"I now pronounce you as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Sam stared at her new husband's lips in horror, but there was no going back now; she must kiss him. Her heart beat so fast, and her palms started to sweat. She would have bolted out the door if she hadn't remembered why she agreed to do this in the first place.
Luke, her new husband, lifted her veil and looked deeply into her eyes, asking for permission if he could kiss her. Sam finally gave up; she smiled slightly, tilted her head up, and closed her eyes. She felt his lips against hers, tentatively and carefully touched hers. She responded hard at the beginning, but she felt relaxed a little when his left hand held her waist tightly and his right palm touched her cheek. She felt his thumb stroke her cheekbone gently, and it felt so good. She didn't know how it happened when her knees suddenly started to buckle and she almost lost her balance. Her hands automatically reached around his neck to keep her standing up. She could hear the guests had started cheering and clapping their hands, looking at the newlyweds exchange their first kiss so ecstatically.
Finally, Luke broke the kiss and stared at his new wife with a teasing smile. "That was so believable. Are you okay?" he whispered.
"Yeah," Sam answered nervously.
Her heart was still beating really fast, and her cheeks were red like cooked lobsters. She was embarrassed that she could lose herself so easily in his kiss, the first time ever in their three-year relationship as best friends. She just couldn't believe that her body reacted that way. She kissed some men before, but none of them could make her spine tingle and make her feel that she's the most important person in his life.
The music started to play, and both of them left the altar, followed by applause from the guests. Sam could see her mother smiling at her and wiping her tears of joy, seeing her only daughter had finally tied the knot with a wonderful man. Only, she didn't know that this was all fake.
Sam also saw some of her good friends blow their kisses from the far end of the seats. She waved slightly and said thank you then blew a kiss back using her left hand. Her right hand held Luke's arm obviously. She could feel his biceps move every now and then, and suddenly she felt warm again. "Oh god, what's happening to me today? I have touched these arms a thousand times before . . ."
"What is it, honey?" Luke looked down at her, confused.
Sam stared at him blankly. "Nothing," she said. Then she began to curse herself for being so careless, saying silly things in front of him.
***
The band played Christina Perry's hit song, "A thousand Years" softly in the background. It was after the first dance when Sam started to accept that this was not a dream, that she was married to her best friend, Luke Russo, for money.
She remembered two months ago when Luke was banging her apartment door in the middle of the hot summer night, demanding to talk to her. She was asleep in her bra and panties, and she was too furious to remember to put a robe on before opening the door to kick his butt.
"Luke! What the f-"
"Hi, sexy." Luke was staring at her smugly, folding his arms in front of his chest, and deliberately ogling her body up and down.
Sam was screaming out loud before running back into her room; she slammed the door and swore repeatedly at him. He walked in calmly and sat patiently on the couch while he tried to stop himself from laughing too hard.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Sam came out from her room wearing a tight tank top and shorts.
"Still too sexy." he commented.
"Did your girlfriend kick you out from her place because you forgot to bring a condom?" She ignored his teasing. "I don't have one here, you better go to the chemist."
"Hey, hey, that's not nice, I don't sleep around. I just hang out and have drinks with pretty girls." Luke stared at her, trying his best to look upset and hurt.
"Yeah all right, fine. Do you want some Coke?" Sam walked to the fridge.
"No, thank you. I came here to ask you a huge favor."
"Oh yeah, as usual. What time do you want me to come tomorrow?"
"What?"
"Your huge favor. Do you want me to drive you to that stupid personal trainer who demands that you show up at five in the morning? And I don't understand why you still drive that old junk of yours while your Pops can buy you a Ferrari in a blink of an eye . . ." Sam rolled her eyes.
"That rich Pops of mine, he wants me to get married!"
"What?"
"To you."
Sam was gaping, her can of Coke hit the floor, and the contents burst out violently to every direction.
"Shit," she hissed as she ran back to the kitchen to get some napkins.
"What are you talking about?" Finally, she calmed down while wiping her floor and her legs from the Coke spill.
