<3 Married At First Sight </3

(( Night night))

Hadleigh felt tears fill her eyes and hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand. "That's the problem you never care... Please just once give your opinion on this..." She mumbled softly.

"I've said my piece already."

"Saying you don't care isn't helping..." She mumbled sounding more frustrated and upset then she already was. "I don't know...we never really talk an-and I don't want to stay with you if you don't want me around..."

"Do not feel afraid to inform me if I have overstepped my boundaries," Leonidas murmured. "It wouldn't do for you tell crowded or pressured because of my actions."

---

"Can we have something to eat? I - we - rushed out after that thing with Gale and I haven't eaten today, I was too nervous about the wedding..." Paige blushed, dropping her eyes to her feet.

---

"Large birds require a lot of training and support. Astor was a fledging when I rescued him. Most large bird pets are not as connected with their owners as they are older, and have not bonded. If you want one, perhaps I can help in the future. Birds tend to flock near me."

Astor slowly shuffled up Genevieves arm to her shoulder and then started pulling gently at her hair. He was preening her, or cleaning her hair for her as a sign of affection.

"Yeah eating sounds like a good place to start. We can eat and talk some more before the photos or whatever." He agreed taking her over to get some plates and drinks.


Amber smiled softly. "Only if you agree to do the same."

"I'm warning you now that I eat a lot. I don't eat messily or anything like that but I tend to heap the plate because my metabolism is haywire. Plus, the extra weight when I shift has to come from somewhere so I never really stop feeling hungry, it just worsens or eases off depending on how much I've had..." Paige trailed off as she picked up a plate and started sticking as much food on it as she could. She avoided all of the seafood though.

---

"Of course. A marriage is, after all, a joining of equality. I would not act towards you as I would not towards myself."

Amber had to smile more as she looked up at him. "That's how I feel. I think if we're open and honest always we can make this work for us."


He watched her for a moment before grabbing a plate for himself and putting a bit of nearly everything on it. "With what you shift into I'd find it odd if you didn't eat a lot. Me though, I just like to eat."

"A marriage should be nothing but openness and honesty. That is how I have been brought to learn it."

---

"I just like to warn people before I get strange looks for eating enough to feed a family of four." Every so often, Paige would pick up a piece of cooked meat or fish to give to Areli.

Chuckling Ian shook his head. "Nothing seems odd to me anymore. If you're hungry you should eat, that's how I look at it."


She smiled. "I agree. At least we're both in agreement on that."

"Girls are always under pressure to be cute and dainty though. I mean, I'm tiny but that's the only cute thing about me. I'm five foot four and everyone is at least three inches taller than me. Gale is a foot taller than me, a whole twelve inches!"

---

Leonidas nodded. "I was afraid I would have an old fashioned view of marriage but I'm glad that our views do not conflict."

Ian stifled a laugh. "Stereotyping isn't how I think. The only tiny dainty girl I really know is Amber but that's probably because of what she is. She's a right handful at times though."


"Ian tells me I'm old fashioned sometimes with certain things but I feel marriage is supposed to special, a once in a lifetime event with that one person that's just for you."

"It's just put a lot of people off - I mean, I've tried to date before, but that's because they think I'm this tiny, perfect little girl. And then they find out there's a part of me that's decidedly not cute and tiny and then they dump me without even the grace of a proper excuse." Paige passed something else down to Areli, who ate it and then sneezed.

---

"I've been taught that marriage is sacred, and should be approached as such. If my father knew I was engaging in such an event, I have no doubt he would have lashed me, or disowned me, since we have entered marriage without the customs of courting. However, and I am not trying to offend you by saying this, but I have little option left than to, as they say, 'have a go'." Leonidas looked decidedly uncomfortable at admitting that, moving to run a hand through the hair at the back of his head.

"Most guys seem to want that perfect girl but really is there a such thing? I just want someone that I can relate to and have a good time with." He explained grabbing himself a glass of wine. "Does Areli mostly eat meat?"


Amber listened to him with a sad but understanding smile. "My family isn't very happy about this either mostly because they feel I haven't even tried to find someone on my own. Which most likely is probably true and maybe I shouldn't be doing this for the reasons that I am but I promise you I'll but my heart into this as would only be fair."

"She's like a dog. Anything you drop, she'll eat, but I try to keep her eating safe things. Meat is fine, no matter if it's raw or cooked, unless it's chicken, then she has that cooked." Paige hesitated and then chose to pour herself a glass of water from the jug on the table.

---

"As will I. I'm not going to face this experience half heartedly simply because other venues happen to be closed to me at this time." Leonidas moved to take her hands gently, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. "And I could not be happier, for I have met someone kind and compassionate."

"Seems like she had it good then." He laughed lightly scratching Areli's ears. "I think she'll like where I live then, there's a lot of land for her to run and such."


A shiver ran through her when he took her hands and she smiled up at him. "This for me was mostly to make myself and Ian feel better. He didn't want me being alone while he gave this a try so I eventually agreed to tried as well. That being said though doesn't mean I'm not very happy with being paired with you. As I am very much so, I really believed I'd be with someone horrible and who wouldn't understand or be able to handle it."

Areli brushed up against his legs, briefly disappearing underneath the table and snuffling about for more food.

"Is it secluded? Because if she goes running around on a populated estate, she might get shot at if they think she's an escaped animal".

---

"I also did not expect such a favourable outcome." Leonidas looked down at their hands. "Sorry for sounding presumptuous, but for once I am feeling optimistic for my foreseeable future."

"No worries. There's a private lake there as well as acres of high fenced in land. I and Amber like our privacy so she'll be safe. If she keeps inside the fences there's no need to worry." He explained rubbing the cats head.


"I'm glad you're happy with me so far. I really feared I'd be looked at as just a girl and nothing more." She admitted softly.

"Oh, that's good." Paige added one more thing to her precarious plate of food and then picked up her glass of water to take to a table.

Areli purred, briefly rubbing up against him before trotting after Paige.

---

"Being the person who I am potentially going to spend the rest of my life with, you are the most important woman in the world to me right now. I would not look at you as 'just some girl'. It would be insulting to you and completely unacceptable."

"It had to be so really." He replied trailing behind them to a table. "With what we are we couldn't risk anything."


Ambers cheeks darkened as she blushed bright red at his words. "Thank you. Even though we didn't exactly choose one another that means a lot."

Genvieve laughed gleefully at the motion, nodding in response to Gale's words and humming, "That would be nice, for you to help me get one, bond with it."

---

"I'm not in the mood for this conversation today." Byron muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Either fuck off or don't it's your choice."

Hadleigh got to her feet and walked out one of the people following her. Outside the room she had a quiet talk and came to an agreement with them about what would happen next.

Byron grimaced and remained where he was. Watching the floor.

When she returned to the room she stopped in front of the couch where he was sat and held out a hand to him. "Ready to go?"

"Go where?"