The Bouquet

Chapter 6

You were in a gorgeous dress that appeared to be designer, that was all good and fine. But you were sitting outside in the snow. Your arms and collar bones were exposed to the elements, your skin raised with bumps from the chilled air as crystals of ice clung to your lashes and your hair. That couldn't be right...you hated the cold.

"How did you get me to take this picture?" You asked, tilting your head in your husband's direction. "I hate snow."

"Hm?" He hummed in response. "What are you talking about, princess? You wanted to take this picture."

Your heart thudded in reply, that wasn't true. But, it was also hard to refute when the evidence was staring you directly in the face. That was undeniably you in the picture, those were your eyes, your lips, and your cheekbones dusted with snow. Even the thought of that had you shuddering in disgust.

"You were the one that wanted to move up here as well. You said you wanted to go as far north as possible to get away from city life. In fact, we were married up here."

You supposed that made some sense, some people didn't enjoy the city. Maybe you and Jin were those types of people, and it was quiet up there. And you supposed it also made sense to move close to where you were married, for sentimental purposes at least. But you still couldn't get over it. You hated the cold, that was the only thing you were certain of since you had woken. And that smile that was glaring back at you from the plastic sheet between your fingertips felt horribly wrong. The longer you stared at it the more it seemed to stretch and distort itself into a twisted and ominous grimace. You couldn't bear to look at it any longer.

"I - I think that's enough for today." You choked out, slamming the photo album shut without an ounce of grace.

"What's wrong, princess?" Jin asked, his face tensing in worry as his hands fluttered around you in an attempt to assess your condition.

"Nothing, just a little headache that's all." You said through a tight smile.

"It's my fault, I'm pushing you too hard." He sighed, ruffling his hair once more in stress.

"It's fine, you're just trying to help." You nodded as you slid a little further away from him. "It can't be easy having a wife that can't even remember you."

Jin opened his mouth in an attempt to reply, only to have no words leave his lips. Before he could say anything he sealed his lips together once more and returned your tense smile with one of his own. The air suddenly felt so thick, it didn't feel like an environment between two lovers, but something far different. It felt like two strangers that were mere seconds from a sharp turn of events. This was one of the many times that you felt there was something amiss, something horribly wrong that was consistently going over your head and just out of reach from your grasp. But what was it?

"Oh," He whispered to himself before slipping his hand into his pocket. "I almost forgot."

Once he freed his hand, he revealed to you what he held between his fingers. It was two rings, one was a simple white gold band while the other was a rather elegant diamond engagement ring. Instead of feeling excited or thrilled, you felt your heart drop into your stomach. For some reason, you knew that you did not want to wear what he was holding out to you.

In that moment, the ring looked more like handcuffs than it did a symbol of marriage. That feeling had returned stronger than before, the one that was trying to reach out to you but was only able to desperately skirt around the corners of your mind in an attempt to garner your attention.

"Jin...I don't think now is a good time." You mumbled, your gaze peering distractedly through the window as you chewed at your lower lip.

"If not now, then when?" He replied, his stare digging into the side of your head as you refused to look at him. "Please, do it for me. It'll give me some peace of mind."

There he went again, trying to guilt-trip you. You hated when he did that, even if you had only just met him. But he was damn good at making you feel guilty and reminding you of the rotten hand he had been dealt. You couldn't imagine what he was going through, even if this wasn't exactly easy for you either. But, then again, it was just a ring. A gorgeous one at that, just from the looks of it you could tell it was expensive. Maybe if you wore it you could just pretend it was a piece of jewelry and nothing more. To Jin, it meant one thing, and you could pretend it was also something it was not. A win-win situation...sort of. If anything you were just talking yourself into doing what he wanted because you felt so goddamn guilty.

You didn't say anything in response, instead you just merely extended your hand out to him as you pinned your gaze to the silk sheets that rested on your lap. It made it much easier to do what he wanted when you could only feel the cool metal wrapped around your finger instead of watching him place the ring on your hand with a smile full of excitement and glee. You were certainly surprised when you felt the touch of his plump lips to the smooth skin of your hand, your heart jolting violently at the feeling. You couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment, shyness, or fear. And something told you it would be better if you didn't know the answer to your question.

As soon as he released your hand you hastily pulled it back and slid in beneath the covers, concealing it from yours and his sight.

A frown settled on his mouth as you hid from him, he had thought this whole process would be much easier with your lack of memory. But, you were proving to be a challenge. Lucky for him, he had never backed down from a challenge before. Instead of pulling your hand free once more and pressing the soft, lingering kisses he wanted to its flesh, he took the newly bought wedding band into his hand and slipped it down his once bare ring finger. It felt good for him to have it there, he felt complete now that the two of you belonged to one another.

The marriage certificate, the photos, and now the rings were all steps he was taking to get you to trust him and accept him as your husband.

He would have to remember to thank Namjoon for all of the work he had done. Afterall, he did owe him now.

~~~~~~~

To Jin's disappointment, the following days were played out much the same. You were on bed rest and there was not much you could do with him, not with your condition. Your days were spent, for the most part, together. He would rise early in the morning to make you your breakfast and bring it to you, he would fill you in on what your lives together had been like before the accident, find things to keep the two of you busy, and rest by your side at nightfall.

In the beginning, he did feel a slight bit of remorse each time a convincing lie slipped from his lips and to your ears. But, as days passed it became much easier to delude himself into thinking everything was perfectly normal. So what if he lied about your age, your relationship, and your life? It was all for a purpose, for you to realize that he was the only one for you, that he was fully capable of taking care of you the way you needed but just couldn't realize. The end justifies the means.

There was another part of him that died a little bit inside every time you shrunk away from his touch or grimaced when he got too close. You needed more convincing, and until you accepted him for what he was, your husband and the only person who would ever love you, you were not leaving the safety and the security of the cabin. That was for damn sure.

And he had made this very clear when you had asked to leave.

His heart had shuddered in anxiety when you had asked to go somewhere, to leave the cabin, to leave him. The anxiety he was experiencing was unbearable, how could you even ask him such a thing? Before you had come to trust him?