Bargain Wedding

A Little Sorry Card

Axel felt better after eating, so she went back into the room, hoping Jona would initiate the talk. She kept dawdling, waiting for her husband, who was now in the shower.

A few minutes later, the room was suddenly filled with the fragrance of cherry blossoms and roses just as the washroom door opened, revealing Jona in his white bathrobe. His wet strands still dripping water. Axel loved it. No, not ogling Jona in his bathrobe. The fragrance of cherry blossoms and roses.

He had a towel around his neck which he slowly glided down to dry his hair with, not paying any attention to Axel albeit he'd registered the younger's presence. He was afraid that he might scare her away. On the other hand, Axel's eyes were trained on Jona, who was slowly finishing up pat-drying, and she knew the next thing would be Jona looking over at her. Her mind went into woolgathering and her eyes lost functionality as they wouldn't avert away.

Look away, you dumb s**t!

Then it happened. Jona caught her looking at him. Basically, staring at him.

Great. Just great.

Jona now had to say something that they made eye contact with. "Hey," he mumbled as he walked towards Axel.

"Hey," The lady also mumbled, averting her gaze, not looking at Jona the slightest bit as her cheeks burned hot.

"Still angry?" Jona covered up the distance between them and asked her by tilting his head a little, flashing an alluring smile.

Axel at first gulped as the fragrance that wafted into the air from her husband became stronger, but then recoiled as she remembered everything from yesterday and her breathing intensified while she palpitated. She felt anger build up inside again.

"Your precious family is up to something, you know? I heard them talking about you over the phone. They were-"

"I know," Jona cut her off in a polite tone as he lethargically blinked once with a complimenting nod.

"What?" She asked, wide-eyed and beyond astonished.

"I know, Axel. I know everything they plan or do before they even come up with the idea itself," Jona affirmed with the same calmness.

"How can you be so cool about it then? Why don't you say something? Why don't you do anything about it?" Axel asked, flabbergasted, wanting to know the reason.

Jona smiled. "An enemy in sight prepares you better than one who is not."

☘

The same evening, Axel's phone buzzed, and she immediately went to take a shower. Jona suspected that it was Minhaj who was texting her. If he went to confirm the obvious, based on his suspicions, of course, then his heart would break, and so would letting Axel go and not do anything about it. It wasn't Jona's win either way.

Never once has he tested or confronted the younger, as he would never let his girl feel humiliation or guilt around getting caught red-handed, although he wanted to act on his instincts, which could have ended up ugly for Minhaj. He wore a mask and locked it in place with a permanent smile. Axel was not an object to him. He would either win her love the right way or die trying. Only if Axel could peep into his heart and see the love for herself.

"Going somewhere?" Jona asked, checking the lady out from head to toe in her dress. Axel usually wore ripped pants and tight tops, but today, her knee-length dress was showing her hourglass figure, which she would otherwise successfully hide with her jackets.

"Yes, I will be back soon. I promise I am not going to drink tonight," Axel explained, causing Jona to smile softly as he stood up from his study chair and walked up to her.

"You can drink if you want to, but please take care of yourself. The driver will drop you, okay?" He asked, leaning down to see her face.

Axel nodded mutely, eyes bowing to the ground. Lately, she has been more nervous around Jona than usual. She was troubled as to why she had started to feel so unnerving around this pulchritudinous man. Jona's smiles were uncommon. Always laced with coquetry, but ever so subtle, causing her heart to go haywire.

It wasn't love, that she was sure of, but could it be physical attraction or temptation? It was plausible, given the man was sculpted by supreme craftsmen of the almighty. She could be attracted to Jona, she made peace with it, and also with the fact that she wasn't able to hate him as she planned to. Whatever she felt right now for Jona was far from hate.

As she got in the car, Jona closed the door for her. She looked up at his face — a look of worry was washed all over it. It did something to Axel, feeling that she wasn't doing something right. Pushing the uneasy feeling into her stomach, she breathed slowly, trying to get some happy hormones going as the car started moving, and she didn't turn around to look.

She tried to focus on one person for now. During the past month after she attached him, Minhaj had been showering her with a lot of attention. They were the main dancers of their group, so it was impossible to avoid one another, but at the same time, Axel didn't want anything to go the way her heart wanted it to. She was a married woman after all. But when Minhaj asked her out for the first time to the club, she couldn't say no because she had liked him for more than two years.

She couldn't remember what had happened in that meeting. She wanted to ask Minhaj if she had done something she wasn't supposed to, but she couldn't talk to him for a few days because she had her own problems to deal with. The car trouble, her card blocking out, and then her allergies, it was like a trail of ducklings of destruction.

Besides, Minhaj didn't want to talk either, until today.

