Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

Zoren's Answer

Ransom's phone rang through to the SUV's dashboard. 

Kaya frowned at the name on the screen. "Wife's Acquaintance? Who's your wife?"

"You." Ransom grinned, picked up a blue-tooth earpiece from the console, and answered the call. "Speak." 

Kaya couldn't hear the other end of the phone call, so she didn't know what was said. She could only sit in silence and wonder about several things. First, when had Ransom started to refer to her as his wife? Secondly, which of her acquaintances did he keep in touch with?

Ransom finally nodded his head, though the caller couldn't see him. "We'll meet you there." 

The call ended. Ransom put the blue-tooth earpiece back in its place. 

Kaya turned in her seat to better study him. "Since when am I your wife? I don't remember signing marriage papers." 

"You haven't. Yet." Ransom grinned at her again. "You're not going to date me without marrying me, are you?" 

Marry him? Kaya had never considered marriage before. She had always thought she would die old and alone. The only memory of marriage that Kaya possessed was a brief conversation she had with her mother. A long, long time ago. 

"Don't give your heart to a man unwilling to marry you," her mother had said. 

Kaya had never considered asking Ransom about it before, but here she sat with the realization that Ransom might be the best man she had ever known. 

"Kaya?" Ransom asked again. "Did I lose you?" 

Kaya shook her head. "I didn't expect you to say something like that. This isn't a proposal, is it?" 

"Trust me, you'll know when I propose." Ransom chuckled softly. "I thought you should know my intentions, however. Is it alright with you?" 

Surprisingly, Kaya found that it brought a stability to her raging thoughts that she hadn't believed possible. Suddenly, everything seemed real. As if a deep, subconscious dream had finally come true. 

Kaya nodded. "I'm okay with that." 

"Good." Ransom stopped at a red light. "Did you have any other questions?" 

"Who's my acquaintance?" 

"Ah. I expected as much. We're going to meet him at the park. He insists that he has something to say." 

He. So it was a guy. Kaya wracked her brain to figure it out and came up with only one solution. It must be Zoren. 

Sure enough, upon arriving at the park, Zoren waited for them upon a green metal bench. 

Kaya nudged her shoulder against Ransom's arm. "Is this really a good idea?" 

"It's fine. Zoren came to me yesterday and we talked it out. We won't fight." 

That wasn't exactly what Kaya had been worried about, but she would take the reassurance anywhere she could get it. 

Zoren rose to his feet. "Ransom. Kaya." His voice was decidedly softer while saying the second name. 

Kaya smiled and waved a hand awkwardly. "Hi." 

"Before you start asking questions, let me make myself clear." Zoren cleared his throat. "It's not that I don't like Kaya anymore, it's just that Kaya doesn't like me. So I've decided to take a step back and be her friend, as she requested. If at any time there is an opportunity for me to be more, I'm going to take it. Any objections? Speak now or forever hold your peace." 

Kaya was too stunned to say much, and Ransom only glared, so Zoren moved on. 

"Okay, great. In that case, as a friend, I thought you should both see the hullabaloo going on in the newspaper." Zoren extended a hand, and in it the newspaper in question. 

Ransom took one look and angrily snatched the paper out of Zoren's hand.

The section? Society. The headline: Multi-Billion-Dollar CEO Breaks Long-Standing Engagement To Be With Cook.

Kaya looked between the paper and Ransom. "What the heck does this mean?"