Young Writers Society

Julian went blank. Shit... What did he want to ask her? He noticed how small she was compared to him. It was something completely new to him. Yes he'd been with other women, but he never really noticed how small or large they were. He realized that Naya didn't even reach his shoulder. She was either really small or he was a giant.

"Uh- Why exactly are you shaking?" He changed the subject.

She smiled nervously. "I'm not shaking." She shook her head.

He gently put his large hands over her small slender ones. They even made his own hands shake. Her hands were warm, and so were his.

She gasped, but it was so quiet and everyone was talking.

He felt different, odd. Why had he put his hands over hers? He instantly looked down, took his hands off hers, excused himself and left to walk outside.

Julian wasn't sweating but he was warm, it was a cold October night and he started to walk down the driveway, a small hand touched his mid-back.

"Hey Julian." A girl's voice spoke softly.

Julian turned around, "Hello, Lily."

She looked around. Then finally spoke, "may I walk with you?"

He nodded....

Naya just stared at Julian hurriedly walked off.

Did he just put his hands on mine?

Half-shocked and half-confused at the same time, she decided to get back to her table. The feeling of Julian’s hands over hers was still present as she grabbed a champagne flute from a passing waiter.

“Where’s my sister?” came a sudden familiar voice.

Naya almost choked on her drink. “Danni?"

Her taller, red-haired older sister turned instantly at the sound of her name, her face elated as it fell on Naya.

“Oh my god, there you are, you whore!” Danni shouted by her usual way of greeting, embracing her younger sister into a tight hug. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were getting married? I had to find out from mommy dearest over there...” she threw their mother a scathing look before turning back to Naya, her face full of sudden concern. “They forced you into this, didn’t they?” she asked, her voice now a whisper. “God, I can tell just by looking at your face!”

“Danni, calm down, its fine-”

“No, it isn’t, Nay!” Danni pressed angrily. She was always a 'tell it like it is' person, especially when it came to their parents. “Why the hell d'you think I left home in the first place? It was to get away from all this-” Danni suddenly stopped; her eyes seemed fixed on something.

Naya followed her gaze and spotted Julian outside with their maternal cousin, Lily. The pair appeared to be having a conversation with one another.

“What is she doing here?” Danni spat distastefully, “and why is she talking to your future husband?”

Naya rolled her eyes. Danni never really liked Lily much, to this day Naya never really understood why. “Well, mom brought her over here for a few weeks,” Naya explained.

Danni pulled a face. “Gross, why?”

Naya shrugged. “I guess she thought it'd be nice to invite her to the wedding...give her a chance to make amends for what happened last year.”

“Oh, pur-lease!” Danni practically scoffed at the response.

"So you don't love her? What's the big deal, people get married all the time just because they get someone knocked up... She isn't pregnant right?" Lily was talking to Julian, he actually quiet enjoyed her. She didn't pressure him into anyhting, she seemed charming.

Julian almost back-peddled. "No, she is not pregnant. No I do not love her." He said sternly.

Lily looked up at Julian and sat on a swing that was tied to a large oak tree. She had a sad look on her face. She took off her shoes and began to swing on the homemade swing. "I've done it."

He was confused. "Done what?"

She look at him with sad eyes. "I've made you put up your icy barrier to keep everyone out... Most guys freeze up when I mention the 'L' word."

"That's ridiculous..." Julian looked down at her, Lily was even smaller than Naya. He exhailed and looked up as the breath left his lungs, when he inhailed, it burned it was so cold. Lily was wearing a spaghetti strap dress. She had goose bumps around her collar bone. She was just glimpsing at the stars. "Here, you must be freezing..." Julian offered his jacket. Lily shook her head.

"I'm not cold Julian, but thank you." Lily continued to glimpse at the stars. "I believe in soul mates... Do you?"

Julian snorted, he never did, cause it was a gross habit, but he did. "Whatta crock. Myth, Urban Legand, folklore. I stopped believing in love a long time ago."

