Today is the day. Today, I was to meet Adriano, my soon-to-be husband. I woke up earlier to tend to the plants and flowers in my garden, doing that usually calmed me and today I'll need that alot.
I could feel my body easing up as I watered my lavenders, the scent intoxicating me. I didn't realize when pa approached me and he gently tapped my shoulder to get my attention. Gardening tends to that to me, it engulfs me and makes me ignorant to everything happening around me. It was therapeutic for me and had always helped when my heart was burdened and I was on the verge of having a panic attack, it was the major contributing factor to me getting out of my dark place.
"He is here, carino" papa told me and I felt my breath slowly become unstable, he sensed that. He put his hand around my shoulder and started to lead me into the house.
" You have nothing to worry about bebe, this will only be for a while. Give me a little time and I'll come save you, okay?" he tried to reassure and calm me down
"how long?" I asked,
"A month or two tops" he said kissing my forehead and we continued walking till we reached the door leading to the room they were in.
I gulped as papa opened the door. Inside the room was Miguel, Adriano and two guards which probably came with Adriano.
Miguel and Adriano were casually chatting and as I entered, the conversation ceased. Both men standing up at once, Miguel coming up towards me and whispered only to my hearing, "He is finee, I might as well steal him from you, be careful." he joked and I quietly giggled.
"Adriano" the man standing opposite me said, stretching out his hands for a shake.
I hesitated but remembering what papa had told me, I said "I'm Novalie" and took his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Novalie." He said still holding onto my hand while keeping eye contact with me.
His eyes. They were these attractive silvery blue.
Sexy.
What the-
He lifted my hand slightly and laid a quick peck on it. I bent my head down trying to hide my flustered face.
"Alright let's not waste anymore time and get to the businesss of the day." Papa said.
Mama came down and I sat beside her, opposite Miguel and Adriano sitting together. Dad ordered the maid to get us drinks as he began "Adriano, do you have any plans for the wedding"
They talked for about thirty minutes as the men decided that the wedding will take place in two weeks, way too soon. Adriano said he wanted us to go on a weeks trip to wherever I want after the wedding for our honeymoon and then I'll have to move back to Italy with him. At the time, I had felt it was really sweet for him to let me have a honeymoon though it was an arranged marriage but that happiness was cut short when he told me I'll be having to move away from Mexico and go to Italy with him.
I guess I should've known, I had been trying my best to distract myself from the whole marriage thing since I was told so I hadn't gotten much thought about it. But the thought of leaving my family- the family that had been by my side throughout and always tried their best to protect me from another occurence- to go stay with a complete stranger made me grevious and nervous.
The room started to feel smaller and I started to take in small breaths, scared if i took more I'll use up all the oxygen and suffocate. I started to sweat and feel sticky as the people around me blurred and their voices muffled. Everything currently happening felt surreal and deeply scared me. I was scared of the man infront of me and even more scared of the thought of being left alone with him. If he tried to harm me, Daddy and Miguel won't be there to save me again and my mom wont be there to hold and comfort me like last time.
Dizzy, I got up unable to see anything clearly as I used my hand to guide me out of the room repeatedly stumbling. I kept going till I got to my room and slammed the door. I grabbed a flower vase nearby and sunk my head into it, breathing in the fresh scent as I sat down and started to cry. Cry? I started to aggressively sob.
A month or two was too long to be away from the safety of my family.
I began to have flashbacks of what happened the last time and my body stiffened.
I didn't notice Adriano coming into my room until I heard his deep voice and thick italian accent saying, "What's wrong Novalie?" as he sat beside me on my bed and I felt his hands hesitantly drop to my shoulders, as if scared to break me. "Fuck, I really didnt mean to hurt y-" he continued.
"Why do you want to marry me,What interest do you have in me that makes you want to take away my hapiness?" I cut him off, interrupting him and it came out as almost a whisper, like a question to myself.
"What the fuck do you want from me" I said, yelling at him this time still crying.
"Three things" his tone changed, it was soft before but now it was dangerously calm. "I'll advice you to not interrupt, curse or yell at me again or el-"
"The fuck, What the actual fuck?" I said, standing up infront of him, looking down at him in his seated position, breaking every rule he had just made.
