The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience Novel

Daniel is gone when I wake up, but I’m sure he spent all night with me. I don’t remember the last time I slept so peacefully.

I brush my teeth and wash my face before slipping on my silk robe. It matches my nightgown perfectly, and it’s always made me feel like a queen. I tie the sash around my waist and follow my nose to the kitchen.

To my surprise, Daniel is standing behind the stove, frying bacon in one pan and eggs in another. I lean back against the doorframe, silently admiring the view. He’s still only wearing his pyjama bottoms. I hate to admit that he looks sexy as hell.

It takes me a few minutes to realise that I’m not the only one ogling Daniel. Lucy is leaning against one of the kitchen counters, looking at Daniel appreciatively. She’s barely wearing anything. I’m fond of skimpy nightgowns, but hers cannot be called a nightgown at all. Not even remotely.

“I didn’t know you could cook, Daniel. You’re a man of many talents, huh?” she says. I bite back a smile when he ignores her. I walk into the pantry and grab one of the aprons, purposely picking the hot pink one that Mary loves, to mess with him. I walk up to him and place my palm on his lower back. He shifts out of my reach with an angry scowl on his face, startling me. I freeze and almost drop the apron I’m holding. I ignore the brief jab of pain in my chest and the sudden feeling of rejection. It makes no sense for me to feel this way.

“Oh, Alyssa. Sorry,” he says. He brushes my hair out of my face gently and smiles. “I didn’t realise it was you. Hungry?”

I nod and hand him the apron. “Wear this. The oil might splash on you.” My eyes subconsciously move towards Lucy and Daniel follows my gaze.

“Hmm,” he says, taking the apron from me with a smile. My heart skips a beat when I take in his chest and abs. His lower abs taper into a V and I struggle to drag my eyes away from his body. He’s stupidly hot. I knew he was muscular underneath his suits, but I never realised quite how much. I wish I’d taken the time to appreciate how his body felt against mine last night. I breathe a sigh of relief when he finally puts on the apron, covering most of his body. To my knowledge, Daniel hasn’t spent many nights here since he moved into his downtown apartment. He was certainly never here when I was. I’m pretty sure I’d remember him wandering around the house half-naked.

I feel strangely possessive. I don’t want Lucy staring at him the way she was, even though our marriage isn’t real. Daniel finishes cooking breakfast with a bright smile on his face and I start to set the table.

“How come you’re cooking today?” I ask.

“Sundays are family days, remember? Most of the staff have the day off. Usually my mum would’ve cooked, but I was up earlier so I thought I might as well.”

I nod and help him place the food on the table as Mary and Dominic come strolling in. Just like Daniel, Dominic is wearing only pyjama bottoms, but it’s different somehow. Dominic is far leaner than Daniel is and I guess I just got used to seeing Dominic like this.

Yeah, that must be what it is. The reason my heart fluttered was because I’m not used to seeing Daniel half-naked.

Daniel takes off his apron and takes his seat opposite me. We all dig in to our food and though I’m trying my best not to, I keep catching myself staring at him. The way his muscles move when he reaches for something and his messy bed hair… I’ve never noticed him the way I do now. I guess it’s because I’ve not seen him in such an informal setting in years. He’s always in work mode, regardless of whether I see him at the office or at my house with my dad. This is the first time in years that I’ve seen him looking so… relaxed, and so casually dressed. He’d usually spend his weekends at his apartment. I haven’t seen him here in a really long time.

Dominic clears his throat and both Lucy and I look at him, startled. “I said have you settled in okay?” he snaps.

My eyes widen, and I nod. What’s he so pissed off about? “Yes, thanks for asking.”

“You might want to change rooms, though,” Daniel says. “There are plenty of other guest rooms, so just pick whichever one you want.”

I nod at him, my mood plummeting. The last thing I want is to hear Lucy and Dominic again. If her staying over is going to be a regular occurrence, then choosing a new room isn’t a bad idea.

“What? Why would you pick a new room? The room you’re in has been yours since we were kids.”

Daniel levels him with a pointed stare. “You and your girlfriend kept us up most of the night with your little show.”

Dominic blanches and looks at me with wide eyes. “You heard us?” he asks. I look away and take a sip of my tea, unsure how to reply.

He looks at his brother, confused. “But how did you… did you two… were you together?”

Daniel crosses his arms and stares his brother down. “Alyssa lost her father and just moved into a new place. Her best friend, the one person she should’ve been able to count on, was too busy screwing his girlfriend to realise she shouldn’t be left alone. Of course I was there to console her. The question is, why weren’t you?”

I look up in surprise. He went as far as making it a rule for me to keep my distance from Dominic, yet now he’s berating him for doing just that?

“Did you know she read a letter last night that her father left her? You’re so preoccupied with yourself that you haven’t even taken the time to ask her if she’s okay.”

Dominic looks down in shame. “I’m sorry, Alyssa. He’s right. I’ve been a terrible friend. Let me make it up to you.”

I shake my head. “It’s fine, Nic. You had other things on your mind. I understand.”

And I do understand. I’m not a priority in his life. Not anymore. I can’t keep pitying myself or keep vying for his attention. Enough is enough. Friendship isn’t something I should ever have to beg for.

“Moving rooms isn’t a bad idea, Daniel. I’ll have a look at the other rooms. Thank you for suggesting it.”

I smile at him, and he nods at me. When the awkward silence becomes too much to bear, I get up and take my dishes to the kitchen. I rinse them and load them into the dishwasher while Dominic hovers around me. I ignore him and walk back to my room, but he’s hot on my heels. I’m angry and want to slam my door in his face, but he’s too quick.

I groan and sit down on my bed as he stares at me pleadingly.

“I’m sorry, okay.”

I nod. “I said it was fine, didn’t I?”

Dominic chuckles. “Fine? Fine? We both know it isn’t fine when you say it’s ‘fine’.”

I sigh. “What do you expect me to say, Dominic? Daniel’s right. You weren’t there. You haven’t been there for me in months. When is the last time you and I even had a private conversation? You didn’t even drive me to my house from my father’s funeral. You didn’t accompany me to the reading of the will even though I asked you to and you didn’t check up on me last night. You’ve made it quite clear that you don’t give a damn about my wellbeing. What exactly do you expect me to say, huh?”

The fight leaves him and he sits down on the floor in front of me. He grabs my hands and entwines them with his.

“I’ve been a terrible friend. Lucy has just been so insecure about you and reassuring her has meant continuously letting you down. The bond between us has always been strong, so I knew we’d be fine. Both of us keep being dumped because of our friendship… I didn’t want that to happen this time, but I also didn’t mean to hurt you the way I did. I’m so sorry, Alyssa. It’s hard for me to find the right balance between you and her. It’s hard for me to keep you both happy.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

“Nic, I’m not asking you to choose me over her. I’ve never asked that of you, nor have I ever expected it. All I wanted was for you to look out for me a little, but you haven’t. You haven’t been there. It’s like you don’t even care. I was there for you when your dad died, but now that I’m in the same situation, you’re not there for me.”

“You’re right. I know you are. Please, Alyssa. Please give me a chance to make it up to you? Let’s go get some ice cream tonight, just you and me. Just like the good old days?”

I nod reluctantly, hoping he won’t let me down yet again.