"Why is that?" Lily asked, Julian then sat next to her on the swing, it was big enough to fit three people.

"My past. Let's just leave it at that." He stared at the stars too... Unhappy, scared, a little pissed off.

Danni grabbed a glass of champagne and took a seat beside Naya at an empty table. She was still rambling about Lily.

“Y'know, the real reason why she's here is because she has no on else...” Danni said to her seriously.

Naya gave her sister a bored look. “Really?”

“The guy that she left Aunt Catherine and Uncle Richard for, dumped her!” Danni took another swig from her glass before leaning in forward as if she was about to reveal some huge conspiracy or something. “I heard she still thinks she can get him back.”

“Who cares?” Naya said slightly annoyed. “C-mon, Danni, you’ve come here after two years! We’re meant to be catching up, not bitching about family members! Tell me, what did you get up to at The Hampton’s?"

Danni shrugged. “A lot of the usual, clubbing, sunbathing...got together with this cute Portuguese guy..” she stopped there and easily returned to the subject at hand. “I still can’t believe mom and dad are making you do this. It’s all my fault, I should never have left, I should’ve stayed here with you...I could’ve stopped them-”

“Just forget about it,” Naya said earnestly, “I’ll be alright. I mean, arranged marriages are happening everywhere in the world-”

“This isn’t an arranged marriage, Nay. This is a forced marriage!” Danni interrupted her angrily. “God, Nay, why do you always do this?”

Naya looked confused. “Do what?”

“This!” pressed Danni. “Let mom and dad walk all over you all the time! Why are you always so determined to do whatever they say, even when you know it's wrong? Even when we were kids I remember you'd always let them emotionally blackmail you into doing whatever they wanted you to do-”

“They’re my parents, Danni,” Nay said sternly. She didn’t want to have this conversation any more.

“They’re psychotic...” Danni said matter-of-factly. “You can't trust them...” She looked as though she wanted to continue but seeing the look on Naya’s face she decided to stop herself. Taking a look at her watch, she suddenly stood up from her chair and sighed. “Come on," she said calmly. "Let’s get out of here...”

“What? Where are we going?” Naya asked, confused by Danni's sudden change in tone.

“Well, since you really seem to be going through with this I think it's only right that we should celebrate your last night of freedom in style...I’m thinking we hit all the clubs in town...”

“The girls already tried that. Mom and dad said no.”

“So?” Danni spat. “I’m here now and I say you deserve a night to remember!”

“But-”

Danni gave her a stern look. "Don't argue with me, Nay."

Naya rolld her eyes in frustration. “Alright, fine, but remember, this is all on you,” she paused for a moment before adding, “and no strippers!”

Danni scoffed. “Oh, come on! Don’t be such a party pooper!”

“I’m serious!” Naya said sternly.

Before Julian knew it, the night was over. He was driving back to the house, his car drove smoothly. He and Lily had just watched the stars for a while, Lily was like a more deep hippie version of Jennifer. Julian was one of the last people to arrive home, he noticed there were so many papazazzi at his door step and he wanted to tear out his hair. Didn't anyone believe in privacy anymore?!

Julian wanted to play a game with them, he never played games... VROOM... VROOM! VROOOOMMM!!! He punched the gas and chased some of them across the yard. He then put it in park and got out, the engire still running. He loaded a handgun he kept for his own personal kicks. Everyone stopped and stared at him.

"Get... Out." Julian growled.

Everyone scattered...

The day had finally arrived. It was the morning of the wedding.

As soon as Naya woke up she could practically feel the tension in the air. It was palpable. Rosa looked flustered. She kept dropping things on the floor and knocking things over with nerves, her mother was yelling at anyone and everyone who'd listen, and her father had a look of pained worry on his face that seemed fixed.

Trying to quell the flutter of nerves in her stomach, Naya got out of her bed for the last time and headed for the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the steamy room with a small towel wrapped around her body to find her outfit and accessories already laid out on the bed before her. Her grandma soon entered her bedroom, drunk and smelling of Brandy, and before Naya knew it, her hair was done, her dress was on, and she was ready.

