A Familiar Stranger
923 Words
I always imagined my wedding would be beautiful. I
would be marrying the love of my life, at the beach
or the garden, surrounded by family and friends.
Instead, I was standing in the City Hall wearing an
ivory dress Stella had picked out for me the
day before. Life was funny that way.
“You’re frowning.”
I looked up and saw Micah before me looking
annoyingly handsome in a tailored black suit.
Damn! Why does he have to be so hot?
I rolled my eyes. “I’m getting married. What am I
supposed to be doing?”
“I mean, most brides smile.”
I scoffed, “Most brides are not marrying strangers.”
“Fair point.” He said raising his hand while smirking.
The infuriating thing about Micah was how easy he
made everything seem. The last two weeks had
been a nightmare. My Dad still hasn’t woken up, the
doctors said his vitals are strong and he should
wake up any moment. I’ve been occupied with
meetings, board approvals, legal contracts,
wedding arrangement and through all these,
Micah had somehow remained calm and…nice. Not
rich-guy-pretending-to-be-humble nice.
He had been genuinely nice and I found that quite
unsettling.
“Hello? You’re staring again.” He said.
“I was wondering if your parents dropped your
head as a child.”
His laugh echoed through the hallway causing a
few people to look at us.
“See?” He said, “That right there is why we’re going
to survive this marriage.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, Micah.”
“Are you sure though? I thought I just heard you
calling me your hot husband.” He grinned.
“You’re so insufferable.” I said shaking my head.
“We’re ready for you.” A clerk announced and my
stomach tightened immediately.
This is really happening. I think Micah could tell how
nervous I was because he held my hand and we
entered the room together. The ceremony lasted
less than ten minutes; that was all it took to tie
your life to another person, just ten minutes. The
clerk read a short speech and we signed
documents, the witnesses present also signed
theirs. Victor dabbed at his eyes dramatically which
earned an eye roll from me. He is enjoying this way
too much.
The clerk looked at Micah, “Do you take Aria Valen to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Micah looked at me, his expression unreadable.
“I do.”
The clerk turned to me, “Do you take Micah
Blackwood to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I swallowed and looked at Micah, and then at Victor
who gave me an encouraging smile. I reminded
myself that this is for my father, for the company.
“Yes.” I finally answered and the clerk smiled.
“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He
announced with glee.
A strange silence washed over me, it was done;
Micah is officially my husband. Victor immediately
pulled us in an awkward group hug.
“I knew this would work out!!”
“It has been twenty seconds, Victor.” I deadpanned.
“It still counts.”
Micah lets out a low chuckle winking at Victor. The
witnesses gradually began leaving while the clerk
handed us copies of the marriage certificate.
“Mrs. Blackwood.” He said making shudder and
Micah chuckled.
“I had the same reaction when they called me
somebody’s husband.”
That earned an unexpected laugh from me and his
smile widened.
“There she is.”
“Who?” I asked, my eyes searching around, curious.
“The woman who wouldn’t stop sulking. Who knew
her smile would be this beautiful?”
A blush crept up my cheeks and I rolled my eyes at
him. Before I could respond, his phone rang; he
whispered “Dad” to me and left to take his call.
Micah had mentioned earlier that his father would
be flying back from a business meeting today, like
me; it’s just him and his Dad. He lost his mum when
he was only two. I would be meeting Lucien
Blackwood for the first time today, and I’m quite
nervous. From what I’ve heard, Mr. Blackwood is
nothing like Micah, he is ruthless and unyielding.
The elevator doors opened, Micah
stepped out with a tall figure and my blood
suddenly went cold. No! It couldn’t be! The man
looked up and our eyes met. The same face, the
same dark eyes, the same silver streak at his
temple, the same devastating smile. It’s the
man from the bar! The stranger I had spent the
night with, the one whose name I’d never learned,
the one I thought I’d never see again. The one I’d
lost my virginity to. Now I know why Micah seemed
so familiar, he is almost a spitting image of his Dad.
They stood in front of me, both father
and son. His gaze shifted from me to Micah, then to
the marriage certificate in my hand, then back
at me.
Amusement lit in his eyes, “Interesting.” He said, the
vibration of his voice reaching my core. I’ve
forgotten how well my body responds to him. I’m in
trouble.
“Aria, meet my Dad, the infamous Lucien
Blackwood. Dad, meet my wife, Aria.”
I could only stare, dumbfounded, wondering why
fate hated me this much.
“Hello, Aria.” Mr. Blackwood stared me down.
Fuck my life! My one-night stand is my father-in-law?
- Writer
