Asher jumped slightly, turning to her. "I…thank you." He said quietly. "If you want me to, then of course." I haven't played for someone else in…a very long time. He thought. He walked over to her, looking at her face, his eyebrows drawing together worriedly. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He asked, eyes flickering over her in concern.
“I can’t love you...” Reposting this here (O/O|Romance|Closed|)
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She nodded very gently and held herself. “I would love it if you played for me, Asher.” She mumbled softly, still avoiding his eye.
Arabella sighed at his question and shook her head, rubbing her face. Did she look like she had been crying for hours? Yes. Did it bother her? More than it should have. She couldn’t show him how unhappy she was in this marriage. She had to stay strong.
“I’m fine. It was just cold outside.” She lied smoothly. No weakness… she couldn’t let him know… not ever…
He nodded. He frowned slightly. "It's only early fall. Still technically fall." He said slowly, glancing at the window, then back at her. She's Human. They can lie. Fae couldn't lie. Not the sort of baldfaced, outright lies Humans could. They were adepts at bending or distorting the truth, but could not lie the way a human could.
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“I said it was cold is all.” She replied a little more harshly, but wouldn’t let him see her face. She was glad that fae couldn’t lie. He couldn’t keep any secrets from her, not that she cared much. He could be going out with another woman and she wouldn’t mind. Maybe he would love that woman and be happy…
Her eyes drifted down her wedding ring, a beautiful thing he had picked for her. She loved it very much, finding it gorgeous, but it was still a wedding ring and still a reminder that she wasn’t loved. “Hey, Asher… if you ever wanted to go out with another women, please tell me and I’ll let you… it’s not fair to you to be tied down to me. I know you don’t like me.”
Asher rubbed a hand over his face. "Arabella…" He sighed. "I wouldn't do that. But if you have a lover, or if you find someone else…you are welcome to do as you wish. You can leave the house to go out if you wish. I don't mind." He sighed softly. "Besides…the only person I have ever loved is dead now." He looked at the piano for a long moment, finding that he didn't want to see her face when she heard.
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She shook her head and sighed sadly, holding herself. “No one will love a woman tied down. I would have to become a prostitute to get any man to look at me.” She murmured softly, looking at Asher as he spoke again. Her face paled and her eyes dulled as she looked away from him, bitter once more. “So I’ve heard… I’m sorry I am not them.” She murmured bitterly, turning to walk out the door. He probably didn’t want to see her anyways.
“Have a good night Asher. You can always take the bed… the couch isn’t comfortable and I am an intruder upon your home. Use the bed this time, I know sleeping besides me is… not ideal.”
Asher sighed softly. "Arabella…I am sorry." He said. "That you are stuck with me. That you didn't get a choice in it. I really am." His voice was quiet. It shouldn't be like this. Marriage should be for love. Not for…this. She is miserable. He ran a hand along the piano.
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She looked back to him, tears threatening to fall once more. “Neither of us should be going through this…” she murmured softly, looking up at him.
And then suddenly she was hugging him, her face buried in his chest, tears streaming down her face. She needed comfort, a hug, anything. “Please, Let’s try and at least be kind to each other. Let’s try and be friendly…”
He froze for a long moment, then hugged her back gently. "Alright." He said softly. "Alright." He rubbed her back gently. "I'm sorry if I have been cold. I'm just…I never thought I would be married." He sighed softly, rubbing her back slightly. "I know you didn't choose this, and i am sorry if I have hurt you by being distant. That was not my intention."
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Arabella slowly relaxed against him. They could at least be friends right? Even if she resented him? They could be friendly towards each other… not as cold… that was an awful way to live. “No… I understand. I don’t want to dislike you either but it’s so hard when we were forced into this. I’ll try to be kinder but I’m not guaranteeing anything…”
Her emotions were a mess. But by morning she’d be back to her usually cold self, trying her hardest to at least smile at him. They’d work slowly.
The Fae male's sharp sense of smell could still catch the sharp scent of dislike, but he knew that that wouldn't be changed just by a single hug and a few words. That was fine. He would be worried if that was all it had taken for her to like him. "That reminds me…my parents want us over for dinner tomorrow." He said softly. "There will be a few of our business partners there, too. I'm sorry." He looked down at her, gold eyes nearly expressionless. He was sorry, and that much did come through in his eyes, but no other emotion.
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She stepped away from him, her emerald eyes wet and shining. “That is alright… is it more business?” She asked with a bitter taste in her mouth. She didn’t like the business side of things. She much preferred to go off and do her own.
