My Dream Marriage

Few months later.

“Neera, are you sure about this?” Sara asks as I put on my sneakers. “Yes, it’s just a walk, nothing much. I need to exercise you know.” I say.

“I think so too, Neera, I’d prefer if you were to rest more,” Aniston agrees with Sara’s idea. “I insist. It is good for me and the baby too. Moreover I can’t just sit and not do anything. You stopped me from even drawing water to drink, I might turn into a vegetable if this continues,” I complain. Aniston comes and kneels at my feet and puts my leg on his thigh. He ties the lace and does the same for my other feet. He has become fond of me and he can’t even go out without talking to my belly and kissing my cheek or temple. I have also grown used to it and every time he goes out I look forward to his return.

Everytime he comes back, he always brings a gift for Migo- the name he has given to my unborn baby. He said that it is a name for a baby friend and it is neither make or female. He even sometimes take me for my antenatals and Dr Earnest makes sure my visit is memorable. He even oversaw the baby room redecorated to accommodate any gender. He makes sure that I get to sleep every night before he goes to sleep.

Most of his work is done at home and whenever he goes to the office, he comes back earlier than usual. I know he can’t stay away from me as much as I do although I am not ready to reciprocate. I still have my guard on loving someone deeply, after learning my lesson the hard way. I know he is genuine but I am not giving in to his advances yet.

“Neera, you have exercised enough so at this time you could just…anyway, it’s okay if you do that in the compound outside,” Aniston says. “You of all people should know that I like adventure,” I say. “I might know but this is different.” I don’t get it. “How is it different?” “Neera, you are heavy, on a good note though.”

“Are you worried that I might develop symptoms on the way? Don’t worry, I still have time.”

“Then I might as well go with you and we are not discussing this any further.” He says then goes to shut down his laptop and comes back to me.

“You two would make a great couple. I wanted to go with you but I need to be at the immigration office in an hour. I will see you later,” Sara says as she picks up her designer bag and walks out of the house.

“Should we go as well?” I ask Aniston as I stand up. “Here, take my hand,” he says and helps me up.

“Where do you want to go?” He asks me as we go out of the gate. He has turned down the offer to go out with a bodyguard. “We can go to that small park down the road. Not many people go there at this time of day.” The park is just for the people around this area and there aren’t many of them in this suburb.

“Oh, great.”

We walk hand in hand along the footpath that leads to the park. He greets one or two people along the way some congratulate him and he doesn’t bother to tell them the truth. It is okay because I also don’t have that time to explain what doesn’t concern them.

“Can we sit down for a while? I want some ice cream,” I say after walking around the park for a while. It is hot this afternoon and an ice cream vendor is just few meters away from where we are. “Wait here, let me bring it. Which flavour would you like? Oh I know, without chocolate right?” I nod.

He comes back with a big container of vanilla ice cream and sits beside me. He doesn’t give it to me but opens it and scoops a spoonful and directs it to my mouth. “Open up, a bit wider, yeah that way,” and I feel a sweet vanilla taste in my mouth, and another and another.

“Aren’t you going to have some as well?” I ask him. I have never seen him have it. “I bought it for you,” he says. “See, this is a lot for just one person and it is too hot, go on.” He purses his lips and takes a spoonful. “Mmmh, yummy but I can feel my sugar levels rising and hypertension kicking in,” he says making me laugh. “Don’t be dramatic. Have some more,” I take the spoon from his hand and scoop some on it and give it to him, one after another.

“Enough, thank you. Don’t turn the tables on me, you wanted it,” he says. “Okay then, I was even worried that you are going to finish all of it,” I joke. “I can’t do that to the woman I love,” he says making me freeze. “Love?”

“Yes Neera, I love you more than anything. I have loved you for a long time but feared that you might turn away from me if I made my real feelings known to you.” I knew he might have stronger feelings towards me with the way he has been carrying himself around me. I just assumed because I didn’t want to lead him on when I wasn’t sure if I was ready or not to love again but I didn’t want that scumbag to win even when I am no longer in his life. I even healed faster than any person who might have been broken like I was.

“You might not believe me but I was in love with you even when you were still married but I chose to do so in a distance. You know what? Sara used to walk in on me talking about you or even dreaming about you. I never knew I could talk in my sleep but that is what love made me do,” he pauses and takes my hands in his, “if you could just give me a chance so that I can prove to you how much I love you and I promise, you will never regret.”

