The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience Novel

When I walk into the apartment I’m met by acoustic music, dimmed lights and the smell of something delicious. I walk into the dining room curiously and find Daniel setting the table. He hasn’t been home early in a week and a half, so what is he doing here today?

My heart sinks at the thought that he might be expecting someone. This is his home, after all. This is probably where he’d take the girls that he used to date.

“Hey, you’re home,” he says. He smiles at me sheepishly. He looks good. He’s still in his suit, but he’s ditched the jacket and tie, and rolled up his sleeves to expose his forearms. I nod and glance at the table. Candlelight, lasagne, salad and some delicious-looking dessert. He went all out.

“Do you have plans?” I ask. “If so, I can just leave.”

He freezes and looks at me in disbelief. “No. Of course not. I just thought we could have dinner together.”

This is all for me? I guess he’s feeling bad about so blatantly seeing someone else a few days after informing me he would.

“I’m not really hungry. Thanks, though.”

I turn to walk back to my room, but Daniel runs up to me and holds my shoulders from behind.

“But it’s tradition, isn’t it? Weren’t we going to have dinner together a couple of times a week? How about we do twice a week? You’ll cook once and I’ll cook once.”

I pull away from him and turn around. “I didn’t think that was still a thing considering you didn’t show up for dinner once last week. It’s not a tradition if you only keep to it when it suits you. Besides, it isn’t something we used to do before we got married. You wanted things to be like what they were before we got married, right? You don’t need to humour me with this,” I wave my hand towards the table. I actually waited up for him every single night last week, but he never bothered to come for dinner. He never informed me he’d be late either.

I move to walk away, but Daniel stops me yet again. He grabs my hand and entwines it with his before pressing them to his chest.

“I take it back. I take it all back, Alyssa. I don’t even know why I said that. I don’t want things to go back to how they were before we got married. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t mean it at all. I just didn’t want you to… I didn’t want either of us to feel forced in this relationship. I didn’t want you to feel like you’re just with me because you have no other choice. I wanted us to be able to do whatever we want, yet hopefully still choose to spend time together.”

I look at him, confused. What exactly is he trying to say? I pull my hand out of his grip and smile wryly. “So I can cheat on you tomorrow and then tell you I want to take it back? That I wasn’t thinking clearly when I clearly told you I wanted to see someone else? Also, how fickle are you? Didn’t you tell me you had someone you wanted to pursue? Didn’t you bet you’d marry her? So who is this girl you’re seeing now?”

Daniel runs a hand through his hair and groans. “Fuck, Alyssa. I’m telling you. I didn’t cheat on you. Do you want to ask Giselle? I can call her right now.”

I blink. “Giselle? The girl you were with last Saturday is your ex? The one that miraculously lasted more than three months?”

His eyes widen and he purses his lips, as though he’s finally decided to shut up. I shake my head. The tabloids had a field day with Giselle and Daniel. She’s the one the whole world thought would last. I haven’t actually read any of the articles published about them, but I’m sure the media is excited about seeing them together again.

“Just have dinner with me, Alyssa. Please. I understand that you’re angry, but I swear it’s not what you think at all. If you can’t give me anything else, then at least give me a chance to have dinner with you twice a week. Let’s be friends? We’ll live together for at least the next couple of years. Won’t it be so much more comfortable if we’re friends?”

I hesitate and eventually nod. Daniel pulls out a chair for me and I sit down reluctantly. He seems anxious as he serves me dinner, and if I didn’t feel so numb I’d find it cute.

“So how about we spend some extra days in Singapore to do some sightseeing?” he asks.

I bite down on my lip. I don’t want to spend time with him, but I’ve always wanted to go to Singapore, and he probably knows it.

“We can stay in the Sands for a couple of days?” he adds.

I glance at him in surprise. “The hotel with the infinity pool?” I ask, my curiosity piqued. He nods and grins at me as though he knows he’s got me now.

“Sure, but you’re paying for it.”

He shrugs. “You got it, babe.”

I stare at my plate while he continues to carry the conversation by himself. “We can also go see the Gardens by the Bay and one of my friends recommended a beach club in Sentosa. I think you’ll really like that.”

I look up at him and nod. “Sounds good.”

Daniel grins at me. “It’ll be great.”

I get up as soon as I’m done eating. Daniel looks startled and rises with me. “Thanks for dinner,” I tell him. “Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll come tidy it all up.”

