Chapter 8: Chapter 8

ARIEL POV

The next day was Saturday, my best day out of the weekdays. I gazed outside my window, enjoying the view of the sun. It felt warm, and I liked it.

After Mum's words to me yesterday, I felt so weak. It must have been saddening for her. If I were to be in her shoes, I doubt if I won't divorce. I could accept any mistake from my marriage partner, but him lying down with other women is a NO for me.

Come to think of it, Mum never complained about it. The camera's in the house must have made her realize I heard the confession Ryan's dad had.

My phone beeped, jolting me out of my thoughts. I picked it up, staring at the content on the screen, as my heart skipped for a while. Ryan sent me a message. Just great! After over a week, he had last seen me.

“We will be going for a photoshoot this afternoon. Eva will help you get ready.” I read out, as I left out a frustrated groan.

How was I supposed to prepare for an impromptu Photoshoot? And was it really necessary? After all, we are not the lovey dovey couple.

Bracing myself, I took my bag and settled for a knee-length skirt with flowery sundress, that made me feel free in it. I don't need too much dressing. I'm pretty sure Ryan would have taken care of it all.

I hum quietly to myself, letting my long blonde hair fall over my shoulder. The thought of Ryan's compliment on letting my hair down flashing through my mind.

The knock on the door put an end to my thought, as I opened it. My lips edged up into a smile, seeing Eva beaming. I welcomed her in, as she slumped on the bed, placing the box with her beside the bed.

“You look beautiful, sister-in-law. My Brother went to the right market to get you.” I broke into laughter, at her last set of words.

“You are not serious, Eva. Stop teasing me already.” I sat beside her, earning a glance from her.

She looked adorable, and mostly had the elegant look of Mrs. Selina. Her hair was curly brown, which flowed over her shoulder, slender brows and velvety eyelashes, pointed nose, pink lips, and crystal white teeth.

“I'm beautiful too, I know.” She said our of the blues, flipping her hair back, as I chuckled.

“Since you are dressed up. I would like to help you with a little makeover.” I nodded, watching her bring out some makeup items.

She applied light makeup on my face, claiming it would fit you better than heavy makeup.

“Ta-da.” She allowed me to see myself with the large mirror and for a split second, I was left speechless.

I had always done my makeup by myself, but Eva's touch was top-notch. It modified and brought out more of my look.

“Wow. My face looks beautiful.” I stated honestly, taking hold of the mirror to look at myself more.

“Yes, you do. And you are welcome.” I smiled warmly.

“Now, I know why my elder brother took you as his fiancée. Your lifestyle is simple. A first key to getting my brother's attention.” I was speechless, my ears yearning to hear more.

Simple? I have always loved a simple lifestyle since I was young. I believed it was the best life ever.

“And you are very humble. Not like those fellows that raise their shoulder-high as if they owned the world.” She scoffed, as if remembering someone.

I laughed, dropping the mirror beside me.

“Thank you for the compliment, but I am not as humble as you think. I am human too and I make mistakes.” I voiced out honestly.

“He-he. I understand.” She tilted her head, gently braiding my hair with hair clips.

“We should get going,sister-in-law. We would rather not keep your boo waiting.” She winked at me, as we burst into laughter.

........

Going to the place for the photoshoot was rather one of my best memories. Eva kept sharing her funny College experiences, and they kept making me laugh. She is quite fun to be with.

As we got closer, I could not help but imagine how Ryan would look. He is probably going to be in his tux suit. Those suits always do justice to bringing out his muscular and tanned body.

The car stopped as we stepped out. My mouth dropped open at the sight in front of me. It was a botanical garden with an ornate bandstand filled with beautiful flowers.

“Wow.” I let out, stunned at Ryan's perfect choice for a photoshoot.

“Did I also forget to mention that my brother loves nature. Beautiful flowers, trees, plants. Anything green.” Eva rasped on, holding my hand.

“I'm quite surprised he has such a good taste, especially for nature. I am in love with this place already.”

“Tell that to him.” Eva whispered to me, making me aware of Ryan's coming presence.

I sucked in a breath, as my eyes fell on him. He looked breathtakingly handsome in his blue shirt and jeans, which complimented his blue eyes.

