FALL IN LOVE
I held up a long sleeve corset waist vintage midi dress in white, letting it fall open in front of me like something delicate I wasn’t sure I deserved.
“How is it?” I asked, a grin already playing on my lips as I turned slightly for him to see.
“Unless it won’t empty my pocket, it looks good,” he said, not even lifting his eyes properly from his phone.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance, but my fingers still traced the fabric for a second longer.
Cheap fellow.
I glanced at him again.
This man…
The same man who panicked yesterday.
The same man who called me like he had no one else.
And now—
Back to this.
Back to acting like nothing happened.
I smirked slightly.
Fine.
If he wants to pretend, I’ll play along too.
I guilt-tripped him enough already—reminding him how he left me alone in that shop, how I had to stand there like an abandoned kid. And somehow… I dragged him here.
A silent deal.
I comforted him yesterday.
He compensates today.
Fair enough.
“I’ll go try this,” I said, taking the dress in my hand before handing him my phone and handbag without waiting for his response.
He took it reluctantly, like I just handed him a burden instead of belongings.
I paused for a second, turning back slightly, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Don’t leave me again,” I muttered, my voice quieter this time… not entirely joking.
“I will surely leave you here,” he shot back from behind, holding my bag like he didn’t want any part of this.
I rolled my eyes immediately.
“Yeah yeah, try,” I muttered under my breath before walking toward the trial room.
But as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me—
For a brief second…
That memory flickered again.
Being left.
That small, silent fear.
I pushed it away quickly, shaking my head.
I looked at the dress in my hand, letting out a small breath as I began changing.
I quickly slipped into the dress, adjusting it around me as the fabric settled perfectly against my body.
For a moment, I just stood there.
Looking.
The mirror reflected someone… softer.
Not the girl who snaps.
Not the girl who fights.
Just… someone calm.
Beautiful.
“Oh my god, you are so beautiful,” I whispered to my reflection, pressing a playful flying kiss to the mirror before chuckling at myself.
Yeah.
This will definitely annoy him.
I pushed the door open and stepped out, already preparing a teasing comment in my head.
He stood there, exactly where I left him.
My handbag still in his hand.
His phone in the other.
Scrolling.
Unbothered.
As if the world around him didn’t matter.
“Mister,” I called, a small grin forming as I walked a little closer.
He lifted his gaze.
I twirled once in the dress, letting the fabric move around me, light and effortless.
“How am I looking?” I asked, expecting a sarcastic comment, something dry… something that would start another argument.
But he didn’t speak.
He just looked.
Properly.
Completely.
And something about that look—
It wasn’t casual.
It wasn’t dismissive.
It was… intense.
My breath hitched.
The grin faded slowly from my lips as my fingers instinctively gripped the sides of my dress.
Why is he looking like that?
I lowered my gaze slightly, biting the inside of my cheek, a strange nervousness creeping in—unfamiliar and unsettling.
For the first time…
I didn’t feel like teasing him anymore.
I let out a small breath, trying to shake off whatever that was building inside me.
“At least blink. I know I’m beautiful,” I said, forcing a smile back onto my lips, pretending like nothing just happened.
He snapped out of it immediately, turning his gaze away as he scratched the back of his neck.
But I saw it.
That slight tremble in his fingers.
That hesitation.
Something in him had shifted too.
I stepped closer, not giving him the space to escape that easily.
“I always look like an angel in white,” I said, tilting my head slightly, pushing just a little more—just enough to see how far I could go.
He hummed in response.
I froze.
My eyes widened.
“Eh?” I gasped, genuinely caught off guard.
That wasn’t the reaction I expected.
Not at all.
And then—
“You look like a ghost,” he muttered under his breath, turning away abruptly as he walked toward a corner, putting distance between us like he needed it.
I stood there for a second.
Processing.
And then my lips parted in disbelief.
“Excuse me?!”
But he didn’t turn back.
Didn’t argue.
Didn’t smirk.
