Marculles sat on the edge of the bed in a lightly dim room, curtains swayed with the breeze when a slight movement caught his attention as he turned to look at the figure lying on bed tugged in duvet.

The figure moved a little before groaning, Marcellus quickly shifted towards her and tenderly patted her cheeks "hey" he whispered softly gingerly removing few strands from her face. Claire opened her eyes and squinted them shut before opening them again slowly, her orbs wandered towards the ceiling then window and at last focusing on Marcellus who was looking down at her with frowned eyebrows.

Claire shifted a little on the bed to maintain a distance between him and her which didn't go unnoticed my him as he moved back to his previous place "How are you now?" Marcellus was the one to break the silence first his glare fixed on the floor, "fine" her voice cracked a little due to dry throat Marcellus stood up and passed her a glass of water kept near the bed on a small wooden stool "take sips, no gulps" he instructed which she took gladly, sipping down the water she extended the half empty glass towards him which he kept back on stool.

An eerie silence fell upon the room where none of them spoke for few minutes, Claire fidgited with her duvet bitting down her lips as she looked anywhere but him whereas Marcellus' gazed were fixed on her every movement. He stood near the bed with arms crossed over his broad chest "Why didn't you inform me before" he tilted his head to the right, his jaw clenched endeavoring his best to not burst In anger an emotion which was fighting hard to erupt but he tamed it in.

Marcellus' chest heaved up and down "I believe I asked you something" his curt voice made her shiver "I didn't want you to make fun of me" she mumbled looking down but was heard by him, he paused for a moment to absorb what she said "make fun?" He was astonished by her thought "Have you lost your senses, why would i make fun of someone's fear that is absolutely absurd of you to even think that way".

Claire turned her face away from him and faced the window her lips shivered before she spoke "I didn't want you to think I am weak or have fears" she whispered, her mind ran back to the memory where she drowned, how waves were adamant to submerge her in. Her chain of thoughts were broken when she felt the bed dip a little, Marcellus sat on bed Infront of her but she didn't look at him and kept staring forward "I would never make fun of someone's fear and fears don't make you a weak person they just make you a more human, everyone have fears of some or the other things that doesn't make them weak we are human we are ought to feel emotions and fear is also one of the emotion just like anger, happiness, excitement and more emotions vary In many aspects and they make us human so believe me when I say I wouldn't make fun or look down upon you I mean it".

Claire looked at him for the first time after the whole incident his features were soft compared to those one she was used to and that's when her mind wandered to somewhere, her eyes bulged out, she removed the duvet a little and looked at her changed clothes then back at him horrified before she could utter words Marcellus cut in her between "i called a room service and a female changed your clothes I didn't" he got up to move when he heard a small 'thank you' he just nodded and turned to leave after switching off the lights leaving her in complete darkness "take care" he proceeded to close the door after walking out only to be halted by gasp from the other side.

He pushed the door open confused "Are you alright" his voice echoed in the dark room "switch on the lights" she whispered covering her eyes, Marcellus quickly switched on the lights near her bed then faced "I am scared of darkness as well" she spoke softly looking at him that did chime a bell in his head remembering how her room's lights were on at 4 am when he went to wake her up. He bit his tongue before stalking towards the door, he turned around reaching the door "is there anything else i am unaware of" he glared at her to which she shook her head timidly "I am leaving this door open and I am in the next room" He spoke conveying her the message that he is there in next room as an assurance and left.

Claire slid in her duvet pulling it up to her chin she faced the window, water hitting the shore could be heard from far at night when she tried to sleep but it felt far away.

~~●●~~

Next day Claire woke up with the aroma of freshly made omelette, she opened her eyes and was graced by breakfast next to her bed on tray and soon after Marcellus walked in with a glass of orange juice "Your breakfast" he kept the glass on tray before sitting on bed "How are you feeling now".

"Better than before" she spoke softly getting out of bed, Marcellus raised his eyebrows "I have to brush my teeth first" Claire replied to the silent question he had in his mind and went straight to the bathroom while Marcellus took out his phone to check the mails waiting for her.

She walked out of the bathroom making her way to bed, placing the tray on her lap she sat crossed leg on bed "thank you" She passed a small smile towards him to which he just nodded keeping his phone aside whilst she sipped the juice first. Marcellus after few minutes cleared his throat before speaking "one of my business acquaintance has organised a party where all the other renowned names of business field will be present" he paused as Claire nodded her head chewing the food "We both have to be present you are invited as well" Claire frowned listening to this, she kept the toast back on plate "me?" She asked wiping her hands on the napkin "Why am i invited, he is your business acquaintance not mine".