"You know Pops, the most eccentric man on the planet. He found out that Dad had an affair with his assistant, Sofia. And Mom is sulking in Italy now. He wanted to sack Dad even though he knew that my parents' marriage was falling apart since Mom cheated on Dad a few years ago. Pops had a mild heart attack this evening. He was arguing with Dad. And Pops is smart. He used his condition to drag me in. I was there trying to negotiate for Dad. I know Dad has been attached to his job so much since my mom cheated on him, so I told Pops that I will go back to the family business if he lets Dad stay. Besides, Dad was the one who brought our business into success, so I was trying to save everyone." He sighed hard and continued. "Pops agreed. But he wanted me to get married first. He thinks I am too wild, going out with different girls all the time, and that could ruin my concentration at work. He said it's time for me to marry you."
He looked up at her, but she only gave him an amused look.
"I am sorry, I've been dragging you in to almost every family occasion, so he assumed you're my girlfriend. "
"Really? Your Pops is that eccentric? Or is this just you trying to run away from your mad girlfriends?" Sam put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"Yeah, it's just me trying to seduce you, the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my entire life."
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Sam sat next to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. "Come on, tell me the truth, why are you doing this to me?"
"It's the truth, my dad will lose his job. He has already lost Mom. He'll get really depressed, and I don't know what's going to happen to him. "
"Oh, I am sorry, Luke . . . I don't know what to say." Sam looked at Luke sadly. She knew that Luke loved his job in this small advertising company. He worked hard, and he loved every bit of it. He kept repeating himself that he wasn't interested working for his family business, that he preferred to have little money but less headache and stress. Sam was furious at him for sometimes, she wanted so much to have lots of money to help her mom who's struggling with her mortgage and pay for her dad's medical expenses. She had to postpone her dream to work in Paris so that she could help her parents financially, yet here's Luke, refusing his family's wealth.
"You can say yes . . ." Luke pulled his hand from his pocket and showed her a tiny box with a diamond ring in it.
Sam just stared at the ring, speechless.
"Will you marry me, Sam? You're the only girl I trust in the whole wide world, I don't know where else to go," Luke said softly.
"No, Luke. You're being ridiculous," Sam answered.
"No, I am not. I think it's a smart move. My Pops didn't say anything about divorce, so I figured we can stay married for a few months until he calms down and we can get a divorce after. I promise I will give you part of my wealth as compensation. I know your mom has been struggling for years and you need money. I remember that you want to work in Paris. You'll need lots of money for that. You kept refusing my help. This time I can help you as your husband, as family. I can help your mom. And you don't need to feel embarrassed about it. Besides, I think if you stay by my side, I could at least endure the pain of working for my Pops." Luke looked at Sam with hope in his eyes.
Sam stared back at him blankly; she chewed her lower lips, and her hands were twisting her napkins back and forth. "I . . . I don't know, Luke. I can't marry someone without love. I can't imagine that I have to . . . you know, . . . at night," she told him nervously.
"No sex. I won't touch you, I promise." Luke looked deep into her eyes. "Besides, you can karate kick my face if I cross the line," he added.
Sam couldn't help but giggle at his last retort. "I am still not sure . . . ," she hesitated. "Where will we live?"
"I guess we have to live at Pops's mansion for a while. We have a few houses around the city, but they are all occupied by tenants," Luke explained.
"Oh, I don't know, Luke . . ." Sam stared at the floor for a long time. "I guess I have to play the role full-time. I don't know if I can handle it. I don't want to put you into trouble."
"Well, you just have to cuddle me whenever we have company." He grinned.
"You'll like that, won't you?" Sam lifted her eyebrows.
"Well yeah . . . I have to admit, you do that all the time anyway." Luke laughed. "Come on, what do you say?"
Sam sighed. "I want to help you and my mom, but marriage is a big deal. What about our friends? Are we going to lie to them?"
"Yes, we can't tell anyone about this. Pops has spies everywhere, he'll find out. Don't even tell your mom. I think she will refuse to accept the money. Please . . . help me and my dad?" Luke pleaded.
***