My Arranged Marriage to Alex Gaskarth

Eden stared at the rain hitting her window pane, her eyes glazed with pain and red rimmed from incessant crying. She sighed and bowed her head, Will this pain ever stop? She thought in misery. It has been two days since her beloved father has left the world…leaving her life in utter shambles. She smoothed the fabric of her black dress…the funeral will start soon.

She stood up and went to her vanity; she took hold the golden heart locket her beloved father had given her on her 18th birthday before she left for Paris. Eden clasped it around her neck and clenched the pendant tightly in her hand while closing her eyes, her heart beat was dull and filled with pain at the memory of the proud smile he had and the tears that had been in his eyes before she went on the plane. She remember his gentle voice telling her that he loved her with all his heart and if she ever needed him, he would jump on the first plane for her in an instant.

If I hadn’t wasted my time and left for Paris, I would’ve had more time with him… She told herself and the guilt assaulted her so fiercely that she felt her shoulders slump under the heavy burden of not having had enough time with her father…It was her fault, mea culpa, mea culpa the Latin words kept repeating in her head. Eden chocked on a sob and ran a frustrated hand through her slightly dishevelled red hair. She quickly made a messy bun and put her ray bans sunglasses on, while she exited the room.

Eden got downstairs where her mother sat with a blank look on her face, staring at nothing in the backyard. Eden knew her mother was in pain because her eyes were practically screaming it, Eden swallowed down a lump that was forming in her throat. She saw Alex in his funeral outfit, if this was a different occasion she would have called him very handsome but right now she felt like hiding from the world and from...Him. Eden thoughts quickly went to the fact that she had married Alex because his parents had been funding for her father’s treatments, but now that her father was…deceased…was the marriage going to be annulled?

Her heart made an unexpected leap of fear at the possibility of losing Alex too, she took a quick glance at him and he gave her a gentle smile while grabbing his car keys. The action reminded Eden that her father will soon be placed six feet underground. Eden couldn’t bear the pity- filled looks she would receive, she couldn’t bear the fake- understandings, she gritted her teeth and glanced at the clock, it was time to leave for the funeral. Alex came to her and grabbed her hand; he laced his fingers with hers and placed a comforting arm around Eden’s mother’s shoulders while they walked to his car, that action itself made Eden’s heart leap at his kindness.

After the funeral

Eden left her parents crowded lounge room, which was filled with well- wishes or more of a pity party that made her feel angry and sick to her stomach by the looks she received. As she escaped to her backyard, she found herself hoping that Alex, Mina, Lottie, Zack, Rian or Jack did not try to find her; she didn’t want to talk, not now…maybe never.

Eden saw the large tree that had been there since she was born; her father had built a bench right under, he used to tell her how he proposed to her mother right under that tree. She sat down and the thousands of time she and her father had sat there talking till late came back to her. She raised her pale hand and gently touched the bark of the tree, where they all had engraved their names on it. Eden smiled as she saw her father’s and mother’s name engraved with a heart around it, Eden cringed and looked down, how is her mother going to cope with such a lost?
Eden sat on the bench and leaned her head so that it touched the tree trunk, a memory came back;

Eden at the age of 16 ran and sat down on the bench; she closed her eyes, placed her head in her hands and sobbed. She jumped as she felt muscular arms encase her tightly and the familiar and comforting scent of her father wafted over her.
“Daddy” She said choking on her tears, she buried her face in his chest.
“What’s wrong love?” His voice gentle and endearing,
“This boy is really mean to me daddy, he’s always teasing me about my hair” She cried and her father sighed loudly.

“You’re too beautiful and he can’t handle it, plus I’ve never met anyone with such beautiful red hair as you, he’s just jealous” Her father said making her chuckle.
“No daddy, Alex doesn’t like my hair…” Eden shook her head,
“Maybe he likes you then.” Her father said with a massive grin, she jokingly pushed him away.
“No way! Plus you know you’re the only man for me daddy” She smiled while he gave a loud chuckle.
“Okay sweetheart, now what do you say we go raid the fridge and steal all the ice cream” He winked,
“Mommy is not going to like that” Eden said amused her father playfully rolled his eyes.

“I’ll handle mommy, she can never stay mad at me, she loves me too much” He grinned boyishly.
“Oh please you love her too!”
“That I do my little rose, and I love you too, now let’s forget about that boy and go eat ice- cream” Her father said standing up.
“I really do love you daddy”
“I love you too sweetheart” He hugged her closely and kissed the top of her head while both walked back to the house.

Eden felt a smile tugging at her lips at the memory, that night both her and her dad had gotten a stomach ache at the quantity of ice cream they ate, her mother had chuckled and said those famous words ‘I told you so’.

Eden felt tear run down her cheeks, then heard the deep rumbling in the sky…thunder. Soon it started to pour, but Eden didn’t move the silent sobs became loud and painful sobs. In matter of minutes Eden was absolutely soaked, she hid herself more and laid her body down on the length on the bench, the tree shielding her from the rain.

Eden watched the lightning in the sky and knew she should go back inside the house but she couldn’t find the will to move, a cold wind blew and she shivered but yet again she wanted to stay on that bench. As Eden was lying there on that bench, her eyes could still see her father’s beaming smile and happy eyes.
“Oh papa, why did you go?” Eden whispered and coughed, laying back down she let blackness engulf her and the last thing she heard was the deep booming thunderous sound in the sky before her eyes closed.

Alex’s P.O.V

Alex wondered around the Larose home in search of his wife but he couldn’t find her, he bit his lip nervously and unconsciously began to rub the back of his neck…a nervous habit.
“Hey did you guys see Eden?” Alex asked to his friends and Mina looked at him worried.
“No I haven’t seen her in a while Lex” She said and her voice held a worried tone, Alex jumped at the loud thunder from outside which soon turned to loud pelting rain, he sighed where could she be?
“Maybe she went outside?” Zack asked and Alex shook his head, why would she go there?
After a while Alex started getting scared thinking that something happened. He decided to venture outside in the pouring rain; he flinched when he saw lightning and remarked how dark it became outside. As the rain hit his hair he quickly looked in the backyard and at first he didn’t notice anything strange, until a shape lying on a bench caught his eyes, he sucked in a breath.

“Eden?” He yelled because the rain was thunder was so loud, but the body didn’t move Alex ran to it and immediately recognised the body of his wife who look pale as death.
“God Eden please be breathing” He said as he fell down on his knees in the mud, he slightly let out a breath of relief as he saw her chest was rising and falling. He touched her forehead, removing her wet red hair that was stuck to her skin but as he did, he noticed she was boiling warm and Alex immediately felt panic bubble into him. He cradled her drenched body in his arms and bolted towards the house.
“It’s okay Honey, I’ll take care of you” He whispered in her ear, but Alex was scared to death and found himself praying that she would not catch pneumonia.