Becoming Mrs Reed

An Awkward First Date

Dinner was quiet.

Painfully quiet.

The elegant restaurant buzzed with soft conversations and the gentle clinking of cutlery, but none of that seemed to exist at their table.

A waiter served several beautifully prepared dishes.

Neither of them touched much of the food.

Bryson barely ate. He took occasional sips of water while scrolling through emails on his phone, his expression as unreadable as ever.

Jayla couldn't help glancing at him every now and then.

Does this man ever smile?

Giving up on trying to start a conversation, she pulled out her own phone.

Her best friend, Nikki, kept sending videos from the concert she had missed.

Jayla sighed as another clip appeared on her screen.

"You seriously owe me for this," Nikki had captioned one of the videos.

Jayla smiled faintly before typing back a dramatic reply.

"Blame my father."

The rest of the dinner passed in complete silence.

When they finished eating, Bryson drove her home.

Neither of them spoke during the ride.

---

The following afternoon...

Jayla sat together in their favourite club.

The moment they sat down, she told Nikki everything.

From her father's shocking announcement...

To the awkward dinner...

And the wedding planned for the following week.

Nikki stared at her with wide eyes.

"Hold on."

She leaned closer to her on the sofa.

"You're telling me..."

"You actually tried to reject marrying Bryson Reed?"

Jayla frowned.

"What do you mean by that?"

Nikki almost dropped her drink.

"Jayla!"

She laughed in disbelief.

"Bryson Reed is literally the most eligible bachelor in the country."

"He's ridiculously rich."

"Handsome."

"Successful."

"And every woman on social media is obsessed with him."

She narrowed her eyes dramatically.

"Girl..."

"Is something wrong with your head?"

Jayla rolled her eyes.

"I'm just not ready to settle down."

She rested her chin in her hand.

"I still want to enjoy my life."

Nikki shrugged.

"And who said married women can't have fun?"

Jayla looked unconvinced.

"I don't know..."

"I also heard he has someone."

Nikki raised an eyebrow.

"You mean Holly?"

"Yeah."

Jayla nodded.

"Holly Adams."

"I heard she's a B-List actress."

"And that they were high school sweethearts."

She absentmindedly sipped her drink.

Nikki waved a dismissive hand.

"That was years ago."

"They haven't been together in forever."

She smiled confidently.

"He has probably moved on."

"And even if he hasn't..."

She grinned mischievously.

"You told me this is basically a loveless marriage."

"So what's there to worry about?"

Jayla thought about it for a moment.

"I guess..."

Nikki laughed.

"Exactly."

She poured more liquor into her glass.

"Girl, you're going to be fine."

Jayla smiled.

"You always know how to make me feel better."

"I know."

Nikki flipped her hair dramatically.

"It's one of my many talents."

The two friends burst into laughter.

A moment later, Jayla let out a sleepy yawn.

"I'm exhausted."

"That's because you've been stressing yourself over one man."

Nikki teased.

Suddenly, Nikki's eyes lit up.

"Oh!"

"I almost forgot."

She excitedly grabbed her phone.

"A famous modeling agency just signed a group of gorgeous new male models."

"You have to see them."

Jayla reached for the phone.

Before she could take it, Nikki playfully slapped her hand away.

"Patience!"

She laughed.

"Let me pull up the pictures first."

Jayla groaned dramatically.

"You're such a tease."

"I know."

Nikki giggled as she opened the gallery.

"Now..."

She turned the phone toward Jayla with a mischievous smile.

"Prepare to have your standards raised."