Bargain Wedding

How He Treats His Angel

Jona waited for Hana, the red-haired woman, to join him at the dinner table, and so did everyone else. The maid had gone and knocked on her room twice, but she was still absent.

Jona was getting a little bit worried. "You all start while I go and call her," he told the younger individuals as he stood up but plopped right back down when he saw the lady making her way toward the dining table.

She sat down with abhorrence. "What's the matter, Mother? Are you not feeling well?" Jona asked while he served soup in a bowl for Axel.

"I am alright, but the reputation of Suzukis will not be if this goes on for long," she curtly pealed, looking at Axel.

"How do you mean?" Jona asked as he put the dish back on the dining table and crossed his hands.

"Couldn't you wait for one more day to color your hair, Axel? You had to go looking like that in front of the board?" Hana sneered. The poor girl couldn't even eat. Her hand stopped midway to her mouth.

"Mother! What are you saying? It doesn't matter. We don't follow the dress code. It was fine. They were impressed by Axel."

"It is not about that, son. It is about the class we represent. We are the Suzukis."

It took everything in Axel to stop herself from calling Hana out, to say that she was not even a Suzuki, to begin with, and the next thing she wanted to do was to pour the boiling bowl of soup at her plastic face. Instead, she threw the spoon she was holding in her hand on the table and stood up.

Before anyone could say anything else, she was storming outside. Jona ran after her, but he only captured sight of Axel leaving on her motorbike. He stormed back in while dialing the girl's number, but he knew it was worthless. Axel would not pick up the call unless she cooled down.

No one ate anything after that except Lohan.

This was not how Jona treated his angel. Neither was anyone allowed to. He was so furious that he wanted to throw the lady out of the house but stopped somehow. He strode directly to his room, not wanting to speak anything to anyone.

He got a call from Axel after an hour which he picked up instantly. "Axel! Where are you? I am so sorry, love-" Jona wanted to say more, but he heard Axel sniffle on the other side and his heart cinched. He couldn't see his Axel cry. Ever. "No. Please don't cry. Where are you? I am coming there."

"I... I am sitting in the park." Axel's small voice spoke.

Jona wanted to smash everything in his sight with the fury he felt inside his body. "Which park?" He asked.

"The- the one which is two blocks away from home." Axel replied.

"Don't go anywhere. I am coming. Okay?" Jona asked the girl softly, already rushing out of his room after picking up his car keys.

"Jona!" The girl interjected.

"Yes, baby? Don't cry, please."

"What if I fail in the dance competition tomorrow?" Axel asked innocently.

"No, you will win," Jona asserted, getting inside the car.

"How do you know? You have never seen my dance," Axel complained.

Jona felt his heart clenching again. He didn't want Axel to feel uncomfortable, and it was out of his control that he had to give her space. He never dared to push Axel, ever. Damn, he didn't even try to talk about their kiss. He had no idea Axel might have needed him, but he was realizing now that it made sense that his angel might have felt lonely because of the space he kept insisting on her. "I am so sorry. I promise I will come to see you," he sped towards the park, the call connected to the car's Bluetooth.

"You promise?" Axel had stopped crying, but her voice was a mere meek coming through the phone.

"I promise. I told you I would not miss it for the world," Jona uttered softly as he spotted the park. He sped further and pulled up the car. Running deep inside it, he found a figure sitting on a bench with the phone to her ear. He ran some more and there she was, his Angel whom he loved more than anyone.

Jona pulled down the phone from his ear and called out softly. "Axel..."

The girl raised her head and only the heavens knew what came over her. She left her phone to fall onto the grass, and leaped on Jona, causing him to stumble, off guard.

He composed his posture as he hugged the girl back. Axel was tugging him tightly as she broke down completely. "I know... Shh. No one will talk to you like that ever again. I promise you today," Jona soothingly slid his hands on her back, whispering sweet nothings to her ears.

Axel kept crying for quite some time and Jona kept comforting her. He then pulled away and wiped her tears with his thumbs before leaning down to kiss her forehead softly. "That's enough, baby. No more crying. It doesn't suit you." The man uttered softly.

