You love them?" She chuckled mockingly, shaking her head. "Are you not even ashamed of yourself? They are not your family and yet you stay with them? Why can't you leave them alone? This family is suffering and yet..."

"But aunt..."

"And I am not your aunt." She said, causing him more pain. "I have still failed to understand why Victoria chose to keep you here. I mean I am sure she knows that you are bad luck."

Praveen closed his eyes and breathed. "She was my mother's friend and you know that I don't have any other family member apart from my late parents."

"Hmm, poor you but that doesn't move me at all." She laughed in mock. "Who knows if you have other family members?"

"I don't." He said softly. "I can't lie and Aunt Vic..."

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "Maybe they are just trying to hide from you. I mean," She eyed him from head to toe as if she was looking at something disgusting. "Who would want to be related to you?"

Though Praveen didn't want to say anything to her, deep inside it was really painful.

"Everyone is probably just hiding away from you and I bet your dead parents are disappointed in you right now." She added. "Leave this family alone and go live alone. They have suffered enough with you, okay. Leave them alone."

Praveen couldn't stay there anymore. He just turned looked and turned to leave her presence. He was hurt that he just wanted to cry. But he couldn't do it. He had to be strong. He had no idea if what she had been saying was okay but he was hurt.

However, when he turned to leave, he got the surprise of his life when he found Victoria looking right at him. He stopped and just stood still. He moved his eyes away because he couldn't stare his aunt in the face. He just couldn't do it.

"Praveen!" Victoria slowly went to him. "What's wrong, son? Are you okay?"

She held his hands but he still couldn't look at her. His voice was completely gone.

"Son..."

"Ah..." Meg chuckled softly, moving closer to her. "...Victoria, leave him. I am sure he's absolutely fine."

Victoria let go of Praveen and went to Meg. She just stood there staring at her as if she was her enemy.

"Get out!" Victoria said harshly without any regret in her voice.

"What?" Meg gasped, shaking her head. "Why are you speaking like that and..."

"I want you out of here!" She yelled. "I heard everything that you were telling him. Who do you think you are, Meg?"

To say Meg was surprised would be an understatement. "Victoria? Are you sending me out of you compound?"
"Not only my compound but my house as well." Victoria barked. "I thought you were my friend and honestly I have tolerated your foolishness for long now. How dare you say that to Praveen?"

"Are you talking to me like that because of this boy?" Meg bellowed, angrily pointing at Praveen. "You should remember that our friendship started way before this boy..."

"Yes!" She nodded. "And I am ending it now because I can't have a friend like you. Grace and I were friends way before I even met you. Praveen is like a son to me and I will not tolerate anyone insulting him. So before I do something stupid I want you to get out of my sight and don't ever come back here."

"Are you telling me that you are going..."

"Go away!" She yelled in her face. "I don't want to see you and I don't ever wanna talk to you. Leave!"

Meg chuckled bitterly, clenching her fists. "Fine!" She stomped her feet on the ground. "But let me tell you this, Victoria. You shall remember my words one day and you will come and beg me. I thought I was coming to see a friend but..."

"From you?" Victoria laughed. "Really? What help can I get from a selfish woman like you? I don't need your help so get out of here before I do something stupid and please," She warned. "The next time I will catch you insulting Praveen, you and I will have problems."

Meg was really disappointed. She just turned and left angrily. But Victoria didn't care about anything. She turned around and went to Praveen. She could see the pain he was in and she honestly understood him.

"You shouldn't have done what you did." He said sheepishly. "She was your friend."

"Yes!" Victoria wrapped her arm around him. "She used to be my friend but you are like a son to me and God punish me if I should throw you out or do anything bad to you."

Praveen looked at her and he got a little better.

"Just like Mike and my children, I love you so much." She said sincerely. "That's why I can't tolerate anyone saying bad things about you."

Praveen smiled brightly at his aunt and hugged her tightly. He had no idea what he had done to deserve such good people in his life. They were simply the best.

"I don't want you to be sad anymore." She cupped his cheeks. "Besides, you should be smiling right now. Very soon, you will be meeting your future husband and smiling will make you even more handsome."

Praveen blushed and looked away.

"See!" She said, rubbing on his cheeks. "Even blushing makes you so handsome. I am sure he will fall deeply in love with you at first sight and I will make sure of that."

"What do you mean?" He looked at her. "I don't understand."

"No!" She smiled, dropping her hands. "I will tell you later. Now I have to go and continue what I was doing. We still have a lot to do before the visitors come. Let's go inside."

Praveen nodded and both of them went back inside the house.

***

Antonio was standing in his room, staring into the mirror at his reflection. He was dressed beautifully in a blue designer's shirt with his sexy chest exposed. He had a black designer's trouser on, white designer's shoes and his hair was perfectly combed. He was wearing the most expensive cologne because he had no choice anyway.

His clothes were expensive and so was everything on him but his mood was really foul. Antonio's heart was pounding so deeply in his chest, his face was red with anger, his body trembled in anger, his muscles had contracted, his blood was boiling and his fists were clenched. Antonio's jaws were shaking terribly and his anger kept on increasing every second that passed.

The door to his room opened and his anger just went to another level. He could hear footsteps but he definitely didn't care about who had come into the room.

"Are you ready?" It was Andrea. "Mom and the others are waiting outside."

He took a quick glance at her and sighed. She was looking beautiful in a short yellow dress, yellow high heeled shoes and curled hair. Her makeup was sparkly and she just owned what she was wearing.

"Ah..." That was the only word that came out of his mouth.

"Antonio!" She walked to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Please, try to improve your mood, okay? We shouldn't let anyone see you like that. Besides, remember what we talked about?"

"I know what we talked about, Andrea." He groaned. "But I really can't help myself. Do you know how I am feeling right now? I regret coming back here and maybe I should have married Bruce before coming back here."

"This won't be permanent." She smiled. "Just put a smile on that gorgeous face of yours and let's go before mom comes out here and makes some drama."

"But..."

"Come on!" She coiled his arm and started leading him out. Antonio had no choice.

They both went outside the house where they found some of the family members already inside the cars. The only one out was Emilia and she was looking at the door waiting for her son to come out so that they could leave already. She was looking amazing in a beautiful blue dress with high heeled shoes and her hair tied. She didn't put makeup on but she was beautiful.

"There you are." She smiled brightly when she saw her son and her daughter coming out. "You have no idea how long I have been waiting for you."

"What?" Andrea chuckled nervously. "It's only been five minutes. It's not like we are going to see a king or something." She rolled her eyes.

