ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗜𝗫𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡
─◌✰್ 𝖺𝗇𝖽
❝𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂?❞

You didn't think you could have imagined a day when Lee Minho was holding your waist, but you didn't like it. And yet, here it was.

A live orchestra played softly as the two of you moved stiffly across the floor for your first - and perhaps last - dance.

They were playing an instrumental version of Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars. You used to love that song when you were in middle school. It was all slow and melancholy, which was exactly what emotional pre-teen you had needed at the time.

Now, it felt like it was mocking you as those stupid wishful lyrics echoed through your head. You hadn't thought about this song in so long, but you used to listen it, thinking about Minho. What a tragedy.

You sighed quietly, turning your head as far away from Minho as was socially acceptable. It was clear that he didn't want to talk to you, it was probably better just to avoid the whole awkward staring thing.

Minho cleared his throat, softly enough not to attract attention. But of course you heard him. He must be feeling awkward too. As hard as you had hoped that things might have changed after yesterday, it was clear it hadn't. Again, foolish of you.

"Something in your throat?" You said through gritted teeth. You didn't want to sound angry or resentful, but you couldn't help it. You chanced a glance at him.

"No," Minho said bluntly. He still avoided your gaze.

You rolled your eyes, turning away again. Hopefully this dance would end soon and you would never have to be this close to him again.

You peered over Minho's shoulder at your friends, who all wore varying expressions of discomfort. JJ was grimacing at you, while Lanhua covered her eyes. Alaska was staring at you two like you were a car crash and she couldn't look away. Mya had a hand over her mouth and Riley's mouth was gaping open. Robin was cringing.

Was it really that bad?

Yeah, it was.

"So..." Minho broke into your thoughts like a bird crashing through a glass window.

Your eyes flicked back to him. He really was infuriatingly handsome. At least you didn't have to worry about your husband being ugly.

"What?" you prompted.

You wondered what could be so important that he would break this painful silence. Minho had never been one to care about awkwardness. He could sit without speaking for hours. You didn't mind the quiet either, but Minho tended to ignore you to purposely make you uncomfortable.

Maybe he wanted to reconcile, properly. After last night, it felt like you'd come to some sort of truce, even if it was unspoken. He said he wanted to trust you. You wanted to trust him, too.

"Have you heard anything else? You know, about Robin and Jisung? I was thinking... maybe we could listen in on everyone together, when we get to the mansion. See if they spill any more secrets."

Your heart instantly sank. So, all he wanted to talk about was other people, and the juicy gossip you'd received. Admittedly, it was really interesting, and you had a knack for pulling information out of people. But you'd really been wanting to talk about something more... personal. Something that had to do with the two of you, for once.

"Uh, no I haven't talked to either of them," you said coldly. "I had a wedding to attend."

"Right..." Minho eyed you in confusion. "Are you uh... okay? You seem tense."

"Yeah Minho, I'm doing great," you snapped. "I'm getting married to someone who refuses to properly talk to me, and the first thing he says is about someone else and their useless drama! So if you'd call that great, then I'm fucking fantastic."

"I- well-" Minho stuttered his shield of perfection breaking. "You know that's not- Tess-"

The song ended, and your parents stood, ready to escort you away from the ceremony and off to the limo.

Your wedding was over. There was to be no reception, no party. Not even a proper wedding night, where you were to be alone with your husband in your new shared bed. You were to be whisked off to the mansion immediately, no pleasantries.

You stepped away from Minho, arms immediately crossing over your chest.

"If I find anything of value to you, I'll tell you. But you can listen in on them by yourself, if that's what you're interested in. Goodbye Minho."

And without waiting for either of your parents, you marched off through the grass towards the gates, where four limos sat parked, waiting for you and the other dating show participants.

Cameramen, who were positioned right outside the gate, began snapping pictures as you approached. Of course they were already here, waiting to capture even an once of valuable footage.

"Tess, wait!" Minho called as he ran to catch up to you.

It looked like the cameramen were right. If they wanted a show, you would give them one.

"Please stop following me!" You called over your shoulder, refusing to break your stride. What did he think he was doing by following you? After all this time ignoring you, he chose now to chase after you? With the cameramen trained on your every move?

"I want to talk to you!" he insisted. "Besides, we have to ride in the same limo anyway! Please stop running!"

"Who said we have to ride together?" you demanded, speeding up. "I don't see anyone assigning us limos, we're not children going on a field trip!"

