Bargain Wedding

Her Agony

Axel was fidgeting with multiple emotions.

Anger — because she was forced into this marriage, sorrow — because she was snatched off of her free will, guilt — because she thought Jona was a nice person and being terse towards him wasn't fair, and last, shock — because she still couldn't believe she was now the wife of someone. Aside from that, she kept having an array of realizations in real-time.

It was an hour later, she couldn't get herself to sleep, so she decided to go back to Jona's house.

Knocking gingerly on the door of Jona's room — technically, her room too, she waited. Jona opened the door and a smile spread across his face just as he saw Axel standing there, looking at the ground. He moved aside, opening the door wide for the lady to enter.

Axel dashed in and saw the bed neatly made as if it wasn't slept in. She looked at the couch which had Jona's cover and pillows, meaning he wasn't sleeping in bed. Did he know somehow that she would come back?

Jona didn't say a word because he had no clue what could rile her up, furthermore. Until Jona knew her a little better, it was safe for him to say that he wouldn't act on his whims when it came to his girl. He wanted to give her as much time and space as she needed.

Axel also didn't speak immediately. She walked ahead and put the password in the closet metric to get changed.

☘

Jona was already passed out on the couch when she came back post-shower. She wanted to talk, so she couldn't get herself to sleep. Jona was gratifyingly nice. When she saw the gifts, her pre-set judgment from earlier suddenly made its way back and her self-esteem got the best of her, making her furious at Jona's gesture. The same preconceived notions were now wavering, which astonished her. She was known to be a short-tempered person. She thought back to how she coped with her anger today, and certainly, she couldn't be proud of the way she'd handled the situation.

She hadn't any sort of feelings for Jona. No, at least not yet. But she wasn't a vile person either, and she could see the goodness exuding from the man. She knew she had to communicate a few things and set a few expectations. They were married in a bargain, sure. But that didn't mean that the ceremony and the vows were a bargain too. They were all real.

Jona wasn't asleep either. Pretending in his room was something he'd learned these days. Averting his gaze towards the bed, he found his wife twisting and turning aggressively. "Can't sleep?" Not wanting to, he still asked.

"You aren't asleep either?" Axel asked, suddenly shifting her body up.

"Not yet," Jona sat up on the couch.

"Can we talk then?" Axel asked.

"Sure,"

Axel fidgeted with her nightwear's sleeves before gulping and inhaling, but words weren't ready to be out yet. Clearing her throat, she began. "You should know that I am never really going to be your wife in a real sense."

"Axel-"

"No, just hear me out, please," Axel interrupted the man before all her courage slipped through the cracks. "We both know that the wedding was a compromise for us. I am sure you must have had your reasons too, as I did, but I want you to know that I appreciate your efforts. I really do. You make me feel at home, and I am grateful for that. I'll also try to be more open from now on. Let's be respectful towards each other. I'd do things that are expected from me as a wife according to societal norms, but love will never be a part of the deal."

Jona was just blankly looking at Axel. He most definitely was under the weight of boulders on his shoulders — the selfish reasons for his wedding, but despite all that, he was still crazy about Axel. "I respect your decision," he mumbled. "Please know that I am always here as a friend and I will always trust you. If there's anything that you ever want to talk about, please don't hesitate."

Axel nodded while batting her eyelashes softly as she looked down on the duvet covering her lap. Hearing the supportive response made her heart beat faster. Her cousin, Tetsuo, along with her parents seemed to think that Jona deserved a chance from her, so why not live like two educated humans? This was good. This was progress.

Clearing her mind, she slept, but it wasn't the same for Jona Suzuki. When his father was diagnosed with a terminally ill ailment a year before the wedding, any day could be his last. His mother passed away a few years before that. Mr. Suzuki wanted Jona to have his own family before he also parted. He wanted a satisfactory match for him — a woman who would love him for him and not for his money, but no one deemed fit enough during his search for months.

Mr. Aoki had been Mr. Suzuki's acquaintance for a long time, but the relationship has always been professional. One day, the latter saw Axel visiting her father's office and immediately grew fond of her. The lady was stunning, adorable, refined, and with etiquette. He put forward the negotiation — a bargain to rescue Aoki's business, which was drowning in debts, in return for Axel's hand in marriage with Jona.

When Jona heard about it, he didn't feel entirely comfortable with the idea. Nonetheless, he didn't oppose his father either, as nothing was fixed yet. For all he knew, the wedding wasn't going to take place at all because Axel was supposed to take the call, and he knew that whoever this woman was, would reject the unethical offer.

A few days passed. Mr. Aoki didn't agree to the offer at first either. Even though he had seen Jona quite a lot of times during corporate meetings, he was still reluctant to take any decision because it wasn't fair to Axel, no matter if he indeed admired Jona. He knew that Jona was very well-behaved, extremely handsome, and also the only heir of the Suzuki corporation, but it still didn't make the decision easy for him. How could he make such a ridiculous deal?