"You don't understand. They have probably been waiting for us for long." She rushed to her son. "Antonio, honey..." She smiled, coiling her arm with his. "...you are riding with me."

She went to a beautiful car with Antonio and she was smiling. Her son was gonna meet Praveen finally. The cars started moving. It wasn't gonna be long before they reached Praveen's house and she was gonna be happy her son was gonna see Praveen.

"Antonio!" She cupped his hand in hers. "My son, I am really happy right now. I know that you are still sad but I am sure you are gonna love him. Praveen is beautiful, intelligent, kind and really nice. You are gonna love him."

Antonio just looked at his mother without saying anything to her.

"Oh! You have no idea how it feels to know that your little boy will be starting another life with someone special." She said in her emotional voice but he didn't care. "Please, just take it easy, okay."

Antonio nodded without saying anything to his mother.

The rest of the way went quiet for the two of them. Antonio just stared outside, hoping for the cars to just breakdown so that he could be saved from a disaster. He was still hoping he was gonna control himself because honestly, there was just a lot that was on his mind and he had no idea if he was gonna control himself when he saw the boy.

What seemed like hours for Emilia seemed like seconds for Antonio. They finally arrived at the place and boy was Emilia joyful. She couldn't lose the smile on her face. Meanwhile, Antonio couldn't understand what he was doing at such a filthy place. Not only was the place not in his league but it was out of town, almost in the slums and he didn't appreciate it. Seeing that place made his blood boil even more and his anger to intensify. He couldn't believe it.

"We are here?" Emilia beamed, quickly opening the door. "We are finally here. Let's go."

When Antonio got out of the car, gosh, he was so irritated with the place. Fuck! He could have sworn the air felt different. What the fuck was he doing at such a place?

Everyone got out of their cars and they all started heading towards the door. They were looking around the place and most of them were definitely not happy, especially Antonio and Andrea. They were so damn pissed.

"So this is where my future grandson in law lives?" Granny smiled, moving her eyes from place to place.

"Yes!" Emilia exclaimed, getting really anxious. "I told all of you that he is from a humble background."

"Well, I am not complaining." She chuckled, raising her hands as if she was surrendering. "I know that you and my son cannot make any mistake. But I am excited right now. Let's go and meet him."

Emilia smiled at her mother in law and they started heading towards the door.

‘What the fuck am I doing in such a place?’ Antonio thought, clenching his fists. Anger could be seen in his face because it was starting to turn red. ‘This is too much. I gotta talk to mom before things get worse. I don't care anymore.’

He took a harsh breath and started heading to his mother. But before he reached her, he felt someone grab his wrist. He looked passed his shoulder and saw Andrea shaking her head, signaling him to stop. He groaned and just stood still.

Meanwhile, Emilia reached the door and knocked. Antonio just stood there looking like a statue without even moving an inch. Suddenly a woman opened the door smiling like she had just seen God. She wasn't even dressed specially, just an ordinary dress but she was at least beautiful.

"Hey!" Victoria gasped, smiling at the entire family. "You are here."

"Victoria," Emilia beamed brightly, taking a deep breath. "You know I wouldn't miss this for the world. I have waited for so long for this. We are here for serious business today."

"Okay, please come inside." She opened the door wider so that the guests could come inside.

Emilia and her family started coming inside and Victoria's happiness was overflowing. There were two handsome men with her but she didn't need to guess who Antonio was. God! He was really handsome, more handsome than he had seen him in magazines. She could already picture him with Praveen and they were gonna be the perfect couple.

When they went inside the living room, they could see that Victoria had made some wonderful decorations in the living room. It was marvelous. The guests sat and Victoria knew she had to make them comfortable.

"Well, you are welcome to my house." She said followed by a warm smile.

Antonio couldn't utter a word. He just smiled faintly when she looked at him although he was really irritated.

"Thank you so much." Granny said happily. "We should be the ones thanking you for welcoming us to your house knowing what we've come here to do."

"It's no problem."

Emilia's two children, Mike and Julia came to greet the guests and they were the happiest kids ever. They were just ordinary beautiful children but they were definitely raised well and Victoria was impressed.

At first everyone including Antonio mistook Mike for Praveen but it was cleared when Victoria introduced them as her children, Mike and Julia. It seemed everyone was eager to meet him, except for Antonio who was dying to get out of that hell his mother had imposed on him.

"Mike and Julia, why don't you get our guests some refreshments?" Victoria said. "I am pretty sure they are thirsty."

Mike and Julia went to the kitchen and they came back with some juice which they served to the guests. Granny thanked them for their hospitality but...

"Okay, we've been here for quite some time and..." Granny paused, looking all around. "...I don't see my future grandson in law. Isn't he here or something?"

"Oh!" Victoria cleared her throat. "He is here and..." She moved her eyes to her son. "Mike, please go and get him."

"Yes, mom." Mike said with a smile.

Mike left and granny continued talking with Victoria, still appreciating her and telling her how warm and cozy her house was. She also asked questions about Praveen because she was eager to know everything about him though Emilia had told her almost everything she knew about him.

Finally, the moment they had been waiting for arrived. Mike came back and he was with the shy looking beautiful boy. Praveen was dressed in a beautiful blue shirt with white stripes, a black skinny jean and brown sandals. He was looking simple but really beautiful. After all, he didn't have any fancy clothes.

His curled hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing his pretty face and wonderful skin. He was wearing spectacles but he was still beautiful in them.

On the other hand, the first thing that happened when Antonio saw Praveen was irritation. He got irritated to the point that he just wanted to get out of that place. The boy himself, the way he was walking like a retarded idiot and fuck, those glasses just got him so mad. What was his mother thinking, he thought as he looked away? Fuck! The boy wasn't even half his class. It was so annoying but it was all thanks to his fucking mother that he had to suffer like that.

Meanwhile, Praveen wasn't even looking at the guests. His eyes were at the floor because he was just too shy, nervous and anxious at the same time. His heart was pounding deep in his chest and he was starting to sweat. Emilia's entire family had come to see him and it was making him really nervous.

"Oh my God," Granny covered her mouth, staring at her daughter in law with her eyes wide open. "Emilia, why didn't you tell me this boy was so beautiful?"

That statement from granny made Praveen blush so much that he almost ran away.

"Mother, I told you he was very beautiful."

Praveen walked with Mike to the living room and stopped. He stood beside his aunt and that was the time when he raised his eyes. Shit! His eyes just landed on Antonio, his husband to be. His heart simply stopped beating... he held his breath... his body felt hot and cold at the same time... his emotions got out of control and he remained motionless.

