Three days after the restaurant rescue, Alex sat at his parents' dinner table, pushing food around his plate. His mom had made his favorite meal—chicken enchiladas with extra cheese—but he couldn't eat. His mind kept repeating Ethan's date story from the night before.
"You should have seen Olivia's face when you brought the shirt," Ethan had laughed. "She said it was the most romantic thing she'd ever seen—a guy with a personal delivery service!"
Alex had forced a smile and changed the subject.
"Alex? Are you listening?" His mother's words snapped him back to the present.
"Sorry, Mom. What did you say?"
Mrs. Rivera shared a look with his father across the table. She was a small woman with graying hair and eyes that missed nothing. Right now, those eyes looked worried.
"I asked if everything is okay. You've barely touched your food."
"I'm fine, just tired," Alex lied. "The bookstore was busy today."
His father cleared his throat. "Son, your mother and I actually invited you over because we have something important to discuss."
Alex took a sip of water. Sunday dinners at his parents' house were normal, but something in his dad's words made his stomach tighten.
"What's up?"
His father folded his hands on the table. "You remember the Martinez family? Carlos Martinez works with me at the company."
Alex nodded. "Sure. They came to the Christmas party last year."
"They have a daughter," his mother said, her voice bright. Too bright. "Sophia. She just finished college school. Business degree. Very smart."
"That's... nice?" Alex said, confused about why they were telling him this.
His parents shared another look.
"We've been talking with the Martinezes," his father continued. "And we all agree that you and Sophia would make a good match."
Alex put down his fork. "A good match? What does that mean?"
"For marriage," his mother said quickly, as if getting the words out faster would make them easier to hear.
The room went quiet. Alex stared at his parents, waiting for them to laugh and say they were kidding. They didn't.
"Marriage?" Alex finally managed. "You want me to marry someone I've never even met?"
"You met her at the Christmas party," his mother amended. "She was wearing a red dress."
Alex dimly remembered a quiet girl standing near the punch bowl. They might have said hello.
"Mom, Dad—this is crazy. People don't have planned marriages anymore."
His father frowned. "It's not arranged exactly. We're just... saying. The Martinez family is renowned. Sophia is beautiful and intelligent. Your mother and I want to see you settled."
"Settled? I'm only 27!"
"When I was 27, I was already married with you on the way," his mom said. "We worry about you, Alex. All you do is work and spend time with Ethan. You never date."
Alex's heart skipped at Ethan's name. Did they suspect something? No, they couldn't.
"I'm focused on my career right now," he said, though being a bookstore manager wasn't exactly a fast-track career path.
"The bookstore will always be there," his father said. "But finding the right partner—that's what life is about."
Alex stood up, pushing his chair back. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm not going to marry a stranger."
His mother reached for his hand. "Just meet her properly. Have coffee. That's all we're asking."
"If you don't like her, we'll drop it," his father added. "But give her a chance."
Alex looked at his folks' hopeful faces. They truly thought they were helping him. He sat back down slowly.
"One coffee. That's it. No promises."
His mother beamed. "Wonderful! I'll call Carmen Martinez right away. How about this Saturday?"
Before Alex could answer, she was already calling her phone and walking into the kitchen.
His father patted Alex's shoulder. "You're doing the right thing, son. Family comes first. Always."
Alex nodded, feeling stuck.
On the drive home, Alex called Ethan.
"You're not going to believe what just happened," he said when Ethan replied.
"What's up?"
"My folks want me to marry some girl from my dad's work. They've already talked to her parents."
Ethan laughed. "Seriously? What is this, the 1800s?"
"I know! They say they just want me to meet her for coffee, but they've already got the wedding planned in their heads."
"So what did you say?"
Alex sighed. "I said I'd meet her. Just to get them off my back."
There was a pause on the other end of the call.
"You're actually going to do it?" Ethan asked, his voice strange.
"Just coffee. It's no big deal."
"Right. No big deal." Another pause. "Hey, I gotta go. Olivia is calling on the other line."
"Oh. Sure."
"We'll talk later, okay?"
"Okay," Alex said, but Ethan had already hung up.
When Alex got home, the room was dark. Ethan's door was closed with a note taped to it: "Staying at Olivia's tonight. See you tomorrow."
Alex scrunched the note and threw it in the trash. He went to his room and flopped on his bed, looking at the ceiling. What was happening to his life? First these strange feelings for Ethan, and now his parents trying to set him up with some girl he barely remembered.
His phone buzzed with a text from his mom: "Saturday, 2pm, Moonlight Café. Sophia is excited to meet you!
❤
️"
Alex groaned and turned off his phone without replying.
The next morning, Ethan still wasn't home when Alex left for work. All day at the shop, Alex felt distracted. He put romance novels in the mystery area and nearly gave a customer $50 in extra change.
When he got home that evening, Ethan was on the couch watching a basketball game.
"Hey," Alex said. "Where've you been?"
Ethan shrugged. "Around. How was work?"
"Fine." Alex dropped his keys in the bowl by the door. "Are you okay? You seem off."
"Me? I'm great. Olivia and I had a great time last night."
"That's... great."
An awkward quiet fell between them—something that had never happened before.
"So," Ethan finally said, "when's your big date with the bride-to-be?"
"It's not a date. And she's not my bride-to-be. It's just coffee on Saturday."
Ethan nodded, his eyes back on the TV. "Cool. Cool."
"I'm only doing it for my parents," Alex added, not sure why he felt the need to explain.
"You don't have to explain it to me, man. If you want to meet this girl, meet her."
"I don't want to meet her."
"Then don't."
"It's not that simple."
Ethan looked at him now, really looked at him. "It is that simple, Alex. You're an adult. Say no."
Their eyes locked, and for a moment, Alex thought Ethan was trying to tell him something more. But then the moment passed, and Ethan was back to watching the game.
"I'm going to take a shower," Alex mumbled, walking away.
In the shower, with hot water running down his face, Alex let his guard down. He was so confused. Part of him wanted to run away—from his parents' demands, from these new feelings for Ethan, from everything.
But another part of him wondered: What if his folks were right? What if meeting Sophia was exactly what he needed? What if she could make him forget about Ethan and these crazy feelings?
Maybe she could save him from a broken heart that hadn't even fully formed yet.
By the time Saturday came, Alex had convinced himself that meeting Sophia was the right thing to do. He would be nice, have coffee, and then tell his parents it wasn't a match. Simple.
What he didn't expect was for Ethan to offer to drive him to the café.
"I'm meeting Olivia nearby anyway," Ethan explained, twirling his car keys. "Might as well carpool."
Now, sitting in Ethan's car outside Moonlight Café, Alex felt like he might throw up.
"You'll be fine," Ethan said, hitting his arm lightly. "Just don't spill wine on your shirt."
Alex managed a weak smile. "Thanks for the ride."
"No problem. Good luck in there, Romeo."
As Alex reached for the door handle, Ethan grabbed his wrist.
"Hey, Alex?"
"Yeah?"
Ethan paused, then let go. "Nothing. Just... call me when you're done."
Alex nodded and got out of the car. He watched Ethan drive away, then turned to face the café.
Through the window, he could see a young woman sitting alone at a table, wearing a blue dress and checking her watch. Sophia Martinez.
Alex took a deep breath and pushed open the door, unknowing that this meeting would change everything he thought he knew about his heart's true direction.