It had been a month since it had been finalized. My wedding with the one person I never thought of in a romantic way, my best friend, the one who brought me up back on my feet after my horrendous experience with Takano-san, Nao Kiyomiya.
It all started a month ago. I asked Nao to accompany me on my visit to my mother, to decline the marriage proposal she had put forward. It would be the third girl I was going to reject. She believed that it was essential that I, the heir to the Onodera Publishing throne, had someone to lean on when I took over the company. A woman was best for that apparently. My pleas and my opinions fell on deaf ears. Neither my mom nor my dad took note of my views, though they were doing this in light of my best interests, I felt empty. I felt unwanted, no one bothered to listen to me, it was like I had no presence.
"WHY RITSU?! THIS IS GOING TO BE THE THIRD GIRL! YOU NEED TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!", Ritsu's mother screamed.
"I DON'T WANT TO MARRY MOTHER! MY JOB TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER ALL OTHER MATTERS. MARRIAGE IS SOMETHING I'M NOT READY FOR YET! I'VE BARELY STARTED WORKING!", I screeched.
"Then tell me Ritsu, who do you want to marry? Who do you want to spend the rest of your life with? Why are you rejecting these wonderful ladies?", His mother bombarded him with questions.
"I don't know Ma! They weren't my type… I guess"
"Ritsu.. you have got to choose somebody. I want to see you secure in all ways before you take over, my boy."
"About that Ma, Nao and I came here to tell you-", Ritsu was cut off immediately by his mother.
"What? You two love each other? Gender makes no difference to me or your father. Do you want to marry Nao? Nao are you willing to stay with him for the rest of your lives?", Onodera's mom asked quite seriously. Both men were stumped for a while, no one knew how this came about, how his mother jumped to such a conclusion.
"Yes Ma'am, we-", Nao started but once again Onodera's mother had cut him off before he could complete his statement.
"THAT'S WONDERFUL! OH RITSU WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE? THIS IS GREAT NEWS I MUST TELL YOUR FATHER ABOUT THIS!", Ritsu's mother exclaimed with joy.
"No mother, you are mistaken-"
It was too late. She had gone off to the main hall where Onodera's father was, to tell him about the recent events and Ritsu's compliance to marry Nao.
Preparations were made and guests invited. In the busy atmosphere of wedding preparations, Onodera couldn't find the time to explain the situation to his mother.
What shocked Ritsu was how fast his mother was moving things along with everything. She decided that the engagement party would be held a week from now and she already called Isaka-san, asking for permission to let Onodera take a week off from work as well as inviting him to the engagement party to which he gladly complied. He was feeling down. He didn't know how things had come to this. Nao sensed this and took Onodera to his room to have a nice long chat.
"Ritsu… I think this isn't a bad idea. Think about it. We've been friends since high school, we understand each other and what's more is that we know each other like the back of our hands.", Nao said making his tone and body as relaxed as possible so Ritsu could feel comfortable around him.
"But Nao.. Would you be willing to spend the rest of your life with me? You have your dreams and aspirations, you have your own life. What if someone else comes along? What if there's someone else you love? Would you be willing to leave it all?", Ritsu inquired genuinely concerned about his friend.
"That's the thing Ritsu… I- I've been in love with you ever since you let yourself go in front me, ever since you told me your experiences with Takano-san, ever since you showed me a multitude of expressions that accurately depicted what was going on in your head. I found myself thinking that I want to become the man Ritsu can lean on, someone who can protect him, someone who can love him and stay by his side. Ritsu… You're the only one I'll ever love."
Nao felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, he felt light, he felt great that he could finally tell Ritsu about his feelings. Ritsu on the other hand didn't know what to say. Part of him was happy and part of him was confused and angry. Onodera couldn't find the right words to reply to Nao. He only said Okay.
Nao was ecstatic. He went out with Onodera to search for wedding rings. It took them a full day to finally find the perfect set of rings. A simple platinum band with intricate designs.
The day had arrived. The day where he would officially be declared Nao's fiance. Not many people had come, he wanted the party to be kept amongst his family and his father's important colleagues.
The ceremony had been completed but it left Ritsu with a deep sense of emptiness. He wasn't paying attention to the party but was lost in his own thoughts. His mother's toast brought him back to reality.
"I'd like to thank all those who could make it here today. It's an important day for my son and it makes me glad that we could share it with you all. Ritsu has always kept to himself ever since he was a wee boy so this is a great day. I wish the two of you happiness and prosperity and success in all that you do."
Applause thundered through the hall with everyone cheering and congratulating the couple, while some preferred to talk about business with the future President of Onodera Publishing.
"Ritsu are you okay?", Nao asked after seeing Ritsu go a little pale.
"Yes…", He answered and was once again lost in his thoughts.