Antonio was even more handsome than he looked in magazines he had seen. His hair was perfectly combed and his body was just amazing. The way his chest was exposed was dreamy. Everything in that room disappeared except for the two of them. Time stopped and Praveen felt a cool breeze hit his face.

Though Antonio wasn't looking at him, Praveen was sure that his eyes were just as beautiful. But he didn't want to be caught staring so he moved his eyes and looked somewhere else.

Emilia smiled brightly, getting up from the chair. She held Praveen and just smiled at her family. The time had come for the introduction to begin.

"This is Praveen Garcia, the boy I have been telling you about." She blurted, patting on his back. "Praveen, this is my family."

She started introducing him to them one by one. She first introduced him to her eldest son and his wife then went to introduce him to her daughter who gave him a fake smile. She introduced him to her mother in law who seemed more than happy and then she lastly introduced him to her son, Antonio.

Antonio raised his face, stared into those annoying eyes and just smiled faintly before looking away. Praveen didn't even notice because he had been busy blushing.

"Well, I must say you are very handsome." Granny said abruptly. "You are just perfect for my grandson. I know that you two will look good together." Praveen couldn't help but blush. "Why don't you come and sit with me?"

Praveen nodded and went to sit with her.

Antonio was about to explode in anger. His fists were clenched and he was only moments away from exploding. He had never seen anyone so irritating as the boy he was looking at. His mother just had to embarrass him. Bruce was hundred times better than the annoying brat.

Anyway, granny continued sitting with the boy. She was asking questions and appreciating him. She was only meeting him for the first time but she loved him already. She definitely knew her son didn't make a mistake by choosing such a boy for her grandson. The rest of Emilia's family was quiet and Emilia wanted her son and Antonio to get to know each other so she had an idea.

"Oh, mother..." She cleared her throat. "...it seems you've taken Praveen all to yourself. I think Antonio also wants to talk to him. After all, they are meeting for the first time and I am sure they are both dying to speak to each other."

"Fuck!" Antonio cursed, clenching his teeth.

Emilia held Praveen's hand, slowly rubbing on it. "I am sure you two would like to talk to each other. Why don't you go out, catch some air and try to get to know each other more."

Praveen stared at Antonio and smiled. He was nervous but he just nodded and got up from the chair. Then he slowly started going outside.

Antonio on the other hand didn't know if at all he was gonna continue with the charade. He just wanted to get out of there but it seemed as if his mother was controlling his life. It was annoying. But he had no choice. He got up from the chair and followed the boy behind.

Praveen got out of the house and he lost the smile on his face. He felt as if he was able to breathe. He had felt really suffocated inside and the cool air outside made him feel better. He was able to breathe again although he was still nervous, unsure and confused. He couldn't make anything of Antonio. The guy hadn't spoken a word to him.

His nervousness increased when he heard footsteps right behind him. He knew that Antonio was coming behind him. He started playing with his hands which were getting really sweaty by the second. He had no idea what to say? What if he said something wrong? He just had to be confident. Maybe the guy was as good as he had heard from Mike.

On the other hand, Antonio's anger was getting out of control with every step he made towards the brat. Fuck! If only he could rip that fucking ponytail off and kill him right there. He so fucking hated him more than he hated his enemies. But he knew he had to control himself.

He went and stood beside him, looking straight ahead.

Praveen took a quick glance at him and he just remained quiet. Both the men just remained quiet without even uttering a word. One thing that surprised Praveen was how harsh Antonio's breath was. He couldn't understand it but maybe that was the way he breathed.

The silence continued for a couple of minutes until things started getting awkward. Praveen was waiting for Antonio to start something and no way was Antonio going to start talking to him. His plan was to remain quiet until he went back home. Maybe the idiot was going to get the message and...

"I heard you just came back from abroad a few days ago." Praveen spoke sheepishly, trying to hide his sweaty hands. He couldn't take the silence. He needed to say something. "How was your trip?"

Fuck, just the annoying boy's voice was making Antonio mad. He had just ruined his plans. He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, still holding his hands into fists.

"It... it was fine!"

"That's good and..." He paused and tried to get himself under control. "...your mother is very nice."

"Really?" Antonio sounded as if he didn't care at all. "That's uh... good."

Something about Antonio was making Praveen really nervous and uneasy. He was expecting him to say something but right at that moment, Praveen just wanted to hide and get away from that man.

On the other hand, Antonio was looking at Praveen as if he wanted to strangle him. He might have been looking innocent but that boy in front of him was the reason why his mother had slapped him, forced him to do what he didn't want to do and also the reason why he was staying away from his boyfriend. But he knew how to handle such bitchy boys.

Antonio had an idea. He cleared his throat and tried to be as calm as possible.

"How long have you known my mother?" He asked, interrogating the young man.

"Err..." Praveen turned and stared at him before quickly dropping his eyes. "Well, I used to see her visit my mother from time to time when I was young but she started visiting frequently after... err..." He paused and gulped. "...after our marriage was confirmed. So I have known her for quite some years."

"Fuck!" He clenched his fists, trying so hard to control his anger.

"Your family seems nice too." Praveen confessed.

Antonio couldn't answer. He just remained quiet, tried to think about his boyfriend which by the way failed because he was filled with nothing but anger inside of him. His head felt like it was spinning and his heart was like a washing machine.
The quietness continued until...

"Have you ever broken someone's relationship before?" He popped the stupid question.

"What?" Praveen gasped, slowly looking at the man that was looking seriously forward. "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say, I wanna hear your answer." He was gonna trap the boy.

Praveen really had no idea how that question was related to them getting to know each other but...

"No!" He said with confidence in his voice. "I have never done that before."

"Hmm," he chuckled teasingly. "That's good. I am glad you haven't done that before because it would be real bad right?"

"Yes!" he agreed, frowning at the question.

"Ah..." He laughed softly. "Okay." He turned and faced the boy. "Imagine you had a really great boyfriend who you love so much and the relationship just fails like that. What would you do?"

Strange, Praveen thought as he looked at Antonio with nothing but confusion on his face. "I... I have never been in such a relationship before but..."

"I said imagine." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "If I had such a person and then the relationship failed then I can accept it. We are not meant to be. I believe that if you are really meant to end up together then you are eventually gonna end up together no matter what happens."

‘Stupid little...’ Antonio thought as he clenched on his fists. Fuck! He couldn't believe the boy had just said that to him, a nerd.

"So you believe in destiny?"

"Yes!" Praveen smiled, staring straight at the ground. "I believe that whatever the almighty says will happen then it will happen." He was still smiling. He had no idea why Antonio was asking such weird questions but the guy seemed nice. Maybe he was just one of those shy and quiet guys.