"I know but you are my wife so I guess its obvious you would be invited" he replied as if that's the most illogical question she asked "But they don't know i am your wife, wasn't it all a secret" Claire sat straight looking at him clasping her hand together "so you are with me in the same suite but you aren't my wife?" His voiced laced with irritation "people aren't fool here, if we both are in same suite then you either must be my girlfriend or a wife and in both cases you are related to me somehow".

Claire finished her juice and dabbed her mouth with a napkin nodding to whatever he said "You can't go alone?" She asked, Marcellus shook his head "Everyone there would be with their spouse, he specifically arranged the party for this since we are newly married everyone will be looking forward to meet you and i am a very reputed person in this business field can't let them even sniff that we are in fake relationship, it could tarnish mine as well as my company's goodwill" he stood up running a hand through his hair "and one more thing we are leaving tomorrow" Claire's eyes got wide "We are leaving tomorrow, why so soon" she asked to which he narrowed his eyes at her "i told you we are here only for two or three days".

"But I literally packed two bags and didn't get to wear any of my outfits" she whined grabbing the duvet "your fault I informed you before, moreover had you not drowned we would have visited other places" he shrugged "Where you could have worn your dresses".

"Not my fault okay" she snapped, Marcellus shook his head "I have to go for meeting and will return by the evening, if you feel well enough then we can go to the party or else its fine" saying this he walked out closing the door behind. Claire spent rest of the day reading the novel she brought with herself and folding her clothes to pack the bag, in all this time her mind kept switching to the probability of her going to party huffing she picked up a flower from the ivory vase kept on the table and started plucking its petals "I should go" she plucked the first petal and kept it on her lap "I should not go" she plucked another petal before placing it on her lap. This continued till she reached the last petal "I should go" the petal was plucked, the answer was clear, she slowly picked up the petals in her palm and opened the middle page of the novel that she was reading and kept them in it.

Soon it was seven in evening when she heard the front door open knowing it was Marcellus she padded her way to the hall and was greeted by the hot profile of him in his suit, Claire ogled at him as he spoke something but no voice could be heard only his lips were moving she kept looking at him frowning before he snapped a finger Infront of her eyes bringing her to reality "Huh?" she whispered moving back a little "I asked what have you decided" his smirk at the end caused her to be embarrassed.

Why can't you focus for once in your life.

Claire cleared her throat "Yeah we can go" she shuttered and mentally smacked her forehead for that "Okay meet me here in thirty minutes" saying this he went to his room while Claire walked in to her room to change, rummaging through different outfits she finally decided to wear a black midi that reached just above her knees and flats with straps tied around her ankle, she ditched wearing heels since it would be difficult to walk on sand and walking like a duck would be the last thing she wanted. Checking herself out in front of mirror she let her hair fall down on her back, finishing her look by applying light pink tint on her lips she walked out of her room where Marcellus was already present scrolling through his phone.

He was cladded in grey denim jeans paired with a white t shirt and black leather jacket over it, for footwear he chose white sneakers. His hair messy yet styled, he stopped scrolling when he heard footsteps approaching him he tilted his head up and his eyes met hers. His orbs scanned her from head to toe before settling on her face, Marcellus got up from sofa fixing his jacket as he stalked towards her who stood there awkwardly while he approached her.

Marcellus tenderly grabbed the strap of her dress between his thumb and forefinger, his fingers rubbing against the fabric "Dress is short and fabric is thin its's not going to protect you from cold outside" he dropped the strap stepping back "I would advice you wear a jacket or something over it" Claire waved her hand dismissively shaking her head in negative "Oh i am going to be fine" he shrugged at her response not caring enough and turned to leave "Lets go".

Upon reaching the party Claire was greeted by lights and music blasting from the two large speakers adjacent to each other, a big counter for drinks which had all the different types of soft drinks to liquor, tables and chairs covered with light blue silk cloth. The area was bustling with people, Claire literally had a whip lash when she felt a warm hand wrapped around her waist she shifted a little but was pulled closer by Marcellus "Stay close" he whispered when a man approached them with a huge smile plastered on his face and hands spread apart ready for a hug "Good to see you Marcellus" he gave a side hug to Marcellus before turning to see Claire "And this pretty lady must be your wife" he smiled taking her hand for a shake "Yes she is my wife Dennis" Marcellus smiled looking at Claire while she passed an awkward smile nodding.

Did he smile looking at me?

"Man this was so secret you didn't even let anyone get a whiff of you getting married" Dennis shook his head smiling "Yeah she wants to keep it a little secret, she isn't very fond of all the gathering and attention people receive on weddings" Marcellus half laughed "right sweetheart" his sentence made her choke on her saliva as started to cough covering her mouth "Honey you alright" Marcellus faked his concern grabbing her face trying his best to not laugh "yeah i am alright" She gave tight lipped smile to Dennis who was looking at both of them with a questioning look.