I am just listening to him say those words with sincerity etched in his voice and I can’t help but feel so emotional. I can feel tears welling in my eyes. He moves my hands to his lips and kisses them tenderly and looks to my eyes and we hold our gaze for sometime. The tears that I had kept at bay chooses this as the right time to fall freely. He wipes them off with his thumb and gazes back into my eyes.

“You have such mesmerizing eyes and I would gaze into them all day,” he says and I can’t help but smile. “You know how to say all the right words,” I comment and he smiles too, ” because you have all the right things to talk about Neera. Perfect eyes and I can’t even think of staying away from you,” he says what’s on my mind. “I also feel like I can’t stay away from you,” I say and I see a sparkle in his eyes. “You do?” He asks.

“Yes, I miss every moment that you aren’t around and I have grown fond of you Aniston.” I confess. “When did you discover this?” A weird question but okay. “Since you started spending time together with me in my bedroom and caring for Migo even though he is not yet here and that he isn’t your own.” “Neera, I wouldn’t think that Migo isn’t my own child and if for once you ever doubted it, that is like my own and because it is yours, I will love everything about you and Migo is one of them. Quick question, why didn’t you tell me then that you liked me, you used to assume my advances even though you had developed feelings for me?” He asks.

“I just had to have my guard on because I wasn’t ready to go through what I had experienced again. I tried it once and it backfired miserably. I couldn’t just bring myself to let anyone into my life,” I say.

“Baby, no,” oh, now we have advanced from Neera to, baby? “You didn’t have to because I can never hurt you for anything in the world. I have wanted you ever since you came to deliver those books to my office, you are the woman of my dreams. I couldn’t even care to have any other woman because that candle had diminished when I attended your wedding but when I found you lying in my basement, I felt it start to ignite again and each passing day, my feelings for you grew and I fell hopelessly in love with you.”

“Aniston, you have given me all the right reasons to want you ever since I moved to your house,” I say and a single tear rolls down. “Let me kiss your tears away and be your support whenever you need me,” he says then holds my chin and pulls my face gently closer to his. I close my eyes and I feel his lips on my cheek leaving butterfly kisses as they move upwards and finally rest on my eye for sometime before I feel the emptiness but his breath still lingers on my face and his hand doesn’t leave my chin. I open my eyes and find his face just an inch away looking at me and the atmosphere gets intense as our unspoken desire for each other hangs in the air.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You are so perfect,” he murmurs and everything changes. It’s like we are in our own bubble with no disturbance, just the two of us. His eyes move slowly downwards and then settle on my lips and I swallow hard anticipating for his next move. He moves his lips and touches mine but before I can welcome his lips further, his phone vibrates loudly in his pockets.

“Shit,” he curses and I have never heard him curse before. He lets go of my chin and holds my hand and uses the other hand to take the phone out. He looks at the caller id and proceeds to pick up and looks back at me. He listens for a moment then says okay before hanging up, all this while never breaking his eye contact with me. I have noticed that he likes looking at my face. “Your face is amazing and beautiful to look at, ” he comments making me blush, was he reading my mind? But yes, he has experience in Psychology. “What is funny anyway? Is my face that funny to look at?” He asks and I smirk.

“Not funny but more like fun when you say things like that,” I correct. “Things like what, baby?” He says sweetly making my face turn into a ripe tomato, I suppose. “I have never heard you use curse words before,” I say. “Oh, that. Someone just ruined the best and most perfect moment of my life-actually almost perfect moment of my life and you expect me to keep quiet?” This man. “I believe the great moment can’t just be destroyed by unimportant interruptions,” I say and he nods.

“Yes, I just received a call from my lawyers that the final hearing is tomorrow.” Oh great, I can’t wait to see the pride that Piper holds ripped off her face with that son of his. In the first two court appearances, I did it online and only the lawyers attended the live proceedings. Now this one is the final one that will oversee justice being served.

“Good then, I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you are going to make it? If you can’t then you don’t have to be worried my love, my lawyers and I will take care of everything,” he offers. “No, I can’t miss this one, I have to be there. Can we go back home now?” I have had enough of the park for today.

“Of course. Are you tired?” He asks tenderly. “A bit,” I smile. “Then let me carry you,” he says standing up. “No thank you, I am too heavy these days. I might have added a little weight over the months,” I decline. “Oh girl, you don’t know how far my strength could go,” he says. “Then who is going to carry my ice cream?” “Baby, we can just leave it here, I will buy you a better one. I think it has even melted under this heat.”

“No way, I still want this one.” I protest. He helps me stand up from the seat and murmurs, “such a frustrating young lady. Alright my love, you can have your way.”