"Sometimes what we want may just be beyond us and that is something we must accept." He continued. "I believe if something is for you then you will get it but if it's not for you then the almighty will give you something that's for you."

Antonio couldn't say anything anymore. It seemed he had underestimated Praveen but that didn't bring down his anger at all. In fact, his anger just got out of hand. What was he gonna do now that he had done what he had planned? It was confusing and irritating at the same time.

"Hmm," He chuckled, shaking his head. "Looks like you like you like to speak about the almighty a lot." He laughed bitterly. "But..." He paused and stared at the boy. "...what if you found out that you have broken a relationship?"

"Uh!" Praveen frowned, quickly looking at Antonio. "Why would you say that? I would never dream of breaking any relationship."

"Well, let's just say that..." He paused and took a deep breath. "...I am saying that because..."

"There you are."

Before Antonio could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a really familiar voice. It was Andrea and it was like she sensed he was about to say something bad. She chuckled and placed her hand on his shoulder, leaning on to him. She then looked at Praveen with a wonderful fake smile.

"Hmm, you two have been gone for quite some time." She winked at Praveen who immediately dropped his eyes. "What are the two of you discussing because I can see someone is blushing." She teased.

"Come on!" She teased, putting her arm on his shoulder. "You shouldn't be shy around me. After all, we are all gonna be one big family, right?"

Praveen raised his face and just smiled slightly. He couldn't do anything but blush. It had only been Antonio but now it was also Andrea. Praveen had no idea how to handle them both because they were both crazy.

"Anyway," Andrea cleared her voice. "If you two are done knowing each other, granny would like to spend some time with her grandson in law."

Praveen smiled faintly, shaking his head. "It's fine, I will go and see her right away." He glanced at Antonio who was looking away. "Excuse me."

Praveen went away and Andrea lost whatever smile she had on her face. She frowned in disgust as she looked around. The place was really filthy. Antonio on the other hand pulled his hand furiously away from his sister and walked away.

"Ah," He groaned angrily. "Fuck, I hate this boy. This place is making me sick."

"Shh..." Andrea whispered, rushing to him. "What do you think you are doing? Do you want mom or anyone else to..."

"I don't fucking care." He grunted. "Have you seen that stupid boy? He has no class and this place is just..." He couldn't say anything anymore. "...I can't stay here anymore because I will do something really bad. I can't hold myself anymore. I need to get out of here because this place is disgusting and it is irritating me. I can't stand that boy and this slum." He gawped, clenching on his fists. "I have a very big headache. I need to..."

"Breath and calm down." Andrea assured. "I tell you that I am sicker that you are." She was speaking softly so that no could hear her. "Mom has definitely lost class. This place stinks and I don't think I can stay here anymore and that boy..." She chuckled, an evil grin appearing on her face. "...Oh! He is so annoying, ugly, classless and simply out of his mind. Now I know why he wants to get into our family. He wants our wealth but we won't allow that. We will open everyone's eyes so that they can see how evil that boy is."

"I swear I will deal with him." He swore, breathing terribly. "I will deal with him that he will regret ever meeting my mother. He will beg to get out of our house. I promise this."

"I know that but we gotta get back inside before mom comes out here with her drama." She sighed. "I don't want a lecture from her."

"I think..."

"No!" She coiled his arm with hers. "We need to go back inside and please," She smiled at him brightly. "Fix that face of yours before you ruin everything."

Antonio rolled his eyes and he went straight inside with his sister. When they both entered the house, they found their granny still praising Praveen and it was irritating as hell. They both rolled their eyes and started slowly walking to the living room.

Antonio had his hands in his pocket, staring at the stupid smiling boy. Everything about him was fake. Oh, he was gonna deal with him and it was a promise he was gonna fulfill.

"There you are." Emilia smiled when she saw her children. "What took the two of you so long?"

"Well, we were just talking about something." Andrea lied, smiling at her mother. "Sorry that we took long."

Victoria smiled and breathed in deeply. "Well, it's fine. But dinner is ready." She said happily. "Why don't you all come and eat and we can continue the conversation at the table."

"Yeah!" Granny smiled, holding Praveen's hand sweetly. "Thank you so much."

"I can't." Antonio said simply with his hands still in his pockets.

Victoria lost the smile on her face when she heard that. She couldn't understand the reason why he said because the dinner was mostly because of him.

"What do you mean?" Emilia frowned, quickly getting up from the chair.

"I mean I can't have dinner." He shrugged. It was not like he planned on eating at such a filthy place anyway. "I have to go."

"What?" Emilia gasped, trying to get her son. "I don't understand you. Antonio, this is a special night and it's for you and Praveen. Where are you going?"

"Err..." He cleared his throat. "...something important just came up and it needs my attention." He lied. "You know since I came back I have been busy with my music and my fans have been asking for more."

"But..."

"Mom, this is really important." He glanced at his watch. "I have to go."

"But Antonio, this is for you." Emilia said in a tone that she couldn't recognize. "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No, mom..." He said in a serious tone. "...it's also important and..."

"Antonio, I am sorry but can you at least eat a little." Victoria pleaded, staring at him. "I cooked all the food for you and besides, we still have a lot to talk about, right?"

Antonio took a deep breath. "I am sorry but my work can't wait." He lied. "Besides," He looked at his mother. "Mom is here and I am sure she can handle this perfectly."

He looked at his mother and didn't miss the look on her face. Without saying anything else, he just turned and left the house. Praveen couldn't say anything. The guy was a busy man and he definitely understood him completely.

‘Wow!’ Andrea thought as an evil grin appeared on her face. ‘My brother is something else. I am proud of him for doing this. Now mom looks like she has just seen her own life flash before her face. This is gonna be fun to watch. Now let's see how everything will go without Antonio.’

Emilia got out of the shock and smiled at Victoria. "Don't worry about that." She giggled, trying to control herself. "He's right. His mother is here and he has entrusted everything to me."

"Well, since you say that." Victoria smiled.

They all went to the dining table where they enjoyed Victoria's delicious food with a wonderful conversation. They were really getting to know each other well and granny seemed really nice. She loved Praveen and it was the most wonderful thing to watch.

Dinner went well and they went back to the living room to continue their discussions. Antonio's family spent about three hours at Praveen's house before they went back to their house.

Praveen's aunt asked about what he thought about Emilia's family. Praveen thought the entire family was nice including Antonio although his behavior had been quite strange, especially the questions he had been asking when they were alone.