She looked out of the moving car's window, thinking back to two and a half years. She remembered how she turned up late at college on the very first day. The students who'd seen her car speculated she was quite rich and so everyone wanted to be her friend. On the first day, she liked Minhaj's appearance, and later on, she developed a little crush on him during the first week.

She was afraid and not entirely sure if Minhaj even liked her. She would get flustered every time the said male approached her, but it was nothing more than a harmless crush at the time. As time passed, feelings developed, but both of them never talked to each other. She was gallant, yet very introverted. She couldn't speak to the boy and Minhaj started flirting with other girls in front of her.

Out of frustration, she fought with him. That was how she dealt with her vulnerability, using anger, and she was just eighteen. It became routine for her. Every time she felt jealous, she fought, but couldn't get herself to express her feelings.

Minhaj deliberately teased her by fooling around. One day, he kissed a girl in front of her and instigated her. She only had so much patience. When she threw hands and the fight took an ugly turn, teachers got involved and they ordered them to stay clear of each other. She went home and cried that night.

Minhaj stopped approaching her and gradually, the two became rivals. They both had the same interests, like dancing or other extracurriculars, so Minhaj tried to stay with her as much as he could by participating in the same things out of adulterated spite. He would compete with her every time and fail, which irritated him more.

When she registered this change in Minhaj, she knew that perhaps their dynamic had changed for good, or that Minhaj never really felt anything for her, so she shut herself down. But her feelings never really went away.

By the time of senior year, they were nothing more than contenders. That was until Mihaj asked her out over text one night.

"We are here," the driver spoke when he found Axel still looking out of the window and not moving.

"Thank you. Please be back in an hour."

The driver bowed his head. The day wasn't entirely done yet. The sun was casting a soft glow and it was only a matter of minutes before the dark canvas took over, shifting the day into night. Axel looked up at the luxury hotel and strutted ahead. The doorman got the door for her and a cool puff of wind blew her raven hair softly.

She breathed in the air and her eyes fell on Minhaj, who was walking toward her with a smile on his face. Axel's heart raced. "Did you have any trouble finding the place?"

"No," Axel shook her head and felt Minhaj's hand over her waist as he began to walk her toward their reserved spot.

The boy pulled the chair for her, and it was something that the girl wasn't used to, especially with Minhaj. This boy was a bad guy rather than a gentleman. She could immediately envision Jona pulling a chair for her in contrast.

"Thank you so much for coming. You look really beautiful," Minhaj snapped Axel out of her thoughts as he took a chair in front of her.

Axel blushed a little and reciprocated with a smile. "Thank you for asking nicely."

Minhaj chuckled. "I am sure that wasn't it. You came here because you wanted to know what went down last time."

Axel now thought about it. In honesty, she didn't know if that was the reason she was there. "You are ready to talk now, huh?"

Sighing, Minhaj reached for Axel's hand and the girl flinched, uneasiness surrounded her as her mind screamed at her that she was someone's wife, and she shouldn't let Minhaj feel led on. "Almost three long years, Axel," Minhaj mused. "I want to say it finally. Please don't stop me."

Axel froze, her heart pattering like a scared little bird.

"It started when you arrived at college late on the first day. I was watching you from the window and you looked nervous. Not only me, but everyone was gazing at you at that time. They wanted to take a look at the girl who was as pretty as anyone could be or even more. Like everyone else, I also couldn't resist the enchantment knitted by you, Axel. Your soft eyes were twinkling as you beamed at everyone," when Axel didn't resist, it encouraged Minhaj's confidence. The boy smiled wider and gripped Axel's palms tighter. "I know we haven't really seen eye to eye, but I want to make amends now."

"Since we were instructed to stay away from each other after the fight, I realized more and more how much I wanted you. I got so scared when I recognized that we only had the last six months left of university," Minhaj continued, and the girl bit her lips together. "I knew that I had to do something before another year passed, and we left the university to move on with our lives."

"Is that why you stopped futzing around, so you could reverse the destruction we both have caused?" Axel asked dejectedly.

"I am just happy that you weren't oblivious to my efforts. You know... You disappeared for a week from university a few weeks ago. I tried calling you during that time, but your number was not reachable. I was terrified that something wrong had happened to you," Axel remembered. It was the week before her wedding. She had shut herself off during that time. Not only Minhaj, as she discovered right now, but Jona also tried calling her during that time. Her mind was botched, and she didn't have any time to think about Minhaj for a few weeks as her energy and attention were all directed toward stopping the wedding. "But then you came back."

Reality came crashing down on Axel now, making her disoriented. "No," she pulled her palms away suddenly. "I can't do this."

Minhaj turned grim at the sudden change in Axel's demeanor. "Hey, hey... What's wrong? I am sorry if I am too upfront or if I am too late, but I promise I will make up for all the lost time." The boy tried to reason, but Axel suddenly stood up.

"Axel," he called the girl with a dejected voice. "This is what happened in the club earlier. I confessed to you and you pushed me back. Please, talk to me."

