I married a stranger

Chapter four: meeting him

Rose’s POV

I was finally going to meet him but I could not help but feel nervous. I’m supposed to meet him at a cafe nearby, I kept pacing around the room when suddenly, I heard my phone ring.

I did not even hesitate before picking it up.

“Hello.”

“Girl, you have to calm down, I can hear how nervous you are.” Isabella replied through the phone. I subconsciously relaxed. she knew me so well.

“I cannot help it, what if I f****d up?What if he’s snobbish?” I could not help but ramble to her.

“Everything is going to be fine, okay? You are not going to f**k anything up because the situation was already f****d up to begin with” she says, trying to calm me down.

I laughed after hearing what she said.

“maybe I should go to the studio or something to calm down”. I told her.

“no, do not touch any paint. it will be hard to wash it off. I can come over you know.”

“you do not have to, it’s almost time anyway, and I need to dress up.” I said feeling thankful that she was willing to come help me.

“no matter what happens, his loss, okay?” Isabella says in a stern voice.

“okay,bye.” I end the call with Isabella and immediately walk toward my closet. I stare at my clothes for a few seconds, completely unsure of what to wear.

I want to look nice, but I do not want to look like I’m trying too hard. It’s just a cafe meeting. At least, that is what I keep telling myself.

I pull out a few dresses and hold them against myself before tossing them back onto the bed.

“Why is this so difficult?” I mumble.

My phone rings again, and when I look at the screen, I see Isabella calling.

“Did you pick something yet?” she asks the moment I answer.

“No.”

“I knew it. Turn your camera on.”I roll my eyes but do as she says. I point the camera toward my bed, which is now covered with clothes.

“Okay, definitely not that black dress,” she says.

“Why?”

“Because you’re going to a café, not a nightclub.” I laugh. “I was actually not going to wear that, but then what am I supposed to wear?”

“Wait.” She goes quiet for a moment before saying, “The cream dress.”

I look at the dress she is talking about. It’s a simple cream midi dress with short sleeves. Nothing too fancy, but still pretty enough for the occasion.

“This?”

“Yes. Wear it with those little flats you have. Leave your hair down and keep your makeup simple.”

I look at the dress again before sighing.

“Fine.”

“Trust me. You will look beautiful.”

After ending the call, I quickly get dressed. I put on the cream dress and my flats, then stand in front of the mirror. I leave my hair down, add a little makeup, and put on some perfume.

I stare at my reflection for a moment.

I always knew I was pretty but for a second, I feel a bittersweet ache in my chest. I wish my sister were here. She would probably be sitting on my bed right now, teasing me about how nervous I am and telling me exactly what she thinks about the dress.

The thought makes me smile, but the smile quickly fades when I remember that she isn’t here anymore.

I look at myself in the mirror again, suddenly feeling the emptiness she left behind.

“This is just coffee,” I remind myself.

I grab my bag and hurry out of the house.

Unfortunately, getting there turns out to be more difficult than I expect. By the time I arrive at the cafe , I’m already late.

Great.

I quickly walk inside, looking around for him.

And then I see him.

He is sitting at a table near the window, his attention focused on his phone. Even from where I’m standing, I can tell exactly who he is. I could feel his aura and somehow I feel intimidated.

Christopher Blackwood.

I take a deep breath and walk toward him.

He looks up the moment I reach the table.

His eyes briefly scan over me before meeting mine.

“You’re late.”

That is the first thing he says.

I blink, caught off guard. “Sorry. I…”

“You are twenty minutes late,” he adds, glancing at his watch.

Of course.

No hello. No nice to meet you. Just you are late.

I take the seat opposite him, trying not to let his attitude get to me.

But despite how irritated I am, I cannot help but admire him. He looks even better in person.

His brunette hair is neatly styled, and his sharp features make him look almost intimidating, his blue eyes kept drawing me in. He is wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled slightly up his arms, and there is something about the way he carries himself that screams confidence.

Maybe a little too much confidence.

I quickly look away before he notices me staring.

“So,” I say, trying to break the awkward silence.

“So,” he repeats.

I wait for him to say something else, but he simply looks at me.

“You wanted to meet me,” I remind him.

“I did.”

“And?”

“And I think we should discuss the wedding.”

I stare at him.

“The wedding?”

“Yes.”

