Stop The Kiss.
926 Words
The hall was still frozen in shock when James was pulled out the door.
I looked at Betty. Her eyes were full of something sharp, fear tangled with hatred, like she wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
"Since the air is cleared, let's continue." The priest cleared his throat and straightened his robe. "I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
The words made my heart jump in a way I didn't expect.
"Kiss your bride?." I whispered it to myself, annoyed.
Lucian stepped closer. He lifted my veil slowly and looked at me, really looked, in a way he never had before. Something about his gaze made my knees weak, and I felt my cheeks flush hot before I could stop it.
"You're staring." He said it low, just for me.
Then he stepped back.
"Can we skip the kiss?" He asked plainly, like it cost him nothing.
He doesn't want to kiss me?. Fine. I don't want to kiss him either. I told myself that twice.
"You may skip it." The priest said, unbothered, already moving on to the next part of the ceremony.
— —
Food and drinks were passed around long after the ceremony ended, laughter and music filling the hall like nothing violent had happened there an hour earlier.
Afterward, I went home with Lucian to the apartment his parents had given him. It sat on the top floor of a building overlooking the whole city, floor-to-ceiling windows, marble floors so polished I could see my own reflection in them.
A chandelier hung in the entryway, it looked magnificent. Every piece of furniture looked untouched, expensive and cold. It didn't feel like a home. It felt like a showroom nobody was allowed to sit in.
Lucian disappeared into the bathroom first. When he came out, a towel low on his hips, water still clinging to his skin, I couldn't stop my eyes from moving over him. His shoulders, his ads, the line of muscle down his side.
No. I can't want him. I can't be lusting after my enemy. He will never be the man I’ll love.
"Dinner's ready." I called out, forcing my voice steady.
"Oh you made dinner?." He walked toward the table, something unreadable in his expression. "What if I said I don't want food? What if I said I want you instead?"
He stepped closer, close enough that I could smell the soap still on his skin.
"Touch me and you'll regret it." I snapped, stepping back until the counter pressed into my spine.
"We're married, sweetie. It's normal for me to want this." His voice was quieter now, less teasing than before.
"Your family forced me into this marriage. It was never my choice. I will never love you." My voice cracked on the last word, but I held myself together.
Something shifted in his face. Just for a second, before he covered it.
He didn't answer right away. He turned, sat down at the table, and picked up his spoon. He ate in silence for a moment.
"It tastes nice." He said finally, not looking at me.
Guilt crept into my chest, uninvited.
"It's okay." He set the spoon down, his voice quieter now. "I won't push you. It's normal you don't love me, you don't want me. So I won't touch you. Not unless you ask me to."
His face had gone pale, the confidence from earlier completely drained out of it.
I told myself I didn't care. I sat down and ate the rest of my food without another word, even though something in my chest twisted every time I glanced at him.
— — —
After dinner, I went to the guest room. I'd be sleeping there tonight, and every night after.
I pulled my laptop from my bag and called Anna. It rang twice before she picked up.
"Hey babe, how's the honeymoon going?" Her voice was teasing, light.
"Be serious, Anna. Nothing is happening between me and Lucian. I don't love him." I said it firmly, like saying it enough times would make it true.
"Seriously, Hetty? You're going to starve the poor man of affection? Girl, he's your husband now. Start building something, even a little, or Betty's going to happen to him instead." She said it like an unpaid relationship coach who'd appointed herself to the job.
"She can do whatever she wants with him. I don't care." I pushed the thought away fast.
"Forget Lucian. Tell me, did you find anything on the hacker?"
Anna's voice dropped, more serious now. "Actually, yes. It's not much, but I traced part of the transaction that drained your parents' accounts. It went through three shell companies before it disappeared, but one of them is registered under a name connected to Lucian's family lawyer."
My stomach dropped. "Wait. Say that again."
"I said the trail leads close to Lucian's side of the family, Hetty. I don't know how deep it goes yet, but it's not nothing, I’ll look deep into it."
"Okay. Thank you, Nora, I mean Anna." I caught myself. "Keep digging. Please."
"I will. Get some sleep."
I hung up and sat there for a long moment before making the bed and lying down.
My mind kept circling back to what James said before they dragged him out.
He's closer than you think.
I stared at the ceiling in the dark.
"Closer than I think." I whispered it out loud, like saying it might finally make sense of it.
It didn't.
- Writer