My eyes followed his every move as he glanced around before his gaze fell on me. I dropped my eyes sideway. I need to work on my ogling,' my inner mind reminded me.

“Hi Mi Amor.” He said, a smirk on his lips.

I smiled, gazing at his blue eyes, which hinted that he knew I was checking him out.

He pulled me closer into a hug, his familiar scent clouding my nostril. He pecked me on the lips, making me blush.

This isn't real, right? I meant that he was simply doing this because of the presence of Eva. Oh! Eva!

I turned to face her, a lopsided smile on her lips, as she did justice to taking pictures.

“Mum will love this.” She giggled. My face turned crimson, as I maintained some distance from Ryan. He is really affecting me.

We took our first picture beside the swimming pool, with water lilies spread on it. My legs were in the pool, while Ryan's arms were hovering over my shoulder, a part of him behind me, his legs partly in the water. He rested his head on mine, as we smiled warmly before taking the pictures.

We made a change after the first photoshoot. It was a white outfit overall. A white gown with floral imprints, along with a hat and strappy pair of low heels.

Ryan, on the other hand, was also in a white collared shirt and white trousers with a hat to match and white set of shoes. He looked endearing in the white outfit, as I allowed my eyes to take in his features. We walked hand in hand to a garden containing flowers. We raised our hands touching the bleeding heart flowers which had a lovely heart form- a symbol I believed was of love and blossom. We gazed at each other, for the photoshoot.

He moved closer, his hands on my waist, pulling us together. I felt the heat warm up my body. I could not concentrate, with his hands on my body.

“Smile.” Eva cheered, making us smile as we took more photos.

We took one last photoshoot In front of colored textile walls with bold colors of our names. We were both in office clothes. Dark blue tux with a black bow tie and white inner shirt for Ryan, with black pants to match. I, on the other hand, put on a black suit and skirt with black heels. This time, our face met, our noses touching each other, as I felt his warm breath. I almost stopped breathing, fighting the constant urge not to initiate a kiss.

It was close to evening as I changed into my first sundress gown. I decided to visit one of the gardens with flowers. I didn't waste time taking pictures, as I was in love with the environment.

My eyes met with lavender, as its pleasing, calming scent filled my nostrils. It is known for its therapeutic properties and also used in making essential oil and perfumes. I wasted no time in taking its pictures.

“I guess I was not wrong.” Ryan's voice startled me, making me turn to face him. He walked closer to me, as I swallowed, unable to meet his eyes, and pondering over his previous set of words.

“What do you mean?" I spoke out, looking at him, our eyes locking.

“You are just like other ladies, after my money.” My eyes furrowed, with displeasure.

“You are taking pictures to upload. So that you can tell the world you live a wealthy lifestyle, isn't it.”His gaze pierces mine.

I facepalmed at his ridiculous thoughts. He is quite weird. One minute,he is sweet, the other time, the opposite.

"You still need to work on your investigation. I am not like other ladies. I am not a lover of money."I decided to leave, but he pulled me back as we stared at each other.

At that moment,I swore to make this scumbag fall in love with me. Then, I will trample him underfoot and make him beg for saying those bad words to me.

"Are you walking out on me?"He kept his face straight for approximately five seconds,before rubbing his face. Irritation spread across my face in no time.

"Yes, I am."I tried to let go of his grip but it was impossible.

"I'm sorry about the accusations. After all, my words are without evidence. I shouldn't have judged you." I froze in place, meeting his gaze.

I could not read much from his facial expressions. I let out a breath, another wave of silence enveloping.

"You look beautiful when you are angry. I will keep that in mind."

I nodded steadily and subconsciously licked my bottom lip and bit on it. His eyes followed my actions. His next course of action stunned me.

His thumb trailed my lips slowly, then he released my lower lips from underneath my teeth.

"This is something else I missed about you."

"Huh!" I let out, as he leaned closer.

My eyes widened in shock as his lips met with mine.He tugged me forward, sliding his arms around my waist. It went on for a few seconds, and I must confess it was one of the best moments with him. I think I am getting more attracted to him already.