"No...no, this door can't be locked. No, not now." She looked around to find something to break it with, but nothing was in the room. "They can't lock me up. I can't marry him. Somebody please!" she wept.
Then everything blurred. Lily returned to herself. She had collapsed. Her head ached so much that she thought it was going to explode. But then it didn't. It rather showed her those visions once more.
The door was thrown ajar. Nicholas stepped in with face glistening with fury. "What are you doing on the floor? you're supposed to be getting ready to leave!" He thundered.
Lily remained silent. Her eyes were wild like one who recently ran mad. She perused the floor as if she had seen a ghost.
"I'm asking you!!!" Nicholas shouted, running out of patience.
Lily raised her head and locked her eyes in his. Nicholas was shocked by the stare. "Have I married a demon?" He asked in his heart.
"Lily" he called her by her name for the first time. "I asked you a question"
"You see your wife on the floor and all you do is shout?" She finally spoke up.
Nicholas hadn't been dared to this extent. Who is this lady that she always requests he plays his role as her husband? The temerity.
"I just asked..."
"You asked what I'm doing on the floor instead of preparing to take the fake honeymoon pictures!" She barked, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Whether fake or real, we are honeymooners and nothing is capable of changing it! If I were you, the sooner I accept this reality the better.
"Is it me? Or you who defiantly deny that we're couples to start with?"
"So sorry young lass, I don't know what you expected but newsflash, inside this home we're nothing" he spoke sternly. "Whatever you thought before accepting this....oh, what am I even saying, of course you finally accepted this proposal just to save your dying father's dying company..."
Lily quickly raised her hand only for him to wage it. "You really think I'll allow you slap me again?" His eyes were mad. "I hate you. The entirety of your being, your family, your dead mother and dying father. I hate that we have to even save that hell of a company.."
Lily frequently tried to release her hand. Tears flowed out profusely. She was hurt.
"And in case you don't know, I get to say what happens. You don't keep me waiting next time. You think I want to take these pictures? With a person like you? Hell no, it's just to keep a good image. So get the difference. Inside here, nothing. Outside there?" he pointed outside the bedroom door as if the entire Vancouver is out there. "Couples. Hear me, couples!" He ranted
"What are you people?" Lily asked amidst tears. Everything he just said released a plausible energy that made her cry in those visions. He looked like one who would lock her up to make sure he fulfills his father's will. "What did you people do to me?"
Nicholas was confused with the question. How does it relate to all he had just said. He released her hand.
"Make sure you're outside in two minutes" he said and left, adjusting his tie.
Lily rolled her eyes once more. "What did they do to me?"
The car ride to the studio was tense, the air thick with unresolved tension. Nicholas drove in silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Lily sat stiffly beside him, staring out of the window at the passing city lights that blurred into streaks of color.
They arrived at the studio named "Bluey Bliss Studios," an elegant name that seemed starkly ironic given their current state. The studio's facade was adorned with soft, romantic lighting.
Inside, the atmosphere warmth and cool, Soft music played in the background as they were greeted by a cheerful photographer and his assistants, all of whom seemed oblivious to the frosty aura between the newlyweds.
"Lily, Nicholas, welcome!" the photographer exclaimed, trying to inject some cheerfulness into the room. "We're going to capture some beautiful moments today. Let's start with some shots near the window, shall we?"
Nicholas nodded while Lily managed to conjour a smile. They moved mechanically through the poses, their bodies close but their hearts distant. Each click of the camera felt like a countdown to their awkward return to reality.
"Excellent" the photographer announced. "Now, let's try something by the garden."
Outside, they stood amidst blooming roses fountain, the air filled with the fragrance of flowers. The photographer directed them into poses that whispered of love and affection, yet their expressions remained guarded, failing to capture the essence of the pose.
As the session drew to a close, Nicholas and Lily retreated to the changing rooms to prepare for their departure. Nicholas was the first to emerge, his suit impeccably adjusted, every hair in place. Lily followed, her eyes downcast, her mind swirling with conflicted emotions.
On the drive back home, neither spoke. The car seemed to echo with the silence of unspoken words and unacknowledged feelings. Lily stared out of the window again, but this time the lights of the city seemed harsh casting long shadows on her face.
Back at home, Nicholas retired to his study while Lily retreated to her room. She scrolled through the pictures from the shoot on her phone, each image looks weird to her.
With a sigh, she selected a picture where they stood under an arch of roses, their hands awkwardly intertwined, their smiles strained yet somehow convincing. She hesitated for a moment, her finger hovering over the 'Post' button.
Finally, she tapped it after much thinking on the best caption to use. The picture uploaded, accompanied by a caption that read: "Forever in love #BlueyBliss #HoneymoonMoments"
Almost instantly, likes and comments began to trickle in but it wasn't favorable. This wasn't the life she would choose for herself. After the Tiffany and co modelling, she had gone back to her normal life even after the online drags that she shouldn't be serving as a road safety corp. Some even said it's a waste of beauty only to request for autographs on the same road. So she knew people but this, a real public figure trying to live up to standards? That wasn't her. People never agreed with the picture. She could even agree with them. No man in his right senses would fall for this pretence of a picture.
Just then, she heard Nicholas talking from the sitting room. She guessed it would be about the pictures. He, himself also posted and it didn't turn out well too. She went close to the door to eavesdrop.
"What else are we expected to do?!" Nicholas paced around the room, holding his forehead with his left arm.
"Huh?.....we failed to pull it out?.... alright dad, I'm even happy you said this"
The call ended, leaving Lily in a state of torpsy turvy. From the call, she could guess it's Mr. Franklivania himself. That power hungry old man!
Nicholas's footsteps neared the room. Lily jumped on the bed and feigned nonchalance just like she always did. The opened, but she didn't look to see his countenance or if he looked at her, just to maintain the cold ambience of the house as if she's not yet tired about this whole quarrel. As if she wasn't ready, the words that left his tongue came like a surprise and somehow a relief.
"We're going back home"