It was hurting.
Céline’s heart was hurting. She sat on the floor shaking with tears. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she was too weak to even wipe them. What had she put herself into?
This was not the man she fell in love with. This was not her Damien. She knew deep down that he might have perceived her original reasons for wanting to marry him but, she was still in denial. He couldn’t have found out about that.
After the brutal way she had lost her virginity last night, she had thought she could make it up to him by making breakfast and talking to him. She even made up her mind to tell him about John and the stupid contract she made with him. Despite the soreness between her legs she tried to make breakfast for them. She wanted to make her marriage work. There was nothing a good conversation could not solve. They could settle it and their love would conquer it.
But Damien refused to give her a single chance. It was like her entire existence irritated him. He couldn’t stand the sight of her.
When she had even tried to stop him from walking away from her, he reacted like her hands were a can of worms crawling on his skin. She felt like a knife was shoved down her throat at that moment.
How did people cope with watching their lovers grow from loving them to hate them?
No, Damien didn’t hate her.
He couldn’t hate her. He loved her. He told her countless times that he did and she believed him. She still did. This was just a misunderstanding and she’d save her marriage she would.
She just had to find a way to talk to him.
“Oh! my God what’s going on here?”
Olivia’s loud voice reached her and Céline scurried to her feet, not wanting her best friend to meet her cornered on the floor in pain. She wiped her tears and tried to make herself look presentable.
“Olivia?” Céline called, wearing a tight smile on her face as she walked to her friend
“Something is burning! Can’t you perceive it!” Olivia interjected running pass Céline to the kitchen.
Céline’s nostrils finally came to life and she perceived the burning Olivia was talking about. Crying had made her brain tune out every sense around her, so much so that she didn’t realize that she still had a batch of waffles in the oven.
By the time they got there, the whole kitchen was covered in soot and smoke.
Olivia took the fire extinguisher and sprayed on the oven after disconnecting it from the electricity.
“Oh my God! What were you two doing that you forgot about the food!” Olivia cried, covering her nose.
Céline didn’t know what to say. she just stood there and watched her hard work go to waste. Her eyes stung and it wasn’t just the smoke, it was the pain in her heart.
The kitchen was a reflection of her marriage. Like the kitchen, it was burning out and if she didn’t get the fire extinguisher fast enough the whole house would collapse. Her whole life would collapse.
“Come on help me out here!” Olivia said, fanning out the smoke with a large napkin.
Céline snapped out of her thoughts and picked up a napkin and joined Olivia in fanning out the smoke.
When they finished they left the kitchen and returned to the living area.
“Seriously, how come none of you heard that?” Olivia asked as she settled on the couch.
“I- I was ermm I was sleeping.” Céline lied.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell Olivia that the man of her dreams had turned into her nightmare just one day after their wedding.
Olivia raised her brow and stared at her friend closely. “You know, if I didn’t see Damien driving out while I was coming in, I won’t believe you girlfriend.”
“He went out?” Céline blurted before she could stop herself.
Thankfully, Olivia didn’t catch on the panic in her voice.
“Oh yeah, didn’t you know? Ooh he must have worked you so hard you didn’t even realize he was out!” Olivia clasped her hand in excitement, as she teased her friend.
“You guys are so cute! Just make sure you don’t try burning the house next time! I won’t be there to save it!”
Her comments were about the kitchen disaster but somehow it sounded to Céline like her crumbling marriage. Tears rose to her eyes and she had to quickly get up from the couch, so Olivia wouldn’t notice.
“Where are you running off to now? I came here to help you pack up for your honeymoon!”
“I’ll be right back. Let me get you water…” Céline said, scurrying back to the kitchen.
Her face was flushed from all the crying she had been doing since last night but Olivia probably thought it was due to the smoke, since she didn’t say anything about it.
Céline got to the kitchen and took out a bottle of water and gulped it down in one go. She needed to calm herself. She wouldn’t want her friend finding out the kind of dilemma she was in. She needed to get herself together so she could handle her situation maturely.