But everything was just perfect and the way his family had treated him was really nice. They even got to discuss their marriage plans and Praveen got really worried and nervous. Sure he had met Antonio and he seemed nice and all but he wasn't sure if he was gonna make him happy. He was ready to marry him though because he had promised his mother he would get married to Emilia's son. It wasn't like he even had a choice any way.

***

"What?" Antonio snarled, yelling at his mother. "You did what?"

"What's wrong with you?" Emilia asked with a shrugged shoulder. "First you left that place with a stupid excuse and now you are surprised?"

"How could you do this mom?" He gawped. "Did you ask me before doing this?"

"Do I need permission from you?" She chuckled teasingly. "I thought you told everyone I was gonna handle everything. This is me handling everything for my son. Aren't you proud?'

"Proud?" He yelled. "Proud of what, mom? Couldn't you have asked me before setting my wedding three days from now?"

Antonio couldn't believe it. And he had thought he had left the headache back at the idiot's house not knowing that the bigger one was gonna follow him home. He just didn't know what his life was turning into anymore. It was like he had done something wrong to his mother or she wasn't suddenly his mother.

"Ask what?" She shrugged. "I thought you left everything in my hands. You knew the reason why we went to see Praveen. You two were supposed to meet and then we were to agree on the wedding day. Besides, three days is good enough for everything. That boy has been waiting for a long time."

"Mom, why?" He felt really angry.

"Antonio, the date has been set and nothing is gonna change that." She said to him. "The preparations are starting tomorrow and you should be prepared as well because there are a lot of things to be done. I want everything to be perfect. You only experience this once and I want it to be memorable."

"But mom..."

"Listen to me," She smiled softly. "I know that I rushed you into this but I just want you to settle down. You know I am not getting any younger and I just want to see you settle down as a married man. Nothing will make me happier than that. Your brother is married," She smiled at her other son. "And now you are getting married. Very soon it will be Andrea and I will finally rest and just watch as all of you are happy."

Antonio moved his eyes and looked away. His anger was just building up more and more. The day it was gonna come out, he was gonna kill the brat and that was a promise. He still loved Bruce and nothing was gonna make him change his mind.

"This wedding will be really important to this family and most importantly, it will make your father happy because that was his wish." She sighed as she remembered her late husband. "Our preparations will start tomorrow and everything should be in order." She went closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You met Praveen today. Isn't he beautiful, intelligent and kind? You will never find a boy like him anywhere. He will make you really happy and I want this wedding to be grand. I want everyone to know that my wonderful son is getting married and..."

"Mom, please I..."

"Can you sit with me for a second?" Granny asked softly, holding his hand. "Please!"

Antonio looked at his granny and sat without questioning her. She was one of the people that he couldn't deny anything in the house. She held his hands sweetly and rubbed on his cheeks.

"Antonio, my son..." She started. "I know that you are upset about what your mother has done. You also know that I have always supported you in everything that you’ve done and that's because I love you and I want to see you happy."

"Yes, granny." He sighed, rubbing on her hand.

"Good! Honestly, I had never met this boy until today and I also saw that what your mother said about him was absolutely true."

Fuck! Just when he thought she was gonna support him. It was like this boy was bewitching anyone that he met. He was like a bad omen and that made Antonio extremely angry. He was supposed to be smiling but he was really angry.

"I like Praveen and I think you two will make the perfect couple." She said in a soothing tone. "The boy I saw today will make you really happy and besides," She chuckled. "I like him and I want him as my grandson in law. Will you grant me this one request?" She pleaded.

"Granny..."

"Please!" She looked into his eyes and it seemed as if she was looking into his very soul. "I know this boy will make us all happy."

‘Speak for yourself, selfish woman. ‘Andrea thought, angrily rolling her eyes.

"Can your grandmother lie to you?" She sighed. "Please! Just marry this boy, please."

Antonio's soul was weeping. Praveen had finally succeeded in making the people that he loved so much turn against him, people that used to go out of their way to make him happy. It was really painful. But he was looking at his grandmother and he could... oh! How could he deny her when she was looking at him like that? Besides, he didn't even have much of a choice because there was a lot that was at stake. That was why he chose to keep quiet.

"Okay." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You can continue with your plans, granny. This is all just for you."

"Thank you so much." She grinned, giving him her million dollar smile. "I promise that you won't regret this, son."

"Yes!" Emilia agreed. "Everything shall be as planned and...”

"Only on one condition." He announced, quickly getting up from the couch. "I want you to organize a small wedding, even a traditional wedding."

"What?" Emilia frowned, wondering what the hell was wrong with her son. "A small wedding? Why? Antonio, you are the son of Harvey Gonzalez. Your wedding should be grand and..."

"You have made decisions for me up to now." He said with no hint of a smile on his face. "This is my wedding and if you want it to happen in three days then you will grant me this."

"But..." She paused and moved to her mother in law. "...say something, mother. Make him understand that the wedding should be grand and not just a small traditional wedding."

"Mom..." He didn't need to finish the sentence to let her know what he wanted to say. His voice was clear enough.

"But..."

"Let him be." Granny rubbed on her arm. "It's his wedding and if he wants a small wedding then he will have a small wedding. Besides, I think we can still invite important guests to witness the wedding. It's his decision."

Emilia nodded and smiled softly. "Okay. I will call the wedding planners to come here tomorrow."

Emilia smiled and left the living room.

Antonio couldn't even say a single word. He just left the living room for this room where he vented out his anger. He was really mad and he knew from that moment that he was probably gonna be angry until he got his revenge.

***

"I am really sorry." Antonio rubbed on his face, taking in a deep breath. "It's just that I haven't been myself lately, baby."

‘Why?’ Bruce sounded worried on the phone. ‘Are you sick or something? You are making me worried, my love? What's wrong?’

"I... I... just forget about it." He sighed, feeling tears building up in his eyes. "You know how much I love you, baby. I love you so much and you are the only one I would like to spend the rest of my life with. I can't see myself with anybody else."

‘I know that, baby.’ Bruce chuckled seductively on the other end. ‘Don't miss me too much, okay. I will be there in a few days and we can make love anywhere you want. Even under the moonlight.’

"Yes!" He chuckled happily. "I would love that so much and I can't wait for that moment."

"I love you too."

Antonio kissed the phone and threw it on the bed as his anger returned again. It was already morning and his mood was not any better. He was still mad and he was still thinking about a lot of things. But he had to endure that for a few days. He was gonna drive the boy right out of his life and house.

Antonio was seated on the bed in a black short with a pure white vest. His muscular chest was pressed on it which made him really sexy and seductive. His hairy legs were exposed and though he was angry, he was looking so damn sexy.

