"Would you like to marry me?"
Adrian blinked in confusion for a few seconds. If not for the severity of the situation, I really wanted to click a picture. After all, Mr. Adrian Caldwell was flustered. Rare. Very rare.
However, being the person he is, he quickly regained his composure and replied, "Why not?", with a smile.
The room froze. My question had shocked everyone, but his calm, almost casual answer left jaws dropped—including mine.
"So that settles it. I'll be there on time tomorrow," he added, standing up and leaving. The whole family came to a silent agreement.
Feeling relieved with the solution, I also urged my family to leave to prepare for the wedding.
It was my wedding but my sister was more excited. She scrutinized everything—my dress, makeup, even the lighting—making sure nothing was out of place.
I know she felt bad for me for being in a marriage like this but honestly? I quite liked my marriage. It was exactly what I dreamt of. The groom wasn't that important in the first place anyways.
The wedding ceremony itself was very anticlimactic. There were whispers, a lot of it.
The younger brother who was supposed to marry was absent; the older brother stood in his place, dressed like a groom, holding my hand. Everything else was simple, almost perfunctory. The most important thing was accomplished. However when I first walked towards Adrian, I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach. Bride nerves? Maybe. Or maybe it was because it was the first time I was properly looking at Adrian, who under the limelight was practically glowing. But I felt my heart beating a bit too fast, my breath becoming shallower. It only worsened as I held Adrian's hand, standing next to him.
I looked into his eyes the moment our hands touched—hazel, sharp and alert, like they missed nothing. There was something in them that made me freeze for a second, a quiet intensity that demanded attention without saying a word. I barely knew him, yet it felt impossible to look away, as if his gaze was quietly sizing me up.
I survived the ceremony somehow, though every second felt longer than it should. Adrian, by contrast, seemed effortless—composed, calm, enjoying every moment as if it were nothing. Relief flickered through me. Compared to Ron, Adrian was manageable. Mature. Easy. For now, that was enough.
The first time I talked to him properly after saying our vows was in the car ride back home, his home. "Are you sure about this?" I asked, looking outside the window. It's not like he can regret it now. We are already married.
"If I was not, I would have never promised in the first place. I'm not Ron."
I know it wasn't a joke but I couldn't help chuckling. "Yea you are not."
"Don't worry, since we are married, I will do my best to support you in your career. I know you married me out of desperation for the family. How about we get divorce after a year or two?" I asked glancing at him.
That confused look again,
"We just got married, why are you already talking about divorce?"
Because, it was not a narriage of choice. It felt like saying that will make the situation even more awkward that it already was so I just looked away, "Nevermind".
He leaned in closer to me and asked, "At least tell me why are we talking about divorce already?" Feeling his breath close to me, I looked at him again, only to find his puppy eyes begging me for an answer. Is this still the indifferent Adrian I know? I wondered.
"It's nothing. It's just an agreement I had with Ron—that we would get divorced in two years if the marriage didn't settle well. So I thought…" I lowered my voice into a whisper, looking down, only realizing what a stupid thing it was to say right after the marriage.
He cupped my face with both his hands and made me look into his eyes. My eyes widened with shock. Who is this guy? I wondered.
"Look, I'm not Ron. I don't have a stupid love of my life or something like that. Since we got married, we are married. That's it. There's nothing complicated about it."
Unable to answer, I only nodded. This guy always catches me off guard.
At that moment, I felt that tingling again. Maybe this time it was from his sudden touch. Or maybe it was because of the unexpected side of him that I saw.
The whole family welcomed me with grandeur. The entire wedding, except for the groom, was exactly what I had imagined, and I had to admit, I was quite satisfied with it.
As I looked around Adrian's room—our room now—I felt a pang in my heart. It finally sank in that I was married. Away from home, away from my parents who spoiled me, away from my silly sister. A wave of sadness washed over me as I sat down on his bed. Adrian watched me from a distance before settling himself on the small sofa beside the bed.
"What's wrong?" he asked, probably sensing my sadness.
I shook my head slightly, a failed attempt to say nothing.
"I miss my parents already."
He looked at me for a few seconds, smiling slightly. Then he walked over from the sofa and sat next to me, inches away.
"Don't be too upset. We're going to meet your parents tomorrow, right?" he said gently, holding my hand.
"Besides, you can visit them whenever you want. It's not that far from here."
But it's not the same, I thought.
As if he read my mind, he continued, "I know it's not the same," with a guilty look.
It was actually quite funny. After all, it wasn't something he should feel guilty about. It hadn't been long since we got married, but I realized Adrian was, in fact, quite gullible. This thought alone made me laugh out loud.
Adrian looked at me, bewildered. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Nothing. I'll go get changed," I said as I got up. Just as I was about to leave, an evil thought formed, and I turned back. Leaning close to him, I whispered, "After all, it's our wedding night."
I caught his ears turning red before I turned back to go to the washroom to change.