Married

I walked up to the altar and stood beside Jordan. His eyes fixed on me curiously, but I quickly looked away. Partly because I didn't want him to notice my red eyes, but mostly because his gaze was making me feel uneasy. It made my already beating heart speed up even more.

Jordan didn't take his eyes off me for one moment. I silently prayed that Jordan would not notice my eyes, and kept looking away. I was hopeful that the flimsy veil would hide it from him at least. But as soon as the officiating priest began to talk, Jordan leaned in close to me and asked in a whisper.

"Have you been crying?"

How could he have seen it even through the veil? I screamed in my head. I turned away, ignoring him and pretending that I had not heard him. Jordan still didn't take his eyes off me.

When it was time for the vows, Jordan lifted his hand and signaled for it to be skipped. It was awkward that we were having a wedding ceremony without saying the vows, but I felt relieved that I did not have to say the vows, while knowing fully well that I did not mean any word of it.

The priest rushed through the rest of the service, and when the time to lift the veil finally came, I became weary again. The declaration,

"You may kiss the bride." is usually the climax of every wedding ceremony. But as Jordan turned me around and slowly lifted my veil, I became weary, unsure of how I would react to his kiss.

We had never really kissed before. The one time we did, I had been lost in the world of dreams. I did not really know what kissing him had felt like. All I knew was the aftertaste, and even though I was sure that I still did not like Jordan one bit, I could not deny that even the aftertaste of his kiss had been so sweet it had me so heady.

That was why I was so weary to have him kiss me again when I was fully awake. I was not sure how I would react. I could not trust myself, especially not in front of an audience.

I didn't know if I would back away from his kiss in disgust, or like I feared, if I would cling to him shamelessly and ask for more. I dreaded the second scenario the most. I wasn't sure how I would live with myself if I displayed such pitiful attitude.

Jordan pulled the veil all the way back, over my head. Then he cupped my face in his hands. His palms were cold, and it calmed the nerves on my hot, tense face. I sighed as his palms went up my cheeks, and when I looked up to find him looking straight into my eyes, I melted inside.

Jordan lifted his thumb to my lips and brushed the top of my lip, drawing a small gasp from me as my lips fell apart. He stood away, looking into my eyes still for another moment, then he slowly dropped his head, bringing his lips closer and closer to mine until his breath was in my face. And just when I thought he would finally kiss me, he tilted his head slightly and kissed the thumb which he had brushed over my lip, while his gaze still held mine. His lips lingered on his thumb seductively, and I almost lost my mind just looking into his eyes. A small sigh escaped my chest through my lips, and Jordan smiled wickedly. As he began to pull away, he paused briefly to place a kiss just below my eye, and my feet turned to jelly. I almost buckled over, but gratefully, Jordan was still holding on to me. His grip on my arms tightened, and he smiled into my face again. I bowed my head in embarrassment as I realized what I had just done.

Jordan pulled away, but thoughtfully enough, his hands remained around mine, holding me gently at the elbows, to give me time enough to regain my balance. I quickly gathered myself up and pulled away completely from him. He smirked at my naive move, but he did not try to reach for me again.

For the rest of the ceremony, I did my best to avoid any form of contact with Jordan. He noticed my effort, and I think he did his best to assist me, because I noticed he kept a reasonable distance at all time. I couldn't tell if he was sincerely helping me, or if he was just mocking me.

As the ceremony drew closer to an end, I was surprised when papers were brought in for us to sign. I looked up questioningly at Jordan.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Our marriage papers." He said. "Everyone signs one at their wedding." He shrugged.

"I know." I whispered. "But are we supposed to sign them too? Considering our situation." I asked in hushed tunes.

"Of course. We are entering a contract after all. Signing papers is an important part of every contract." Jordan whispered back.

I sighed as I picked up the pen and signed the paper. Jordan called my attention as I began to drop the pen.

"This one too." He said, lifting the first paper to reveal another one under.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Legal documents that prevent you from exploiting this our small arrangement. You know, considering who you are." He said, shrugging his shoulder.

I glared at him as I angrily signed the paper without even reading through the content.

"I don't need your filthy money, you can keep it all!" I said as I slammed the pen against the desk.

"You will be surprised this goes beyond money." Jordan smirked as he picked up the pen and signed the papers too. Then he looked up at me and grinned.

Jordan rose to his feet and clanked his glass, calling for the attention of the guests who all turned in his direction, paying full attention to him.

"Good evening everyone. Welcome and thank you for being here to share in this joyous occasion with us!" He began to say. "We appreciate you all, and we want to say thank you. But sadly, the bride and I will not be able to stay for the reception as we have a flight to catch, and a very long journey ahead. So sadly, the party will have to carry on without us. Do enjoy yourselves and have a beautiful evening. Our honeymoon destination calls!" Jordan announced and the guests cheered, but I sat there looking at him like a lost soul.

He turned to me and winked, flashing a devilish grin.