His Hidden Marriage

e l e v e n

"I'm married to Ryler Fielder."

Frida's eyes went wider than the moon. "WHAT?"

I couldn't help but start laughing like a lunatic. How could I have forgotten this entire time that people knowing about our marriage wasn't breaking a single rule of the contract?

Running out to the end of the dock stretching a chesire grin on my face with Frida rushing after me in confusion; I cupped my hands around my mouth and screamed it out to the ocean waves in hopes that the entire world was listening.

"I'm married to an ass! He stole my last name too!"

Frida grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around. "Sweetie, are you high? Sick maybe? Stop fantasising a life with, Ryler Fielder. You sound like a Justin Bieber fangirl right now."

"But it's true." I couldn't wipe the smug grin off my face. "I've been married to that prick for 3 years now."

"Yeah and I'm married to Ryan Gosling and secretly fucking Selena Gomez because I can't decide."

My smile turned into a bored-like disbelief look. "Really, Frida? Selena Gomez? The least you could've said was, Beyoncé."

"I don't do people with- That's not the point! You're changing the subject!"

"I am?" I quirked my eyebrow at her in confusion. "But I really am married to-"

"This is what I'm talking about. This is what your boyfriend's doing to you." She placed her hands on her hips. "What'd you say your boyfriend's name was again?"

"Ryler."

"Last name?"

"Fielder. Ryler Fielder."

She face palmed. "I need you to be serious, Ayla. Stop playing around."

"But- it really is Ryler Fielder."

"Okay, okay. Let's just say he was married to you- I'm not saying he is- just saying, he was married to you... why didn't you tell anyone in the first place and why aren't you screaming like every other fan girl AND how or why would you two get married in the first place? You've been referring to this Ryler guy as your 'boyfriend' this whole time... so, I'm still on the 'can't believe this' team."

I sighed heavily and sat cross-legged on the dock's edge. The sun was just above the horizon now, making me feel it's light rays lightly burning my skin. "It's a long story."

"I've got time."

"But school starts-"

"School starts at 8- something; It's just past quarter to 7 right now. We've got heaps of time."

My head fell in defeat. "There's no winning over you, huh?"

"You never stood a chance."

If you told me 3 or 2 years ago that I was gonna be telling Frida about my marriage and life story; I would've most likely broken down into tears, bawling my eyes out in fear that Ryler might hate me more or I might get into trouble for breaking a rule that wasn't even a rule in the first place.

Not only that; I felt as if I could tell Frida anything and that she'd listen to what'd I have to say which felt both comforting and assuring.

And so I told her.

Starting from the very beginning.

I told her about how we met; got along perfectly. How I was bullied and Ryler would stand up for me. I told her about Dean, Andrew, the contract, the wedding and basically what my life's been like for the past 3 years. Of course I also told her about our fights and his affairs.