married ,a story by mary

MARRIED

EPISODE 7
Even  if  the  heavenly  trumpet  sounded  three  times  in  a  row, Jessica  was  certain   that  Andy  would   not  have  heard   anything.  He seemed to be glued to the place he was standing beside his father, as he  gazed   with  disbelief  in   his  eyes.  Her   normally  bold  personality instantly became self-conscious as she fidgeted beneath his gaze, which was penetrating, despite the distance. The dress she had on was totally modest and good for the occasion which was nothing spectacular other than  meet  her  father-in-law  whom  she  should  have  met  a  long  time ago. That fact alone made the occasion more spectacular to her in an odd kind of way.
She was putting on a short gown for the first time in a very long time. The short gown was slightly above her knees, though it was not the clinging type; it  was sleeveless which left her shoulders and hands bare. She suddenly felt exposed as Andy’s eyes bore into her. Noticing that  they  had  been  staring  at  each  other  for  some  time,  she  quickly moved forward, and notice d the elderly man which was clearly   Andy’s father,  was  looking  at  them  with  amused  curiosity.  Great!  And  the evening is yet to begin! That Andy got his height and good looks from his father was not to be denied. The man was still very attractive at his age. Andy looked a bit different from him facially and Andy wondered what his mum looked like.
“Sir”, she moved forward quickly, not knowing the proper way of greeting  one’s  father-in-law.
“Good  evening  dad”  she  bent  to  kneel down but the man held her back.
“C’mon,  give  your  father-in-law  a  hug”  he  pulled  her  into  his arms,  enveloping  her  in  a  bear-like  hug  and  Jessica  remembered  her father.
“I am so sorry sir” she said as she pulled away. “I feel like I have done something terribly wrong.  We never should have gotten married without  your   esteemed  presence”  she  hurriedly   said.  “I  told   Andy severally  that  we  should  wait  for  some  time  until  you  are  back  from your trip before we get married but he refused” Andy was still lost in trance and it bothered Jessica as she was trying her best to cover up.
“Do I blame him? He is a William; we grab opportunities when we see them. Frankly, if I were in his shoes, I would want to take you off the market as soon as possible because you are a rare commodity”
Mr. William was making   her look like a product which  was for sale but the funny thing is that she did not feel insulted, in fact, she felt flattered.
“I always wondered where Andy got his good look  s from, now I know” she smiled.
The    man    adjusted     slightly,    seeming    pleased     with    the compliment.  “Well,  he  is  a combination  of  his  mum  and  I,  he  is  one selfish boy, right?”
Referring  to Andy as a boy was strange to Jessica’s ears. Andy was not doing anything to help her and she didn’t know if they would be able pull this farce through if he continued to gap at her like a deaf mute. “Yes sir, he can be so selfish” she nudged Andy with her leg.
“Yes, tap him, he seems to be lost in cloud nine” His father said. Jessica hadn’t thought that her father-in-law saw her. The man’s eyes seemed very alert and that alone unnerved her.
She smiled nervously. “He is always like this when I put on this gown, I don’t know why” she shrugged with a strained smile.
The man laughed. “Then make sure you put it on when there is a quarrel,  it  might  save  you  the  stress  of  apologizing.”  Jessica  laughed and was relieved when Andy seemed to be back in their midst.
“Come  daughter”   Andy’s  dad   put  his  hand   around  Jessica’s shoulders  as  he  walked  inside,  leaving  Andy  to  tag  along.  “Tell   me about yourself”. Jessica noted with alarming clarity that she would be dealing with her temporary father-in-law by herself.
*****
Andy  had  never  been  so  shocked  in  his  entire  life.  Jessica  had landed  him  a  heavy  blow  which  knocked  away  his  senses.  When  the door  had   opened,  he   had  had   a  mental   picture  of  what   he  was expecting. He had expected a lady in a long oversized gown with long hands;  never  in  his  wildest  imagination  did  he  think  that  she  would appear the way she did. It had taken a few seconds to fully accept the fact that he was staring at Jessica.
Her  skin  glowed  under  the  evening  light,  everything  about  her was different. Her hair was not packed the way she used to; she packed half of the hair at the front, leaving the ones at the back to fall of their own accord. The length of the hair was more pronounced and the rich black colour called him to have a touch. Her shoulders and hands were bare before his prying eyes and it glowed like she had just moisturized them.  The  smoothness  was  so  obvious  and  it  took  so  much  effort  to take his eyes off them. He shuddered when he stared at her body. He wondered  how  she  could  effectively  hide  all  she  had  beneath  those God-forsaken clothes.  Her waist was   even slimmer than   he had been imagining for weeks, he was sure that his two big hands  would circle her waist perfectly. He swallowed hard, blocking his mind to the battle that was going on in him. His eyes skimmed her slim long legs till he got to her feet and almost groaned. It was too much to take in. He always knew she had a very beautiful face but now, it was striking even though she had no makeup or jewelry on. As she talked with his father, he heard nothing as he gazed at her  with  amazement.  She  was   smiling  widely.  He  couldn’t  pinpoint when  she  ever  smiled,  apart  from  the  time  he  had  seen  her  at  the beach with that slim guy. He was angry that she was not smiling at him, and  that  he  was  not  the  cause  of  her  laughter.  He  struggled  to  hear what they were saying and could not hear anything because his mind was so preoccupied with her body to even entertain other thoughts. He started hearing what was being said towards the end and he received another round of torture as he walked behind them into the house. He had to endure her perfect back view without groaning.