After convincing her family to give her a few minutes to compose herself, Naya stood in front of the mirror and took in the full sight of herself. She was dressed in a plain and simple strapless ivory coloured pleated gown that trailed along behind her. Her long brown curls were untraditionally left down, springing loose on her shoulders. Her caramel brown eyes sparkled with tears and her cheeks had a slight pinkness to them that had nothing to do with excitement...

She was in complete shock. Was this seriously happening? Was she really just about to get married to a complete stranger because of her parents? Looking down at her wedding dress, she felt a sense of detachment from it all like she was watching a movie or something, or she was attending someone else’s wedding.

"Hey, you okay?" Danni's voice suddenly shook her out of her thoughts. She was dressed in a floor-length silk gown in the Bridesmaid's colours of pastel pink.

“Yeah...” Naya lied, swallowing hard.

“I can still get you out of this y’know,” Danni said seriously. “Say the word and I’ll have you on a beach in Hawaii in no time.”

Naya tried to give her a believable smile. “I'm fine. Really." she said.

With a sigh, Danni took Naya’s hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Promise me something.”

“What?” Naya asked.

“Promise me that if and when the time comes that you feel like you can’t handle this marriage any more, that you’ll leave-”

“Danni-”

Her sister interrupted her. “You won’t think about what mom or dad or grandpa will say, you’ll just leave. Promise me, Nay.”

Naya sighed, there was no way out of it. “Alright, I promise.”

Looking reassured, Danni gave her a nod.

"Now, can you promise me something?" Naya asked, seizing the oppertunity.

"Name it."

"Promise me that you’ll at least try to work things out with mom and dad.”

Danni rolled her eyes. “I'll pass, thank you...”

“Danni...” Naya said sternly.

“Okay, fine, I’ll try...”

“Thank you.”

“Sorry to interrupt," the wedding planner suddenly popped her head from behind the door, "It’s time. “Are you ready, Miss Du Maurier?”

Naya swallowed hard and then nodded. “Yes, I am.”

Jasper, the middle brother, of three sat in a chair, in the groomsmen room, drinking a beer. Jace was in the bathroom, throwing up like a wuss from last night, he had drank way too much. Julian held in a laugh, Jace hadn't puked since his graduation of high school. Julian pulled on his jacket, buttoned it and fixed his black tie.

"You know, black is the color of mourning." Jasper laughed.

Julian gave his brother the finger. "I'm not exactly skipping my way down the isle, asshole."

Jasper, unlike Julian had blonde wavy hair, he spoke often, and only drank when he was nervous. Jasper shared Julian's beautiful green cat-like eyes. Julian was the tallest out of them all, but that he got from his birth mother. Julian was the oldest child of the Andersons.

Jasper gave a hearty laugh. "Well, don't bite me. I didn't make this happen."

Julian glared. "I know, I just wish someone had asked me. If I wanted a Trophy wife I would have tied the knot years ago."

Sergi came into the room. "What are you doing?" His thick accent flooded the room. "It's time to get this show on the road!"

Julian looked himself over one time in the mirror, he saw thick black curls, slightly tan skin, and green emrald eyes. His nose was his mother's it wasn't crooked or a chicken nose, it was a good nose. He then left the room, Jasper, Jace and Sergi followed.
***

Jennifer was wearing royal purple-the color of hope to support her brother. Her heels clicked and clacked as she searched for Naya. She wanted a few words with her before she married her oldest brother. Jennifer was just in time to catch Naya looking in the mirror.

"Naya?" Jenn asked.

Naya turned around, she did look very pretty. Jennifer was so happy she wasn't getting married today. "Yes?" Naya spoke softly.

"May I speak with you?"

Naya nodded. Jennifer took her by the hands and lead her to a small area where no one was around.

"You probably don't know me, I'm Jennifer, Julian's sister."

"I didn't know he had a sister." She spoke with wonder.

