Chapter 16: Literal artwork

News spread quickly as soon as Isla and I revealed we were "dating". My fans were angry at me for not telling them sooner but after a few apology videos, they came around. I actually gained more followers which was a shock. Usually, when a sexy man like myself gets into a relationship they lose followers. Everyone was actually happy for us.

I didn't even feel guilty for lying to them. Is it lying actually? I'm going to marry her, we just aren't in love. Isla and I were named the couple of the month in July. I "confessed" my feelings to my father that same month and informed him of my plans to marry Isla.

He was ecstatic and threw a week-long celebration. There was a lot of partying, Isla got so wasted one night which caused our first argument. The future Queen could drink yes but not get drunk. Even after 6 months, I didn't find her annoying, which was a good thing. I can survive the for eternity thing.

"Babe," Isla called and came to sit on my lap.

"Yes love," I replied and wrapped my arms around her. It was a habit to call each other by our cute nicknames, even when no one was around.

"I feel nervous for today."

"Why? Is it the fashion show or the fact I'm proposing?"

"Both," She laughed then explained, "This is a massive collection and it's the biggest crowd I've modelled for. I just feel so excited, I might throw up. Please just tell me how and when exactly you are going to propose!"

"I've already said no." I laughed. "Real couples don't tell each other this stuff, so I'm keeping it a surprise."

"I got the date out of you now I need the how."

"You blackmailed me into giving you the date!"

"What? No." She replied innocently.

"Hmmm."

"Am I wearing the dress of the evening because of you?"

"No love. That is because you are such a beautiful and amazing model. The dress needs to be worn by the best, and unfortunately, I can't walk down that runway in the dress."

"You so funny." She sarcastically responded and stuck out her tongue. I had learnt something new about Isla since we started "dating". She was actually insecure about herself. She said the whole arrogant thing was an act, but she did it since models needed to be confident. 'Fake it till you make it' was her go-to explanation.

I might have had a teeny tiny part in the designer's decision. I called him back in July and informed him about my plan to propose.

Basically, while Isla walked down the runway I would follow after her, then as she turned around after her pose I would be down on one knee. The music would be lowered and I would ask her to marry me. The plan was to wear a wireless microphone so that the entire crowd could hear me.

The designer agreed then had the idea of making her wear his most prized artwork in the collection. He said it would be the last dress and make the proposal even more spectacular. So it was his own idea that he came up with all by himself. He actually even designed the engagement ring I had for her.

It was a beautiful 24 Karat gold ring (that's 99% pure gold), that had a diamond centre surrounded by hand-carved petals and leaves. I had "Till death" engraved into the band of the ring.

Was it chosen for Isla? No. I chose it for myself. It was just a perfect ring that needed to be worn by the woman I married. Would she even like it? Yes, actually I believe she will love it. Plus she gets to choose her wedding ring, so she won't wear this one forever.

"Your majesty and princess Isla," The air hostess greeted and bent down into a curtsey. "10 minutes till we land."

I nodded and she walked away. Everyone addressed Isla as a princess even though we weren't even engaged yet. Our charade was so believable that the public just assumed we would get married. Perfect.

Yesterday we left Jordan and have been in the air for 17 hours.

"I should probably get ready to be presentable." Isla smiled and jumped off my lap. She had a pair of shorts and a loose top on. We landed in New Zealand and a few minutes later she returned with a pastel red dress matched with a pair of closed white heels. Her dress matched my shawl lapel suit and the heels matched my white open-collar shirt.

"You look gorgeous my love," I remarked and placed a kiss on her cheek. She blushed and hooked her arm in mine.

"Okay, I'm ready." She stated after releasing a big breath. I nodded and let her walk ahead as we existed off my private plane.

*

Everyone rushed around backstage as we all got ready. I helped Isla with her makeup since I didn't trust anyone else to do ours. She was friends with most of the other models so she introduced me to them. They recognized me straight away and acted like my fans. I kind of zoned out when they finished complimenting me, so I didn't even hear their names.

The models flew on and off stage quite quickly but I knew I already owned everyone's attention there. I took my time while on stage and the crowd went wild. I wanted to stay on the runway longer but the show had to continue.

I watched Isla on the runway from backstage. She looked so confident and was the most beautiful woman in the building. Well done on such a nice catch Tay. My offspring were definitely going to be blessed when it came to their appearance.

Isla was draped in a 3D printed gold dress that resembled a rose. She also had a diamond veil that reached the floor, it looked like a glass dome over her. She was magnificent. The dress was inspired by the ring that the designer created for me. It was perfect.

I actually felt nervous even though I knew she was going to say yes. I rolled my shoulders back. I had on a silver corset vest which showed off my muscular arms. It was trimmed with gold and I had on a diamond bowtie. I watched Isla step onto the runway, she stopped as she came into view and posed as the entire crowd rose to their feet. She was a literal artwork. She then slowly walked forward and the camera's constantly flashed.

That was my wife. I felt so happy, I stared at her in amazement as she did a small twirl. The veil twisted a bit then fell back into place. She was perfect. Something inside of me felt strange. Did I feel something more for Isla than I thought?

I pulled out the black box that had the engagement ring in. She was halfway down the runway by now, it was time to start following after her. I took one step forward and felt weird. No, it wasn't a sudden realization that I started to love someone else besides myself.

It felt like how I imagined my biggest fear coming alive. I was fading from existence. I watched as everything around me disappeared into the dark, Isla was the last light I saw before everything was gone.