Chapter Fifteen
Hazel
“This is the most beautiful eyeliner I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Rain is not going to be able to take his eyes off you. Mark my words.” Reina gushes as she checks out my make-up, while I blush profusely.
While I enjoyed my visit to the Dacosta the day before, the ride back was silent and torturous. Rain barely answered any of my questions and when he dropped me off at Su-mi’s, he didn’t respond to my ‘good night’. And that’s the same person Reina wants me to believe was ‘looking’ at me in some kind way.
Jerk.
“I’ll fix that for you,” Reina says to Su-mi and helps her zip up her maid-of-honor dress, then tugs her hair out of it.
The MUA just the bridal suite, and we only have less than an hour to get to the venue. Reina and Su-mi are both ready, and now they’re helping me shuffle into my dress.
I check myself in the mirror after I manage to put on my wedding gown. It’s a six feet long off-the-shoulder mermaid lace dress that pools around me. I watch the Gooldie necklace sit around my neck, and a smile appears on my face as I caress it.
It may not be a real wedding, but Rain Dacosta has done nothing short of making it perfect for me. An expensive gown and jewelry aren’t necessary since the marriage is fake, but he bought them anyway. It’s a ‘first’ wedding I’ll never forget.
“We only have like forty minutes left. Mr Dacosta is going to be so mad if we are late.”
“Mr Dacosta?” Su-mi and Reina chorus in confusion. I purse my lip after realizing what they mean. I don’t feel uncomfortable and free calling him Rain in front of other people yet, other than when I’m cursing him out in my mind.
“It’s Rain now, Hazel.” Reina covers her mouth with the back of her palm and I can tell she’s hiding her laughter. “Ew, why are you calling your husband Mr Dacosta? I feel like you’re referring to my Dad.”
“Eeh, that’s okay, your Dad is hot.”
“Su-mi,” I admonish her with my eyes widening a fraction.
Reina laughs and shakes her hand at me. “It’s fine. Anyways, call him Rain now.”
The door opens and my heart almost bursts out through my chest. I calm down when Rain’s mother walks in.
Don’t blame me. I had a dream prior today where my sister burst through the door and pulled me back to Jamaica by the ear.
“Are you girls ready? I just got a call from Renzo. Rain wants to know if the bride ran away yet.”
“That sounded like he’s hoping she runs away,” Reina notes with a frown.
That’s because he hopes I run away. Should I run away? Oh I can’t. I’m doing this for my career.
“Oh my God. Hazel, you look so beautiful,” Mrs Dacosta eyes mist as she takes in the sight of me, her gaze roaming over my wedding gown.
I watch over her shoulder as Su-mi makes some hand and mouth motions at me before she leaves with Reina.
“You know, I’ve imagined this day a lot.”
I gulp down the lump in my throat. “You have?” I manage to whisper. Of course she must have imagined her first son getting married. I wonder how she feels knowing it’s all fake.
“Yes.” Her soft and fragrant hands grasps mine, as she plays with my fingers in such a motherly way that warms me from the inside. “It was supposed to be six years ago, but we got way ahead of ourselves.” My eyebrows crease as I wonder what she means by that. “Now it’s happening again.”
“What happened six years ago?”
“I wouldn’t dare to tell someone else’s story.” At the look on my face, she laughs and nods. “Yes, that ‘someone else’ is my son, but who else, other than the author, can deliver a story with the emotional depth it needs? It’ll be better if you hear it from Rain himself.” Yeah sure, as if he’ll tell me. I nod anyway. “I know my son is not the easiest to be with, but I hope you’ll look past his facial grumpiness and see that he has a heart of gold beneath that gruff exterior.”
“He’s been hurt before, and it made him shut down. There was a time I barely even recognized my own son.” Mrs Dacosta voice shakes, her eyes shining with unshed tears. My fingers rub soft circles on the back of her palms, as a way to comfort her. “I still feel like it’s my fault it happened, even when he says otherwise.”
“If he says it’s not your fault, then it isn’t. Sometimes, having someone blame themself for something that happened to you, is a bigger burden,” I assure, my voice barely above a whisper. Mrs Dacosta nods, followed by a loud sniff that tells me she’s already crying. I grab the tissue box beside the bed and pass it to her and she whispers a soft ‘thank you’ that breaks my heart.
My heart constricts as I feel a pang of sadness for the man I’m about to marry. What happened to him that’s made him so guarded and cold? What ‘hurt before’ is Mrs Dacosta talking about? “What can I do to help him?”
Surprise contours her features as if she’s shocked I’d want to help more other than be a title wife for six months and leave with the money. If I’m here to do a job, I may as well finish it to their satisfaction—in this case, a family who’s hellbent on helping a hurt son see that there’s more to life than past occurrences.
“I just … I want him to see that there’s still joy to be found in life. I want him to know that being in love hurts, but we still do it again.”
“I’ll try, Mrs Dacosta. I’ll try my best to bring some joy into his life.”
“Thank you,” she says as her face lights up with a warm smile. Looking at it now, Rain is the male version of his mother. I wonder what a laugh looks like on his face. “And Mrs Dacosta? Don’t be silly. Call me Mom.”
