Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,45
didn’t want to get in trouble, they stood to greet us and Ryde came to put his arm around me. As the uncomfortable touch weighed down my shoulders, I had an idea.
Maybe I didn’t need to tell Dad I wasn’t going along with this “relationship” anymore. All I had to do was get Ryde to back out and I’d be free—at least for a little while—and then I could explain to my dad how well I was doing without the pressure of an arranged marriage. Time was a precious resource at this point.
“What would you like to drink?” Mr. Alexander asked my dad.
Dad answered his favorite drink—a Manhattan—while I whispered in Ryde’s ear, “Can I speak with you privately?”
He nodded with a smirk and said to his mom, “Excuse us for a moment.”
She giggled like a schoolgirl and said, “Of course this sweet couple wants to steal a moment together.”
My dad smiled approvingly. If only he knew what I’d be talking to Ryde about.
Ryde led me down a hall that eventually turned into an enormous kitchen. The staff scattered, like Ryde’s mere presence was a signal to leave. Within seconds, we were alone.
“Do you do that trick at parties?” I asked nervously.
He snorted. “It's one of my better ones.” He stepped closer and bent, his lips puckered.
Sheer panic welled in me as I stepped back. “Ryde, that’s not why I wanted you back here.”
“Come on,” he said, putting his hands on my waist and pulling me back.
I shoved at his shoulders as hard as I could. “Get off! Ryde, I wanted to talk to you.”
The wound to his pride was clear on his face. Had a girl ever turned him away? “What did you have to say?” he finally asked with a scowl.
There wasn't an easy way to say this. Even though I didn't love Ryde, and most of the time I didn't even like him, we still shared history. That wasn't so easy to let go of. I took a deep breath. “Ryde, I'm sorry, but I can't marry you.”
He blinked quickly. “What?”
“Look, you're a great guy, and I know plenty of girls would be happy to be in my position, but I cannot marry you. We have nothing in common, we clearly have different values, and the fact is that I'm seventeen. I'm too young to be thinking about marriage to you or anyone else.”
His jaw worked furiously. “Are you kidding me?”
My brows were in, and I was taken aback. Why was he acting so upset? He clearly didn’t care for me.
He placed both of his hands on the counter, pressing them down. “You have to marry me.”
What? Was this the same person or had someone hijacked Ryde’s body? “I thought you didn’t like this situation either?”
“What I like isn't important,” he spat, being his real, vile self for once. “It's about duty, obligation.”
“Obligation?” I asked, taken off guard. “Why are you obligated to this?”
His head hung down, and then he stood and rubbed his neck like he was tense and in need of a break. When his gaze met mine again, his eyes were haunted. “This isn’t just about you, Zara.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Okay, now you’re starting to sound like my father.”
He shook his head. “How can you be so selfish?”
“Selfish?” I felt like I had whiplash from this conversation.
“This marriage is happening,” Ryde said.
“And why is that?”
“Because my acting career—and my family—depend on it.”
Twenty-Nine
“They depend on it?” I asked, still dumbfounded. “I mean, I know the exposure will be nice for you, but you’re ‘Hollywood’s hottie.’ You’ll be just fine without me.”
Actually, the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. The fact that Ryde thought he could force me into marrying him was more than enough evidence for me to know he was not the man for me. But Ryde gripped my arm, and I looked pointedly down at his hand.
“You don’t understand,” he said harshly, still not letting go.
My voice was venom now. “No, what I don’t understand is why your hand is still on my arm.”
He swore low and then stepped back and said, “Your father has a settlement check written out to my parents and me dated for the day of our wedding, along with the promise for any role I choose in any upcoming film through Bhatta Productions. If you ruin this for me, I promise, I will ruin you.”
My mouth fell open, and I stumbled backwards. My father had bribed him and his parents