As he was seated on the bed lost deep in his thoughts, he heard the door open and close and then footsteps coming towards his bed. He took a deep breath, ready to shout at whoever had come inside. He just wanted to be left alone. But when he raised his face, he got the surprise of his life.

"Miss me?"

It was his friend, Ethan Dantes, his best friend since... only God knows when. Antonio and Ethan had been friends for a really long time. They had attended their high school together and their university as well. Both of them had been staying abroad but Ethan had come back earlier. The only thing that they had differently while in the university were their programs.

Ethan was a tall cute guy with chocolate brown hair that was cut short and well maintained. He was handsome with well shaven beards, a sexy physique and a beautiful personality. He had amber eyes that were sexy and seductive. But unlike Antonio who was gay, Ethan was bisexual, although, he was more into men.

He was wearing a beautiful yellow shirt with his gorgeous hairless chest exposed on which was pressed a shiny golden chain. The shirt was tucked in a black designer's shirt and black shoes on his feet.

Somehow, seeing Ethan brought back life into Antonio. He actually smiled, forgot about his troubles for a second and got up from the bed. He was really happy seeing his best friend again. He had been so upset that he hadn't been able to see him when he came back. This was his mother's entire fault. He knew his friend would have come to see him but it had been a surprise.

"Ethan!" He opened his arms and they hugged, chuckling happily. "How did you know I was here?"

"Well, since you decided to forget about our friendship, I came to see you instead." He said, withdrawing from the hug.

"I am so sorry, bro." He apologized, holding his hands tightly. "I was about to surprise you and..."

"I must say that I am surprised." He giggled. "I wonder what kind of friend you are. You were about to get married without informing me. This is supposed to be a happy occasion and my best friend was about to hide it from me. How could you?"
Ethan was so deep in his conversation that he didn't see the frown on Antonio's face. His mood was foul again. He just looked away and tried to be calm while deep inside his anger was back again.

"I don't wanna talk about that." He said simply.

"What?" Ethan gasped. "This is your wedding we are talking about here. We are supposed to be talking about this. So tell me," He winked with his usual smile. "How does it feel knowing that you are gonna leave bachelorhood behind and..."

"Awful!" He snarled, getting back to the bed. "How else would I feel when I am being forced into this? My mother is getting me married to some... to some..." He groaned, clenching his fists. The way he was breathing got Ethan really worried and scared.

"Antonio!" He sighed and sat down on the bed. "My friend, why are you looking as if you are not happy? This is your marriage we are talking about here. Aunt Mil called me here to help you choose the best outfit for you to wear on your wedding. I wasn't expecting to see you like..."

"I love Bruce!" he yelled, gripping the bedding. "He is the one I want to marry."

"Okay." Ethan raised his hands as if he was surrendering. "I completely understand you but I thought your father chose this boy."

"Wait!" Antonio frowned. "How did you know that and..."

"Relax," He rubbed on his thigh. "Aunt Mil told me when she called me today. Come on, you should be happy. This is your father's choice and..."

"Can you just hear yourself?" He chuckled bitterly, getting up from the bed. "You know Bruce and I are in love. He is the one I wanna marry and not some cheap village slut."

"Maybe this is destiny." Ethan shrugged. "Maybe you and Bruce are not meant to be together. Maybe this new boy is the..."

"A classless boy that doesn't even look good." He snarled, furiously turning to look at his friend. "He is not handsome and he fucking wears spectacles. He is from a village and very far from my class."

"Oh!" Ethan laughed, crossing his arms on his chest. "So that's the problem you have with him, right? Had he been rich and classy, would you have agreed?"

"Fuck no!" He yelled, groaning at his friend. "I love Bruce and..."

"Yes! I know that." Honestly, Ethan didn't like Bruce that much but he couldn't tell his friend that. "But you are starting a new life and please," Ethan pleaded, putting his hands together. "Improve your mood because it will not help you in any way. I know you love Bruce but you will learn to love this boy too. After all, love may just..."

"I don't need that..."

"Okay." Ethan simply gave up. He got up and wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulder. "I am sorry for this but there is nothing you can do. I promised Aunt Mil that I will help her so take a shower so that we can go out. I need you to cheer up because it won't be good..."

"I swear to you that boy has no idea who he is dealing with." He clenched his fists. "I know he is manipulating..."

"Can you hear yourself?" Ethan frowned, staring at his friend as if he had said something abominable. "This boy is innocent so please don't hurt him, okay? You are marrying him and besides, no one is forcing you to..."

"If not for one thing then..."

"Shh..." Ethan kissed Antonio on the cheek, rubbing on him softly. "...just get dressed so that we can get out of here. I promised her I will help so don't make me look bad."

Antonio looked at his friend angrily and furiously dropped his hands. "Fine!"

He furiously turned and went to the room where he kept his clothes to change. Ethan shook his head and just laughed. His friend was just acting childish.

***

The wedding plans started as planned and Emilia was head over heels with the preparations. She wanted everything to be perfect because it was her son that was getting married. Sure, it was gonna be a traditional wedding but it was gonna be perfect. She had already hired the best cameramen, the best wedding planners and the best wedding hall for the traditional wedding to take place.

Although it was simply a traditional wedding, it was modern and people still enjoyed it. Emilia was trying to make it as beautiful as possible while still maintaining it to be small like her son wanted. She was gonna respect his wish of having a small wedding. As long as Praveen was home with her son then she was gonna be fine.

Meanwhile, Ethan was helping Antonio with the best traditional wedding outfit, one that was gonna make him look handsome. Although Antonio wasn't interested in it, Ethan made sure that he took him to different shops that sold wedding outfits. He even helped him choose the best one. After all, he was only gonna experience that moment once, he hoped.

Emilia couldn't have been happier. It was only gonna be a few days and Praveen was gonna be her son in law.

Back at Praveen's house, the preparations were going on and he was getting more nervous as days went on. He had no idea why he was feeling uneasy about the whole thing. He had only met Antonio once and they were gonna be living together, sleeping together and their first night was making him nervous.

He had never been intimate with anyone before and he was scared. He didn't think he was ready. What if Antonio was a sex freak? But he didn't want to think about it. Antonio was gonna be his husband and he was gonna respect it. Besides, he was supposed to be happy. Antonio wasn't bad. He was gonna be his husband and they were gonna spend their entire lives together.

With the wedding closing in, Praveen even visited his mother's grave and spent almost the entire day there. It was emotional and he even shed tears while talking to her. He wished she had been there with him to see him get married. He wished she had been there to see him but she was gone and he missed her so much.

