MatchMakers

Chapter 23: Will You Marry Me?

A/N: A very late Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Years Eve! My gift to you, I hope you enjoy these two chapters post and please favorite, follow, and review if your liking the story!

5 YEARS AGO

Goten's POV

I was breathless by the time I made it to the large dandelion fields where she was just standing there in her sundress violently whipping in the wind and holding her tan hat as she took in nature's beauty. I felt the heat rush to my face and the butterflies in my stomach began to flutter uncontrollably. She was leaving, her family was moving to the city and I couldn't do anything about it. We've been best friends since we were babies, inseparable, but now what I believed to have once been impossible was possible. We were separable. She turned to me, acknowledging my presence, my heart began its rapid beating as she gave me one of those cute smiles that I've come to love when directed at me.

"Hey Spiky!" She called out through the wind, she sounded so casual, as if this wasn't the last time we would see each other.

I returned the smile even when my emotions were trying to force me to frown. I ran up to her and the second I reached her she grabbed my hand.

"Pigtails!" I tried to protest, right now she was in her own world with nature, admiring the beauty before she would go on to talk about how she wanted to travel the world. I didn't mind listening to her plans to travel, I loved them, but each time she spoke of her future adventures she never included me. At the moment I needed to tell her how I felt, that I wanted to be by her side forever.

She stopped dragging me once we made it in view of the beautiful river on the other side of the field. Her eyes always sparkled when she stared at it. Look at it Spiky, she would always say and I would look at it as if it was the first time I laid my eyes upon it. We stared at it for a while till she finally decided to talk.

"I can't believe we're moving," she mumbled her words sadly.

I didn't expect to hear her sad tone, she was a cheerful person, optimistic, but moving into the city wouldn't offer her the chance to see nature at its best. Just so much infrastructure.

"You can always visit," I suggested.

She looked at me, sadness in her eyes before mumbling how her parents will be busy with work and the trip to the countryside won't be a guarantee. I frowned at the truth, they were moving because of her parents work, the countryside would just be a thing in the past. She bought her attention back to the river.

"Well when I get older, deny my match and suffer the consequences I'm gonna travel the world," she said, brushing off the reality of now.

I loved hearing her defiance, she was so strong willed and confident. But I still didn't fit in the equation for her plans of voyage.

I noticed we were still holding hands and wanted this moment to last forever, just the two of us enjoying each other's company. I played with the rings in my right pocket, growing nervous at what I was about to do.

"Marron."

She turned her attention to me, looking at me as she wondered why I said her name so seriously. We rarely called each other by our first names once we developed the nicknames. So when we did call each other by our first names it meant something serious was up. The atmosphere was different.

"What's wrong Goten?"

It was a silly question to ask but everything happening right now was wrong, she was leaving when we were supposed to be inseparable, just as our families would call our friendship. I would be all alone. I took a deep breath.

"I really like you Marron!" I blurted out, my face reddening, while I managed to shock myself with my boldness.

She sported a look of surprise before laughing and in a way I felt rejected, she saw my confession as silly. I let go of her hand, ready to embarrassingly leave far away from here just for her to quickly grab hold of it again.

"I'm laughing at how cute you were silly," she chuckled some more while my ears turned pink at being called cute. "I really like you too," she reassured with a bright smile.

I couldn't believe what my ears were hearing, she liked me too…I returned the smile before tackling her with an overjoyed hug that caused us to tumble to the ground. I apologized for hugging her (she wasn't a fan of hugs) and making her fall after I helped her up. Then I remembered the rings in my pockets. I took them out and knelt down on one knee, receiving a bewildered look from her.

"I know you want to defy the MatchMakers and travel the world, so when we get older let's runaway from the law and get married. I promise I won't tie you down because a journey of two is better than one."

We looked at each other for sometime, my heart racing each passing second hoping I didn't embarrass myself and jeopardize our friendship because I was seeking for something more.

"You promise?" She questioned seriously, finally breaking away that awkward silence.

"Yes!"

She looked at the ring, then back to me, "yes," she smiled as she answered. I placed the ring on her ring finger, it was a little too big, but I bought it a couple sizes bigger so it would fit us both by the time we turn 16 and runaway together. She took the other ring from my grasp and slipped it on my ring finger.

I got up from my kneeling position and kissed her cheek, causing us both to turn red in the face.

"Marron!"

"Goten!"

We turned to the voices calling our names, it was our family with worried expressions. They scolded us for running off when it was time for Marron and her parents to leave, but I didn't care, Marron likes me and we are going to get married soon. In the end, that's all that mattered.

Present Time

Marron's POV

I got up from my bed as soon as I woke up, freshened myself up before going down for breakfast.

"And that's how she almost burned down the house."

I felt my face flush with embarrassment the moment I caught the end of my father's story and heard Goten laughing. As a father he aced his job in embarrassing his daughter.

"Dad!" I whined the moment I fully stepped in the dining room. They laughed more, my mother just smiled. It was my first time cooking and I managed to set the food on fire, my mother immediately put the fire out, but my father loved to exaggerate and say I almost burned the house.

I huffed before taking a seat to eat.

"I hear you're a renown chef, when can I taste your cooking?" Goten asked as I shot my father a look. He loved bragging about my cooking skills, making it seem like it was amazing but it was just average.

"How about tonight?" My mother "suggested" but it was more of a command for me since it'll give her a break from cooking tonight.

"Fine," I sighed. While Goten excitedly replied that he couldn't wait.

I headed to my room after breakfast, texting Trunks we needed to talk, luckily he agreed as I wouldn't want to experience that month of silence, depression, and guilt again. I was sliding down the stairwell after I changed into something more appropriate for the cool weather before telling my father I was stepping out.