Asher nodded. "Yes." The public thought they were in love. Thought it had been a whirlwind romance, that they got married for love. He had seen the gossip about what their home life must be like. His business partners likely all thought the same. Himself, Arabella, and their families were the only ones that knew different. That knew this whole thing was a facade, that they weren't in love and might never be.
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She groaned lightly and rubbed at her face. “So we’ll have to pretend to be happily married…?” She asked softly, looking up at him with dull eyes. It was obvious she wasn’t happy and she probably would never be happy.
Arabella hated to pretend to love him. They had to exchange kisses and hug each other like they meant it. She didn’t like the close contact. He was basically a stranger to her.
Asher nodded. This is going to kill her. Pretending like this for the rest of her life. He realized. There isn't any escape for her. I can throw myself into my work. I could even go out and find someone else. She can't. She's stuck here, a trophy wife. "I'm sorry, Arabella." He said. "It's only for a few hours, I promise."
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She waved him away. “It’s alright… it’s something we have have to do. There’s no use complaining about it. After all, you have a reputation to uphold.” She murmured.
Arabella’s eyes drifted to the door. “Would you like me to make something for dinner? I know it’s late but you’re probably starved.”
Asher shrugged. He sighed softly. "You don't have to cook anything. I-er, we, have servants who can do that." He didn't have many, hadn't ever wanted many. There was a groundskeeper, a few maids, and a cook or two. That was it. His home was small, compared to his parents, though it was still large in comparison to any other house.
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“I like to cook… can I at least make tonight’s dinner?” She asked with pleading eyes. It wasn’t often that she got to cook but she loved it all the same. To her it was freedom, something she could do.
“And then I will let the cooks do their job.”
Asher sighed, looking down at her. "Okay." He replied simply. "You can." He hesitated. "Do you want to go anywhere later? I won't come along if you don't want me to. But it's not good for you to stay cooped up in this house alone." His gold eyes met hers.
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She sighed heavily, happy she was able to do something. And then he offered her a night alone, a night she could go out. But was it safe? No, of course not. The news might be all over them, asking about their ‘perfect’ life together.
“I would love something to do… could we just go for a walk? A little fresh air sounds nice.”
Asher nodded. "Alright." He hesitated for a moment. "You don't have to stay home all the time you know. You're allowed to go out if you want." He said softly. He didn't want her to feel trapped. Likely she would no matter what he did, simply because of this marriage, but he wanted to give her as much freedom as possible.
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She looked him up and down, tilting her head. “I can go out? You’d let me?” Her parents never let her leave the house without an escort… she was surprised that he was so willing to let her go.
“I can go for walks in the morning right? You wouldn’t mind?”
He nodded. "Yeah. I don't want you to be trapped here. That's no way to live. You can take walks, I don't mind. Just be careful, and don't get hurt." He told her gently. "If you want mace or pepper spray, just in case, I can get you some." He looked over at the piano again. "If you need anything, just let me know."
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She tilted her head and looked up to him in curiosity. He was kinder now, less cold towards her. She noticed that he looked at her more. “Thank you, I think some mace would be good to have.” She murmured, smiling up at him softly.
He nodded. "Alright. I'll pick it up for you later, then. I actually have a meeting I have to get to in an hour. It should only last about an hour or so, and then I'll be back." He ran a hand along the piano again, fingers lingering against the white pained wood. Peri helped me pick this out… He shook the thought off quickly.
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She nodded gently and watched him with sad eyes. She wasn’t who he wanted… the person he wanted was dead. She couldn’t be someone he could love.
Arabella silently left the room, not wanting to disturb him. She flopped onto the couch and groaned loudly.
Asher sighed softly, and went upstairs to their bedroom to get ready, changing into a suit and combing his hair again, quiet. I wish it didn't have to be like this. Arabella should have a chance to fall in love with someone, not spend the rest of her life stuck with me.
(How do we want their relationship to change? Like how fast?)
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Arabella groaned softly again as she sat up, looking around with sad eyes. The house was nice and her husband was handsome and rich. She had everything a girl could ever want but… she felt empty.
What good was material value when you had no emotion or love behind any of it…?
(I’d say amount as fast as you’d like it. We can take it slow or we could jump right in)
Asher finished up, brushing his teeth, then headed out to the car. He didn't need a chauffeur, preffering to drive himself wherever he needed to go. It was only when he needed to show off that he would use a chauffeur to get places.
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Arabella stood when she heard his car pull away. She watched through the window as he drove off, growing saddened to be left alone again. She moved to their bedroom and pulled her art supplies out, grabbing a new canvas and setting it all up in the living room.
She loved to paint and was quite good at it.