ISOLATED

c h a p t e r 1

He leans forward, planting a short kiss on her lips. It wasn't even a kiss, it was a peck. He pulled back and forced a big smile on his face before he turned to the guests. Genesis follows his movement and she smiles just as big, cameras flashing in her face and she looks at her dad for support.

He's squeezing the hand of her mother.

Genesis then turns to the other side. She instantly recognizes Gael's dad, has his arms crossed, and has a smirk on his face. He's not looking at Ginny, he's staring right at Gael. The music starts playing again and Gael takes Ginny's hand in his, leading her outside.

It's happening so quickly and she's holding onto the man next to her to guide her back to reality. Before she realizes it they're walking down the steps straight to a white limo. Embarrassment fills up the pit of Ginny's stomach, she just met the guy she's supposed to be spending the rest of her life with and she's already freaking out with nerves.

Normally she has more to say, she'll have her speech ready and she can talk her way into and out of situations easily. But Gael has already seen the worst of her without ever meeting her.

"Calm down, Ginny," Gael speaks. His voice is deeper than earlier and he holds the limo door open for her. Ginny climbs in and she looks up at him. "I don't bite," he says and he shuts the door instantly. There's a hint of annoyance in his tone and Genesis can't figure out if it's because of her personally, or because of the situation.

Gael turns back to the forming crowd outside of the church and he waves, before getting in the limo with his now wife. "Can I ask you something?" The girl breaks the silence and she looks at him. Gael picks up the bottle of champagne from the side of the door and a plastic champagne cup.

He stares at it and then groans. "Think you already did," he says, popping the bottle and he meets her gaze, "Want some champagne?"

Genesis isn't feeling very festive despite it being her wedding, so champagne wouldn't be her alcohol of choice. "Is it the only alcohol you have?" He glares at her and then picks up another cup for her. He fills up both, his all the way to the end, hers halfway through. "Mine up to the edge too." It's not a question, it's a demand.

His eyebrow arches and he glances at her, then he offers her her cup. It's halfway filled. She looks at it but doesn't take it. "Fill it up." It's another demand. His lips thin and he pulls the cup back to himself, filling it up completely before giving it to her. Genesis takes it and she brings it to her lips, looking in front of her.

Gael stays quiet as he places the bottle back where he took it from. He drinks his champagne, then picks up the bottle again to see if it has alcohol or not. 5%. How the fuck is he supposed to deal with this thing when he's not even able to get drunk. He could devour that entire bottle and he'd not relax at all.

"So your name is Genesis?" He glances at the girl beside him. "Yes, and yours is Gael." He nods in response. "How fucking old are you?" If she'd tell him she just freshly turned 18 he'd believed her.

Ginny looks at him and her lips thin. "23," she answers truthfully, "You?" It was the question she was about to ask him. "32," he answers. "When's your birthday?" Her voice exposed a hint of joy and Gael looks back at her, not answering her question. "I think I can know your birthday as your wife," she says.

He snickers.

Ginny waits a few seconds before accepting that she's not getting an answer from him whenever she's the one asking the questions. "So the plan for now is that we go to the party tonight, then back to the house, tomorrow we're going on our honeymoon," he looks over at her.

"Where are we going?"

"Cabo." Gael grabs his phone, reading a text that he got from his father. The name alone on his lockscreen is already making the muscles in his neck tense. Ginny glances at him, noticing the little movement in his body while reading whatever it is on his screen.