Praveen promised his mother that he was gonna fulfill her final wish and he was gonna try to make his new family happy. He promised his mother he was gonna make his husband happy and he was gonna try by all means to show him all the love that he could. He had learned from the best and those were his parents. He had seen the way they loved each other. They were his inspiration.

He asked for her blessings before he left for home. There were still a lot of things to be done. People from nearby, his neighbors even came to wish him good luck. The news about his marriage spread like wildfire in his neighborhood and most of the people were happy for him. A few were mad and jealous but he didn't care.

It seemed like the hours were passing by really quickly. At night he used to talk to his aunt which just made both of them emotional. She reminded him that they were gonna be leaving just a few days after his marriage. Praveen cried that night because he was gonna miss her so much.

His wedding attire was brought and it was a beautiful red traditional attire which fit him perfectly. Everything was going perfectly. Emilia even came and took him out where it was just the two of them. She told him of how she had felt the time she had been getting married.

She told him a wonderful story that made him happy and emotional. Apparently, Emilia still loved her husband and she missed him so much. She even gave him a wonderful gift, a golden necklace that she had promised her husband she would give to him when he was gonna marry his son.

Praveen asked about Harvey and Emilia told him how great of a father he was, how he went out of his way to make sure they were happy and how they all missed him. She also told him how happy he was gonna be on their wedding day because it had been his final wish. He was finally gonna rest in peace knowing that his wish had been fulfilled.

That night when Praveen went to bed, he thought about everything Emilia had told him. According to her, Antonio was a fun loving guy. Now he was sure that he was gonna be happy with Antonio. He only asked for the almighty's blessings.

Three days passed and it felt like just a few minutes. The big day arrived and Praveen was nervous as hell. He couldn't believe he was gonna be married. He couldn't believe he was gonna fulfill his mother's wish. He couldn't believe he was gonna go away to start another life. It was emotional.

That day, Praveen just got up and the makeup artists, designers and whatever people had come to make sure he was sparkling were there. He just sat on a chair in front of the mirror with tears in his eyes and just let them do what they were good at.

They tied his hair into braided ponytail then folded it. They made his face look beautiful by applying makeup and they did all kinds of magic on him. His spectacles were removed and it had been long that had been done.

‘You look beautiful, my love.’ He remembered his mother's words.

They dressed him in the beautiful wedding attire and it was amazing. On his head was put a traditional wedding hat and he looked different but in a beautiful way. He was put in flat traditional shoes and they did other things. He was ready but he was emotional. Even his aunt and her family were specially dressed and they were happy to see him. They spent some time with him since he wasn't gonna come back to the house. He was gonna be living at Emilia's. They just wanted to spend time with him before the car arrived.

Back at the mansion, Antonio was already dressed in his blue traditional attire that made him look handsome. But he didn't care about that since he knew the reason why he was doing that. He was standing in front of the mirror with anger on his face. His friend was with him and he too was in a traditional attire.

The house was beautifully decorated, especially Antonio's room. There were flower petals on the bed, it was well lit and there were also a lot of presents which just irritated him. There was nothing special about that day. It was just gonna remind him of all the pain he was gonna go through. He was gonna erase it from his life very soon so he didn't care much.

Everyone was looking beautiful in their expensive clothes. They were happy or at least they pretended to be.

Finally, the time came and they all headed for the wedding venue. Fuck! Emilia had definitely gone out of her way to prepare for the wedding. The decors were expensive, the flowers were expensive and it sparkled everywhere. It was a big wedding hall and cameramen were ready with their cameras to capture every moment of that wedding.

At the center of the hall was the place where all the wedding rituals were gonna happen according to the traditions and customs of Ashton. Though it was a traditional wedding, Emilia had hired entertainment, the food was plentiful and the guests were many as well. After the rituals, Emilia planned to make everything memorable.

It wasn't long before they all found themselves at the hall. The cameramen were capturing everything. Antonio was mad when he saw Praveen that day but he had to control himself. He couldn't even smile at the cameras. His angry eyes were only on the boy that he was gonna deal with. Praveen on the other hand couldn't shake off that feeling of uneasiness. It was preying on him and he was feeling shy with all the people there.

The rituals started when the priest arrived. They first started with a prayer then started all the wedding rituals which included exchanging of rings, garlands and the seven holy vows which sealed their wedding. People were throwing rose petals at them.

Traditional wedding didn't involve kisses so people weren't lucky enough to see that and Praveen wasn't sure he was ready for that as well. Antonio was glad because his lips were only for Bruce. His body was for Bruce and no one else's. It had been the reason why he had chosen a traditional wedding. They were no kisses involved.

After the rituals, they were now married and people cheered for them. Praveen was so emotional that he could have sworn he saw his mother's face smiling in the crowd. He couldn't help but shed a tear. He had started a new life with Antonio and he was sure his mother was really happy.

After the rituals were complete, Antonio and Praveen even shared a dance. Antonio had a frown on his face throughout the dance but Praveen's eyes were on the ground that he couldn't even notice anything.

Everything went perfect and according to plan. Praveen and Antonio were now married and there was no going back. Antonio was broken hearted and Praveen was happy to fulfill his mother's last wish before she died. Most of the people were happy.

After the wedding was over, the couple got blessings from the elders. Praveen hugged his aunt before he went away in a special car. He had started another life with Antonio and it felt like a dream. What he didn't know was that by getting married to Antonio he had made a lot of enemies.

***

"Just stand there, don't enter." Emilia stopped Praveen and Antonio before they could even reach the door way. "You are coming to this house for the first time Praveen and you must be received in a special way, according to our traditions."

Praveen blushed and just stood still, looking all around. It was such a beautiful place and he was gonna be living there now.

Anyway, Emilia came back with a plate on which there were a number of things. She was smiling brightly at her son in law and her son. She held the plate and lit the candle on it. She then took some oil and rubbed it on his forehead together with her pissed son.

Then she took a piece of cake and fed it to him,

"This is the first food you are having in this house." She smiled brightly, taking a glass of juice which she fed to him. "And the first drink."

Some workers came with a dish and some water. Emilia leaned down and took off Praveen's shoes. She washed his feet carefully, dried them with a towel and put some lotion on them. She then finished with other rituals, kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly while everyone watched.

"Now my son, all the doors are open to you in this house." She smiled brightly. "This is your house as well. You may enter."

Praveen smiled and tried to take a step but Emilia stopped him. Praveen stopped, wondering why his mother in law had suddenly stopped him. But he couldn't say anything to her. He just stood still with his eyes on the floor.