"How you guys exactly met" Dennis questioned grabbing a drink from the near by tray.

"In the cafe"

"On the street"

Both spoke in unison then looked at eachother horrified it was pretty obvious who spoke what "I meant in a café near the street" Marcellus chuckled "yeah in a cafe he saw me for the first time and fell in love with me instantly, it was love at first sight for him" Claire smiled at him to which Marcellus nodded bitting down his bottom lip.

"Great" Dennis laughed "congrats both of you, enjoy yourself I need to find my wife don't know where she went" Dennis patted Marcellus' back and dashed out to look for his wife.

Claire's eyes roamed around the place as she took a deep breath, facing Marcellus she raised her eyebrows "You can leave my waist now" she flattered a smug smile towards him when he immediately retrieved his hands from her waist "so who was he?" She asked while walking forward to find a seat "he was Dennis one of my business partner with whom my company is working on our upcoming project, this party is thrown by him" Marcellus replied shoving his hands in his jeans pocket and she hummed in response while she kicked the sand "I see you do have clothes other than those boring suits you wear everytime" she chuckled.

Marcellus raised his perfectly arched eyebrows in amusement "Boring! Well we will consider it boring when you stop ogling me whenever you see me in suit" He smirked looking at her wide eyed expression "I don't ogle" she whisper yelled taking a step back when her back collided with the tray a waiter was holding to serve drinks making the drinks to spill as the waiter lost his balance "I am so sorry" she apologized moving aside "Clumsy" Marcellus muttered to himself that caused him to gain a glare from her which he ignored by rolling his eyes.

They both occupied a table when after sometime a waiter placed a drink on their table, Marcellus looked up from his phone to the drink then back at the waiter who was holding a small yellow coloured square shaped paper. He passed the paper to Marcellus and pointed at his back to a girl standing near the counter in a purple midi with side slit and her blonde locks curled on her shoulder, she waved at Marcellus grinning.

Marcellus frowned looking at waiter then gestured him to take the drink back "Who is she?" Claire asked focusing her eyes on the girl near the counter "I don't know" he shrugged typing something on his phone while Claire scanned the girl drumming her fingers on the table "psst" she nudged him with her elbow, he rotated his head towards her raising his eyebrow "she is gawking at you" Claire mumbled to him and Marcellus gazed at her direction when the girl smiled at him twirling the strand of her hair on her finger internally Marcellus groaned rolling his eyes and held his hand up in an attempt to show her his engagement ring.

"Hmm do you want me to help you?" Claire narrowed her eyes at the girl "And what will you do?" He asked looking back and forth between the girl and Claire "I can make her go" She picked up an empty glass from the table and bent down to sunk rim of the glass into the sand to collect little bit of it , satisfied with the amount of sand she got up "watch me" Claire bought two fingers near her eyes then pointed them back to Marcellus before stalking towards the girl.

"Hey!" She waved at the girl after approaching her "i have been watching you for the past few minutes I think you are crushing on that handsome guy over there" she pointed at Marcellus who sat there clueless "I am his friend, you can wave at him to grab his attention" the girl turned to wave upon getting a chance Claire quickly poured the sand into her drink then mixed it with her finger.

Eww this Is gross but whatever helps to get her out of here.

Marcellus' eyes gotten wide upon watching Claire pouring sand in the drink. Claire winked at him and shrugged to herself "If you want I can talk to him on your behalf" she spoke while the girl nodded "You can?" Claire flipped her hair back smiling "ofcourse I can, what is your name?" grabbing a soft drink she asked "my name is Elsa".

"Elsa, okay I will talk to him" Claire picked her drink and left while Elsa grabbed hers to sip just as the drink washed down her throat, sand granules got in which immediately made her to spit the drink and run out to wash her mouth. Claire smirked walking to Marcellus "Told you" She sat on her seat facing him "You are an evil incarnated as a human" He shook his head trying hard to not smile "sure" She shrugged sipping her drink when a sudden shiver ran down her spine causing goosebumps on her hands, she rubbed her palm on her arm feeling cold.

Marcellus noticed this "I told you to wear jacket but obviously why would you even listen to me" getting up he removed his jacket and kept it on her shoulders "but what will you do now, won't you feel cold" she asked eyeing his t shirt to which he rolled his eyes grabbing a golden coloured liquor from the tray and bought it up to his face as a gesture to show that the drink can bring warmth before sipping the bitter liquid.

Claire narrowed her eyes at him "You know what I will try as well" she moved forward to grab another glass "Have you ever tried before" Marcellus asked keeping his hand on her elbow in an attempt to stop her "Nope but everyday we must try something new, so here it is" she picked up the glass to cheer and gulped down the liquid in one go before gagging "It's so bitter" she grimaced bitting her lip "Don't drink" Marcellus tried to stop her but she already had another drink down her throat, he glared at her keeping his glass down on table when she started laughing suddenly "It's not that bad" she swayed a little then forwarded her hand to grab another one but was stopped by Marcellus, he quickly grabbed her hand to stop.