What Minhaj didn't know was that Axel belonged to someone else now. She was now married to Jona. "I like you, Axel... Please say something, I know you like me, too." He walked around the table.

Axel wanted nothing more than to say yes, but then she couldn't. She was married albeit she didn't love Jona, it didn't change her reality. She knew she should tell Minhaj about Jona, but then she looked at how broken Minhaj looked. Axel didn't know how to break his heart, but one thing was for sure — they would graduate soon and not see each other anymore.

"I just can't anymore, Minhaj. I am sorry, but this was a mistake."

As she started to walk around the table, the other male was tenacious, he held her palm, not quitting without knowing the reason. "Why are you doing this? Why do you stop yourself? Please let me in. What are you afraid of? I promise I have changed. I will no longer fight, and I want to take care of you." Minhaj begged.

"I just can't. It's late. Too late," Axel replied, looking away and trying not to tear up.

"Why, Axel? I am still me. You are still you. Nothing's changed. Please. I know it took me a while to say this, but I am finally here. I am telling you now that I like you. It might even be more than just liking," Minhaj pleaded with tears in his eyes, as he couldn't understand why Axel kept pushing him away.

When he didn't get any response, as Axel only kept looking down, sniffing the air so as not to cry, he surged forward and held her face to kiss her, but the girl pushed him back harshly, causing him to stumble. Taking advantage of Minhaj recovering from the jolt, she dashed out of the restaurant of the hotel.

She still didn't know what had happened between Jona and her in the club that night, but one thing was now sure. It couldn't have been anything less than her wrath at the man, especially when she was confessed by Minhaj. She now knew what she must have felt that night when she was drunk. It couldn't have been anything less than what her mind was right now — imprisoned like a running and burning train. A train that didn't know how to stop itself from wrecking.

Getting into a taxi, she told the driver to take her to a place where she often rode alone whenever she wanted to feel calm. The storm was rising in her head. All she could think of now was that she had to cut her ties with one person and soon. She had to decide who that person would be. On one hand, it was Jona whom she got married to against her wishes. On the other hand, it was Minhaj, the boy she had liked for more than two years. The boy was willing to return her feelings.

She decided. She knew she had to tell Jona about Minhaj. The marriage was a compromise for her anyway.

☘

Forty past eleven, she walked into the room with the determination that she had to tell Jona. She found the man on the couch and her feet trudged towards him, trailing off, trying and failing again. Meanwhile, a fit of sudden anger brushed past Jona's mind, looking at the time. He had been worried sick about her, and she wasn't picking up anyone's call.

"J-Jona..." The man heard the small voice.

Jona hummed with his eyes fixed on the book he was pretending to read.

To Axel, Jona's behavior was bizarre because it was unlike him. He listened to her with the utmost sincerity and attention with an add-on pretty smile. Today, he didn't even lift his head to look at her, let alone respond.

Axel nervously turned back towards her bed and Jona breathed heavily. Why was he feeling sudden indignation now? Today, his resentment of Minhaj and jealousy took a toll on another level. He didn't want to behave this way, but he was also a human. How much could he fool his feelings, which were overwhelming?

It was not in his mind to behave a certain way, but he still did. Normally, he was quite furtive about situations like these, but he might have had it to his neck which his heart didn't realize, but his mind did. He got up and trodded into the bathroom to take a long bath.

Axel felt nervous the entire time Jona was inside. She couldn't shake off the bad feeling she got from him. She wasn't sure if Jona was angry at her for going out, which was absurd, given Jona was not at all a controlling sort, or if it was because she was late, against what she committed. Jona never restricted her from anything. He, unknowingly, for Axel, spoiled her.

When Jona walked out of the bathroom, he entered the closet and returned all ready to leave the house in a white silk shirt and black trousers paired with crisp black shiny shoes.

Axel gulped.

Jona's expressions were eerie and his eyes piercing, albeit he did not look at her.

The brunette's throat went dry and heat emerged from her stomach as sweat oozed out of her nose in the air conditioning. Before she could say anything, Jona whizzed past her without a word.

Axel almost teared up at the ignorance. It was the first for her and it was killing her as her heart squeezed. A few moments ago, she was determined to tell Jona about Minhaj, but now, all she could think about was Jona and his behavior toward her. She couldn't get herself to sit.

Rushing out suddenly to do something, but when she came back twenty minutes later, Jona was already inside the room, which Axel confirmed by the sound of running water in the bathroom as she settled down on the bed. Gulping, she hastily opened the 'Sorry card' she had just bought for him. She began writing on it.

Jona, I am sorry if I hurt you.

Please talk to me :(

-I am sorry. Axel.

After scribbling in cursive writing with fragrant and sparkling ink, she tucked the card on Jona's table and, as usual, the man walked towards the couch when he came out of the bathroom.