Bargain Wedding

I am All Yours

Jona's heart was sinking after he ignored Axel earlier. He wanted to talk to her. Walking up to his study table while thinking of things to say, he spotted a card. His brows furrowed at it. Who could have kept it here? He'd usually get all the cards at the office. He hadn't the slightest imagination that it could be from Axel. Curiously, when he picked it up and flipped it, seeing what was written, his eyes teared up at the thought that he hurt his Axel and made her feel sorry. But at the same time, he also felt cared for and somewhat special.

He was holding the card as he walked towards Axel, who was sitting on the bed dejectedly. He sat near her and reached out to stroke her head. Just one look at nervous Axel and Jona wanted to kiss the innocent, doe eyes. "I am not angry, Axel. Don't feel sorry," he smiled.

The woman heaved a sigh slowly and nodded. Jona noticed her palms getting clammy, so he slid back a little. "I was calling you for so long. The driver said you left the place hours ago. I just got worried."

"I am sorry, it was just... I didn't feel like staying there, so I left. I was in the bikers' racing lane. There is a mountain top near it. I often go there to have some peace and to look at nature."

Jona had nothing but admiration in his eyes. "Are you hungry?" He asked, changing the subject.

Axel nodded.

"Do you want to have pizza for dinner?" He asked next, and Axel nodded again.

Jona wanted to make up for causing his baby girl to worry. A few minutes later, he ordered pizza, ice cream, and lots of snacks through food delivery app. "I am downstairs to do something and I will be right back."

Axel nodded.

Food delivery was quick in many countries, but in Japan, anyone could be proud of the speed of deliveries. A maid knocked at the door with food in her hands in a few minutes. Axel smiled as she spotted the brown bags. "Thank you!" The young woman beamed.

Taking the packets from the maid's hand, she placed them on the bed and waited for Jona to come back, but when the husband didn't return within a few minutes, she called him on the phone. "Where are you, Jona? Pizza is here."

"Sorry, Coco is here for some work. I will be right up, but you should start first. Don't let the pizza go cold and ice cream hot." Jona instructed, making Axel smile.

"Okay. Come soon. Ask Coco-San to join in if he wants. You ordered a lot."

"He is in a hurry, so he won't join us. He apologizes, but I am coming." Jona relayed quickly, grabbing Coco's mouth shut. Coco would have been happy to join them, but the husband wanted time alone with his wife, so they tackled each other like teenagers.

Obasaan saw the scene unfolding, laughing at them. She had seen a playful Jona after a long time — really long.

Axel had already sarted eating pizza on the bed when Jona entered the room. Seeing her mouth and hands dirty as she made a little mess with strings of melted cheese, he smiled in adoration.

"Hurry up. It is so delicious. Do you want this or that one?" Axel asked Jona with her bunched-up cheeks, a pointed finger, and muffled voice as her eyes went wide.

Jona's face showed amusement in his look. He casually walked towards the bed and sat opposite her with his mouth wide open, motioning Axel to feed him. The brunette hesitated at first, but she couldn't let Jona sit with his mouth open for long, so she fed him a piece.

Jona took a mouthful and the melted cheese fell on his chin through his lip. Axel instinctively reached out to remove it, her fingers brushed the pillowy lips, and her eyes met Jona's the next moment before she withdrew. "I am sorry," she mumbled, getting flustered.

"I am not," Jona mischievously grinned at her, making her pinker and pinker by the second as he wiped his chin and then lips with his thumb. A little slowly.

Axel diverted her gaze from Jona and gulped her pizza with difficulty. Why did she always get flustered like this in front of Jona? She always thought about it but never got the answer. They were now living like Axel intended to — like two sophisticated and educated people. Nothing more, nothing less.

They talked.

They sometimes shared things about their days.

They also kept at the competition of "Who grabs the couch first?" after their spat. Jona hadn't let Axel sleep there, but the latter was adamant. It went on for a few days until they could laugh about it.

Axel discerned easily that she was now comfortable with the man, but why the flusters?

☘

Earlier this morning, Axel had gotten out of the walk-in closet, sporting blue ripped-over-thigh jeans with a yellow hoodie, and white sneakers. She looked adorable and Jona wanted her not to leave the house like that. A sudden possessiveness clouded his mind. He wanted this Axel to be only his and not be shown to the world.

"Could you drop me at college today?" Axel asked Jona from close quarters.

The way she smelled of lilies and musk was putting Jona in a hard spot. He wanted to pull her in his lap, hold her in place, and kiss the sides of her cheeks and ears over and over, not allowing her to leave at all. But he could not. So, he ended up postponing his crucial meeting and decided that dropping Axel at school was more important than anything else, especially when she asked him for something for the first time in...ever. Who was he to deny her?

It was now evening, and she was aimlessly prancing in the room and Jona was glancing at her from his study table. He knew Axel had something to say. He now understood enough to deduce when and what was going on inside Axel's pretty brain. The way he had come to understand the girl astonished him, too. Axel's cute wiles weren't difficult to discover either. She kept dawdling around, being a klutz as she knocked a few things off the nightstand and then checked in case Jona caught them.

