Arabella nodded softly, thanking him quietly before she made her way out the back door and into the yard she so loved. She wanted to plant a garden for herself, just to give her something to do and to love. This house was empty and lonely and she didn’t like it.
It was nearly dark before she returned to the warmth of the indoors. Her face was flushed from the cold, nose and cheeks pink. But her eyes were swollen as if she had been crying for hours on end - which was exactly what had happened.
Arabella wanted love. She wanted to be held. She wanted to be moving on in life happily. She was so young and already married. She didn’t want this… she wanted affection and kisses and love and a free life.
When she came back in, Asher wasn't in his office anymore, the young Fae had gone into a room that Arabella hadn't yet been shown. This room had some of the best acoustics of any in the house, and it was where he kept his piano. He was playing it, had been playing it for the last hour or more. His eyes were closed, and he was playing by memory. It was a beautiful, haunting, melancholy song. The door had been left slightly ajar, and faint strains of music echoed through the house as he played.
He kept playing, head moving slightly to the rhythm of the music as his hands flew over the keys, feet working the pedals. He had sheet music, over on nearby shelves, but for now he didn't want to use it. He was simply playing by memory.
Arabella fell in love with the music the second she heard it. She wandered the large house to find the source of the music, stopping when she arrived at the slightly cracked door. She peeked inside to see the beautiful piano and the equally as beautiful man playing it. She listened in for a moment, closing her eyes and letting the music soothe her troubled soul.
She felt better already despite the headache beginning to throb after her intense crying session. Her mood calmed and her sadness disappeared.
Asher didn't notice her come close, and kept playing for a while, before the song finally ended. His fingers lingered on the keys for a long moment, before they drifted back down to his lap. He ran his hand along the top of the piano. It was a grand piano, white, where most pianos were black, making it stand out. The room was painted in matching shades of cream and white, giving the whole room a calm, beautiful look. He let out a soft sigh, and closed the lid of the piano over the keys. He should stop now, though he didn't want to.
The young woman opened her eyes as the song ended, her face soft and kind as she quietly entered the room.
“You are a beautiful pianist…” she said quietly, pulling her jacket tighter around her small frame. “Can you play for me again sometime?” She asked softly, awkwardly as she stood in the doorframe. “I would love to hear you play some more and it calms me.”
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
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.
“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.
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.”