"Well, I want to ride with you. We need to talk," Minho responded, and you turned to face him, stopping so suddenly he stepped on your feet, causing you to trip.

Before you knew it, Minho's arms were around your waist again, holding you up midair like you were some clumsy damsel in distress, and he was the perfect prince coming to save you.

And oh how you hated it.

He gazed down at you with those strong, steady eyes of his. And for a second, all you could do was stare right back at him, struck speechless by his uncharacteristically kind gesture. If it was anyone else, you would think he was a stand up guy, maybe even a gentleman.

But not Minho. He probably thought it would "look bad" if he let his new bride fall to the ground and she cracked her skull open. How would he get more info on his friends if you were dead?

But his eyes really were pretty. And his arms felt strong and solid around your waist. He most definitely worked out, a lot.

He opened his mouth to speak, and you just stared at his lips, as if in a trance.

"Tess, I-" he began haltingly.

Snapping out of your daze, you instinctively shoved his arms off you, standing upright once more. Something inside of you refused to hear what he had to say. If it was a rejection, it would be too painful. If it was anything else, well... you weren't sure you were mentally prepared.

"Thank you for nearly killing me," you bit out, before making your way towards the limos once more. "But I don't need your assistance."

"Well, I'm still riding in the limo with you," Minho said. "Even if you- if neither of us want to, it's protocol. I'm your husband now."

"Don't remind me," you muttered as you took a seat, scooting as far away from him as you could.

He didn't notice, sitting next to you anyway.

You were joined shortly by Riley and Christopher, who the guards had unceremoniously shoved into your limo. You watched out the window, avoiding Minho's gaze, as Lanhua, Changbin, Jeongin, and Hyunjin sat together in a limo. Jisung, Mya, Alaska, and Felix got into the third one, and Renee, JJ, Seungmin, and Robin took the last.

One cameraman was assigned to each limo as well, sitting in the row behind you all so they could properly film.

Great, just great.

You watched as the cameraman who was assigned to your limo, a half-balding man with huge jowls, made his way towards you.

"Ooh, we get free snacks??" Riley exclaimed, snagging a bag of cookies from a hidden compartment between the seats.

"Aren't you going to offer me anything?" Christopher asked her expectantly.

Riley glowered at him for a moment, but he didn't break eye contact. Her cheeks reddened, and she just nodded, mumbling, "Do you want anything, Chris?"

"I'll take some chips, if they have any, thanks for offering!"

"Yeah, you're so welcome," Riley tossed back sarcastically, throwing a bag across the seat at him.

"Do y'all want anything?" She glanced behind at you and Minho.

"Do they have wine?" you grumbled.

"Yeah, actually!"

"She shouldn't have any wine," Minho cut in, and you glared at him. Was he always trying to ruin your fun?

"Why not?" Chris glanced between the two of you. "I know why Riley shouldn't have any. But it's your wedding. You should celebrate."

"Yeah, you didn't get a wedding after party. Isn't that where you're supposed to get blackout drunk?" Riley frowned, pulling out a bottle of red wine from the cooler. "I'd be down if you are. Fuck the guys and their opinions."

"Oh hell yeah, let's do it," you smirked, holding your hand out to take the bottle.

Minho shook his head, his arm shooting out to intercept you, snatching the bottle. He glanced surreptitiously out the window. Leaning close to you, he whispered, "Can you at least pretend to like me? Just for the ride."

"For the cameras, you mean?" you said curtly. "And what about you? Don't you have to pretend to like me too?"

"I don't-" Minho stopped short, his cheeks suddenly bright red. What was wrong with him?

"You don't, what?" You demanded.

When he didn't respond, you could only come to one conclusion: he still cared too much about his public image, even if he wouldn't admit it.

Nothing had changed. Not his intentions, not his feelings, nothing. Whatever you had felt last night, what you felt during your first dance, meant nothing.

As the cameraman got into the limo behind you and shut the door, the vehicle started moving. You wouldn't be back here for an entire month. And you knew you had to make a decision. Did you want to play nice with your new husband, or did you want to tell him now you really felt?

Finally, under your breath, you said,

"If it matters that much to you, yes, I can."

laska's note —
i actually love this chapter!!! i feel like we get to see how minho's feeling, and it's clear that he's conflicted. does he actually like tessa, or is he just stressed about his public image? he wasn't being very nice during their first dance... as the sixteen contestants arrive at the mansion, what do you think is going to happen??? are we going to get more drama? of course we will!! give me all your thoughts i love to see them!!!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟭𝟳 - 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿.
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