She looked at him expectantly and he started,"That is a contract".
She raised an eyebrow,"I can see that. What for?".
"For this marriage of course. We have a deal. Two months and then we get a divorce. And I'm keeping my word to you. This is just assurance to both of us. If one of us backs out then the other can sue them",Rikkard explained as he continued his cooking.
Lilly smiled mischievously. It would be fun to sue his arse. But a part of her hurt for some reason.
She knew this was coming so why did it hurt.
"Aren't you going to sign it?",Rikkard asked pointing at the contract.
"Oh yeah",she said as she grabbed a pen from his briefcase resting on the counter and hesitated as she stared at the documents in front of her.
This was it. This contract would make it all too real. It would seal their fate in stone making it impossible to back out.
She took a deep breath as she signed under her name and handed the papers and pen to Rikkard motioning for him to do the same.
Before taking the pen Rikkard carefully looked at Lilly and noticed her guarded expression.
He had almost forgotten about the contract.The contract he had specifically asked his attorney to prepare the very day they found out they were married.
"Well?. What are you waiting for?",she asked thrusting the pen into his hand.
What was he waiting for?. For her to stop him?. Why would he?. Could it be possible that he had grown accustomed to their current situation.
No. It couldn't be.
He clenched his jaw as he signed on the papers and stuffed them in his briefcase before turning back to his task of making dinner.
Without another word,Lilly began helping him in making dinner.
Dinner passed in silence with occasional glances toward each other.
After bidding goodnight Lilly jogged back upstairs and slid into bed. Her heart heavy as she stared up at the plain ceiling not sleepy in the slightest.
A while later she heard a few noises from Rikkard's room in front of her. Like he was muttering in his sleep.
She stood up and walked to his room.
There he was lying on his bed. Moving uneasily as though he was having a nightmare.
His face coated in sweat and his eyes snapped shut as he breathed heavily muttering,"No..no...father....Please don't. No!".
He shot up as he clutched the sheets looking around.
The nightmares. He occasionally got nightmares about his childhood. Obviously with Robert Ambrose as his father his childhood wasn't the happiest.
Lilly rushed to his side and grabbed the bottle from the nightstand and handed it to him watching as he chugged the whole thing down.
"Are you okay?",she asked and he nodded.
"I apologize if I disturbed you",he said stiffly and she shook her head.
"No you didn't. I..um..was already awake. Couldn't sleep",she said sheepishly as she placed the empty bottle down on the nightstand.
She was about to turn around and leave when she noticed the uneasiness clear in his eyes and stopped.
"You know um...my room is really dusty and I didn't get a chance to clean it earlier. I get really sneezy at night so I was wondering if I could sleep here",she lied smoothly knowing he needed someone with him.
"Sure",he said as he lifted the covers slightly.
She smiled and got in. A few minutes later Rikkard laid back down. Lilly turned to face him and saw that he was wide awake fidgeting slightly.
She inched closer to him and laid her head on his chest and put her arm around him.
"Hey,just go back to bed. I'm here",she whispered and kissed his cheek.
He nodded as he closed his eyes. Lilly stayed awake as she listened to him breathe and let out a sigh of relief when she felt his breathing even out signalling him falling asleep and soon she followed suit.
* * * *
Lilly woke up in the morning and found that she was alone. Thinking Rikkard went to work,she took a shower and got ready before skipping downstairs.
"Hey",she jumped when she heard Rikkard's voice from behind the kitchen counter as he flipped pancakes.
"Oh hey. I thought you went to work".
"I was going to but then the only meeting I had today got cancelled",Rikkard said as he took her in.
"So where are you off to?",he continued as he handed her a plate and she sat down thanking him.
"You know I thought I'd go out and explore since I've never really been to Bristol before and I heard there was a carnival being held somewhere here. I really like carnivals and I haven't been to one in more than eight years",Lilly said as she took small bites of her pancakes.
"Ok. Let me finish breakfast and I'll take you out",Rikkard said and Lilly turned to him in surprise.
"What?",he asked as he noticed her expression.
"You..want to show me around?. Willingly?",she asked in confusion.
"I think that's what I just said",Rikkard said looking at her amusedly.
She smiled as she went back to eating her pancakes.
* * * *
After breakfast they went out and explored Bristol which wasn't much and later at evening Rikkard drove around for a while not telling her where they were going saying that it was a surprise.
Finally,he stopped,"We're here".
"Where exactly is here?",she asked as she looked out the window and her eyes widened in awe as she took in the lit up rides and the hundreds of stalls lined up with bustling people.
"We're at the carnival?",she asked excitedly and he nodded.
"You did say you wanted to come",he shrugged and she grinned at him.
"Well,what are you waiting for?",he asked as he climbed out.
Lilly followed him out as they walked deeper into the crowd.
"Ooh let's go on that!",Lilly said as she pulled Rikkard along to the rollercoaster ride.
"Are you sure?",Rikkard asked as he glanced at the people on the rollercoaster screaming as it took twists and turns on the track.
"Are you scared?",Lilly asked with a raised eyebrow and his eyes narrowed.
"Are you?",he challenged and she smirked getting two tickets for the ride.