After calming herself she took a fresh bottle out and a glass, then returned to the living area were Olivia was seated.
“Took you long enough!” Olivia exclaimed snatching the bottle and glass from Céline’s hands.
Céline gave her a small apologetic smile and sat on the corner of the couch.
“Your Beau, would be back any moment now. We need to finish up before that. Where’s your room?” Olivia said getting up.
“And please give me full details of what happened last night. I know something happened…” She sang happily.
“Nothing happened Olivia…” Céline said swallowing the bile that rose in her throat from the memories of last night.
It started all so well and she was anticipating so much but in the end, Damien proved to be a different person. It was like he didn’t believe she was a virgin because afterwards, she caught a pinch of regret in his eyes but he had quickly hidden it away.
She couldn’t talk about this with Olivia. She couldn’t even bring herself to lie about it. She would have to take the wheel of the conversation to another topic.
“No way! I am not buying that!” Olivia said, as the walked to the room.
“I don’t need you to buy anything because I am not selling. Instead, tell me about you and Lucas, what happened last night?” Céline asked her instead. The distraction would help her heal, she needed it.
Olivia stopped and looked at her friend, “it was the best night ever!” She squealed in excitement.
For the first time that day, Céline actually laughed. “Olivia, you are not eighteen anymore. I hope you know what you are doing.”
“Of course I know what I am doing! Look, Lucas is the cutest of all four of them, did you know that?”
“Which of these is yours?” Olivia asked pointing at the boxes in the closet.
Céline pointed out the right one and sat herself on the bed. She was still sore and she needed to seat to reduce the throb.
“So, we should put a lot of lingering… Are you going to a beach or a resort?”
Again, Céline felt like crying. She had gotten so many sexy lingering, thinking her honeymoon was going to be the best time of her life but with everything going on, she didn’t think she would even have a time at all.
“Hello! Lover girl!” Olivia waved a hand in front of her. “Don’t zone out on me, I am not your husband!” Olivia warned playfully.
“So where are you headed?” She repeated the dreadful question.
“Ermmm I don’t- I don’t know.” Céline shrugged.
Olivia dropped the two piece she was holding and stared at Céline. Then a large smile slowly appeared on her face.
“Oh my God!” She squealed and Céline furrowed her brows.
“What?”
“He is going to surprise you, isn’t he?” Céline’s frown only deepened at Olivia’s question.
“We should pack everything then!” She announced, throwing in more clothes into the back.
“You need to be prepared for whatever scenario he presents!” Olivia said, putting in the last of the clothes.
“There! all done!” She said patting the large box of clothes.
Céline smiled, if only Olivia knew that Damien might not even care about half the stuffs she had put in there, she wouldn’t trouble herself so much.
“Now, I should get going. Make sure you call me and do not forget you still haven’t told me about last night! I want every details when you get back!” Olivia was talking so fast, Céline almost missed some of her words. She grabbed her bag and started for the door.
“How is my aunt doing?” Céline asked as they walked to the door.
“She is doing perfect! We are going out to see a movie tonight!”
“You and my aunt?” Céline blinked. Her aunt was never really the outgoing type. She preferred staying at home to read her newspapers.
“Yes doll. Me and aunt Elizabeth. She was sulking in some magazines, I told her she’ll grow old too quickly and never see your children if she continued like that.” Olivia snickered as they got to the front doors.
“Thank you so much Olivia. I don’t know how I will ever repay you back for this.” Céline was glad that Olivia was trying to make her aunt get used to the situation fast enough.
“Just help me convince Lucas to marry me as well!” She responded and Céline could help but smile.
But the smile on Céline’s face died the moment Damien’s car came into the house.
“Your beau is here! I have to go! Bye!” Olivia said placing a kiss on Céline’s cheeks before scurrying to her car.
Céline remained transfixed on the front porch like a statue, not knowing what to do. Should she go back inside or should she wait for him to step out of the car?