Axel shivered, an aftereffect of crying for so long and so hard, but she finally stopped under her man's embrace and his calming scent of cherry blossoms and roses. She usually wouldn't cry unless she was drunk or angry beyond measure, but she couldn't deal with her sentiments.

But at least she was going to tell Minhaj the reality, taking the first step towards expressing her love to Jona. "I am hungry," she spoke in almost a whisper.

"Let's go and eat," Jona grabbed her phone from the ground and clasped his hand with hers to lead the way out of the park.

His Audi was right outside. Just as Axel sat in the car, she panicked a little. "My bike!"

Jona shut the car door on Axel's side as he walked towards the driver's seat and got in while Axel's gaze trailed his every step. His skin glistened under the street lamps, veins on his hands bulging underneath his jacket. Jona's clothes fit perfectly over his abdomen and ass, where Axel was often tempted to look. Without any word uttered at Axel, he calmly dialed his driver's number and asked him to come and pick up the bike. "He will be here in ten," he informed as he got off the phone.

Axel still had a worrisome expression on her face. What if someone harmed her bike or stole it? She loved her bike for sure. "Can we please wait?" She asked Jona while the older saw her hugging herself because of the AC.

"Sure we can."

Axel couldn't take low temperatures, Jona knew, so he quickly removed his jacket and put it around her. The woman didn't protest but quietly wore it.

Jona increased the temperature.

"I am hungry, but I don't want to eat at home," Axel said slowly while she looked down at her thighs.

"We will eat wherever you want," Jona's hand went closer, and he stroked her hair gently. To his surprise, she didn't flinch or anything, simply allowing it.

Her eyes fluttered shut as Jona's hand retreated.

Jona's stomach was also killing him because he also didn't eat. He knew how Axel would be feeling, and he wanted nothing more than to feed her right then.

The driver arrived shortly and Jona handed him Axel's motorbike keys before mumbling a gracious “Thank You”.

"Good night, sir. Good night, ma'am," the driver bowed to both and made a beeline towards the bike.

"What do you want to eat?" Jona asked as he burned the ignition. A roar emerged from the powerful engine of the million-dollar car.

"Anything but hurry. I feel like I will pass out if I don't get something soon," Axel said restlessly.

"There is a protein bar in the glove compartment," Jona pointed out and Axel was already at it.

He began to drive instantly and saw the younger hurriedly attacking the compartment, a smile crossing his face. Axel unwrapped the bar and took a bigger bite-size. Her lips left a satisfied groan. She then turned towards Jona, offering the bar to him. "No, you eat. I am not that hungry." Jona dismissed with a wave of his hand and a smile.

Axel finished the bar in no time.

The car was now running on the highway rushing past all the other vehicles. Jona had played music with low volume and Axel was enjoying it. What else did Jona need? Just his woman to be happy and healthy. "There is a café which serves the best steak. We are going there." He informed the girl, thinking about getting any criticism now, so he could change the venue accordingly.

"What is the name of that café?" Axel asked curiously as she often visited the eateries in the area before marriage, thinking she perhaps would be familiar with the place.

"It is called Aku Puffs." Jona chuckled.

☘

Axel was looking around the pink and yellow interior. How in the world did Jona know about this place? No doubt the cafe was adorable, but Axel assumed that being the dainty and classy person that Jona was, he wouldn't have visited any place lesser than seven stars.

One of the walls of the place was fixed with Superhero figurines. Axel's eyes shone when she spotted her favorite. "Iron Man!" She clamored, pointing her finger towards the wall. Jona trailed in the direction Axel was pointing and smiled.

"Is Iron Man your favorite?" He asked as they waited for the food to arrive at their table.

Axel nodded in response.

Her face was all cutesy, brows arched, mouth parted in astonishment. Jona loved it. This side of Axel was purest, almost baby-like. She was fascinated by the smallest of things. The elderly often said that if someone looked at the smallest things with intrigue, it was their first life. Jona wasn't one to believe in reincarnations, but he could hypothetically bet on it that this must be Axel's first too.

