My mother woke me up this morning. “Rise and shine!” she said and stroked my hair. “Hi mother ”I said and sat up. She held out a baby pink short v - neck dress. “What is that?” I asked and got up. She smiled like it was obvious. “Something perfect for today,” she said. My stomach tightened. “Today?” I repeated. She stepped closer and placed the dress on the bed carefully, smoothing it out like it was something precious. “You will be meeting X-Avier,” she said. I froze. “So you will look appropriate.” I stared at the dress. It didn’t feel like clothing. It felt like a decision I hadn’t made. I faked a smile. “Thanks” I said and picked it up. “I will change ”my mother smiled again. And left my room. This dress were fitting well with my curves. But I look silly. I do not like dresses. “You can come in” I said and turned around. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. For a second, nothing happened. Then I heard movement in the room. I wasn’t alone. I tightened my grip on the dress. “Dusk?” I asked quietly. “Yeah ”she said and stepped beside me. She wore an emerald dress. She loves dresses. “You look so pretty!” she said. “No” I said. “I look stupid” Dusk tilted her head slightly, studying me. “You don’t,” she said. “I do,” I insisted, tugging at the fabric. “I don’t even like dresses.” A pause. Her expression shifted just a little. “It’s not about liking it,” she said quietly. I looked up at her. “Then what is it about?” She didn’t answer right away. Instead, her eyes flicked toward the door. Like she was making sure no one else was listening. “It’s about being seen the right way,” she said at last. I frowned. “By who?” Dusk hesitated. “Everyone who matters,” she said. The door opened before I could answer. My mother stepped inside. Her eyes moved from Dusk to me. Slowly. Carefully. For a moment, she didn’t speak. Then she smiled. “There you are,” she said softly. I stiffened slightly. Her gaze lingered on us side by side. Dusk in emerald green. Me in baby pink. “Perfect,” she said at last. Dusk straightened a little, like she knew she had passed some invisible test. I didn’t move. “You both look very… presentable,” my mother continued. The way she said it made it sound like a verdict. She stepped closer and gently adjusted my sleeve. “Today is important,” she added. I swallowed. “Because of X-Avier?” My mother’s smile didn’t change. “Because of your future,” she corrected.
My mother made my hair and then we walked down to the dinner room. I look so stupid! I thought. The rest of my family sat at the table. Father, Fearow, Storm. And then on the other side of the table was X-Aviers family. His father Paris, his mother Luna and his older brother Dash. The air felt different there. Heavier. Formal. Like nothing here was accidental. I hesitated before sitting down. X-Avier didn’t look at me right away. Neither did anyone else. “Good evening,” my father said calmly. And just like that…the conversation began. The table fell into polite silence. Forks were adjusted. Posture straightened. Smiles appeared like they had been practiced. “It’s been a long time since both families have dined together,” Paris said, X-Avier’s father. His voice was smooth, careful. “Too long,” my mother replied with a small smile. I looked down at my plate, not hungry at all. “Xara has been doing very well lately,” my father continued. My stomach tightened. “She is… developing exactly as expected.” I froze slightly. As expected. Like I was a project. “And X-Avier as well,” Luna added gently. “He has always been responsible.” X-Avier shifted beside me but didn’t speak. “It seems fitting,” my mother said, “that they continue spending time together.” There it was. The sentence that made everything clear without saying it directly. I looked up quickly. “We already spend time together. We’re friends.” A brief pause. Dash leaned back slightly, studying me with mild curiosity. “Friends are a good beginning,” he said. X-Avier finally spoke. “It’s not something that needs to be… arranged.” His father didn’t even look at him. “Everything in our world is arranged,” Paris said calmly. Silence dropped over the table again. Storm suddenly looked up. “So are Xara and X-Avier going to get married?” The room went completely still. I choked slightly on my breath. “Storm,” my mother said sharply. But Dash smiled faintly. “Children