He looked for other options to sanction a loan, but no one helped him, given his credit status. The fact was, no one else could revive their business except the Suzukis. Eventually, something made him give in to Mr. Suzuki's pressure. Although rich, they were still not as affluent as the Suzukis.

When Axel got to know that her father had made a deal with Jona's father to collaborate on their business because they were at a loss, she went into rebellion. Her father asked if she liked anyone else, but Axel said it didn't matter if she liked anyone or not. Either way, the bargain wasn't acceptable to her.

On the other hand, Mr. Suzuki's condition worsened, and he became bedridden after a few months since he had made the deal. Now, he wanted to see Jona get married as soon as possible.

When Jona was informed about the shift in the decision, he agreed to the wedding without even taking a single look at Axel's pictures. He knew he had to fulfill the dying man's wish whom he loved dearly.

Axel's father, within the purview, got a stroke under the pressure when Axel retorted yet again by running away from the house. When she heard about her father's condition, it was then that Axel finally caved. She agreed to the wedding because she couldn't see the burden her father had on his head, but at the same time, she made a promise to herself that Jona would never be able to conquer her heart or body.

Two weeks before the marriage, Mr. Suzuki passed away. Although Axel agreed to marry, she hadn't yet met or seen Jona on purpose, but she went to the funeral and, for the first time, laid eyes on him from the sidelines. She couldn't help but feel extremely remorseful for him due to his loss, but she also couldn't sit silently when she returned home. She started investigating and watching Jona's interviews. Suzuki was a prodigy in the industry.

Jona's reputation in the media was such that he had conquered everything he wanted. Axel had her mind made a certain judgment about the man. She thought Jona must be a spoiled rich dictator who must have done anything or everything to achieve the pinnacle where he stood now.

Jona wanted to talk to Axel for quite some time, but he knew that there was friction from her side. He agreed to the wedding in the first place because of his father, but he could understand why Axel was hell-bent on avoiding it. When he looked at Axel's pictures, he knew the girl was out of this world. Even if she wasn't, Jona wouldn't have repudiated her, holding onto the promise he'd made with his father, but Axel's features were a bonus. In honesty, he fell for her looks after seeing her.

One week before the wedding, a date was arranged for the two of them to meet. When Jona met her in person, he fell for her even more. As they sat in a restaurant, Axel didn't say anything. Jona briefly told her about his past relationships, his work, and his life. He also told her about his step-family members who would be staying with them. He asked Axel if she wanted to share anything, or if there was any specific way she wanted the wedding to be.

Axel only said one thing. "Please say no to this marriage. I don't have an option, but you can. I don't want to marry you. Please help me." Jona could see the hurt and apprehension on Axel's face, but he didn't abide by the request, considering he'd become too selfish to let Axel go. He wanted to have her by his side, feeling that this girl was too precious to be taken care of by anyone else than himself.

Axel waited for Jona to accept her plea, and call off the wedding, but she never heard any retreat from Jona, and that was why she started hating him with her guts. Axel's father sold her off to save his business and Jona's father bought her.

Jona tried to talk to Axel twice before the wedding, but she shut herself down entirely. If Jona Suzuki had never seen defeat, then Axel Aoki was also not someone to surrender in combat either. She fought for the right thing even if hell broke loose. That was why, deep down, Jona knew Axel's misbehavior was justified. All she needed was time and Jona was willing to give her that.

☘

Like any other day, Axel was busy with her phone while Jona was stretching his neck muscles, which had gone sore due to sleeping on the couch for so long. Suddenly, Axel got up and scurried away to their walk-in closet. A while later, she came back with make-up on her face. She'd worn a black spaghetti top and ripped, solid denim pants. Her look was completed by black-heeled pumps. With her medium-length hair swaying back, Jona had difficulty deciding whether to call her hot as he looked at her dark red lips, or adorable as he peered into her big, doll eyes.

Before going out, she wanted to inform Jona, but her mind was stopping her from doing so. She was an adult and wasn't bound to inform anyone about anything, as she thought. Jona put her out of her dilemma when he asked her himself. "Going out with friends?"

"Yes. Um... I won't be back till late. Just leave the door open. I don't want to hinder your sleep if I end up late," Axel mumbled slowly in her small voice, fidgeting with her fingers.

She turned pale as if she was asking someone for ransom. Jona nodded and flashed her a smile. Seeing the man agreeing with her, Axel breathed a little and left the room.

Jona fell back on the couch, breathing heavily. All he could think of now was his growing boner, and he didn't know if it was even appropriate to have one. Getting up, he walked over to his study table and sat on the chair. He had bought a new book, so he decided to start that.

He used to be someone who would party every other night, but after her mother fell sick, he changed quite a lot. He wasn't a shadow of what nights used to be, but rather a very different contrast. He thought perhaps that was why Coco once mentioned that Axel reminded him of his old version.

Getting immersed in the book, he realized that he was almost on the verge of finishing it, and then one realization led to another. For how long has he been reading?

