by Holly Rayner
I’m going to marry Dimitris! she thought, as she put down her purse and then walked to the fridge. She pulled out a water bottle and opened it, while still humming.
It took her a moment to realize consciously what tune was coming from her lips, and when she did, she smiled. It was “Here Comes the Bride.”
Chapter 8
Eva
“This is what you’re going to wear?” Nikki asked as soon as she joined Eva on the street corner.
A little more than a week had passed since Eva had last seen Dimitris. She was excited to see him again, and she peered past Nikki, searching for his figure amid the heavy pedestrian traffic in the downtown area.
“Yeah… remember? I told you I didn’t have time to get a new dress,” Eva said absentmindedly.
A chilly breeze pulled at the hem of the short white dress she wore. Though she was grateful that the muggy heat of the week before had lifted, she wasn’t happy that the temperatures had dropped so severely. She couldn’t see Dimitris amid a swell of businessmen and women that emerged from the subway stop, so she turned to Nikki. “I bought it when we went to your cousin’s graduation,” she said, looking self-consciously down at the simple white sundress.
“I know,” Nikki said. “I was hoping you’d make time to go get something stylish. This is your wedding, after all.” She lowered her voice as she approached Eva, arms outstretched for a hug. “Even if it’s a fake wedding, it’s still an occasion to dress up.” She squeezed Eva.
Eva hugged her back. Nikki was the only person she’d told about the arrangement that she’d made with Dimitris. At first, Nikki had resisted the concept, but over the course of the week she’d warmed to it. She was especially happy when Eva told their manager at The Red Door Grille that she was through with working there.
“Oh, I don’t know why I’m giving you a hard time. You look gorgeous,” Nikki said as they parted. “You could look beautiful in a potato sack.”
Eva looked down at her dress. “I know this dress is simple, Nik, but it’s not a potato sack.”
“Oh, you know what I mean,” Nikki said. She looked over at her husband. “Clint! Come over here and tell Eva she looks beautiful.”
Clint approached. Like Nikki, he’d dressed formally for the occasion. He wore a navy blue suit and a fedora with a red feather in it. Eva couldn’t help noticing that the feather matched Nikki’s red dress and even the tone of her lipstick.
Clint hugged Eva in greeting. “You look great,” he said. “And I’m excited to meet your man. I haven’t seen you since I heard the news—congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Eva said. She peered down the sidewalk again, and then took out her phone. It was 2:05. “He should be here any moment now.”
A drop of water landed on her arm, and then she felt one on her face. She looked up and saw that the scattered clouds she’d woken up to were now covering the sky in a thick, gray blanket.
“Oh, no,” she said. “Rain? I didn’t even think to bring a jacket or an umbrella.”
Splat, splat, splat. More drops fell, at a faster rate.
Clint began pulling off his suit jacket. “Take this,” he said, once he had it off.
Eva gratefully pulled the jacket around her. Nikki grabbed Clint’s fedora and placed it on Eva’s head. Eva’s hair was down, and the fedora slid over her brow.
“So your hair doesn’t frizz up,” Nikki said. She reached for Eva’s hand and pulled her toward a bus stop on the corner.
Eva ran along at her friend’s side and stepped under the clear plastic enclosure along with the people who were waiting for the bus. The rain pitter-pattered on the roof.
Eva pushed up the fedora just in time to catch sight of Dimitris hustling by in the direction of the street corner where they’d agreed to meet. He was smiling and seemed unaffected by the rain.
He wore black slacks, a white button-up shirt, and a perfectly fitted blazer. A silky, light blue tie was fitted around his neck. His dress shoes and belt were polished black. His hair was slightly wild, and curly. He’d shaved, and she noticed that his face was even more stunning now that the contours weren’t camouflaged with facial hair.
He was just as gorgeous as she remembered.
“Dimitris!” she called out.
He stopped his quick stride, and his smile grew brighter at the sight of her. His dark eyes sparkled with happiness, just as she remembered.
“There’s my beautiful bride!” he said cheerfully.
Eva introduced Clint and reminded him of Nikki’s name. Clint greeted Dimitris with a firm handshake, and then congratulated him. Eva could tell, by the enthusiasm and sincerity in Clint’s voice, that Nikki hadn’t spilled the secret. Eva knew that must have been hard for her friend, who usually told her husband everything. Eva made a mental note to thank Nikki for honoring her promise not to speak a word about the fact that the wedding was fake.
The four of them jogged across the street. Eva had to keep one hand on the fedora, which threatened to blow right off of her head with each gust of wind. By the time they stepped into the courthouse lobby, she was rain-splattered, but not soaked.
Nikki pulled her into one of the public restrooms so that they could freshen up, while the men went ahead to the registry office, to let the officials know that they had arrived.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Nikki asked, once they’d each used the lavatories and were standing side by side at the sinks. She met Eva’s eye through the reflection in the glass. The sink faucet squealed as she turned the water off.
Eva hesitated. This wasn’t how she’d ever imagined getting married. The building was so sterile and stuffy. She didn’t like the dress she wore. More importantly, she was going to promise to be Dimitris’s wife simply so that he could gain citizenship. It wasn’t a union of souls at all.