Jennifer just blankly stared at her. "I know Julian is a hard-headed bastard at times but he can be very caring. He is a good man, even though he won't admit to it. Just, I know you don't want to get married right now, especially to someone you don't even know but just... Give him a chance? He says all the time he doesn't know how to love, but I'm sure you guys can be happy together. He's a really good guy... Please don't hurt him." With that Jennifer walked away before Naya could catch up with her.

“Hurt him, why would I do that-”

But Jennifer was gone before Naya could complete her sentence.

“Naya,” Danni approached her and handed her bouquet of flowers. “The ceremony’s about to start.”

Julian stood at the altar, he was so not ready to do this. Jasper stood as best man, then it was Jace. Damien a friend, and Marc another friend. Jace was fuming at the mouth, and his fists were clenched at his sides. why did he seem so damn angry?

The music began...

They were all lined up one by one outside the entrance to the church waiting for the signal to enter. Danni quickly drained the glass of champagne in her hand, making the wedding planner clear her throat pointedly.

“What?” Danni asked her.

“Now is not the time to be drinking,” the wedding planner snapped, snatching the glass from her hands.

“But that was my first one!" Danni protested before pausing, "...gross, I sound like grandma...”

Naya's freind, Ali kept pacing up and down, biting her bottom lip and fanning herself with her hands.

“Oh god...” she breathed, staring at Naya, “are you nervous?”

Bree rolled her eyes. “She's getting married, Ali, of course she's nervous.”

“Don't be nervous, Nay,” Ali said, which was strange because she seemed more nervous than anyone. “Everything will be fine...just fine...I think...”

“Put a sock in it, will you, Al?” Lola said. “You're making the poor girl even more nervous!”

“Right, the next person to say the word 'nervous' is gonna get their ass kicked!” Bree said.

Silence fell all around them. Suddenly Ali's voice could be heard. “God, I'm so nervous...” she whispered.

All eyes were on Bree. She had her war face on. “That's it!"

Ali let out a small scream and hid behind Naya.

“Ladies, can we not have a world war three inside the church please?” the wedding planner snapped.

“Yeah, Bree! No world war three’s!” Ali joined in.

Suddenly, another one of Naya’s friends, Penelope quickly scurried inside. She had a look of horror plastered on her face as she held up the top of her dress.

“Way to go, Penny, you're late!” Lola told her. “What took you so long? We’re just about to go on...”

Penelope swallowed hard. “We have an emergency.”

“What is it?” asked the wedding planner.

Penelope said nothing, instead she sheepishly turned around to reveal the back of her dress half-unbuttoned. “It doesn’t fit!”

The wedding planner gasped. “But, I don’t understand, it fit perfectly yesterday!”

“It’s the all-juice diet she’s on,” Lola informed her bluntly. “It’s making her bloaty-”

Penelope's eyes shot up to face Lola dangerously. “I HEARD THAT!” she hissed.

“Girls, please...” said the wedding planner, before turning to face Penelope. “Turn around, dear, I'm sure we can pin it up...”

As the back of Penelope’s dress was fixed, Naya stood and watched them all around her with an air of bemusement. She could always count on the antics of her friends to make her smile, even at such a tense moment like this...

Suddenly, Naya’s father came out of the wedding alter dressed in a dark grey suit with his hair slicked back. He approached them all. “The guests are all seated,” he informed them.

“Excellent,” clapped the wedding planner, before lining up the girls in order, “Okay, ladies, it’s show time!”

As the organs began, the double-doors to the wedding alter opened. Naya felt her heart race so fast she thought she would be sick right here and now. From behind she watched Rosa's 3 year-old daughter, Poppy walk up the isle in her adorable pastel pink frock carrying a basket of pink flower petals which she threw onto the floor of the isle. She was Naya's god-daughter Poppy flower girl, Poppy (Rosa’s daughter and Naya’s god-daughter. Following behind her were Naya’s friends, headed by Danni the maid of honour.

“This is it, sweetheart...” Naya’s father smiled beside her, putting her hand under his and leading her inside.

