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.
#
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.
"I'm afraid it does Vanessa," Eden eventually answered. "We've gone ahead and made a special reservation for you and Jonah at the resort restaurant for tonight so the interviews need to be done now."
Vanessa glared at Eden, "Why are you planning our honeymoon?"
Eden smiled, seeming unperturbed by the vicious daggers being thrown at her by Vanessa. "Don't forget that you're on a show. We need to keep you both doing things so that our viewers don't get bored. They need to have something to watch and you need to be doing something together that shows our audience that their rooting for you isn't in vein."
"Urg, whatever, can we just get this over with. We're tired."
"Of course," Eden answered, finding a seat in front of the couple. Gina and Bill followed Eden's actions and too found a seat. "We'll have a short interview with both of you together and then we'll split you. Each of you will meet with a specialist. Vanessa, you'll stay here with Gina and Jonah, you'll go to the other room with Bill. Each of you will be presented with a challenge by your specialist that you will have to try and complete."
"What if we don't?" Jonah asked quietly.
"So long as you try, we can't fault you but, if you refuse then you'll be breaching your contract."
"Dammit," Vanessa mumbled under her breath. She had planned to ignore whatever Gina told her to do but knowing now that it would only put her into some serious trouble; she could only hope that Gina's challenge was an easy one.
"Are you ready?" Eden asked. Jonah and Vanessa nodded and soon Eden was counting them in. When the camera was on and recording, Eden went straight into asking them questions. "What have you enjoyed most about your honeymoon so far?"
Jonah looked to Vanessa and she shrugged, assuming he was letting her answer first. "I've enjoyed everything. I didn't have high hopes for being her but not only am I enjoying the company but the island is beautiful. It's just been one amazing adventure after another." When she was done, Vanessa looked to Jonah to let him know it was his turn to answer but, what she saw surprised her. Jonah was staring at her, wide eyed and grinning. "What?" She asked him, genuinely confused by his reaction. Had she said something wrong?
He shook his head, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "Nothing," he answered her and then turned towards Eden, still smiling. "I've enjoyed the island, it's impossible not to but what I've enjoyed most was the time I got to spend with Vanessa. We've got to know each other a bit more now and we're getting more familiar around one another which is helping making things less awkward and weird between us."
Eden smiled, "What has surprised you most about your partner so far?"
This time, Jonah spoke first, laughing so much that he was crying and his words came out like a stutter. "S-she's sc-scared of jelly f-fish."
Vanessa glared and crossed her arms angrily. "It isn't that funny Jonah!"
He wiped his tears and looked at her, still smiling. "You're right it isn't. It's just surprising. Your reaction when you saw them was what was funny. You looked like someone killed your cat and you actually screamed when you turned around to find a large one right there in front of you."
"It caught me off guard," Vanessa argued, hoping to stop Jonah from finding her fear to be immature. She couldn't understand her fear; all she knew was that there was something about their appearance that just freaked her out.
"What has surprised you about Jonah?" Eden asked Vanessa.
She shrugged, "I guess I'd have to say his playfulness. Yesterday and today there were moments where we would just joke around and tease each other and it was nice. I always thought that a playful man would irritate me but with Jonah it isn't a sign that he's immature but rather it shows that he's emotions are versatile, that he isn't a robot with only one function. He can be serious, funny, cheery, playful, all of these things in one and he knows when to be which one."
"Thank you," Jonah whispered. Vanessa turned to see him smiling at her softly, a look of admiration and awe on his face that had her blushing. She couldn't believe she'd even said all that.
"Well thank you for your answers. What we'll do now is separate the both of you. Jonah, if you'll follow me and Bill." Jonah nodded before standing up and following Eden out the door, leaving Vanessa with a grinning Gina and a silent cameraman.
"So," Vanessa dragged out, looking at Gina expectantly.
Gina's grin widened before she was leaning forward in her seat. "I know just what I want you to do but first, I need to say that I am proud of the progress you've made."
"What do you mean?"
