The pair finally returned to Pelican City after two days. Aside from Cynthia's accident, the days there have been pleasant and relaxing. Justin could also sense that Fiona was becoming more at ease with his presence. However, whereas Fiona was concerned, she knew that she was getting in terms of having her husband around more often. But at the same time, she was also anxious as she had no clue what the future held.
Day by day, things settled into a rhythm as new emotions between Fiona and Justin surfaced. Much to their dismay, they were unaware of each other's feelings, which often made them apprehensive.
Despite the surprise of not knowing their fate, the couple had been enjoying themselves.
The day they got back from Windshire, Fiona once again got comfortable in the guest bedroom of the Justin apartment. Much to Justin's dismay, he couldn't bring the courage to ask her to share the room. He didn't want to come out strong, especially when things had begun to smooth out between them.
Justin could barely walk on a thin rope, and he didn't want to make any mistake that would jeopardize this chance with his wife. He had a long conversation with his grandmother before departing Windshire. Even if he doesn't support his grandmother's method of getting him married to Fiona, at the same time, he couldn't deny the fact that the intention hidden behind his grandmother's charade was not wrong.
When Cynthia Grams asked Justin about his feelings for Fiona, he knew he couldn't lie to her. Because if he did, he would have been fooling himself. His feelings for Fiona are not new to him because they date back over a year before their marriage.
It started off as a simple attraction, but it has now evolved into something more. It is growing with each passing day.
Even though Justin did not lie to his grandmother, he also did not tell her the complete truth. He just couldn't accept his entire feelings in front of his grandmother or Fiona. Because if Fiona do decide to leave him in the end, Justin knew his heart would not be able to bear it.
Not so fun fact about this is that— It would be entirely his fault!
It had been over a month.
Fiona had been juggling a series of doubts that had been muddled by valid doubts, much like Justin was walking on a thin rope. Her mind and her heart were wandering on the opposite side of the globe—one towards the North Pole and the other towards the South.
The day she started crossing dates on the calendar when she made a decision to give Justin a year, at that time, both parts of her body were walking in parallel.
But not anymore.
Justin had changed the complete course of her direction. The waiting period for one year was reduced to two months, and before she knew it, she wanted to extend it to eternity. She hardly knew him, but there was no logical explanation for her inner desire and feelings. It was beyond her rational thinking.
The moment she gets used to Justin's personality, he does something unexplainable, which throws her off guard—beyond anyone's reach. It also makes her feel guilty from the innermost core because it looks like she has only been taking and not giving.
The night, when they were back at Justin's home, they left for their separate room. At that moment, she wished for Justin to ask her to continue with their living arrangements like they did at his parents'.
But he didn't.
She was disappointed but not upset. The primary reason is that she had no right to be upset. They are still trying to mend their broken relationship, which was never intact in the first place.
Her disappointment, however, did not last long. That's because the next day when she walked into the cabin, she was greeted with a bouquet of purple orchids and a small gift wrapped in red paper, and a ribbon knotted in the shape of a bow.
The flowers were beautiful, without a doubt. There was also a little hand-written note on a small card dedicated to her.
A small token of appreciation for standing by my side. A glint of hope for a better future with you beside me.
- One-who-could-be-named
The last five words made her chuckle.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was Justin. She then unwrapped the small box only to find a cute little chocolate brown teddy bear proudly resting in her palm.
It might not mean a lot to others, but it meant something special to her. It was a golden gesture from Justin's side. In exchange for him, she wanted to do something. To show him that his effort was greatly appreciated and extraordinary. But she had no idea what and how.
She did tell him thank you when she saw him at lunch. They both wanted to hug their way out of the discomfort, but it wasn't that easy.
Their fussy interactions were not missed by their best friends. But both Emily and James knew that Justin and Fiona were walking towards each other.
It was baby steps, way too small for others who were actively involved in the dating field. Despite this, they made no moves to speed things up between them. They need to figure out each other in their own time. It was their story, which had to be written while keeping their feelings and pace in mind.
After a few days, when Fiona was thinking hard, she wanted to do something special for Justin to show her appreciation. Then he did something unthinkable. Something that was beyond her imagination. It didn't precisely nullify the pain she went through, but it was close.
Very close.