She turned off the water she was running and reached for a paper towel from the dispenser. As she dried her hands she said, “It’s too late to turn back now. Dimitris flew all the way from Argentina to be here today. I already agreed to—”
Nikki interjected. “It’s not too late,” she said. “Who cares where he flew from? He travels all the time, and flying is nothing to him. This isn’t about him, Eva, it’s about you. Is this what you want?”
Eva took a deep breath and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her life had taken so many twists and turns. This particular unexpected change in her circumstances felt like a positive one.
“Yes,” she said. “This is going to be good. I’m ready.”
“No, you’re not,” Nikki said, in a lighter tone than before. She pulled the fedora from Eva’s head. “First we’ve got to do something with your hair. And I think you should wear some of my lipstick.” She placed the fedora on the sink’s edge and began rummaging in her purse. She extracted a tube of bright red lipstick and held it out to Eva.
Eva eyed it. “Really? I’ve never worn a shade that bright.”
“And you’ve never gotten married before, either, have you?” Nikki said. “So today is full of firsts. Oh! We could put this feather in your hair, too. Let me try something.”
Eva felt comforted as her friend fussed over her. Even if the day was turning out to be a disappointment, at least Nikki was there with her to help her through.
They emerged from the bathroom and then wandered down a long corridor lined with doors. Eventually, they spotted Dimitris and Clint sitting side by side in what appeared to be a waiting room. There were several rows of chairs, positioned back to back. At the far end of the room, there were two windows that looked in on offices. Sliding glass panels separated the windows from the waiting room. Occasionally, one of the staff members would slide open their panel and call out a name.
Eva and Nikki joined Dimitris and Clint. Eva sat next to Dimitris and was happy that he reached for her hand right when she sat.
“My beautiful bride,” he said again, lifting her hand up and kissing the back of it.
She knew he was
acting. It felt strange to try to play along.
She was relieved when a female staff member slid open her window panel and called out, “Atheos-Sharpe!”
For the next twenty minutes, Dimitris and Eva stood in front of the window, filling out paperwork and providing various forms of identification. Eventually, the woman produced an elaborate certificate on cream-colored card stock. Black script in the middle was bordered by a printed design in forest green.
“Sign here, and here,” the woman said, as she pointed to two blank spots on the document. “And then your witnesses should sign here and here.”
Once their signatures were on the document, Nikki gave Eva an excited hug, and Clint and Dimitris shared a vigorous handshake.
Outside, the rain was still pouring down.
“I really wish we could all go out to eat or something,” Nikki said. “But Clint has a bartending shift tonight and has to be in at four.”
“I’m real sorry,” Clint said apologetically. “If I’d known in advance, I could have gotten someone to cover.”
“We didn’t give too much advance notice,” Eva said. “We completely understand. Thanks, you guys, for coming downtown for this. It means a lot to us.”
After a few more hugs, Nikki and Clint hurried off toward the subway, and Eva found herself alone with Dimitris—her husband.
He’s probably going to offer to call a cab for me, she thought. Now that our business is through, he must have other things to attend to.
He surprised her by tilting his face up towards the sky.
“I love the rain, don’t you?” he said, in his deep, accented tone. He pulled off his jacket and offered it to her.
She gratefully draped it over her shoulders. “Are you busy this afternoon?” he asked casually.
“Nope. I cleared my schedule so that I could get married.” The sentence felt surreal to say aloud.
He chuckled, and then reached for her hand. “Good. Me too,” he said. “Come with me. I have something to show you.”
Chapter 9
Eva
Eva realized that Dimitris was right; the rain did feel good on her bare skin. It had tapered off into a light, misty sprinkle that felt cool and refreshing against her cheeks.
While walking, she listened as Dimitris told her about his trip to Argentina. When he asked her how her week had gone, she told him how exciting it had been to turn in her notice at work. He got a kick out of hearing about the staff, especially the young manager who loved to establish new rules that disgruntled the employees.
Eva liked the sound of Dimitris’s easy laughter. Their conversation remained light as they ducked into a sandwich shop, ordered, and ate by a window. Though Eva asked several times about what Dimitris wanted to show her, he refused to tell her.
“You’ll see when we get there,” he said with a wink, each time she asked.
Eva sensed that this was how Dimitris often functioned—as though everything was a game, put into play for his amusement. She wondered if he’d always lived such a charmed life.
They lingered at the sandwich shop, and Eva sipped a hot tea. By the time they returned to the sidewalk, the rain had stopped completely, and rays of soft, tentative sunlight peeked through places where the clouds parted.
A couple hours after leaving the courthouse, they approached a beautiful building complex. The architecture was modern, sleek, and upscale. Lush planters lined the walkway, and an embellished sign near the front doors read, “Four Columns Residences.”
“Do you know someone who lives here?” Eva asked when Dimitris turned down the walkway.
“We do now, Mrs. Atheos,” he said in a teasing tone, looping an arm easily around her shoulder.
She was speechless as she followed him past a doorman, who nodded in greeting, and then across a polished lobby. Once they were alone in the elevator, he said, “Stavros—he’s my lawyer—advised that I buy the two of us a place. He said we need a place to hold the marriage interview that the government may conduct, down the road.”