The latter noticed everything but opted not to acknowledge it, letting the former be her free self and do anything she wanted. She kept chewing the left side of her bottom lip like a bunny. "Do you have something to say, Axel?" Jona finally asked, closing the laptop on which he was working, and watched the woman stop in her tracks and slowly turn her frame towards him.

"I need you-"

"I am all yours," Jona supplied instantly, licking his bottom lip before joining his lips tightly shut. He took off his big square-rimmed study glasses.

The girl got flustered, again. Why did Jona have to do things like this? To Axel, Jona looked sexy in those glasses. She didn't know if the glasses were too big or Jona's face too small by the way they reached just above his cheekbones. "You didn't let me finish. I need you to come with me. Can you take a day off? I have my final performance coming two weeks from now. I need you to come to see it. They asked me to bring the family. If you are not free, I will ask Mom." She finished hastily, and then breathed heavily. Her eyes drifted everywhere, but at Jona.

The older laughed fondly, adoring the younger. "I will not miss it for the world," he told Axel, who was fiddling with her wristwatch. "I am honored you thought of me as a family." He got up and made his way towards Axel, slowly brushing her hair strands away from her forehead.

Axel blushed profusely but did not retreat. Jona had many thoughts. How could this beautiful girl be so many things? She was a marshmallow unless she was angry, and in that case, there was no stopping her. When she was nervous because he played around and teased her, there wasn't a single thing more beautiful than her flustered self.

"No... I- I mean friends can also come," Axel mumbled slowly, now hands fiddling with the golden buckle of her leather LV belt, eyes faltering.

"I can settle for a friend. It has some nice kick to it," Jona took in the words, smelling the air carefully. "Will you be my friend?" He suddenly stretched his hand and Axel galloped her head, staring at Jona's veiny hand before moving her gaze to the man's eyes and then restoring to his hands.

"I won't electrocute you," Jona remarked, which ironically jolted Axel. She smiled and accepted his hand. Jona held it firmly. "Shall we celebrate then?" The husband asked, still holding the younger's small palm in his big one.

Axel tilted her head as she tried to discern what Jona was hinting at. "Our brand-new friendship. Let's go out for dinner this weekend." Jona proposed.

Axel did what she almost always did. She nodded.

Jona adored it when Axel wouldn't say a word. Axel was a mystery. A secret story Jona wanted to unfold, but she wouldn't allow him to read her so easily. She had more depth in herself. Jona had to do nothing but wait, without pushing and without pulling. Just wait for her to open on her own. She was the tough nut. But Jona slowly learned to understand her silences, the language of eyes, the smallest of smiles, head nods, and head shakes. From the day Jona promised himself to love this beautiful girl forever, as he laid eyes on her at the altar, he considered himself lucky to unfold this beautiful story.

Axel was getting closer to Jona in an unusually special way. It was the kind of relationship where she could rely on Jona without making it too obvious and count on him to take care of her. Jona was also not oblivious to her maneuvers. He understood more than what Axel's words could say.

Axel was hurt when Jona raised his voice at her because she subconsciously and undeniably had considered him her own. Among strangers, she could count on him, always.

A few minutes later, when Jona left the room, Axel realized something and called her mother. How could she overlook the fact that she never disclosed her wedding at college? She made a mistake. She shouldn't have invited Jona to go with her. What would she tell her classmates if they asked about him? What would she tell Minhaj? What if Jona casually introduces him as her husband?

NOOOOOO!

"Mom! You need to come to my dance," Axel demanded sternly as soon as her mother picked up the call.

"When is it, honey?" The mother asked as she chuckled.

"It is two weeks later. I will send you all the details. Make sure you come. Dad can be excused though," She added confidently.

"Tch. Till when are you going to be angry at him, huh?" Mrs. Aoki sounded worried, and a little disappointed.

"Uggggh! Fine! Bring him too," Axel groaned, causing the woman to smile.

"What about Jona? Did you ask him?"

"Mom! Don't you think you have bargained enough for the day?" Axel snorted.

"Alright! I will haggle with you tomorrow on this. We are not done, young lady."

"Bye, mom!" And she disconnected the call.

☘

"I want to show you something," Jona grabbed Axel's wrist and pulled her towards the edge of the bed. Axel was bewildered, to say the least. Jona didn't ever touch her, and at that moment, he was looking like an excited parent who was about to show their child their first bicycle. Without questioning, Axel cradled her feet in her slippers and followed the man out.

Jona walked towards the elevator and got in, pulling the girl inside too as they stood silently. A soft jazz tone was playing, but it wasn't enough to cut the thick tension hanging in the air. Axel looked down at her foot which she kept tapping against the soft mat. Thankfully, they didn't have to ascend to the top floor. The elevator door dinged open quickly enough, and they got out on the third floor.

