The Billionaire And The Waitress (gxg)

32 - an altar

"I do," said Muse.

      Her reflection stared back at her. Golden-brown eyes dim under the bathroom light, full lips parted. The words hovered in the air between her and the mirror. She could almost feel them, like some kind of invisible heat. Fake vows, fake marriage, fake wife.

     What had she done?

     This was supposed to be purely professional. And she'd fucked up by falling In love. She braced herself on the bathroom counter. Pure white marble beneath her fingertips―more expensive than all her savings. If she added up everything she had ever owned in her life, it would still fall short of how much this one bathroom cost. And Adrien owned the whole damn resort.

      She was in way over her head. Stupid billionaire and stupid deal. 

      If somebody had asked her two months ago what she pictured her life looking like now, she would've said she'd still be making ends meet. She probably would've been choosing between the water bill and the gas bill. 

      She wouldn't be in Greece, at a private five-star resort owned by the CEO Adrien Vitale, an hour away from getting married to her.

      Muse inhaled again. Her makeup had been perfected by one of the stylists. And the dress she thought she'd ruined with the ocean water had been magically restored. The stylist had patted her shoulder and told her to bet money Adrien would cry upon seeing her at the altar.

      She was getting married. It hit her in full-force now. She knew she'd propositioned the deal. But she was suddenly so terrified of the reality of it. She inhaled again, and her chest trembled. 

      Pegasus purred from within the bathtub. Muse startled back a step.

      "How in the world did you get here?" 

       Pegasus blinked.

       "I swear to God you weren't in here when I closed the door. Crazy little cat." Muse knelt down by the tub, eye-level with him. "I'm getting married to someone who doesn't love me back. It's not her fault, though. It was supposed to be just a contract."

      Pegasus opened his eyes wide, and purred almost in question.

      "Is this going to hurt my feelings?"

      It almost seemed as if Pegasus nodded. God, Muse was losing it.

      "I think I need fresh air." 

      Pegasus seemed to nod again. Muse scooped him out of the bathtub and unlocked the door. The suite was still empty, but Adrien's suit had disappeared from the bed. She was probably getting ready somewhere.

      Outside, the sun glistened golden-orange. It would start setting in an hour. And then the wedding would begin.

      One more hour left until Muse was a married woman. That couldn't be real.

       She didn't realize how quick and shallow her breathing had become until Pegasus meowed and darted away from her. He settled onto the bed, curling in on himself into a furry little white ball. 

      She knew the wedding wasn't real. Why was she freaking out anyway?

       "Fresh air," Muse repeated. She assessed her options. It was too risky to venture on the beach. The guests were probably going to sit down soon. And she couldn't go anywhere Adrien might be, because it was bad luck to see each other in their wedding clothes before the ceremony. What did that leave her with?