Married to a Stranger

Chapter Nine: Let the holidays begin!

"Okay, I really think you should buy this. Nothing screams sexy like a Victoria's Secret bikini." Emily's voice came as faded whispers. Saying I had lost my enthusiasm for this whole "Holiday at The Bahamas wohoo" thing would be an understatement.

Ever since Adrian's parents had brought it up I had barely seen Adrian home, he would leave early morning and return late. He was trying to finish as much work as possible so that the time "wasted" could be made up to. It was Marriage Day 4 today, Emily and I were out and about shopping for the holiday. Yes, I'm going to keep calling it that.

Shopping was a nice therapy but there was only so much shopping I could do. I was glad Emily came to my rescue; I needed a girl's day out. Skylar wanted to come too but she had promised Justin she'd take him to watch a movie.

"Hello? Earth to Bella, can you hear me?" Emily snapped her fingers in front of my face, I blinked twice.

"Yes, yes let's buy it." I told her and grabbed the swim suit in her hand without another look at it. Buy everything, problem solved.

Adrian and I were supposed to leave for The Bahamas tonight, I was nervous beyond belief. What would I even talk to him about? It was clear from his collection of movies that he liked movies, but the question is was he a fan-boy? I'll have to dig into that.

"Let's go in the shoes section," Emily suggested, I didn't realize when she stopped as I bumped into her back. You need to stop daydreaming, Bella. Wake up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Emily turned around clearly annoyed. "Why are you acting like you're headed to your funeral?" How can I head to my own funeral, though?

"Sorry! I was just admiring um-" I quickly looked around to see what I could possibly be admiring, "This satin kimono! It looks really comfortable; I think I'm going to get it." She stared at me for about ten seconds before shrugging.

After three hours of therapy, I mean shopping, we finally headed home. Once I examined our purchases I winced a little. Three perfumes that I don't know when I'll use, a Chanel chance, one from Victoria's Secret and from Marc Jacobs. An incredibly revealing bikini in neon turquoise, a satin kimono, a pair of Jimmy Choo and a couple of blouses were also part of my shopping for today.

Emily was helping me pack, it was almost half past six when Adrian walked into the room. There were bags around his eyes; he was obviously working himself too hard.

"Hi Adrian," Emily chirped, "I'm Emily, you probably don't remember me. I'm a cousin of Bella's." Adrian gave her a small smile asking how everything was at home. Right on cue, after a bit of small talk, Emily left the room leaving the two of us alone.

Adrian tugged at his tie, trying to loosen it. It seemed to have gotten stuck somewhere. I walked up to where he was standing.

"Stop, you'll ruin it. Let me see," I told him. I inhaled the smell of his cologne; it reminded me of the kiss we had shared not too long ago. I moved his hand away from his tie, undoing it carefully.

"You ready for the trip?" He asked, I couldn't spot any emotion in his voice. I pulled his tie from around his neck folding it, still inches away from him. I looked up to meet his tired grey eyes, I felt so guilty.

"I don't want to force you to go; if you want to stay here at home I'm okay with it." I told him, moving away from him slightly.

"Honestly, I'm in no mood for a holiday but this means a lot to Mom and Dad. They've booked a really nice place; I think you'll like it there." Well, at least he wasn't a liar. Compromise is what marriage is dear, dove.