*****
Jessica  was  surprised  that  she  had  enjoyed  the  evening.  Andy almost could not take his eyes off her, making it difficult to concentrate on keeping up with the charade but   Mr. Williams was a very down-to-earth  man,  and  she  found  herself  relaxing,  forgetting  the  pretense.
When they finished eating, they went to the sitting room to relax. She was about going to sit on the single-seater when Andy pulled her to sit with  him  on  the   long  couch.  At  first   his  touch  shocked  her,  then, remembering that they were not alone, she relaxed.
Andy could not keep his hands to himself, and he was becoming jealous of his father, who seemed to have the ability to make Jessica laugh. The small curved couch was small and when they sat down, they were so close to each other in a disturbing way. Their bodies practically pressed together and Alex wished he could be left alone with his wife.
“You   two  seem   like   you   just  met   yesterday.   I  am   almost invisible” Andy’s dad murmured.
“It certainly feels like yesterday” Andy said looking at Jessie who did  not   look  at   him.  The  idea   of  his   dad  becoming   invisible  was becoming more appealing by the second.
Mr.  Williams  looked  at  them  curiously.  “Tell  me  how  you  two met”
Jessica stopped short. “Why don’t you tell dad the story Drew?” she gave Andy a dazzling smile that turned his heart.
“No, you tell him honey” he said, too distracted to  think about a convincing story.
She placed her palm tenderly on his chest and his heart raced.
"Oh, c'mon now, you are a better story teller".
That moment, Andy knew that whatever she wanted she would get. He couldn’t stomach denying her anything at that moment. His dad was looking at them with curiosity.
"I was sitting with Jeremy at the balcony of his house when I saw her taking a stroll. She was dressed in this disgustingly big  dress  that was big enough to fit into an elephant" he grinned.
Jessica  frowned  and  moved,  leaving  Andy's  arms.  "That  is  the sexiest thing you ever said to me" she looked hurt. He tried to pull her back into his arms but she did not allow him. "You never told me you hated my cloth. I am flattered".
"C'mon  baby,  those  clothes  do  nothing  to  attract  the  opposite sex"
"So what attracted you then?" It was Andy's father that spoke.
Jessica raised her eyebrow, expecting an answer. Andy  swallowed   and  almost  said   'desire  to   be  free   from  a planned marriage' but caught himself in time.
"I  can't  pinpoint  what  it  was.  Maybe  it  is  her  striking  face"  he looked  into  her  striking  eyeballs.  He  swallowed  heavily.  "Or  her  long black  midnight  hair  which  makes  my  fingers  itch  with  desire  at  the sight".  Andy  was  gazing  so  intently  into  Jessica's  eyes  until  she  was almost fidgeting. He raised his hand as if he couldn’t quite stop himself and  touched  the  hair  at  her  nape.  The  room  suddenly  seemed  too suffocating as heat washed over Jessica. Andy really was an outstanding actor,   Jessica  thought,   finding   it  hard   to  look   away   from   Andy’s capturing gaze.
Andy's dad coughed loudly and they both jerked. "My son is in love; that is a miracle. I guess I have you to thank Jessica"
Jessica almost laughed at the statement. Andy, in love with her -Jessica - it was so hilarious.
Andy's father looked at his wrist watch and stood up. “Wow, it  is so late. I should go home”.
Jessica felt the daughter-in-law instinct grabbing her. “Why don’t you spend the night dad, you had a long journey and must be tired.”
“You are right. I am fagged out”
“Let me get the room ready sir” she said and turned. It was as she arranged the   bed that the implication of what she had just done dawned on her. The room she usually slept was just few steps from the guests’  room.  Her  father-in-law  would  definitely  get  suspicious  if  she was sleeping in any room apart from the masters’ bedroom with Andy. She regretted her  suggestion now and tried to look for a way  out. She could  sneak  into  her  room  very  late  and  wake  up  very  early,  before anyone. She groaned.
After  ensuring  that  her  father-in-law  was   fully  settled  in  the room, she walked into the sitting room, where Andy was.
"You do know the implication of what you just did right?" Andy asked instantly.
She exhaled. "It was out of my mouth before I could think but it does not change anything. I would still sleep in my room and wake up very early".
Andy shook his head. "It won't do. If I still know my dad well, he accepted staying over so easily, meaning, he might still have doubts. He is cunning when he feels suspicious. He knows I have given up on love and won't easily take the fact that I am in love" Andy was sure of it.
Jessica  thought  she  and  Andy  had  a  thing  in  common  at  last; they had both given up on love. "So what do you suggest?"
He swallowed. "You would have to sleep with me in the masters' bedroom" he dropped.
Her  eyes  widened.  She  had  been  terribly   aware  of  Andy  for hours, the last thing she needed was to stay locked up in a room with him. "You can't be serious. We could work out a story if he discovers that  we  are  not  together.   We  could  say  that  I  am   indisposed  and needed to be alone. Something". She searched her brain for what that 'something' could be. "Anything". She said again.
"It won't work. He would know that something is fishy. We have come  this  far,  we  can’t  spoil  it   all  now.  I  promise  to  be  a  perfect gentleman. You can take the bed while I take the floor. That is the only reasonable solution."
She looked at Andy like he was a three headed monster. "You've got to be kidding me!"

To be continued...

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