Daniel shakes his head. “No, that’s fine. I’ll do it. But I was thinking of watching the rest of The Empire Strikes Back. We didn’t get to finish it last time, remember?”

I’m tempted, but I shake my head. What I need is a long shower to clear my head. “I think I’ll head to bed,” I tell him.

He looks dejected but nods and bids me goodnight. I walk away before he tempts me into staying.

After spending at least forty minutes in the shower, I sit on my bed and go through my social media feed for lack of anything better to do. There’s one headline that captures my attention.

Daniel Devereaux sues tabloids and denies rumours about him and Giselle

I click on it, my curiosity getting the best of me.

Daniel Devereaux was spotted coming out of Regale with former beau Giselle on Saturday night. The two were caught smiling at each other intimately as they made their way to Daniel Devereaux’s two-million pound sports car. In our photos, it’s obvious that Giselle is wearing Daniel Devereaux’s jacket and the affection in her eyes is unmistakable. Nonetheless, Mr. Devereaux’s spokesperson denied involvement of the two, while Giselle has refused to comment. To our knowledge, Mr. Devereaux has never taken legal action against the countless rumours floating around about him. One can’t help but wonder whether there might be a reason, or a lady, behind the former Casanova’s sudden surprising actions. After all, he hasn’t been spotted with anyone in months now.

I stare at my phone blankly. He sued them? I’m not sure how to feel about that or what to even think of it. I stare at my bedroom door as the sounds of the movie Daniel’s watching fill the apartment and bite back a smile. Daniel hates it when the volume is too loud, but he’s obviously turned it up so I can hear the movie from my bedroom. I hesitate for a second before I make my way to the living room. He’s lying on the sofa wearing shorts and nothing else, his elbow behind his head. His hair is still wet, so it looks like he just walked out of the shower.

“Oh, hey,” he murmurs lazily. “Come watch with me.”

He turns back to the TV and pats the seat beside him. I walk up to him slowly and sit down slightly further away than I usually would, keeping some distance between us. There’s plenty of space for both of us on the part of the sofa that has the ottoman, but tonight I need some distance. Usually the first thing Daniel would do is hook his arm around my waist and pull me closer, but today he looks at me curiously and smiles to himself. It’s a big change from last week, when we both avoided each other entirely.

I lean back and try my best not to murmur along to the lines. I’m so invested in the movie that I didn’t even notice Daniel had moved closer to me. He puts his arm on the back of the sofa above my head and lies down, extending his legs. I glance at him when I’m sure he isn’t looking. He looks way too hot like this. The shorts I thought he was wearing are clearly just boxer shorts. Why did he ditch the pyjama bottoms? I can clearly see the outline of his… package… and if that’s what he looks like when he isn’t hard, then how big is he?

I glance over his abs and pecs. I’m dying to touch him. To trace every muscle with my fingers and then with my tongue. I want him badly. I wonder what he’d think if he knew that. I try to look away but can’t. Daniel shifts and rests his hand across his lap, obscuring my view a little. I remember the way he stood between my legs when I sat on the kitchen counter. The way he couldn’t tear his eyes off my breasts. He might not fully realise it, but he’s attracted to me too. I don’t know what to make of the way he’s lying here half-naked. Does he think it won’t tempt me?

Daniel grabs the throw we keep on the sofa and covers most of his lower body with it, much to my chagrin. He smiles at me and tilts his head. “Wanna join?” he asks. Do I want to press my body against a half-naked Daniel? Hell yes.

I nod and scoot closer to him. Why can’t I stay mad at him? It’s not uncommon for Dominic and I to spend months not speaking to each other over issues neither one of us can even recall. Yet now, when I should be keeping Daniel at a distance, I can’t get myself to do it.

He extends his arm and I cuddle into him the way I’ve gotten used to, with my back against his side and my head resting on his arm. He places a hand on my waist and turns back to the movie. It isn’t long before his breathing deepens. No matter how hard he tries, he always falls asleep while we watch a movie.

I turn in his arms so I’m facing him and gently place my hand on his chest, careful not to wake him. His muscles are hard and tempting. I trace a finger down his chest and over his abs until my hand disappears underneath the blanket. I gently trace my fingers over his abs, right over the trail of hair on his lower stomach. I place my palm on the edge of his boxer shorts, not daring to go down further than that.

I pull my hand away and turn off the TV. I glance at Daniel one more time as I tiptoe to my bedroom.