Married At First Glance: I Am Not Ugly

“Well, I called Anderson and he informed me that you were returning today so I decided to surprise you,” Jessie said, excitement in her voice. “Why? Aren’t you happy to see me?”

Alexander shook his head.

“No, no. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting it so… You caught me off guard.” He explained.

Jessie moved closer to him and kissed him on the lips.

“Well…. I want to be doing things that catch you off guard like this.” She said.

Marissa was watching all this and honestly, she wasn’t comfortable so decided to speak and excuse herself.

“I… um… Think I will excuse you two.” She said,

Jessie faced her and smiled.

“And you must be his colleague he talked about.”

Marissa nodded and smiled a little.

“Thank you for… Wait a minute… Aren’t you Alexander’s friend in high school…? We met at a restaurant a month ago, right?” She asked.

“Yeah we did,” Marissa said.

“Oh… That’s great, but I’m surprised that you became his colleague at work and went on a business trip together.” She said,

Alexander had to interfere before she became more suspicious.

“She works in my company now, Jessie.” He revealed.

Jessie seemed to process this information for a moment, then she smiled and said, “Oh, I see! So you guys are colleagues and friends from high school. How nice. That’s a great connection to have in the workplace.”

Marissa nodded and smiled back at Jessie. “It’s been great so far. Alex has been a great mentor and friend at work.”

Jessie turned to Alexander. “I’m glad you have someone like Marissa looking out for you at work. You guys seem to have a great working relationship.”

Alexander felt a bit relieved that Jessie was being so accepting of the situation

“So I think we should leave the Airport and go have some fun. Are you guys hungry? There’s a very nice restaurant close by here, we should check it out.” Jessie offered.

Marissa, not comfortable with it, decided against it.

“Why don’t I leave you two love birds to catch up after all you have missed each other.” She said as she grabbed her luggage and left them.

They were dating and she was a fake wife that has only a month and two weeks remaining before this whole thing ends.

And besides, Alexander is in love with Jessie and can’t be with someone like me who is poor and has no job or class.

She got outside and hailed a cab to take her to her brother’s hospital. She needed to see how her brother is doing.

As the cab took her to the hospital, Marissa thought about the last time she saw her brother. It was a few weeks ago when she had visited him in the hospital. He was still recovering from the surgery and it was hard to see him in so much pain.

But despite everything, he was still the same loving and caring brother she knew.

She entered his ward and saw him reading.

“Hey, buddy.” She said as she entered his room.

He looked up from his book and smiled.

“Hey, sister. When did you get back from your trip?” He asked with excitement in his voice.

“Just a few minutes ago. Have missed you brother.” She said as the two hugged.

“How are you feeling? What are the doctors saying about your recovery? Are they going to discharge you soon or what?” She asked.

“Uhmmm… I think the doctor would be in the position of telling you.” He said.

“Don’t worry brother. Everything would be okay.” She encouraged as she hugged him more.

“I know…. I appreciate your concern. I’m doing better, the doctors say I’m progressing well and I might be discharged soon. I’m just a bit frustrated because I have to stay in this room all day, and I can’t go out. I’m getting a bit restless.” He said.

Marissa could understand where he was coming from. “I get it. It must be hard being here.

Hmmm… Why don’t we take a walk outside the hospital garden?

It could be fun and relaxing?” She suggested an idea.

“Yeah, sister. I’ d love that.” Samuel said, happy with the idea.

So they headed out to the hospital garden. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze in the air.

They walked around the garden, admiring the flowers and trees, enjoying the fresh air and each other’s company.

“This is nice, I feel like I’m not in a hospital anymore,” Samuel said, smiling.

“I know right? Nature has a way of healing us. You should be doing this more often.” Marissa said, feeling happy to see her brother enjoying himself.

They kept walking and talking, enjoying the weather.

“So how was the job you traveled to another country for?

Did it go well?” He asked as she pulled his wheelchair.

“Well… It went um…. well…” Marissa said.

“That’s great! So does it mean like they are gonna give you a permanent job there?” her brother asked.

“I don’t know yet, Sam, but hopefully.” she replied to him.

But deep down, Marissa knew that the chances of that happening were slim to none. She wasn’t sure she wanted to continue the whole contract marriage thing with Alexander but she knew that an agreement is an agreement and that if she broke it, she would have to pay for damages and for breaching the contract and that was a huge sum of money which she clearly doesn’t have at the moment.

“Well, I’m sure you did your best. And that’s all that matters, right?” Samuel said, trying to boost her spirits.

“I guess so,” Marissa replied, not really sure how she felt. On the one hand, she felt grateful for the experience and the chance to learn and grow. But on the other hand, she felt disappointed in herself for ever thinking that maybe something special could come out of their trip.

They got to the garden and enjoyed the view. The breeze was cool and the smell of flowers was breath taking.

“It’s really beautiful out here,” Samuel said, taking in the sights and sounds. “It’s hard to believe that we’re still in the city.”

Marissa nodded in agreement. “It’s like an oasis in the middle of the urban jungle.”

They kept walking and talking, enjoying the peaceful moment. But in the back of Marissa’s mind, she couldn’t help but wonder if she and Alexander would ever have something special.

She had grown feelings for him but he had defined their relationship as strictly business and nothing more. Of course she understood but part of her felt bad because she felt she felt a different vibe around him that made her feel he liked her as well, but she guessed she was wrong.

She pushed the negative thoughts aside and tried to focus on the present.