The Marriage Contest

Chapter 8: It's about more than conversation.

Song for the chapter: "Just hold on" - by Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki.

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On the fourth day of their honeymoon, Jonah surprised Vanessa with a trip to the Maui Ocean Centre that was Hawaii's leading aquarium and surprisingly not that far from their resort. Their drive to the large aquarium was filled with idle chatter and it surprised Vanessa with how easy chatting to Jonah was. Their conversation wasn't anything critical or memorable but, it was easy flowing and comfortable; two things she thought she'd never feel with Jonah.

When they had arrived at the aquarium, Vanessa had been blown away by the pure beauty the place had to offer. There were tanks filled with a variety of Pacific sea creatures that had her appreciating the stunning and environmentally cautious island a lot more.

They spent almost three hours exploring the large ocean centre, enjoying the unique sights of creatures seen before and ones they weren't even sure existed until having seen them in person. Throughout their entire trip at the ocean centre, Vanessa and Jonah had talked and joked, teased and laughed as they used the time to get to know each other better.

Jonah learned that Vanessa had a fear of jellyfish, having discovered her fear when the dark haired woman refused to go near the large tank filled with majestic jellyfish. He had laughed at first, much to Vanessa's dismay but once he had calmed down, he had directed her away from the tank and toward the large turtles instead.

When the couple had successfully seen all they could at the centre, they made their way back to their car where they once again allowed their cameraman to sit in the backseat and record them. Having been surrounded by the same cameraman for almost six days, Vanessa was starting to get used to it. She no longer paid mind to the constant presence around her and Jonah, and had instead learnt to ignore it and move on with life. It was only during times such as their visit to the ocean centre that she was reminded of what show she had allowed herself to be a part of.

Apparently, the show was already airing which meant her and Jonah had gathered a fan base. It was a small Hawaiian fan base but one nonetheless. They had been stared at, whispered about and approached by a number of people during their tour and yet, it wasn't enough to disrupt Vanessa's mood.

It appeared Jonah did that to her. He made her forget the world and its problems.

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When they had walked towards their room, Vanessa was surprised to see Gina, Eden and Bill all patiently waiting for her and Jonah at their door. Jonah frowned before looking at the three curiously. "What's going on?"

Eden smiled brightly up at Jonah and the quickly becoming familiar feeling of jealousy resurfaced in Vanessa. "It's time for another interview."

Vanessa groaned before grabbing the room key out of Jonah's hand and storming past the group to open the door. "Leave me alone," she groaned again before storming inside and throwing her shoes off. She was tired from their trip, them having been out for almost five hours. All Vanessa wanted to do was have an afternoon nap but once again, the bubbly Eden had to ruin her plans.

Vanessa fell heavily on the sofa in the room and leaned her head against the back, closing her eyes. She heard Jonah chuckle before she saw him enter into the room, the show's trio following closely behind him. He reached her and nudged her leg so that she could move it out of his way. She glared but moved, allowing him to pass her and to fall on the seat next to her.

"I'm as tired as you are Vanessa but you know we can't get out if it."

"Does it have to be now though?" Vanessa asked Jonah, looking at him though her question was open for anyone to answer.