My friends exchange knowing looks before breaking into wide smiles.
"That's our girl," Sophia declares. "Operation 'Melt the Ice King' is officially launched."
Their support fills me with renewed purpose. Maybe this arranged marriage isn't the end of my story. Maybe it's just the beginning.
"Okay, so what's the strategy?" Katie pulls out her phone, ready to take notes like we're planning a military operation. "How do we get Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding to crack?"
"You could accidentally spill water on yourself," Maria suggests with a wicked grin. “Men like wet boobs.”
Heat floods my cheeks. "I'm not trying to seduce him!"
"Sure you're not." Maria winks. "That's why you got up in the middle of the night in a slinky nightie to get a glass of water.”
"I was thirsty!" But I remember the look in his eyes as I drank. There was a feral hunger that heated my blood.
“There was more to it if it had him jumping you.”
“He did look like he wanted to eat me alive." The memory sends shivers down my spine. "Then he kissed me and… wow."
"See? He's definitely attracted to you." Maria taps her fingers on the table. "You just need to keep catching him off guard."
But I can’t forget how quickly he left me. The look of guilt and horror, and maybe even sadness, as he made his escape. I don’t want to set myself up for that again.
"Oh! You should start painting in the living room," Sophia suggests. "Wearing one of his shirts as a smock."
Katie's head bobs up and down. “Men love women in their shirts. Without underwear on. Men love it when a woman goes without her panties. You should take them off for your house hunting. It will drive him mad."
The mental image sets us all laughing. I haven't felt this light, this hopeful, since before the wedding.
“Get a house with a pool and wear your bikini around the house all day,” Maria adds.
"Maybe I'll take up yoga." I join in on the fun. "In the garden. Where his office window overlooks."
"Now you're thinking!" Katie high-fives me.
I'm grinning, happy to be with my friends. And yet, I’m not convinced any of this will work. For one, I don’t know what I’m up against with Meghan. And two, I don’t know Ash. Maybe he just sees a silly young woman he was forced to marry.
"I just… I want him to see me as more than an arrangement. As someone who could make him happy."
“You’re a wonderful woman, Hannah.” Sophie’s gaze is intense, as if she’s willing me to feel as wonderful as she says I am.
"Trust me.” Katie reaches across to squeeze my hand. "No man can resist that smile of yours forever. Not even Mr. Grumpy-Pants."
Looking around at my friends' bright, supportive faces, I’m filled with gratitude. These girls have been my rock through everything, from first crushes to family drama to this arranged marriage. They don't judge me for wanting to make this work even though they think I’m giving in to a patriarchal society. Instead, they're arming me with strategies and confidence, helping me find my footing in this new life.
"You guys are the best, you know that?" I blink back tears. "I was so scared I'd lose you after getting married."
"Please," Katie scoffs. "You're stuck with us forever."
"Like barnacles," Maria adds with a grin.
“Barnacles?” Katie shakes her head.
Maria shrugs. “It was the first thing that came to mind.”
I check my phone. It’s about time to meet Ash at the first house showing. “I need to get going.” I glance at a table near the door, giving a nod to one of my several bodyguards to let him know I’m ready to go.
"Text us later," Katie calls after me. "We want details!"