notice things,” he said. X-Avier’s hand moved slightly beside the table. Not touching mine. But close. Close enough that I noticed. “Mr Medows?” Dash said. “Yes?” my father said. “May I use the bathroom?” He asked. “Of course” father said. I looked at my father and then at Paris. “I do not want to marry X-Avier” I said at the same time X-Avier said. “I do not want to marry Xara” Silence. It wasn’t just quiet. It was dead. I turned my head slowly toward him. He was already looking at me. My mother’s smile disappeared completely. My father’s expression didn’t change—but his eyes sharpened. Paris leaned back slightly, as if assessing damage. Luna looked down at her hands. Storm stopped swinging his legs. “Interesting,” Dash’s voice came from behind us. He had paused in the doorway. That was when I realised—this wasn’t just a dinner anymore. It never had been. My father didn’t react immediately. He slowly placed his fork down. Carefully. Like nothing had happened at all. Then he looked at me. “Xara,” he said calmly. Just my name. Nothing else. But it was enough to make my stomach tighten. “You are speaking from emotion,” he continued. “Not understanding.” I swallowed. “I understand perfectly.” A brief pause. “No,” he said quietly. “You don’t.” He leaned forward slightly now, hands folded. “This is not about what you want,” he said. “And it is not about what X-Avier wants.” X-Avier shifted beside me, but said nothing. “It is about stability,” my father continued. “Structure. The future of both families.” My hands clenched under the table. “We are not objects,” I said quietly. That made him pause. Not because he was angry. Because I had interrupted the structure of his logic. “No,” he said finally. “You are not objects.” A beat. “You are responsibilities.” I looked at Fearow and Dusk and then back at my father. “But I do not like girls ”X-Avier said suddenly. Say what now? I turned my head slowly toward him. He wasn’t joking. My mother’s expression froze completely. My father didn’t move—but his eyes sharpened instantly. “X-Avier,” his father said in a low voice. A warning. X-Avier didn’t look away. “I’m just saying the truth.” Silence dropped over the table again, heavier than before. Even Storm stopped moving completely. I didn’t know what was happening anymore. But I knew one thing for sure—nothing about this dinner was going to end normally. “What?” I said. “I always thought you liked me?” I said and crossed my arms. A few seconds passed. X-Avier blinked, clearly caught off guard. “I do like you,” he said carefully. “Just not like that.” The words made something in my chest tighten. My mother inhaled sharply, like she was about to speak, but stopped herself. My father’s expression darkened slightly. “This is not the place,” his father said coldly. But I didn’t look away. “Then what is this?” I asked. “A performance?” X-Avier looked at me for a moment longer than before. “No,” he said quietly. “It’s pressure.” The room went silent again. “Well,” Fearow suddenly said, leaning back in his chair like nothing was wrong, “that’s easily solved.” I blinked. “What?” He shrugged. “If X-Avier doesn’t like girls, then fine.” He gestured lazily with his fork. “I know a guy.” The entire table froze. “Fearow,” my mother said sharply. “What?” he said, completely unfazed. “I’m just helping.” I stared at him. “Helping?” “Yeah,” he continued. “He’s from Sector Three. Good family. Quiet. You’d probably like him.” My stomach dropped. “I’m not picking from a list!” I snapped. Fearow raised his hands slightly. “Relax. I’m just saying you have options.” “She doesn’t need options,” my father said coldly. Silence fell again. Not broken this time. Tightened. “Actually,” my mother said, her voice calm, “she might.” Everyone turned to look at her. She placed her fork down neatly and looked at Fearow. “This boy,” she said. “The one you mentioned.” Fearow blinked, a little surprised. “Uh… yeah?” “I would like to meet him.” Silence. I stared at her. “What?” She turned her gaze to me, still perfectly composed. “If adjustments must be made,” she said, “we will make them properly.” My stomach twisted. “I’m not an adjustment,” I said quietly. Her expression didn’t change. “Everything can be adjusted,” she replied. X-Avier shifted beside me, tense. Fearow let out a low whistle. “Well… that escalated.” No one laughed. Not even him.