"When you first met Jonah six days ago, all you could say about the man was how far from the man you'd ever want he is. You would never hesitate to mention how you don't want to be with him. Now, I'm not saying that you're suddenly in love with him but, I can definitely notice a change in your attitude towards him."
"What change?"
"You're giving him a chance to prove himself to you. Whether or not you're allowing it for romantic reasons, I'll never know but, you are allowing yourself to get to know him and be with him which is an improvement so, well done."
Vanessa blushed, "Thanks I guess."
"You're welcome, now onto your challenge." Vanessa gulped. Gina laughed, "Don't panic, it isn't a difficult one. All I'm challenging you to do is from now on to try to accept and initiate physical contact. You don't have to do it right away but before you leave here, you have to have done it eventually."
Vanessa gaped and instantly felt her hands tremble from worry. "What? Why?"
"What you and Jonah have done so far in building some sort of relationship is good. You've gotten to know him better and it's helped you in getting comfortable with him, which is important but, let's not forget that you are married to him. If you're to ever move your relationship from where it is now to a proper, romantic relationship, you have to allow for some intimacy which is best done through physical contact."
Vanessa paled, "You want me to sleep with him?" She jumped to her feet and immediately began pacing in the small room. "So that's how this contest works, you force people into relationships all for the sake of entertainment."
Gina shook her head. "I didn't say you need to have sex with him. There are other ways of initiating physical contact. A kiss, a hug or simply holding hands when walking. All of these acts deepen the bond you share, forces you to move from acquaintances to something more meaningful and romantic."
"I refuse to be forced into liking my husband."
"You're not being forced Vanessa. All I'm trying to say is that in order for you to know your feelings for Jonah and for him to know his, you both need to go beyond a comfortable friendship. Think of it this way, if you like a man and you enjoy his company a lot, wouldn't you want the relationship to move further?" Vanessa nodded. "Now the only way for that to happen, for you to move into something deeper than friendship, is through physical contact. If the man you like kisses you and you both enjoy it, then your relationship begins to move to something more romantic."
"What if I don't want to be romantic with Jonah?"
"Then you don't have to. We are not going to force you to love someone you don't but, you'll never know what you could have been if you don't try. We chose Jonah for you for a reason; don't you think you owe it to yourself to see why we think you're a match? All I'm saying you need to do is to try and do something a bit romantic and see how you feel. If you don't like him that way, it's alright but, if you do, then you've found love which is what you were looking for on the show."
Everything Gina was saying sounded simple enough and yet it had Vanessa close to hyperventilating. She was nervous. She didn't think she knew Jonah well enough to just kiss him or allow him to kiss her. That made their marriage more real for her and she wasn't yet at that point where she felt she even wanted the marriage with him.
"I'm still not sure about this," Vanessa said after having thought about it for a while.
"I'm not saying to have sex with him or kiss him, remember that. All I'm saying is that when you're out walking along the beach, hold his hand. It's as simple as that. You can take it from there and decide what else to do. But, know that it is okay if by the end of your honeymoon all you've done is hold his hand. You may be married to him but you still don't know him. It's normal to be apprehensive."
Vanessa nodded, "Alright, I'll do it."
Gina grinned just as the door to the room opened. They both turned around to see Eden walk in followed by Jonah and then Bill. Jonah wore a pair of navy swim trunks and a loose white vest that Vanessa thought suited him well. He was a little more tanned then he was when they arrived because of their outings but; because of his fair skin, he was red along his neck, face and shoulders.
Vanessa watched Jonah walk into the room casually, a small smile on his lips. He looked at her and then at Eden, his smile growing. Vanessa didn't know what came over her; all she knew was that she hated seeing him smile like that because of Eden. He was her husband which meant only she could make him smile so happily.
Glaring at Jonah, Vanessa jumped to her feet and stalked towards him with purpose. He stared in confusion at her, opening his mouth to speak but, before words could be uttered, Vanessa slammed her lips on his.
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A/N: Tell me the title and artist of the song that is currently stuck in your head.