"Mine is Hulk," he told Axel with a smile.

Axel averted her gaze at him with a surprised look. "You are into superheroes?" She asked, bewildered.

"Big time. I am not that old, Axel. I do enjoy my fair share of entertainment too," Jona snickered wittingly, putting Axel's cheeks on fire.

"No, I did- I did not mean it like that," She replied defensively, getting flustered all over, but Jona laughed.

"Who do you think would win between Hulk and Iron Man if the fight was to break?" He saved her from answering his rhetorical ramble.

"Of course, Iron Man," Axel replied confidently.

"Now don't be biased just because he is your favorite," Jona was having the time of his life teasing Axel. Whenever she argued about anything, she would stutter in a tiny voice which Jona loved to his heart's content.

"You forgot the Hulk Buster?" Axel stated, now putting a competitive S.H.I.E.L.D on.

"He had to put on armor to put the Hulk down, and that too didn't work."

Their cute discussion came to an end as soon as the food arrived. The next thing that Axel loved aside from superheroes was food. She would forget the world around her when she ate and Jona savored that look on her face the most. Her bunched-up cheeks, eyes popping and bigger than usual, were always a sight to cherish. What didn't Jona love about Axel? Nothing.

Nothing about Axel was unlikeable to Jona. The way Axel forgot that she was on the verge of killing him over the superhero discussion and immediately shifted the entire attention to food was downright adorable to Jona.

"Do you want dessert?" Jona asked once they were done eating the main course.

"I want ice cream," Axel nodded.

The dessert arrived pretty quickly. Axel was taking the first scoop when it dribbled a little over her chin and towards her shirt because she had her attention on her phone. Her first reaction was to see if Jona had seen her being clumsy again, which he did.

Jona was on the verge of laughing out loud but controlled. "The washroom is right behind that gate on the left." He pointed at a glass door.

Axel awkwardly smiled before walking towards the washroom.

Her phone was left behind and Jona's eyes fell on the text notification from Minhaj. He shouldn't have checked, but somehow his hands reached for the phone as if they had brains of their own.

When Jona saw that Axel texted Minhaj first before calling Jona a few hours ago, his heart broke completely and yet again. His eyes threatened him to shed the brimming hot tears, but he immediately made use of a napkin to wipe them before Axel came back. He thought that they were making progress, but guess not.

When Axel returned, she picked up her phone and saw the texts from Minhaj, but didn't respond. Rather, she concentrated on finishing her ice cream.

"Let's get going if you don't want anything else," Jona asked her.

"Okay," Axel nodded. "I am done."

Raising his hand and signing the cheque, Jona waited and speculated the blush on Axel's face, hating that it was because of someone else. Although he knew and decided that he would win Axel's love the right way, he still hoped that the day would come sooner rather than later. Because God knew murder was on his mind.

Paying for food, they left the place and drove back.

Axel had slept in the comfort of the seat and the safety of her responsible husband. "I hope one day you can love me back," Jona spoke slowly while glancing at her, but she was gone too deep into slumber.

He was pulling up his car after a few minutes in the driveway of his big house. As he stared at Axel's slightly parted lips and closed eyes, he wanted to lean down and feel them again. He sighed and kept staring at her before he felt movement around the security room. "Axel, we are home." He patted the girl slowly.

Axel opened her drowsy eyes. Slowly, she got out of the car and walked ahead.

Jona took the car to the parking compound in the basement and took the elevator from there to get into the house. By the time he got inside the room, Axel was already asleep, hugging her huge pillow. She didn't change her clothes either.

Jona walked up to her and carefully took off the jacket. Axel wriggled at first but got back to her deep respite in no time. Jona looked at her adorably for a few minutes and stroked her hair. He sat beside her, toying with her cherry locks. "It hurts seeing you love someone else. The worst part is that I cannot do anything about it. I can't force my love on you. But don't ever feel burdened. I love you enough to let you be free." Softly pressing one kiss on Axel's head, he walked over to the couch to sleep there.