Chapter 2: Here comes the groom...or not
"Will you stop trying to get away from me?" Pepper dimmed her eyes. He was a weirdo but a handsome gay weirdo. "I have a presentation to get back to. Can we get this marriage over with?"
"Oh, no...you are the one I am supposed to 'marry'... come on!" Asher said. He air quoted the marry part.
"Yes. Can we get it over with? And don't act like you are not getting something out of it. Nobody is forcing you to be here"
"Loosen up! You are taking the fun out of this! you are way too serious" Asher told her "it's just a game"
"It's not a game. It's my life"
Asher wanted to say something about relaxation to her when their file number was called.
Pepper smiled brightly and grabbed his hand tightly...too tightly
"Come on, honey... let's get married"
"You are hurting my fingers!" Asher complained.
"Oh, suck it up...you whimpering infant!"
Asher tilted his head to the right, did she just call him a whimpering infant?
***********
Pepper stared at the marriage license for roughly two seconds before she dropped it inside her suitcase. She had a presentation to get to.
She drove off and she knew it would take about ten minutes to get to the KWX group regional office and thirty minutes to round off the presentation in time to visit her dying grandfather in the hospital.
Soon, she was outside her office and June was waiting for her there.
As soon as Pepper got down from the car, June ran to greet her in excitement.
"Show me the ring! Show me the ring!" Junie jumped up and down like a child with a new doll.
She grabbed Pepper's ring finger and raised it up for display. There was no ring.
"There is no ring" the smile left her face.
"Apparently, my husband doesn't believe in rings!" Pepper declared and kept walking.
"Huh?" June was surprised. She was also rooted to the ground.
"He forgot the rings! How romantic!" Pepper yelled loud enough for June to hear.
"Congratulations!" June said but it sounded more like a question.
Pepper almost bumped into a coworker
"Whatever, at least now...my grandfather can die" Pepper yelled and the coworker turned to look at her.
"Oh please, mind your business" she snapped at the innocent girl.
Pepper crushed the presentation but it was too late for a hospital visit, so she went home instead.
She opened her door and entered. She thought that by now, her roommate would be there waiting to move in. He wasn't.
Pepper used the time to soak herself in a bath. She was drying her body when she heard the doorbell.
She quickly wore something decent and went to open the door.
"Hello. You must be Pepper" The handsome tall man by her door told her.
"Maybe. Who are you?" Pepper asked him.
"I am Keller, I am your roommate. Can I come in?"
Pepper blinked and looked at him.
"No, you are not"
"Yes, I am. June interviewed me a few days ago and she said that in exchange for a lower rent, that I would consent to a brief marriage to you" Keller explained to her.
"That's weird because I got married... today...this morning at the courthouse. Would you please excuse me?" Pepper went inside and took her phone. She dialed June's number.
"Hey, pepper I am…"
"What is the name of my husband?"
"Keller…"
Pepper gasped "Then who the hell is Asher and why did I marry him?"
"You married who?"
Junie asked but the line was dead already.
Pepper went back to the door. She was breathing really fast.
"Are you alright?" Keller asked her.
"No. No, I am not alright. I think...I think I am about to have my first panic attack" Pepper kept breathing fast.
Keller pushed his way into her apartment to grab a paper bag. He found one and gave it to her.
"Breathe into the bag"
Pepper took the bag from him and did exactly as he asked.
As soon as Keller saw that she was calming down, he asked her some questions.
"What is going on, Pepper?"
"My Gramps is dying"
"Sorry?" Keller was confused.
"That is confusing. I probably... should start my story from the beginning…" Pepper alternated between breathing into the paper bag and talking.
"I was born in August…"
"The beginning?" Keller asked her. It was going to be a long night.
"Or do you prefer I start from five days ago when my life really went to shit!" Pepper asked him.
"Yes" Keller replied too fast.
"Okay. So, five days ago I was supposed to receive a promotion at work" Pepper started.
"Congratulations" Keller said too fast.
"I didn't get... it's what caused this problems"
*******
Five days earlier