Our honeymoon ended in a total disaster and I was glad it was finally over. Grayson seemed to be making good on his promise, finding every possible way to make me miserable. He stayed out late at night without a word and comes back reeking of alcohol. Now, I'll admit that would have been unbearable if it wasn't for one detail, I wasn't Andrea.
Sure, he was hot. No one could deny that but I wasn't in love with him. I might have a crush, just a teeny tiny one but definitely not love, and he was a jerk that just got married to me because…well that part still wasn't clear and that was what I intended to find out and I think I know the first place to start from.
"You ready?" Grayson asked me, his voice carrying the same indifferent charm it always did.
I turned to stare at him from my seat and gave him a single nod in response. Grayson unbuckled his seat belt and stood up while I did the same. He walked down the aisle of the private jet and headed to the exit. The door let out a hiss as it opened and I quickened my steps to go and meet Grayson who was waiting for me with a megawatt smile on his face. It wasn't for me though, it was for the world beyond.
This would be the first time we will be making an official appearance in public as a married couple. The hotel where we had our honey moon was a private one which I was grateful for but now the paparazzi were hungry for pictures of us together, eager for their next fix of glamour and scandal.
No sooner had the stairs unfolded than the bright flashes began. Camera's clicked rapidly and paparazzi shouted, yelling for us to give them some attention. I immediately reached for my sunglasses and pulled it down to my face as we walked down the stairs.
As we descended the steps, Grayson grabbed me by my waist his fingers pressing against the exposed ski where my tank top didn't quite meet my baggy black trousers that I was wearing. He then leaned in, to the flashing cameras, it would look like he was whispering words of reassurance to me.
"Don't forget to smile and stop looking so tense!" He whispered before flashing me a dazzling smile.
Jerk! I thought to myself as a tight smile tugged at my lips, barely masking the irritation that I was feeling.
"Better?" I asked.
Grayson eyed me, his eyes dancing with amusement before he shook his head with a chuckle, "Yeah, just try not to look too constipated!" He smirked, walking ahead of me down the stairs.
What an asshole! For a fleeting moment, the temptation to push him down those steps flickered through my mind, only for a moment though. But I grabbed on to his hand and just did as he asked, smile and look like I actually have an idea of what I was doing.
"Andrea look here!"
"Over here Grayson!"
"Show us your wedding ring!"
The voices of the paparazzi filled the air, cameras clicking from every angle. Raising my hand, a deliberate gesture, to brush a strand of my hair away, making sure it was the left hand and ensuring the diamond wedding band caught the light. It was a practiced move, meant for them and the cameras clicked rapidly.
Ahead, a black SUV sat waiting. It must be our car and seeing it, made me quicken our steps. I was starting to get uncomfortable with my pictures getting taken and the flashes were starting to get annoying even though I was putting on sunglasses.
"Hey Andrea, hey Andrea, how do you feel after stealing you best friend's man?" The voice yelled, loud and clear through the chaos.
The question made me stumble in my steps. But still I continued walking, I couldn't stop even if I wanted to because Grayson's grip tightened against me, a signal that I shouldn't stop to answer them.
Another shout pierced the noise. "How do you sleep at night after ruining your friendship of sixteen years?" This time around a hand reached out to grab me tightly by my wrist, yanking with a force that nearly knocked me off balance.
The motion caused the sunglasses to slip off my face and the moment it did, the cameras went crazy. Voices overlapped each other, people began pushing back against the security that were assigned to keep them in control. They were desperate to capture the rawness of the moment.
"Say something!"
"Do you even have any remorse at all?"
"Tell us how you really feel?"
For a split second the world stood still. I stood still, having no idea what they were talking about and feeling stupid about it. I was completely at loss and I noticed the absence of Grayson's hand in mine, he left me alone, I was alone!
The camera flash went on and off rapidly, they were relentless. I was scared it was going to blind me momentarily. Raising a hand, desperate to shield against the onslaught, a sharp sting followed as someone slapped it away, leaving a burning imprint.
Another camera shoved into my face, too close, too bright and I could feel panic bubbling deep within my chest as I realized there was no escape. Not from the cameras and the angry demanding voices that accompanied it.
Just when I felt I was on the verge of having a breakdown, a coat was suddenly draped over my head plunging the world into sudden darkness. A familiar scent filled my nose as warmth filled my body which immediately comforted me when it shouldn't. It was Grayson. He pulled me close to him, his strong arms wrapping around me possessively.
"Back away from my wife, can't you see she's tired?" Grayson yelled, his voice filled with anger as he pulled me close to his body, "Come on princess, we are leaving!" He announced puling me tight to him as he walked.
The paparazzi made no move to follow us as we made our way into the car. As soon as the car shut, the driver started it and we were on our way home. The ride was quiet, the engine hum the only sound breaking the silence.
My hands still trembled from what had just happened. A glance down revealed an angry red mark wrapping around the wrist, the outline of fingers that had gripped me.
"Does it hurt?" Grayson asked me, his voice low.
A bitter smile appeared on my face as I traced the bruise with my thumb absentmindedly. "No, surprisingly it doesn't."
"I apologize." Grayson muttered, though it lacked conviction.
I said nothing for a minute, then raised my head to look at him. I wasn't the least surprised to find out that he wasn't looking at me. "What exactly are you sorry for Grayson? For calling the paparazzi on us or for not anticipating that one of them would be so bold as to lay their hand on me?"
There was a slight tick to Grayson's jaw which I would have missed if I was staring at him. Grayson, gave me a sideway glance, eyes narrowing slightly. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Oh I think you know damn well what I am talking about Grayson." Came my sharp retort, the frustration spilling over. "I may have been quiet all these week but don't mistake my silence for being ignorant. I was watching you back at the hotel, I noticed how when we were about to leave you picked up your phone and have been texting nonstop, even before we left and when we were on our way to the airport too!"
Grayson eyed me warily, then shook his head at me. "While I'm flattered you were watching me, I still think you are being silly!"
"Oh, am I now?" I asked him, my voice cold, "Then tell me something Grayson and explain how this sounds silly to me. The paparazzi barely looked your way, they were focused on me, only me! And at first it was respectful but just when they started to harass me with questions, you left me and don't feed me that crap about you not watching me cause you would have seen that I was uncomfortable from the start."
Grayson rolled his eyes, dismissive. "Oh come on, stop being dramatic, you love the camera!"
"No, I do not and stop acting like you know me because you do not!" I yelled at him, catching him off guard. "You do not know me! Whatever you thought you know about me is in the past. I do not like the camera, I do not like the attention, I hate people touching me without permission and most importantly I do not like you!" I yelled at him breathing heavily.
The confession hung heavy in the air, the weight of it crashing down in the intense atmosphere but still I continued.
"I have no idea what I might have done to you in the past, or how I ruined your life but I apologize for it all now. If I did something, I'm asking for your forgiveness right now because I have lived a shitty life and right now, right now all I want is just a break? I just want a break okay?" I asked and it was only until I felt my cheeks get wet did I realize I had been crying.
Fucking great! I scoffed in disbelief as I wiped my tears away just as the car rolled to a stop in front of a mansion which I knew was my house. Without waiting for a word from Grayson, without even sparing a glance, fingers grabbed the sunglasses slipping them over the tear streaked cheeks.
The door opened with a force that mirrored the storm brewing inside and I got out, walking straight towards the house where I knew another chaos was waiting to happen.