Naya felt sick...

Julian heard Jace snap his knuckles. Then the organ began, now... This was real. Extremely real, so real it could actually send someone into shock. Julian then realized, he was the groom... Damn. The door opened when he saw the little flower girl, he wanted to groan, he had expected this to be a small wedding. He hated big weddings.

Walter walked out, he was wearing a grey suit with Naya on his arm. She was beautiful, that never changed. She looked good as a bride, but he wasn't ready to be a groom. Doesn't matter if he was ready or not, because here she came...

**All I had, sorry**

Naya’s stomach lurched as she was led down the aisle. She didn't want to do this...she didn't want to do this at all...

She looked up to see Julian standing stiffly on the raised dais by the priest, as usual his face and voice were completely blank of any emotion.

She stepped up and joined him on the dais. They were now facing each other, Julian towered over her as usual. Her father kissed her on her head and shook hands with Julian before stepping down and taking a seat beside his wife. Naya’s eyes suddenly found Jace’s glare and she quickly looked down to avoid it, his threatening words still echoing inside her...

Before she knew it, Danni stepped forward to hold Naya’s bouquet for her and Julian took both her hands in his for the ceremony to begin. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

Don’t cry, she kept telling herself. Don’t cry...

Julian took both of Naya's hands. He forced himself not to show any emotion, just like the military had taught him. Show no emotion feel no pain. The hollow words echoed in his mind. He couldn't help but stare at her small hands. The priest stood up, he was a small older man, younger than Sergi but much much older than Julian.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." Julian blocked out most of the words. He loved no one. He cared for Jasper and Jace, he hated beyond words Sergi. Linda he had a soft spot for, but he did not love Naya. He didn't think he ever could. It was time for Naya to say her vows, well... Here goes nothing. Julian didn't hold his breath.

"I, Naya Du Maurier take thee..." her voice trailed off. She stopped.

Julian looked down at her, arching an eyebrow.

"I Naya Du Maurier, take thee... Julian Anderson..."

"Get on with it!" Someone in the crowd whispered loudly.

Naya's face paled and she looked around. "I Naya Du Maurier take thee Julian Anderson to be my lawful wedded husband." She looked like she was going to burst into tears.

Now, Julian's turn. The preacher looked at Julian.

"Julian?" The preacher grumbled.

Julian wanted to get away, he knew he couldn't. To tell the truth this was making him very nervous. "I, Julian Anderson take thee Naya Du Maurier to be my lawful wedded wife."

It was done...

There was no magic...no ‘you may now kiss the bride’, no cheers, no picture-taking, just a quiet ripple of applause. Everyone attending the ceremony knew that this marriage was a marriage of convenience, of business...not of love.

Naya took deep but silent breaths as she and Julian turned to leave together. As they passed the many guests, her eyes suddenly caught a familiar looking man who was sat at the very end. It took her several seconds before she realised who he actually was. Her face instantly paled.

Dr. Richards? What was he doing here?

In an instant her mind brought her back two years ago. She remembered sitting in the man's white-walled office, a glass of water in one hand and two pills in the other...

She immediately shot her head back towards Jace, who was still standing on the raised dais with the others, the dangerous expression that had been plastered on his face throughout the vows now transformed into a ghost of a vengeful smirk. Naya couldn’t believe her eyes.

Julian was arm and arm with Naya. They were married, she was his... Wife. He remembered when Jennifer wanted to play dress up with Jessica. Oh, Jessica... How Julian wished she was here. I wish I could have protected you. /they would play dress up and pretend they were playinng wedding day. Unfortunately it wasn't any type of game for Julian it was pure reality.

They left got outside of the church to see a black limo waiting for them. Julian opened the door for Naya and she was settled inside, he then got into the limo and closed the door. It was going to be a ten minute ride, of such silence.

"To the Anderson Manor." Julian spoke, his voice was deep. The look on his face was stone, it was done. Only a year from now could they split up. A year he wasn't going to make easy for his wifey.