I awkwardly entered his room once I was invited up, the same room where the quest for freedom all began, where he confessed his love for me. I handed him a bouquet of flowers and a bag of goodies.

"Ok, now I think you're trying to help me get through a breakup," he said as he looked through the bag that contained his favorite flavors of ice cream, he picked up a box of tissues and I held in my laughter. "I was not crying!" He accused me for assuming.

"If that's what you like to tell yourself Briefs," I responded with a small smile.

"I'm not going to win this argument am I?" He questioned what would be a battle of me saying he was definitely crying and he defending himself by saying he was not.

"You're a smart guy Trunks," was all I responded.

Even after breaking the ice with our silliness the room fell silent. The events of last night playing on our mind.

"About yesterday…lets just forget about it," he proposed seconds after engulfed silence.

If I were the same person just a day ago I would've agreed with dropping it, but after hearing from him yesterday how I always left him in the dark he deserved to see the light. I wasn't an open person but if I were to make whatever this relationship was work I couldn't keep everything to myself, at least the things that would affect him in some way.

"No, lets talk about it," I fessed up. "I'm sorry for not telling you and how rude Goten was to you. It's just that I never expected that part of my past to catch up to the present. I really liked Goten back then and honestly, if I hadn't met you I would've been a crazed teen running away with him now."

We stared at each other and through his eyes I could read the question that was itching on everyone's mind. Why do I still wear the ring? It was a good question, the ring had symbolized matrimony and it was something I really didn't want to associate myself with, but back then Goten had convinced me. But as the years had gone by and are friendship began to fade I saw the ring in a different light, the symbol of our once strong friendship. I wore it as a friendly reminder of the good times, when I still had a true friend I could trust.

"I consider it a friendship ring now, it serves as a reminder not only on the good times we had together but how he was such a great friend."

"I'm sorry for assuming otherwise," he embarrassingly confessed. But knowing Goten he probably really convinced Trunks I was still serious about the promise.

"So we cool?" I asked, raising my fist up to him.

"Cooler than ice," he responded before fist bumping me while I rolled my eyes at his remark.

Silence.

"You want to learn how to drive later on this week?" I randomly asked.

He looked at me with surprise, "Really?!"

He was seventeen, relying on Chauffeurs to drive him around. With the ability to drive he would have more freedom to go where he pleased. I also realized I was slowly becoming his personal chauffeur.

"Sure why not."

He contemplated for a moment then his smile immediately faded. "My mom won't allow me to learn," he mumbled, downcast.

She really kept him on a tight leash, forbidding him how to learn how to drive was one of the ways to limit his freedom. And honestly I was getting a little fed up with it, I know he was restricted to do many things because of his fame, but he is a teenager who needs to live his life dammit.

"It's time for you to step up to your mother, you're seventeen and you have the right to enjoy your life."

I didn't want him to disobey his mother but these past months we've done rebellious things that freed him from the wretched schedule. It was a cry for help, but his mother didn't seem to really take the bait.

He looked at me, petrified by the idea.

"If you don't do it who else will? I know you're tired of living like this, I've done the best that I could do but you're the only one who can truly free yourself."

Not too long ago he said I made him feel free and it melted my heart to hear such words, but the freedom I offered him was still nowhere close to the true freedom he wanted to attain, the one he believed he couldn't gain.

I took his silence as an invitation to go on, he was obviously scared to confront his mother but he also knew he had no choice. "I know you're scared to do it and your kinda a mama's boy who doesn't want to hurt your mother's feelings. But whenever you decide to talk to her just know that though I can't be there physically I'm rooting for you."

"I-"

Before he had a chance to say anything Bulla burst into the room shouting my name. Kidnapping me to play with her in her room. And after enduring four hours of tea time, house, fashion show, snacks, and a movie she was down for her afternoon nap. While Trunks who wasn't allowed to join the play date as Bulla wanted me all to herself apologized for being sucked into her shenanigans. But I didn't mind much, though kids are crazy hyperactive beings it was fun playing with her.

We were walking to my car when I remembered the dinner I was forced to prepare tonight before inviting him over as he liked my cooking for some odd reason, he had five Star chefs at his disposal but he would prefer my food over theirs. A weirdo, am I right?

"I don't want to sound rude, but is Goten going to be there?"

They didn't hit off on good terms, I wouldn't go as far and say Goten hates him but he is really envious of him. Even though he told me yesterday he would be happy for us and pursue a relationship with Valese it still wouldn't be wise to have the two together, especially when Goten is now getting over a heartbreak between a love triangle that formed within us.

"Yeah…." I trailed my response.

"I'm sorry but I have to decline," he said dejectedly.

"I understand," I responded softly, entering the car. "Just don't forget what I said earlier," I reminded as I started the car and closed the door. We waved goodbye as I departed.

When I got home to prepare dinner my mother informed me Goten had gone out to see his match earlier today but will be back in time for dinner. I was happy to hear as it was half his fault that I was cooking when I could've been in bed reading a new book series.

Time passed and dinner was long ready and served yet Goten didn't show as promised. I got his number from my father and called him a dozen times, no answer, just straight to voicemail. I got up from my seat and headed upstairs, he wasn't like this. I knocked on the guest room he was staying in, silence. I twisted the knob, it was open but as I entered it was pitch black. I turned on the light to find the room empty, it looked as if no one had been staying here, his luggage gone and as I checked the dressers his clothes weren't here either.

I turned around and spotted an envelope on the bed, I debated whether or not to touch it, but it had to give me a clue on his whereabouts and sudden departure. I picked up the white envelope to find it was addressed to me.