She looked at him bemused as she blinked pouting her lips then smiled leaning closer to him causing him to lean back slightly, she bought her forefinger to his face and ran It down from the bridge of his nose to his chin "You are so hot" she hiccupped and chuckled that made him pause, his eyes fixed on her face "but an obnoxious human as well so that makes you-" She tapped her chin pretending to thing "yeah an asshole" She laughed throwing her head back and loosing balance at the same time ready to grace the floor but Marcellus immediately grabbed her bringing her closer, he removed the strand away from her face when she collided with his chest "that's what you think of me?" He asked softly.

"Uhun and more, I wonder why you are always so uptight around me but smile with others, why are you so rude but concering at the same time" she pouted her lips frowned looking up at him, his adam apple bobbed as he gulped "lets go to hotel you are drunk" he made her stand but her feet were wobbly so he kept his one hand under her thigh and one on her back before carrying her in his arm "lets go" he started to walk towards the exit "No no no stop I can walk put me down" she whined hitting on his shoulder "keep your mouth shut Claire" She gasped "did you take my name for the first time".

This made Marcellus to halt and gaze down at her, yes he never took her name before it was either pronouns or any other words but never her name "No I took that squirrel's name" he referred to the small squirrel on the ground chewing something "a squirrel oh my god lets take it home they are so cute" she rotated her head towards the squirrel when she heard him chuckling.

After twenty minutes of him carrying her and listening to her non stop prate they both reached the suite "Stay put" he kept her down to unlock the door while holding her hand with his other hand so she doesn't fall, upon entering Claire walked to the sofa swaying"I don't want to sleep, switch on the tv" he stood their with his hands crossed across his chest "Why are you standing switch it on" her words slurred with droopy eyes. Marcellus breathed out "what do you want to watch" he asked surfing through the channels "spongebob" she chuckled covering her mouth with her palm when Marcellus threw a peculiar look at her way "spongebob?" He asked bemused "It's not there" he turned to look at her forming his lips in a thin line.

"Put barbie and the fashion fairytale" she stood on the table glaring at him, he searched for the barbie movies in kid section and he found one. Playing the movie he moved back to her when she started to sway on her feet. Claire sang along the theme song of the movie.

A simple form, the perfect line,
It's coming together in your mind.
A satin bow, electric blue,
Isn't it something? Just like a dream come true!

She held the remote as a microphone near her lips.

A ruffle there, magenta here,
Feels like magic in cashmere!
Pop it with a pair of neon heels!
That's how fearless feels!

Marcellus stood there looking at her moving her body to the song he was surprised that she knew the whole lyrics to the song "ouch" her leg slipped from the table making her to trip forward "Okay now that's enough" he grabbed her by throwing her over his shoulder and carried her to her room in between her protest and punches he kept her on bed "sleep" tugging her in the duvet he proceeded to turn the lights off and switch the lamp on near the bed "aww you saved me" she giggled when he tugged her in for a moment they both had an eye contact because of the proximity where his eyes momentarily casted down on her soft plum lips but he quickly backed off making her disappointed "do you not think I am beautiful?" She mumbled frowning "sleep Claire" he looked up when he didn't receive an answer from her side only to find her fast asleep, sighing he sat at the edge of the bed as he tenderly grabbed her feet to unfasten the straps of her footwear and placed them on the floor before exiting the room.

In the morning Claire woke up with a sharp pain shooting through her head, she held her head in her palm squinting her eyes shut "lord" she gritted her teeth ready to pull her hair "take these pills" Marcellus walked In with two pills In his palm and a glass of water, he offered it to her which she took gladly and gulped down the pills with water before passing the glass back to him "thank you".

Marcellus nodded sitting on bed "so you think I am hot?" he asked after sometime only for her to break her neck with the force she raised her head to look at him "who told you that" she was stunned "certainly some princess came to my room and whispered it into my ear" Marcellus chuckled which made Claire to narrow her eyes at him "must be blind" she spoke in distaste "uhun so you consider yourself blind" He shifted closer to her just an inch away from her face "You are telling me my presence has no effect on you, hmm?" his nose rubbed slightly against hers as his fingers traced her palm on the duvet.

Claire sucked in a breath "no" she whispered when he moved even more close, his mouth dropped down to her lips, he pressed his lips gingerly at corner of her mouth. His lips lingered there for a while before he retrieved himself back smirking at her flushed face "come out for the breakfast" he smiled stalking out of the room leaving her perplexed.