Vanessa chewed over on the perfect excuse to avoid Darryl’s idea, but he had a solution for all the excuses she came up with.
“I don’t have a wedding dress. I can’t show up in one of my office dresses.” Vanessa told him, thinking her excuse would buy her more time to think.
“Getting you a wedding dress is the least of the things I can do for this wedding to go as planned.” Determination laced in Darryl’s voice as he spoke.
Defeat washed over Vanessa because she had no choice than to get married today. Her mother had agreed to the marriage. There was nothing stopping her again.
“It seems like you have everything under control.” Vanessa could not help but accuse him. She was not the type of person to go back on her words. If not, she would have backed out of helping Darryl.
How could he plan everything without talking to her about it? Their wedding might be a fake one, but it was still a mutual agreement. He should have consulted her before now.
“As it should be,” Darryl said with a small smile around the side of his lips. “Let’s get the bride a perfect dress for her wedding.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes at his remark. A perfect dress for the bride was unnecessary. She excused herself from Darryl’s presence, heading to her bedroom to get changed.
Today was the beginning of the future she never expected, and she was not prepared for the way things were heading.
The silence in the car stretched as Darryl concentrated on the road, navigating the route to the wedding gown boutique. Vanessa, beside him, seemed lost in thought, fiddling with the straps of her purse.
“Are you inviting anyone to our impromptu wedding?” She asked curiously.
“Do you have anyone in mind?” His gaze moved to her before turning back to the road.
“It is not a real wedding, so I don’t want others to attend.”
Vanessa thought it would be a shame for her friends and family to watch her make fake vows at the altar.
“I thought as much.” Darryl replied, his eyes focused on the road.
It was disturbing that Vanessa wouldn’t stop referring to their wedding as fake. It is a fake marriage, that can’t be denied, but she should stop rubbing it on him like that.
After their short conversation, silence engulfed them again as they returned to their personal thoughts.
They arrived at the place in no time, and Vanessa’s eyes widened as she stepped inside the boutique. Rows of wedding dresses stretched before her, each one of them seemingly more exquisite than the last.
She wandered down the aisles with her mouth slightly opened in awe, her fingers trailing over delicate fabrics and intricate beadworks. If her wedding with Darryl wasn’t a fake one, she would have been happier than she was at the moment. Finally, her hand stopped on one of the dresses. Vanessa’s face brightened as she found herself drawn to a simple yet elegant gown displayed at the end.
“This one,” she said softly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
Darryl, who had been a silent observer, turned to follow her gaze. Out of all the exquisite dresses on display, the plain simple dress, without beadwork and embellishments, was the one Vanessa settled for. Whatever seemed to perfectly capture Vanessa’s understated beauty was fine by him. But he didn’t want her to settle for less though.
“Are you sure?” he asked gently.
Vanessa met his gaze with a determined look. “Yes,” she replied. “It’s perfect for the bride.”
“If that’s your choice, I’m fine with it,” Darryl assured her.
While Vanessa disappeared into a changing room, Darryl waited patiently. After a few minutes, she came out of the dressing room in the simple gown. Darryl’s breath hitched as he forgot how to breathe. He wasn’t expecting the gown to be this beautiful but, for Vanessa, it was the most beautiful wedding dress in the universe.
“Wow,” he breathed, his voice thick with emotion.
“How do I look?” She did a three sixty turn around, giving Darryl a good view of the dress.
How can someone look sexy in a simple dress? She looked breathtaking and gorgeous, she looked like an angel without wings. Darryl wanted to tell Vanessa all this, but he stopped himself trying to control his emotions.
“You look beautiful.” Darryl’s gaze lingered on her as he answered her question.
Vanessa blushed at his compliment, a radiant smile blooming on her face. It might be a simple compliment, but Darryl’s reaction told her more.
“Thank you.” Vanessa said before she turned back to the mirror to admire herself in the dress.
After choosing the dress, she picked matching silver heels. Darryl sorted out the bills and together, they headed to the wedding court, where they planned to exchange their vows in secret, without an intimate ceremony like the wedding Vanessa had dreamed of.
There was no need for the ‘to death take us apart’ vow. Darryl and Vanessa simply exchanged rings that Darryl had secretly bought without Vanessa’s knowledge.
Paperwork was placed in front of them, and they signed it as evidence of their marriage. With all this done, Darryl and Vanessa’s contract was sealed and, legally, they became husband and wife.
“You should move in with me.” Darryl said, causing Vanessa to gasp in shock.
“What? Are you serious?” Vanessa almost screamed out.
Just today, he took her to court to tie the knot. The same day, he asked her to move in with him. Darryl must be out of his mind, she told herself.
“I’m for real. How would we make my family believe we are married if we are not living under the same roof?” He said as he ignited the engine of his car.
“I’m not moving in with you.” Vanessa said firmly, standing her ground.
“The wedding would be meaningless if we didn’t live together.” Darryl tried to convince her to give in.
“You have a way of making things go as you wish. To start with, you asked me to be your fake wife. I agreed, thinking I had more time. Without giving me much time to think, you dragged me to the marriage court and now, you are asking me to move in with you. Are you crazy?” Vanessa blurted out in anger, hiding her irritation was not an option when it came to Darryl.
“What the fuck, Vanessa.” His knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“I never forced you to do any of that, so don’t fucking sound like a hostage.”