He stood up, now towering over me with his hands at his back and before he could speak I said "You still havent answered my questions"
"Why do I want to marry you? Thats a stupid question because which sane human being will see your sexy body and gorgeous appearance and won't be curious enough to want to be with you" he started.
"What interest do I have in you? Im very curious, Tesoro. I really want to know why I've been staring at your picture for the past five months and on days I try not to I feel incomplete and on days I'm in a bad mood, just staring at your picture calms me down. You've managed to become my obsession without speaking a word to me, seeing you physically or even touching me, all without you knowing or even having an idea." he said and this admittance shocked me.
He brought his hands from his back, about to place it on my waist but paused when I flinched on natural instinct.
"I'm sorry, I really didnt mean to scare you" he said, sadness in his eyes as he put his hands back behind him and stepped a two feets back. I appreciated that, his closeness had been making me nervous the entire time.
"It's not your fault" I said quietly.
"I still feel bad though and to answer your last question, what I want from you? I want you. I want you to be fucking mine and mine alone. I want to be around you everyday even if you dont speak to me I'm sure your presence alone will do more than enough to satisfy me. And right now? I want to have you in my arms so bad and be the comfort I see you need even if it means I'll never get to again, can i hug you, Principessa?" he finished and asked softly.
Not liking the hurt I saw in his eyes earlier cause I didn't like to make others unhappy, I nodded and just then, his big protective hands surrounded and covered me as he pulled me into his chest, intoxicating me with his fresh, minty scent. "you smell good" I muttered and he chuckled and happily replied "thank you bambi, you smell sweet too" and I smiled, liking the safety and comfort of his embrace.
Just then, Miguel walked in and upon seeing our position he cleared his throat, taking our attention from the moment and drawing it to him. "beautiful, beautiful couple!" he said comically, Adriano chuckled and I giggled. "I was sent to call you both for lunch" he said and walked out.
"Can I ask you something?" Adriano said and I nodded
"It might make you uncomfortable and if it does just please let me know and I'll drop the idea okay" he continued and I nodded again- okay.
"Can I have your number, Tesoro? it will be really nice if got to talk to you often during these two weeks, but you don't have to give it to me if you don't want to, I intend to be patient with you and I dont want to make you uncomfortable" he said in a haste and I giggled "what?" he said.
"do you always talk so much?" I asked smiling as I stretched out his hand asking for his phone and he placed it in mine. I turned it on and was shocked to see my picture as his wallpaper, I didnt know how to feel about that especially because the picture there wasnt my best. I was about to hand his phone back to him to unlock it when he stated the password bluntly to me and I unlocked it giving him a questioning glare as to why he told me so easily.
"I don't intend to hide anything from you either"
I typed in my number and saved it as 'Novalie' then turned away from him and headed towards my window, taking multiple photos of myself, choosing my favorite and updating his wallpaper. He looked at me confused as I did and didnt understand till I handed his phone back to him and he turned it on.
"A little gift for my stalker" I said as he unlocked his phone.
"You look so beautiful" he said and proceeded to check how I saved my number
"Thank you" I blushed
"I made an update too" he said turning his phone to me and I saw he has now changed my number to 'bellisima❤️'.
"What does that mean" I asked.
"Beautiful" he said and leaned down, kissing my forehead. I didnt flinch this time and I heard him sigh in relief as we walked to the dinning room to go eat.
During lunch, I didn't talk much, Miguel mostly leaded the conversations.
After lunch, Adriano, Dad and Miguel talked for a bit more before he walked over to me to say bye before leaving.
Going back to my room, I lay my bed and try to digest the happenings of today; meeting Adriano, the marriage arrangement, my almost escalated panic attack, Adriano comforting me, him being sweet enough to ask permission to hug me instead of forcing it on me and us talking alone
'Maybe marrying him won't be that bad' I thought as I fell asleep.
°°°
And that was their meeting, does him confessing why he wants to be with her seem rushed?
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~1905 words
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