And for some reason—
That annoyed me more than if he had said anything else.
I rolled my eyes and walked back into the trial room, shutting the door behind me a little harder than needed.
Why am I even reacting like this?
I quickly changed back into my dress, but something felt… off. Like the mirror had shown me something I wasn’t ready to see.
I pushed the thought away and walked out.
“I want this,” I said, holding up the white dress without hesitation.
He looked at it. Then at the pile beside him.
“You already chose five dresses,” he said, pointing at them, his tone flat but clearly done with me.
I scrunched my nose, turning away dramatically as I walked to the rack and grabbed the rest of the dresses I had picked earlier.
“Don’t be a heartless guy,” I muttered, not even looking at him.
“What? I’m heartless?” he scoffed, his voice rising slightly. “You forced me into a marriage—”
“Uhh shut up,” I cut him off immediately, waving my hand dismissively as if his words meant nothing.
Because if I let him continue—
He would say things I didn’t want to hear.
And I would feel things I didn’t want to feel.
I walked straight to the staff, placing the dresses in her hand.
“Pack this,” I said casually, like I didn’t just drag a man’s patience to its limit.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him.
Standing there.
Eyes widened.
Like he couldn’t believe what I just did.
But he didn’t say anything.
He shook his head, completely done with me and my endless tantrums.
I just grinned at him, unbothered, like his irritation was my personal entertainment.
Before he could even react, I grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the showroom.
“I’m hungry. Buy me something,” I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Uh… leave my hand,” he muttered, trying to pull it away, his brows furrowed in annoyance.
I tightened my grip immediately.
“No.”
He yanked his hand away forcefully, glaring at me.
But I didn’t even pause.
I caught his hand again.
This time, firmer.
“What if you abandon me again?” I muttered, narrowing my eyes at him. “I don’t trust you, Mr. Nurse.”
He mirrored my expression, equally unimpressed.
“If you hold my hand like this, what will people think?” he asked, his voice low but pointed.
I tilted my head slightly. “What will they think?”
“They’ll think we’re some lovely couple,” he said.
I shrugged lightly and tightened my grip again, dragging him forward.
“We are not lovely dovely… but at least we are a couple, right?” I said, my tone half teasing, half careless.
He didn’t reply immediately.
And for once…
I didn’t look at him to check his reaction.
I kept walking, pulling him along through the mall, my fingers still wrapped around his hand.
And strangely—
He didn’t pull away this time.
After eating, we wandered again.
Shop to shop.
Floor to floor.
Until even my legs started protesting.
I dragged him to a nearby bench and dropped down with a sigh, stretching my feet a little.
“I hope you don’t buy the whole mall,” he muttered, glancing at me from the side.
I tilted my head slowly, looking at him like he just said something amusing.
“Joke’s on you. If I want, I can actually buy this whole mall,” I said, flipping a piece of chocolate into my mouth—the same one I had practically begged him to buy for me.
He narrowed his eyes at me, clearly not buying my confidence.
I just shrugged, chewing lazily.
“But…” I added after a second, my voice dropping a little, almost absentminded.
“Just need to wait one year.”
He didn’t react.
Or maybe he did… just not visibly.
I stared ahead, not really looking at anything.
“I promise you,” I continued, softer now, like I was talking more to the air than to him, “I’ll buy you anything you ask for after we get divorced.”
The word slipped out so easily.
Too easily.
“Just a few more months left… so don’t worry, okay?”
I reached out and patted his shoulder lightly, like it was nothing.
Like it didn’t carry any weight.
The idea of those “few months” didn’t feel distant anymore.
It felt… close.
Too close.
“Buy me a Ferrari then,” he said, still looking ahead, like it was just another passing comment.
I nodded immediately.
“Okay, deal,” I said, as if we were signing something real. “But right now, all I have is this Ferrero Rocher. So take it.”
I picked one from the box and stretched my hand toward him.
For a moment—
He didn’t take it.