He looked at the time and found that five hours had passed.

Another realization. It had been five hours since Axel left.

Jona couldn't go to sleep without worrying about his wife. He didn't want to be intrusive, so he didn't call her either. But then he looked at his phone as it rang and found that Axel was calling him, which was an occurrence as rare as a hen's teeth. He immediately answered. "Axel," he uttered softly.

"Jona, I need your help," the voice sounded faltered and Axel seemed drunk.

"What happened? Are you safe?" Jona stood up, walking towards his closet to get changed immediately.

"Can you come and get me from the bar?" Axel's breathing was heavy, and now, Jona panicked.

"I am on my way. Send me your location and don't go anywhere. I will be there as soon as I can," he didn't get a response. "Axel! Are you with me?" He called out loudly.

"Hmm..." Axel hummed sleepily.

"Baby, concentrate. Send me the location and sit inside. Do not go anywhere. Okay?" Jona pleaded, worried. How much she had to drink to be like this and was she alone? Where did her friends go? He just hoped that Axel was in enough sense to not let anyone harm her in any way, or hurt herself.

Thankfully, he received the location after his phone chimed. He strode outside, pinning the location on the map.

☘

When he reached the club, it was quite noisy and flocked, which gave Jona a sense of relief that at least Axel wasn't stranded anywhere alone.

Tipsy people were stumbling everywhere. A woman smiled and tried to grind against Jona, but he simply excused himself, dodging her with a formal smile. His eyes were only looking at a certain girl who was passed out on the bar counter. His legs stormed towards Axel just as he spotted her.

Her upper body was lying lifeless on the counter while her legs dangled along with the stool. "Axel?" Jona nestled the girl's head and tried to get hold of her face.

Axel got her upper body up from the counter and smiled widely. "Jona!" She chimed loudly. "There you are." She uttered a toothy smile.

"Hey look! He is my husband. Husband Jona," she turned towards the bartender and pointed.

"Come on," Jona helped her by grabbing her waist to put her down on the ground, but her body crashed into him. He held the girl tightly and securely in his arms, smelling her silky, black hair. "Axel... Let's go home, alright? Can you walk?" He spoke in her ear.

"No," Axel shook her head with a pout, her eyebrows drawn together. "I don't wanna go home. I get bored at home." She shook her head vigorously like a kid, looking at Jona's feet.

"Where do you want to go? We will go there," Jona uttered softly as he tucked Axel's black streak of hair behind her ear with his left hand while his right arm held her steady.

"I want one more beer," Axel asked, losing her footing. If it wasn't for Jona holding her, she would be on the floor.

There was no way Jona was getting another drink into her. "No, Axel. We will come back later for that beer. You can drink as much as you want, but not now," Jona coaxed sweetly, but the girl was vibing. She pouted even more as her lips quivered, tears pooled in her eyes which Jona never wanted to witness in his lifetime.

He cupped the younger's face and cooed. "No, no, no... No tears. I will get you another beer, but no crying."

Axel nodded frantically, still pouting.

Jona sighed and looked at the bartender staring at them. "One light beer, please," he asked, and then helped Axel on a nearby leather sofa.

Axel couldn't sit straight and her face fell onto Jona's palm which he slid under her face, right before it could collide with the table. He sat like that, looking at the girl with not-so-dreamy eyes. The dreamy look was replaced by concern. When the beer arrived, Axel sat upright and leaned back against the leather sofa.

Taking the drink, she chugged it down in one breath and got up. Jona was on his feet too, out of instinct, trying to hold Axel in case she fell, but the younger dragged the older person on the dance floor. "Dance with me!" She screamed.

"No, Axel! Listen..." But Jona was being dragged.

They were already on the dance floor under the color-changing strobe lights, music thumping through the walls and roof. Jona was trying to save Axel from colliding with others who were ogling her. Axel was completely out. Her dazed mind didn't care about what she was doing. She was as reckless as she could be. It wasn't ecstasy, it was something else exuding from her. She held Jona by the waist and swayed her hips along with the beat.

Jona didn't feel too good, looking at this Axel. It was almost as if she tried to drown her woes in alcohol. The hideous part — he was her woe.

"KISS ME!" Axel shouted over the music.

It knocked the stuffing off of Jona. He looked at her, bewildered. He should not. He could not. Not when Axel was half-assed drunk. "No, baby."

"Kiss me," Axel mumbled, leaning closer to Jona this time. Her lips brushed Jona's ear.

Jona held her waist with one hand and cupped her face with another. Right before their lips smashed, Jona looked into the innocent pair of eyes which were filled with despair. Their eyes closed in a kiss. Jona felt a surge of electricity trickling down his entire body for two reasons. He knew exactly why Axel asked him to kiss her. She was dreading and inflicting pain upon herself, punishing herself. Tears came out of their eyes during the kiss.

Axel was in pain and Jona was her agony. What better way was there for Axel to punish herself than kissing Jona?