Soon it was their turn to board the ride and they took their seats.
Rikkard looked around his seat and Lilly frowned,"What are you doing?".
"Looking for the seatbelt. Where is it?",he asked genuinely confused.
Lilly laughed slightly. He really was clueless.
"Rollercoasters have lap bars",she said and his cheeks lightly turned pink as he cleared his throat and the lap bar secured around them signalling the start of the ride.
The people screamed as the speed of the rollercoaster increased. Some screamed at the thrill. Some screamed in fear. While Lilly was the former. Surprisingly Rikkard Ambrose was the latter.
When the ride finally came to an end, Lilly jumped out with a wide smile on her face as Rikkard limped out and held the nearest pole for support.
Lilly smirked looking at him,"Do you want to have another go?".
He cleared his throat to get his voice out,"I'm good".
Lilly turned around and her gaze fell on a side stall where an adorable yellow piggy was one of the prizes.
As Rikkard regained his composure his gaze travelled to where Lilly was looking and he grabbed her hand and led her to the stall.
"One game please",Rikkard said as he handed him the money.
The guy handed Lilly a gun and with aim she shot at the quacking ducks but alas she didn't hit even one.
"Let's go",Lilly said sighing as she handed him the gun back and began walking away.
Rikkard stopped her and paid the man again taking the gun and handing it her,"What's the harm in trying?".
"I don't know how to. Okay?",she said hating admitting to something she couldn't do.
"I'll teach you",he said as he handed her the gun and turned her to face the target.
He positioned the gun on the perfect angle and corrected her posture. His face was nearly against hers making her heart beat faster.
"Breathe",he said and she took deep breaths trying to calm herself.
"I said breathe not hyperventilate",Rikkard said and Lilly shook her head trying to focus on the target ahead.
"Shoot",he said and she did. She squealed as the bullet hit the biggest duck.
She turned around and hugged Rikkard briefly before turning to the man,"Well what do I get?".
"You could get the elephant or the yellow pig".
"We'll take the pig",Rikkard said and Lilly smiled as she nodded.
* * * *
"Let's go to the Ferris wheel",Lilly said as she grabbed his hand and paid for the tickets before sitting down in one of the cars as it slowly began to move up.
Lilly looked at the view of the city in awe and Rikkard couldn't help but secretly look at Lilly.
"Isn't it beautiful?",she whispered and he nodded still looking at her.
"It is".
She met his gaze and blushed before quickly looking away and pulled the piggy close to her in hopes of hiding her pink cheeks.
* * * *
On their way back they both took hot dogs and slices of pizza from a food stall and decided they would eat in the car.
After finishing up with dinner,Rikkard began the drive home.
A few minutes into the drive,Lilly spotted an arched bridge and forced Rikkard to pull over.
Grudgingly Rikkard followed her as she sat down on the bridge with her legs dangling off the edge.
"What are you waiting for,an invitation?",Lilly asked as she smiled at Rikkard.
"This is so not safe",Rikkard remarked as he took a seat next to her.
He had already begun shaking and his breathing grew shallower as he looked down at the water below.
He did not have good experiences with lakes and rivers especially since he almost drowned when he was ten years old.
Being near lakes and rivers always triggered panic attacks and he could feel one threatening to break out as he felt sweat trickle down his forehead.
Lilly turned to him in concern,"Rikkard?. What's wrong?. Are you okay".
His breathing grew heavy as he tried speaking,"I...Its...just...".
"What?. What's happening?",she asked as she put her hand on his arm.
"P--panic attack",he got out as his vision grew blurry and he could barely hear anything she said apart from his rapid breathing.
"Well,try thinking about something else. Friends,family--",she started and he gave her a look.
"Ok maybe not family. Try slowing your breath or holding it",she suggested and he drew in a sharp breath.
"I can't. I....can't",he panted as he rested his arms on his knees and snapped his eyes shut.
Lilly placed her hands on either sides of his face and turned him to face her.
"Look at me",her voice was just a whisper but he heard it and slowly opened his eyes.
"Shh Rick",she said as she looked into his vulnerable eyes. She wanted to help him but the only way she knew how to stop a panic attack was by holding in breaths.
Then it clicked as she pulled his face towards hers and mashed her lips onto his in a fierce and long kiss causing him to hold his breath long enough for his posture to ease.
She broke away from him and he looked at her in amazement,his gaze momentary travelling to her lips before coming back to her face.
"How did...you do that?",he asked in bated breath as she looked at him and bit her lip lightly.
"I..uh...read somewhere that holding your breath can stop a panic attack. So when I kissed you..you held your breath".
"I did?",he asked as he noticed how close her face was to his.
She nodded with a smile,"Yeah. You did".
He nodded as he looked at her face which was lit up by the faint moonlight falling on her,highlighting her features.
She looked beautiful.
That was the moment he knew he felt something for this woman. And that feeling scared him to death.
A/N:
Who all got the TW reference?. Btw I know it doesn't work like that in real life. I have experienced panic attacks myself and I have no intention of glorifying them but I mean c'mon even you have to admit that Stydia moment was the best.