His eyes dropped to the chocolate.
Then lifted to me.
Something unreadable passing through them.
I sighed softly, rolling my eyes as if I was already tired of his unnecessary drama.
“Just take it,” I muttered.
He finally reached out, his fingers brushing against mine for the briefest second as he took it.
Small.
Unintentional.
But enough to make something flicker and disappear just as quickly.
He unwrapped it slowly and tossed it into his mouth.
And there—
That faint twitch of his lips.
So slight.
So unwilling.
But real.
I didn’t say anything.
Didn’t tease him.
Just watched for a second longer than needed…
Before looking away.
“I will give you a lot of money too,” I said, turning to look at him with full seriousness.
He frowned, clearly confused.
I nodded firmly, like I had already planned everything.
“I’ve noted everything you’re spending for me,” I added, placing my hand on his shoulder as if I was comforting a poor, suffering soul. “So don’t worry, middle-class man. I will repay everything.”
For a second—
He just stared at me.
Processing.
And then—
“I don’t want your money,” he said plainly. “Just leave my life. That’s all.”
My jaw dropped instantly.
I clutched my chest dramatically, leaning back as if something had pierced straight through me.
“Oh my god,” I gasped. “That’s so rude.”
I looked at him like he had just committed the greatest crime in human history.
But he didn’t argue back this time.
Didn’t snap.
Didn’t roll his eyes.
Instead—
A small chuckle slipped out of him.
For a second, I just stared at him.
Because that sound…
It didn’t belong to the version of him I was used to.
It was lighter.
Warmer.
Almost… normal.
And without realizing, a grin spread across my face too.
I straightened up, sitting properly beside him, but the air between us had already changed.
It wasn’t sharp anymore.
It wasn’t heavy.
It felt… easy.
Strangely easy.
“You’re laughing?” I said, narrowing my eyes playfully. “Wow… progress. My influence is clearly working.”
He shook his head, still holding onto that faint smile like he didn’t want to fully show it.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he muttered.
But his voice didn’t carry that usual irritation.
And for a moment—
We just sat there.
Not fighting.
Not arguing.
Just… existing.
Side by side.
Like two people who didn’t quite belong together.
And suddenly—
He looked at me.
Not the usual passing glance.
Not irritation.
Not mockery.
He actually looked.
His eyes locked onto mine, holding them for a second longer than normal.
“What’s the exact reason you married me?” he asked.
The question didn’t sound casual.
It landed… heavy.
I looked at him for a moment, then let my gaze fall to the floor.
“That’s a long story,” I muttered.
“Say it,” he pushed.
Of course he would.
I let out a slow breath, my fingers loosely interlocking as I stared at nothing in particular.
“My mom and dad…” I started, my voice quieter now, stripped of its usual sharpness. “They are the reason I was scared of marriages… of relationships.”
The words came out slowly.
Not dramatic.
Just… tired.
“The reason I started hating men… is my dad.”
I paused.
Not because I didn’t have words—
But because I had too many.
“Because of that… and everything else… I started doubting people more and more. I lost the ability to trust anyone.”
I let out a small breath, almost a hollow laugh.
I shook my head faintly.
“I saw my brother’s wife cheat on him even after they dated for almost thirteen years.”
I looked up for a second, then away again.
“I was so sure I would never get married in my life.”
My fingers tightened slightly.
“My grandfather…” I continued, softer now, “he was worried about me. He thought after he dies… I would end up completely alone.”
My lips pressed together slightly.
“He never agreed with me when I said money is more important than people.”
A faint smile—bitter, almost.
“So before he died… he made a condition.”
I finally looked at him.
“Only if I get married… and live with my husband for at least one year… without using a single penny of my money…”
“…then I can access everything that’s mine.”
“Why the fuck did you choose me?” he asked, clearly confused, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
I held his gaze for a second.
Longer this time.
And then a small, unreadable smile curved on my lips.
“Because you looked like someone who wouldn’t fall in love with me.”