"That isn't the way you should enter your in-laws' house." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Your husband has to pick you up all the way to your bedroom."

‘What the fuck!’ Antonio clenched his fists. He was trying so hard to stay calm as it was and... oh hell no.

Antonio and Praveen just stood there without moving an inch.

"Come on, Antonio," Ethan teased, crossing his arms on his chest. "Don't tell me he's too heavy for you? Show him just how strong you are. Besides, it's your wedding night and you should treat him special."

Antonio stared at his friend and just rolled his eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly moved his right hand to Praveen's waist, pulling him slowly closer to his body. Praveen started feeling nervous for some reason and the teasing wasn't helping him at all.

He slowly placed his hand on Antonio's shoulder, looking into his beautiful eyes. Antonio coiled the other hand around Praveen's legs and lifted him from the floor which drew cheers from the people that were watching them. Praveen on the other hand coiled his arms around Antonio's neck and just held on tightly.

Antonio slowly started entering the house with Praveen in his arms. Praveen was shy and Antonio just wanted to get it over with the drama. It was making him really sick. He had married someone he didn't like one bit and it was the most annoying thing ever. He wanted to puke.

The house was beautiful. Praveen couldn't help but notice how huge it was. He had never been there before. Everything seemed classy and stylish even the workers that had come to see him enter the house. They had smiles on their faces which made him really shy.

Antonio slowly entered the living room, holding Praveen carefully in his arms. He wasn't even making eye contact with him because he hated him so much. He kept on thinking about Bruce. He was the man he was supposed to be holding. He was the man his mother was supposed to be welcoming but things were different now. He hated it so much.

Antonio reached the staircase and then stood still. He couldn't believe he was gonna climb the stairs with the stupid boy in his arms.

"Go on..." Granny smiled, signaling him to move up.

He took a deep breath and slowly started climbing the stairs with the boy in his arms. Everyone was watching with smiles on their faces, especially granny and Emilia. Praveen was nervous and scared at the same time. He was holding on tightly to Antonio's neck while looking at his handsome face. Gosh, the way he smelled, the wonderful breaths and everything was making him nervous. He had no idea how his first night with the handsome man was gonna be. He was scared.

After what felt like hours, they finally arrived in the beautifully decorated room. It was sparkling... It was filled with flower petals on the bed and the smell was to die for. Praveen saw the room for the first time and it was just beautiful. His eyes scanned the whole room and he was impressed. He couldn't still believe he was gonna be living in that house.

Antonio took Praveen to the big couch and slowly put him there without saying anything to him. Praveen looked at his husband and said nothing as he put him on the couch. Antonio wasn't saying anything. He didn't even show any emotions but he was so damn sexy.

Antonio slowly got up and turned. He went to the bed, removed his hat and threw it on the bed. He ruffled his hair and went to the bathroom to check himself out. He was so mad deep inside that Praveen's very presence irritated him to the core.

Praveen just sat there looking all around the wonderful room. It was really huge. He had no idea if to stand and check it out but he thought it was better to just sit and wait for Antonio to come to him. After all, he was a new groom.

After what felt like hours, Antonio came out of the bathroom toweling his wet hair. He was still in his traditional outfit although he had only remained with the trouser. He was putting on a white vest with his chest sticking out. Praveen quickly looked away when he saw him with his sexiness. He didn't wanna get caught staring at the hunk.

His heart started pounding deep in his chest, his breath stopped for a second and he got really nervous. He had no idea what was gonna happen but he was ready for it. After all, he was married and it was expected.

He just looked away until...

"Aren't you gonna change?" He heard Antonio ask in the sweetest voice that made him shiver.

"Uh?" He gasped, quickly glancing at Antonio. He was still not smiling but so damn handsome and sexy. He could spend the entire day just staring at him. "What?"

"It was a long day." Antonio said, throwing the towel on a small chair. "You need to freshen up and sleep because I am sure you are tired." He was trying to be nice even if it was just for one night because that was something the boy was never gonna see ever again. "We have both had a really long day so go to the bathroom and freshen up."

"Hmm," He smiled softly, slowly getting up from the couch. "But I don't know this place and..."

"It's the door in the middle." Antonio signaled, pointing to the door. "Everything you might need is there. If however you need my help then you can call me."

Praveen smiled brightly and then nodded. "Thank you."

He slowly walked to the bathroom where he felt like he had just entered another form of heaven. He had never seen any bathroom like that before. It was like at a five star hotel. Everything was in perfect order and the smell was lovely. He couldn't help but look around a little.

Praveen slowly took off his hat and then freed his hair. It felt really cool and he smiled at his reflection in the mirror.
"Hmm," He breathed.

He took removed the band that was used to tie his hair, letting it loose. He ruffled it and then made sure he was looking alright. But he was getting even more nervous and scared as time went by. He was tired and he just wanted to sleep but there was also a possibility his husband wanted them to get intimate in which he had no say. He had no choice but to give him and so he also had to be prepared for anything. God! If only the poor boy knew.

He unbuttoned his traditional jacket and slowly took it off. He had a shirt inside so there was nothing to worry. He checked himself in the mirror and made sure that he was looking fine. He had probably spent too much time in the bathroom. It was time to come out.

He took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Breathe, Praveen..." He took another deep breath. "You shouldn't be afraid or nervous. Everything will turn out to be fine for you tonight. This was bound to happen so just breathe."

Praveen finished encouraging himself, fixed his face and got out of the bathroom. However, when he got out, what he found was not what he had expected. He had been thinking he was gonna find Antonio on the bed waiting for him for their first night but Antonio was on the bed, sleeping. He was sleeping like a little baby, snoring slightly.

When Praveen saw that, he smiled and just watched him. His face was even more handsome... his snores were beautiful... his chest movement as he breathed was amazing. Praveen was happy deep down inside. He slowly walked to the bed and carefully sat on the bed, staring at his husband. He sure was the most handsome guy he had ever seen. He knew he was gonna be happy that night.

Praveen climb into bed and lay next to his husband, enjoying the feel of his hot breath on his face. He was now a married man and he thanked the almighty for giving him such a husband.

"You seem like a good man, Antonio." He muttered, a smile popping on his face. "We are now married and I really hope you help me fall in love with you."

He smiled brightly and rubbed on Antonio's face, feeling a spark of lightning all over his body. His new life had begun and he wished his parents were there to see it. But he wasn't gonna ruin that night with tears. He had to be happy.

Praveen breathed in Antonio's wonderful scent, closing his eyes shut. He was so tired that it didn't even take him a minute before he fell into a deep sleep.

The story has just begun...