“Marriage interview?” Eva said nervously. She caught sight of her reflection and noticed how rumpled her dress was. She did her best to smooth it down and then turned to look at Dimitris. “What does that entail?”
He shrugged. “It would just be a conversation. We get to tell a few government officials how in love we are.” He gave Eva another wink. His lack of concern about the possible interview eased her nerves.
The elevator made a soft “ding,” and then the doors slid open. Eva noted that they were on the top floor of the building. She stepped out of the elevator behind Dimitris, onto thick, plush carpeting.
Dimitris went on as he led the way down a wide hall. “I told Stavros that you’re a DC local and have a place of your own, but he said that if we held the interview there, it might raise a few red flags.”
“We don’t want to raise red flags,” Eva said, with a shake of her head.
“Exactly,” Dimitris said as they came to a stop in front of a beautiful doorway lined in two columns of frosted glass. “So I had my assistant shop around and find a place for us. We’ll hold onto it until the possibility of an interview is over, at least. I told her to do it up as if we were living there.” He removed a key from his pants pocket. “Ready?”
Eva could barely believe what she was hearing. “You mean you bought a penthouse apartment—just for an interview?”
“Real estate is a good investment,” he said.
“I can’t imagine…” Eva started, trailing off as Dimitris turned and fitted the key into the lock. He twisted the handle and then opened the door with fanfare.
She peered past him into the interior. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought that she was peering into a home that had been lived in for several months. Everything was sparkly and new, but there were little touches of decor and personalization everywhere. She even saw a wall of framed color photographs above a table in the foyer.
“You were saying?” Dimitris said as he stepped into the entryway.
“I just… I can’t imagine what it feels like to have so much money,” Eva said. She hoped that she didn’t sound rude. “I mean—enough that buying a penthouse on a whim feels normal.”
“This wasn’t a whim,” Dimitris said. He didn’t sound offended, and Eva was glad about that. “It was a necessary expense, and a good one, too. I’m sure I can sell this place for a profit when we’re through with it. And for the time being, it’s an important precaution to take. Come on, let’s check it out.”
Eva craned her neck, taking in the high ceilings, arched doorways, and polished stone floor. It was all so upscale and luxurious; she felt completely out of place. Dimitris, on the other hand, seemed to feel right at home. He walked forward, leading the way further into the interior of the space.
As Eva passed the wall of framed photos, she saw that they were all of beautiful landscapes and architecture. She caught sight of several photos that looked like they’d been taken in Greece, mixed with a half-dozen more artistic shots from DC. A framed black and white piece in the middle read, “What a wonderful world” in flowing script.
All in all, the wall looked like it had been put together with great care, by a person who was very excited to be starting a new life, in a new home. The astonishing thing was that the photo wall looked like something she would love to put together herself. She could imagine choosing the photos and coming up with just the right quote for the middle of the wall.
“Dimitris, who did all this?” she called out, as she started walking again. She caught up with Dimitris in the kitchen. He was standing in front of a large gift basket that had been placed on the black and silver-flecked granite countertop, reading a card. He looked up from the card as she entered the room. She repeated her question. “Who put all this together, again?”
“My assistant, Anna,” he said. “She worked with a decorator to furnish it and add some details. I told her a bit about your taste, so it would seem authentic.”
“How do you know about my taste?” Eva asked, puzzled.
Dimitris had returned his eyes to the notecard in his hand. “This is nice,” he said. “A gift basket from the realtor.” His eyes shifted to the basket’s contents, and he smiled as he pulled out a bottle of champagne from amidst the tissue paper and cellophane. “A nice bottle, too. Care for a glass of bubbly while we finish our tour?”
“Sure,” Eva said.
Dimitris walked over to a shelf of glasses and extracted two champagne flutes. He set them on the counter then, with an air of expertise, held the champagne bottle against his body, twisted the wire around the neck of the bottle, and then worked on the cork. It released with a soft pop. He poured out two tall glasses of the pale golden liquid and walked over to Eva.
Their fingers brushed as she accepted the glass, and her eyes met his. “Cheers,” he said warmly, lifting his glass.
She tapped hers against his. “Cheers,” she said, before taking a sip. It was the best champagne she’d ever tasted; light, refreshing, and just slightly sweet.
“As regards knowing your taste…” Dimitris said, after he’d taken a sip himself. He eyed her and grinned. “I’m in the business of knowing people, Eva. You don’t become successful in sales without some special tricks up your sleeve.” He wiggled his brows.
“Come on,” she said. “You’re not in the CIA! What kinds of tricks could you possibly have?” She was aware she was flirting, and it felt fun.
“Hm… should I reveal my secrets?” he asked, pretending to think. Then he said, “Ah—why not. You’re my wife, after all. First, I know you appreciate beauty. Not everyone has an eye for aesthetics, but you do. When people look at art, they’re attracted to different things in the artwork. Some people like the subject matter—dark, brooding, shocking, thought-provoking. Whatever it is. But not you… you’re drawn to composition and colors. I was at the gallery opening with you. I saw the paintings you lingered in front of, and where your eye went.”
