Chapter 1 - The Agreement

Shawn just walked in their bedroom when he saw Pru panting heavily on the bed while having a satisfied look on her face. “Tada! Done! Quite clever, yeah?” said Pru with a joyous and proud tone.

“What is?” While walking towards the bed suppressing a laugh. Avoiding all the pillows and blankets scattered on the floor.

“This!” Pru pointed the long hotdog pillow she sewed on the middle of the emperor mattress. “I may have underestimated the height of the bed. The pillow is a tad short. But it’ll do, it covered most of the bed.”

“ohh. But what is it for?” asked Shawn curiously as he really have no clue.

“So we can sleep in peace and won’t have any awkward interactions.” Pru explained while motioning to help him put back the sheets and pillows. “It’s actually quite good that the bed is big so it’s like 2 queen sized bed for each sides. I sleep here. You sleep there.” Pru pointed while both of them were standing on the foot of the bed “I sewed it well on all sides so the maids won’t be able to remove it. Hah!”

Shawn chuckled lightly “You’re really clever, Pru. But you know, I wouldn’t have minded. This won’t be the 1st time we’re sleeping on the same bed. And like you said, the bed is huge so, I don’t think we’ll have any interaction.” He said it as-a-matter-of-factly

Shawn was referring when they were kids and their parents let them sleep on the same bed during sleep overs. They were childhood friends and their parents and grandparents were as well. They’ve known each other since birth and each family would hold a monthly alternating sleepover.

“But that was a long time ago! We were little kids and besides” Pru covered chest with her arms and made a mocking voice “I’m a lady!”

Both laughed “Okay whatever you say, m'lady.” Shawn surrendered bowing.

“Oh by the way, come look here I made something and I need your approval. Lock the door too.” Pru said as she pulled out a chair from the study table. Shawn locked the door and carried the stool from the sofa set in their bedroom to the study table. Pru opened her laptop and showed Shawn a document that read “MARRIAGE AGREEMENT” he showed an inquisitive look at Pru.

“Okay, yesterday before coming over, I thought to draft this agreement.” Pru was starting to get nervous because she’s afraid she might offend Shawn. “So I need you to have an open mind before I begin.”

Shawn sensing her uneasiness, relaxed his stance and nodded with a smile.

“Great! So, since we are both still young and still starting out our college days and have a lot of everything ahead of us other than this marriage, I thought of some rules and maybe a way out for both of us when the time comes. And, some ground rules.”

Shawn nodded “seems fair. Let me hear it.” he crossed legs and arms ready to listen.

Pru cleared her throat “Agreement 1: So as to not upset Grandpa Kingsley, we may act affectionately as husband and wife in front of your family and my family with the limitation of the following: holding hands, hands on the shoulder or waist, a friendly embrace and kisses on the cheeks.”

“Just on the cheeks? What good is it having a wife if I don’t get a kiss on the lips?!” Shawn pretended to be annoyed and then sniggered at the thought

Pru rolled her eyes and laughed too “Agreement 2: Outside the prying eyes of our families we can continue to act as “friends only” in society and do whatever we have been doing in our own personal lives before we got married as long as it won’t hurt the Kingsley and Turner family name.”

“Why so?” Shawn interrupted

“Eunice and you are together right?”

Shawn became uptight and had a worried expression.

“Don’t worry it’s fine.” Pru chuckled “That’s why I made this 2nd agreement for the 2 of you so you can still go out on dates without me being a 3rd wheel. I don’t mind it." she shrugged "And well before this marriage you were already together so its not an issue to me.”

Shawn was relieved “Well, thank you. But, with everything that’s happened, Eunice just slipped out of my mind” He said with a sheepish smile

“Well, you better call her later.” Pru smiling back “Okay so I’ll continue. Agreement 3: To not arouse suspicion, we will ride together to school and occasionally come back together too. If coming back together is not possible a.k.a. dates, we can make school projects and activities an excuse." Shawn nodded "Agreement 4: We can remove our rings and leave them here inside the room safe as per Grandpa Kingsley’s permission but we would have to wear these bracelets outside. And we must wear the rings to family and corporate occasions.” Pru pulled out a small bracelet box and it revealed 2 thin gold bracelets. She handed the larger one to Shawn with a ‘P’ on the middle and she started wearing hers that has an ‘S’ on the middle too.

“I persuaded or should I say begged Grandpa Kingsley 3 days ago about this. I said that I just don’t want the school to meddle so much when they see us wearing wedding rings and I’m such a clutz I might lose it. So he agreed to buy us these bracelets with a lower karat to at least remind ourselves we’re married.” Pru chuckled

Shawn retorted with an amused expression “as if we wont be sleeping on the same bed with each other every night for us to forget. Is there anything else?”

“Yup! So, Agreement 5: In the event that” Pru knocked on the wooden table 3 times “Grandpa Kingsley passes away. We will file for a divorce 10 days after his death anniversary and we shall go on with our lives and hopefully continue being friends” Pru looked sad but she composed herself “Of course we wouldn’t want that to happen anytime soon but, this is our freedom and escape route too, I hope you’re okay with this.” Shawn understood so he nodded his head.

“Agreement 6: In the event that Grandpa Kingsley is still with us after we graduate and we are prodded to finally c-c-onsum-m-mate our marriage, we will do it via artificial insemination secretly” Pru blushed a little at her stutter and Shawn chuckled at her in amusement. She shot a death glare at him and he instantly zipped his lips obviously holding a laugh in. “Continue.” Shawn blurted.

“Well, that’s about it for now. Do you have anything to add, Shawn?”

“I think you got everything we need for now covered. Maybe we’ll have something added or changed in the future. For now, that’ll do.” Shawn declared

“Great!” Pru clapped her hands “I’ve added at the bottom that we can amend, add, edit but not remove any of the agreements above. Alright, let me just print this so we both can sign it.”

After printing 2 sets of documents, Pru and Shawn affixed their signatures on both documents. Pru then hid it on a locked drawer.

Pru checked the time and it’s already 11:00pm “ugh! I forgot to unpack! And I’m so already tired. We still need to be early at school tomorrow.” Pru slumped on the bed annoyed.

“After all this time you’ve still managed to underestimate the Kingsley’s?” Shawn said it with an amused look on his face while opening a door inside their bedroom.

Pru got up with a confused look on her face. The moment she walked closer to where Shawn was, her jaw dropped and eyes bulged in surprise “What the-! What is this?!”