Axel hadn't ever come to this floor, so she looked around, seeing many rooms. A few doors were open while the maids cleaned the rooms. But Jona stopped in front of the door which was quite different from all the others. It wasn't a brown or wooden one, but it was a big single door with a gray leather casing on it. A biometric was installed on it that she began to play with. "It's something for you. I hope you like it," Jona uttered, mentioning it nervously as he beckoned the girl towards it and she smiled surely. Whatever was behind the door, Jona seemed quite excited, and at the same time, quite nervous about it too.

Axel rushed to open it, unable to hold curiosity in. Just as she flung the big, hefty door, she was pushed in with force into a dance studio.

"I know you rehearse at university, so I thought it would be better if you had a studio of your own at the house. Your finale is also approaching in a matter of days. There's no need to stay for a long time at the university if you don't want to," Jona explained. Axel wanted to jump into Jona's arms and kiss his cheeks. This had to be the most thoughtful gift she'd ever received. All her life, her parents gave her whatever she wanted, but she always demanded from them. With Jona, it felt different because she didn't need to ask. The man understood her needs all by himself.

She wandered around, checking the studio, which was like how she had back at home, only more advanced. It had three floor-length mirrors on the walls. There were varnished brown wooden planks on the floor. She shouldn't have to carry anything here, so the studio was provided with a steam room along with a shower cabin in one corner. A biometric was installed outside the steam room, just like what she'd seen outside the studio gate. A small wardrobe was carrying her clothes and towels, and a mini-fridge, and a small water cooler was also installed for when she had to drink after exhausting herself in the lap of the art.

"This is amazing, Jona. I love it. I love you!" Axel gushed, immediately realizing that she didn't need to say the last words.

Jona smiled, knowing that Axel wasn't really in love with him, but at least, she didn't get angry at him for doing something for her, unlike last time when she wouldn't come back home after he bought her the car.

"I am glad you like it."

Axel nodded, taking off her slippers and stretching on the planks, seeing the slipping quotient, and then trying her slippers on. "It's absolutely the stress buster. I don't know how to thank you enough."

"I heard that friends don't say thank you to each other. We are friends. Aren't we?" Jona asked, walking closer to Axel as she now spun on the plank.

"Yes," Axel stopped the movement and smiled at Jona, holding his extended forearms for support. "Yes, we are."

The air turned hot between them. Axel's eyes wavered and she touched her nose nervously.

"Um... The passcode is the same as the walk-in closet in our room."

"What?" Axel's eyes now widened.

"The biometric outside," Jona pointed out.

"Wait, I think I reset the password before entering."

"That's okay. What did you put?"

"I... Don't... Remember."

Jona raised his brows, looking intently at Axel.

The young lady rushed towards the door. There was a thumbprint from inside, but as the passcode was reset just now, it also asked for the passcode for the first time to be put from inside. "f**k!" Axel cursed loudly.

"Hey," Jona now trodded behind the wife, putting an arm over her side. "It's okay... It's okay. I will just call the engineer who designed the locks."

"I am sorry, Jona." Axel's smile turned to a frown. The two were stuck in the studio.

Jona upped her cheeks as he saw her face turning grim by the second."Look at me."

Axel looked up, her eyelashes drooping suddenly and it felt like she would pass out. "I am with you. Nothing is going to hurt you. Are you claustrophobic?"

Axel shook her head slowly, trying to breathe as though she was having difficulty. Her hands turned sweaty. It was a sudden movement that caused Axel to look down. She was in Jona's arms as he carried her towards the yoga mat and slowly lowered her down. Then he walked up to the window to open it. "Axel," the man immediately rushed back and sat beside her. He let her lean on his chest. His heart thumped louder as the woman's breath fanned over his neck. "Talk to me. Do you feel dizzy?"

Axel shook her head, softly moaning as though she was working on keeping pain at bay.

"Are you claustrophobic?"

She shook her head again.

"You are fine," Jona began to stroke her hair, encasing her in his arms and sniffing her head softly, calming his nerves.

As his hand kept rubbing Axel's skin, the brunette eventually breathed properly, causing Jona to sigh in relief.

He didn't say anything, wanting his wife to stay there for some more time. He knew if he moved or even said a word, Axel would turn conscious and slide back.

Axel took comfort in Jona's embrace, the soft and strong fragrance of cherry blossoms and roses wafted under her nose. She took it in slowly. Although she wanted to move, she also didn't want to move for some time. She didn't know she would like the warmth so much. It was as though she was with Jona with an invisible string tying them close. Why was she seeking comfort in Jona's arms? She didn't know. But it felt good.

Whenever she met with Minhaj in secrecy or talked to him, it always felt like she was doing something wrong. She had no one to talk to about her feelings for Minhaj that were still there in her heart, but at the same time, this didn't feel wrong at all, even when Minhaj was the one who was in her heart.

She forced herself away from Jona at last. This is wrong. I promised to never let Jona win me over. I can't. I won't. Minhaj is the one I love. Even if I can't have him, I can't let Jona have me, too.