“Yes, Mrs … Mom.” We both burst into laughter, and her phone rings. She takes one look at it, and her grin widens. “We need to leave. Rain’s impatiently waiting for his bride.” She pins my veil in my perfectly styled hair and hands me my white bridal bouquet.
I wear my glam heels and check myself in the mirror one more time.
His bride.
A romantic slow music walks me down the aisle. My body trembles from nervousness as I watch everyone’s eyes on me. The guests are barely twenty in number, but I still feel so weak in the limbs.
My breaths come out shaky and I try to calm myself down.
Let’s get this over with.
My eyes lift toward the altar and I nearly trip when I see Rain’s eyes on mine. He refuses to blink. My cheeks redden under his gaze and goosebumps bloom over my skin.
Does he like my dress? Is that why he’s looking at me like that?
My heart races like crazy as I finally get to him. And when I hold on to his offered hand, my stomach dips, waking up the million butterflies in it.
I glimpse over his shoulder to see his friends standing with him, all in black suits, complementing his white one.
Renzo fixes his gaze at something— or rather someone —behind me and I try to look at who it is. I only have Reina and Su-mi behind me as my maids of honor, so I can’t pick out who he’s looking at with the intensity of someone who’s studying something with an unblinking curiosity.
Rain’s eyes search my face like a map, and I shift my legs under his heavy scrutiny.
On command, he lifts the veil over my head and I wait for him to say something. Maybe compliment me or ask why I showed up. But he doesn’t say anything. He just continues staring.
When it’s time for us to say our vows, Rain holds my hands in his, and I suck in my breaths, waiting to hear what he has to say. “Hazel Wilmer, I promise to respect and cherish you. I’m not a perfect man, but I won’t ever intentionally hurt you. This is my vow to you.” The words flow easily out of his mouth as if he has been planning it all day.
His silence is deafening as he slides the diamond ring into my finger. His hands move with hesitation, his eyes twitching as he finally lets it settle into place. His demeanor suggests that this marriage is the most daunting task he’s ever had to undertake, and for a moment, I feel another pang of pity for him.
“I–”
“Call his name,” the Priest interrupts me as I hold onto Rain’s left hand while my right hand shakes around the ring with me. What’s wrong with me? Am I really doing this?
Rain’s hand bites mine just once and I return my attention to him. He has no expression on his face and if he’s annoyed about the way I’m stalling, he’s doing a good job hiding it.
“Rain Dacosta–” I watch something pass his face, an emotion I can’t quite place a name on, and his hand grips mine again. Is this reaction all because I called his name for the first time? Absolutely not, get over yourself . I exhale and continue, “–I promise to be a good wife, stand by your side, and stay loyal to you.” It may be a fake marriage, but I plan to be good to him.
It’s the least I can do for everything he’ll be doing for me in return.
As my last vow falls out of my lips, Rain scoffs. I look up at him to check what happened, but his face is so stoic that I start to doubt my hearing.
I push his ring into his finger and the guests clap, reminding me that there are people around us.
The priest preaches about how marriages work and prays for patience to deal with each other. I really need one if I’m spending six months with this man. And oh guess what? I forgot married people kiss, until the priest calls us out.
“I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Dacosta. Rain, you may kiss your bride.”
I shouldn’t panic so much, but I am. Rain and I never spoke about this. What will happen now?
Everyone falls silent and I look around, seeing that they’re not even bothering to hide their intense curiosity as to whether he’ll kiss me or not.
But I can see it in Rain’s twisted face. He doesn’t want to kiss me either. I take in his pained expression and throw a glare at him. Why is he acting like kissing me is the end of the world? Can this man prove me more right about how much of a complete insensitive jerk he is?
I don’t even know why I’m mad. It’s not like I expect him to jump at the idea and pull me into his arms to kiss the shit out of me, considering he didn’t even want a wedding in the first place.
In fact, more than at him, I’m mad at the guests and the priest. Everyone here knows it’s fake. Why are they still forcing it on us? I glance at the priest, wishing to smack the stupid smile off his face–God forgive me. He signed an NDA, didn’t he? Then why is he acting like this is such a special union between two people who are in love?
Instead of pulling me in for a kiss, Rain holds my left hand and presses his lips firmly on the ring precisely. My pulse beats loud, my hand jerks in his hold, and sweet tingles rush with full speed from my hand to my body.
He pulls away and I crease my eyebrows. Embarrassment washes away the initial tension between us and my lips wobbles as I try to keep my frustration inside.
You were just hoping he wouldn’t actually kiss you .
My eyes sting and I haul my hand away from his. He looks at me, but I spare him no glance. Instead, I throw a bright fake-ass smile at the seated guests.
Fine, let’s get this fake arrangement over with .
It shouldn’t hurt that he didn’t kiss me. In fact, I had hope that he wouldn’t, yet the pain in my heart is refusing to mitigate.
Mrs Dacosta, Mom, your son is making it hard for me to be nice to him.
How dare he act like I disgust him?
That’s because I probably do.