While driving home, he suggested having dinner out. They never once had physically eaten out together. That is alone. This felt like an intimate dinner. Fiona didn't think much about it, as having dinner out was not that big of a deal. But the intention behind it was what made it extraordinary. Aside from the fact that it was the first time eating out officially like a friends-cum-couple.
That night Justin took her to the restaurant 'Mamma Mia.'
It serves one of the best Italian delicacies in town. What Fiona didn't realize was that it was the first-fake-date place that she had told her grandmother about. But Justin remembered it.
Every place that she had to bring her grandmother, every lie that she had told people. She had, of course, informed her husband about it through text so that their story added up. But she didn't think he'd remember. The chronological arrangement of the restaurants and cafés where they had gone on a date was especially striking.
While they were savoring the mushroom risotto in the beautiful restaurant, Justin asked, "Do you know what is special about this place?"
"Food? It is amazing." Fiona said to him.
Her face had a happy shine to it, showing that she was enjoying the dish.
"Well, yes! Apart from that?" He asked her again, hoping that she would get a hint.
"Perhaps the interior. A cozy, well-designed place perfect for a date or intimate outings with friends or business clients?" Fiona suggested, perplexed as to what Justin was trying to say.
Justin mentally shook his head. He wanted to chuckle and let her figure it out for herself. Instead, he simply told her. "This was supposed to be our first date after we got married."
Fiona was caught off guard. "You remembered?"
"Of course I do. I remember all of the places that we're meant to have visited in that same order." He admitted.
"You do?" Fiona had no idea what to say in response.
"Yes, I have been thinking about how to fix things between us for a long time. Then it struck me that the best way to do that is to try and turn your lies into the truth. I know that I might not be able to turn all of them, but I can at least try." He said this as he sipped from his glass of water.
"Justin! You didn't have to. We were both stuck in unusual circumstances..."
"Yes, but it is no excuse for me to make you do all the lying while I avoided my grandmother the entire time. That was a cowardly move. To be honest, a lot of my moves back then were. Against my better judgement, I unintentionally did the opposite when I could have easily fixed the rays of tension between us." Justin said.
"Despite that, look at us. I like to believe that we are in a better place now than we were back then." Fiona showed him the positive side of their situation, which was now with a prospective future rather than in the past.
"Me too. But I do want to right a few wrongs from the past. One of them is changing all of our fictitious dates into actual ones. That is if you want this to be a date..." Justin changed his last statement faster than he would have liked to.
He didn't want to overpower his feelings on her.
"I would like that," Fiona told him, her cheeks tinted with a tiny blush.
"That is exactly what I wanted to hear." Justin softly touched her fingers with his, with a smile on his face. That moment brought him a distinct sense of emotion.
He knew what it was deep down in his heart, but he needed time to admit it to himself, let alone to her. He wants to be sure, and he sincerely wants to find out the future they could have with her.
He knew that the girl sitting in front of him was not the same Fiona that he had hurt. She was something more, and perhaps he was becoming something more to her as well. He enjoys seeing his gift proudly displayed on her desk every time he enters her cabin.
He bought that teddy for her while they were in Hummington Town. When he saw that brown teddy, he wanted to get it for Fiona.
If being honest, it wasn't out of love or an intense liking for her. But it was also not guilt. It was just like what he wrote in the note. It was a token of appreciation for having her by his side. When she accompanied him to Hummington, it was a big move for her to travel with an unknown man. Regardless, she did it.
He wanted to give the gift soon, but he didn't have the courage or feel right to give it to her back then. So, he waited for the right moment and just did it when he felt it.
Both Justin and Fiona were indulging in the tiramisu when Fiona asked him, "Do you think we should tell James and Emily about our grandmother's possible conspiracy against them?"
"I think we should hold off. Our crazy folks are yet to make their moves. Plus, I am hopeful. Even though it is tiny, there is an infinitesimal chance that maybe they may do nothing of that sort. At the most, our Grams would try to set them on a blind date." Justin told her while taking a bite of the dessert.
"Hmm. You are right. They won't get each of the two married against their will. As you mentioned previously, our grandmothers might be close to our best friends, but Emily and James are not emotionally vested in them like we are. Plus, after our incident, I highly doubt that they would get trapped in their ruse."
Justin responded with a nod. "Exactly. They also have us to help them out."
"Always. That goes without a saying."