ROMANCE | "Sometimes things change."
A marriage arranged to help her start a new life has left Isabelle and Zayn stuck in the middle of a relationship neither of them are enjoying.
In the beginning, this marriage wasn't meant to be about love, rathe...
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{2 weeks before the wedding} (Isabelle's POV)
"Two weeks... we have... two weeks..." I panic as Zayn sits on his phone.
"Yeah, we'll be fine."
"No... we don't have anything... nothing planned... no cake, no decorations, no venue... I still don't have a damn dress..."
After I say that, he perks up from his phone.
"Here..." he says setting his phone down and getting up before walking towards me. "... come with me."
"Unless you have cake or decorations or a suit, I don't have time..."
"Just... come with me." He smiles, comforting me a little.
He brings me to his room and sits me down on the bed.
"Listen... we've been... you know, seeing each other for a little while now but-um... this is not a good time try anything." I admit jokingly.
"So, you do have a sense of humour under that stress-induced exterior?" He chuckles.
"I've laughed at your jokes before!"
"Not since you've been having a fit over this wedding."
"Well, it's a little hard to laugh when you're stressed out! I'm doing all of the work and you're doing nothing! You've done nothing!"
Then, without saying anything else, he goes into his closet and opens up the door to reveal something hanging in a very nice cover.
"Did you get yourself a suit?! If you did, then I take it back..."
He shakes his head and unzips the zipper, revealing a dress. It's not just any dress, it's the last dress I had tried on — the one I loved. It's the one I've been telling him that I regretted leaving there.
"How... how did you get it? I thought it would be gone that day..."
"I bought it the day you tried it on." He admits very calmly.
"Really?!"
"I saw how happy you were in it... it's exactly what you wanted. I know you wanted your mum to come and see your dress before you bought it but, since she can't be here... you can have it anyway."
"Zayn... I-I don't know what to say... thank you!" I leap off of the bed and hug him.
"Just... stop stressing about this wedding, okay? It's going to work out." he hugs me back.
"I know... it's just... two weeks is so close..."
"It is... but we're okay."
We've been trying this dating-thing for the past few weeks and although things have been moving slowly, they are actually okay. Honestly, it still doesn't even feel like we're dating... or engaged for that matter. This is about the extent of our affections so far. It's nice knowing he's here for me but, there's still something missing.
The romance just isn't here yet. I've thought about kissing him — now would be a good time but, there's a part of me that's scared... like I want to kiss him but at the same time I don't and I don't know why. Maybe I'm afraid it will change things... make things more complicated. Not that that makes any sense — it would make things easier if we were romantically involved. I mean, we're getting married in two weeks. I guess I'll know when I'm ready.
We awkwardly break apart, feeling a little uncomfortable about whether we held each other for too long or not long enough.
"If you don't like it, I can take it back... I just thought it was perfect." He started, stopping the sentence as if he is finished talking before he picks it back up again to say, "I mean, like perfect for what you wanted... princess-ish..."
It's almost as if he's as unsure and worried as I am about intimacy.
"No... it's perfect. Seriously, I've been upset with myself for a while now about not getting it that day... thank you, really."
He smiles in a warm way that causes me to smile back and wonder what to do next.
"I'm-um, I'm going to go see about us getting some cake... not sure if it'll be a five-tier or whatever but it'll be something." I smile, backing up and turning to leave.
"Actually—" he speaks up with a shaky voice.
"Yeah?"
"We don't have anything for dinner and I don't know... I'm not feeling like having chicken again. How about we go out?"
"Tonight? Just us?"
"Y-yeah... that's what I was thinking..." it's so strange to see him this way; so shy and so unsure. It wasn't that long ago that he was so sure of everything. He was sure that we'd never be anything together, he was so sure that he wouldn't leave Alissa, he was so sure that he'd never want to be with me. Now, we both don't know anything.
"That sounds nice."
I can see the relief fall over him after I accept his offer. But while his smile shows, I can still see that underlying discomfort that we share.
I just wonder if he is in fact questioning all the same things that I am.
