☆𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝗼☆ 𝐁𝗼𝗼𝐤 3

unsure

             Chapter 16:

____________________________________________________________________________

A loud cheer erupted from the room as everyone around them was filled with joy. Hawkins slid the ring onto Luffy's finger and began to cheer with the rest of the people in the room. Sanji ran over to Luffy, picked him up, and swung the shorter man around like a rag doll. Luffy was beaming with joy as Sanji placed him down, still laughing and smiling, his heart filled with the love and happiness of those around him.

"I'm so happy for you!" Sanji exclaimed.

Luffy's smile shrank into a forced smile as he spoke to his longtime friend. "Thanks..."

They stayed at the restaurant for a few more hours until everyone got drunk and was forced to go home. Everyone left the Baratie drunk and euphoric, all except Luffy. Luffy couldn't explain why he wasn't feeling overly excited; he's the one who was now engaged. In a way, he didn't want to get married; he felt as though he wanted to wait for a few more years, maybe 4. "Hawkins isn't the problem," he kept telling himself. But Luffy wasn't sure why he was hesitating to accept this new chapter in his life.

When the newly engaged couple arrived home, one fell asleep on the couch while the other stood in the kitchen holding a wine glass and a bottle of wine and contemplating their new situation . Just as he poured the alcoholic drink into the glass, a thought crossed his mind. The thought included him spending time with his ex at the abandoned apartment, which his ex brought him to on their first date. He suddenly realized why he was hesitating—it wasn't only about his new commitment to marriage but also his commitment to closure from his previous relationship.

The thought of him escaping the engagement to be in the arms of his previous lover made Luffy feel dirty . Of course he loved Hawkins, but he couldn't cope with the fact that he only wanted to have sex when they got married; it drove Luffy almost insane. Even though it's been a year since their relationship started, he still can't get used to the sexless relationship. It was this thought that caused Luffy to become desperate for some kind of physical connection, something he felt he wasn't getting from Hawkins, which is why he had sex with Law. Luffy knew it was wrong and that he should have never cheated on Hawkins, but he was unable to resist the temptation of physical contact.

Luffy pushed those thoughts away and got himself drunk with the wine. He didn't know what to do at that time besides to drink and stare at his new ring. He eventually fell asleep on the kitchen floor and spilled wine all over himself. He lay there in a state of drunken stupor until dawn, pondering what his future held.

In the morning, he woke with a tremendous hangover and felt an intense sense of regret as he lay in bed, watching the light from the unshut curtain radiate in. But it wasn't the sunlight that woke him up; it was the annoying doorbell ringing. He slowly got out of bed and dragged himself to the front door to give a piece of his mind to the person at the door.He opened the door and presented himself to the person at the door. It was ace and sabo.

"Luffy, it's been a while," Ace and Sabo exclaimed with a wide grin on their faces as they hugged Luffy tightly. Luffy smiled widely and hugged them back tightly.

Luffy tried to respond, but his brothers seemed to be excited about something so much so that they gave him no time to speak.

"Luffy, we're meeting at the old man's mansion. Hurry up and get dressed!" Sabo said excitedly. Luffy looked at his two brothers with confusion, but he knew there was no time to ask questions.

They then pushed Luffy into the house and started dressing their brother in nice clothing. Once Luffy was fully dressed, they took him into Sabo's car, and he drove them to Garp's mansion. The place Luffy left many years ago due to the pressure his family put on him As Luffy stepped out of the car, a wave of emotions overwhelmed him: sadness, nostalgia, and regret.