I expected us to talk about ourselves first. Maybe get to know each other. Talk about what we like or what we expect from this whole arrangement.

Instead, he gets straight to business.

“We need to decide on a date, the guest list, and where the wedding will be held,” he says casually.

I stare at him in disbelief.

“We just met.”

“I’m aware.”

“And you’re already talking about the wedding?”

He raises an eyebrow.

“We don’t have much time to waste, Rose.”

I lean back in my chair, studying him.

He is definitely arrogant.

And somehow, that makes him even more annoying.

“ I did not know we were on a first name basis.” I said as I went through the menu.

“we are getting married so I believe we should be on a first name basis Rose.” He says smiling a little like he was mocking me.

I flagged a waiter. “ please can I get an iced latte? Thank you.” I said while smiling to the waiter.

I could feel him staring at him and looked back at him.

“Your different” he says like as if he was lost in thought.

“Different from the other girls you have been with I presume.” I said while he smirked.

“So the wedding will be set on the 23rd of this month, you are free to do whatever you want with the venue just send me an e-mail of what you decide on.” He says while typing furiously on his phone.

The waiter brings my order and I took a sip before answering.

“I can see you are not bothered about the wedding and you don’t look like someone who is ready to settle down, so why agree to this in the first place.” I asked him curiously.

He raised a brow before answering coldly. “I don’t think I need to explain anything to you and I’m sure your father would have explained why this wedding is taking place.”

I am taken aback by how rudely he said that, I could tolerate a lot but i was not going to sit there and be treated rudely. I stand up and looked towards him “you can plan anything for the wedding. I do not really care.” I walk out of the cafe not even giving him a chance to reply

I push open the door to Samantha’s bakery, the familiar smell of freshly baked pastries immediately hitting me.

Samantha looks up from behind the counter, her eyebrows furrowing when she sees me.

“What happened?”

I drop into the chair beside the window and let out a frustrated sigh.

“I ruined it.”

She walks over and sits across from me. “Ruined what?”

“The whole meeting with Chris.” I run my fingers through my hair as I explained everything to her. “It was supposed to be our first proper meeting, and I walked out.”

Samantha stares at me for a moment before shaking her head. “Okay, first of all, you did not ruin anything.”

“I literally walked out on him, Samantha.”

“And?”

I give her a confused look. “And? He probably thinks I’m completely unreasonable now.”

She rolls her eyes. “Rose I’m sure you would not have reacted like that if he was not being rude.”

“He was just…” I pause, trying to find the right words. “Arrogant. Cold. And he acted like this whole marriage was some business deal he needed to get over with.”

“Sounds charming.”

I glare at her, but she only smiles.

“I’m serious,” she says. “You asked him a question, and instead of answering you like a normal person, he basically dismissed you.”

“I could have handled it better.”

“Maybe.” She shrugs. “But that does not mean you ruined anything.”

I stare down at the table, remembering the way he looked at me when I walked away.

“He probably thinks I’m difficult.”

Samantha reaches across the table and takes my hand.

“Or maybe he thinks you have a backbone.”

I look at her.

“You’re getting married to a man you barely know, Rose. You do not have to sit there and let him talk to you however he wants just because you are getting married.”

I sigh, resting my chin against my palm.

“I just wanted the meeting to go well.”

“I know.”

“I wanted to get to know him. At least understand why he agreed to this.”

Samantha gives me a sympathetic smile.

“And instead, you found out he’s an arrogant jerk.” A small laugh escapes me despite myself.

“Exactly.”

“See?” she says, smiling. “You’re already learning things about him.” I shake my head, finally smiling a little.

“You’re impossible.”

“And you are not allowed to blame yourself for this.” She points a finger at me. “You did not ruin it. You simply left when you were not being treated properly.”

I let out a quiet sigh, feeling some of the tension in my shoulders ease. Maybe she’s right.

Maybe I did not ruin anything after all.

My phone vibrates on the table, making me glance down at the screen. It was a text from an unknown number, I hesitate for a moment before opening it.

“About earlier, I could have handled the conversation better.” I immediately I read the text I knew it was him.

I stare at the message, slightly surprised. Was that his way of apologizing? Before I can decide what to make of it, another message comes through.

“You have a wedding dress fitting tomorrow at ten, i will have the address sent to you. I will see you there.”

I stare at the message my heart suddenly pounding.