•Maxine•

If you asked me what I had planned for my day, it definitely did not entail receiving a call from Levi at 7:04am. I jolt up awake, my eyes disoriented with sleep. I resist the urge to throw the phone to the floor when I see Levi's caller ID.

“Hello.” Levi's voice sounds rather cherry despite the fact that he just ruined my sleep.

“Do you know what time it is?” My voice is calm and collected, a huge contrast to what is going on in my mind.

“I know. But you know what they say; the Early bird gets the worm.” I can almost hear the snicker in his voice.

“Besides you were the one who told me to call you. Quit your whining and get up already.” Levi adds.

I say a silent prayer for Levi's well-being because I know when I see him today, it'll be on sight. I look around the room still a bit disoriented. 

“Screw you.” I mutter into the phone.

“I would screw you too not gonna lie.” Levi replies.

I don't bother holding back the snort that escapes my lips. Who would have known the stoic and intimidating Levi has such a hidden personality? 

“Okay time to get serious now.” Levi's jovial tone was long gone.

“You have less than an hour to get ready and meet Seth at the company building. To be honest, I'm not surprised you were still asleep by this time.” Levi says.

“What's that supposed to mean?” I glare at my phone, even though I know Levi probably has no idea I'm glaring at him. I shield my eyes from the few rays of sunlight that peak out from the curtains.

“It means you're a lazy ass who's about to get married in the next 2 hours and is still in bed.” He says in a deadpan voice.

I huff into the phone before peeling off my blanket. As much as I want to snuggle into the sweet comforts of my dorm room bed, I have a marriage to attend. Comical how the marriage I'm attending is mine. I always dreamed of having one of those fancy white weddings. 

I quickly head into the bathroom and get myself ready as fast as I can. I decided on a simple strawberry sweater with black jeans and some white sneakers. My eyes scan the room just as I'm about to leave in case there's anything I've forgotten. I slam the door behind me and lock it before jogging out of the dormitory.

A black car greets me as soon as I've fully exited the dormitory. The window slides down to reveal Levi's smiling face in the driver's seat. He notices the confusion on my face and starts to speak.

“Seth asked me to come pick you up and get you ready before we head to the courthouse.”

It takes a great amount of resolve to keep my jaw from dropping. I didn't expect Seth to go to such lengths for me. Though I do understand why he's doing all this. He stands to gain a lot if this ruse of a marriage is successful. I hop into the seat beside Levi and he drives out of the school campus. He keeps driving till we reach a clothing store. My heart beats with anxiousness and excitement. Immediately we enter and the woman sees Levi, she walks towards us as quickly as she can.

“Is this her?” She asks. Levi simply nods in reply.

The woman sends me a warm smile before gently pulling me into a changing room. She walks into another room, leaving me to admire the numerous dresses that are displayed everywhere I look. She walks back in a minute later with a handful of different dresses. I end up trying on all the dresses at her request. The dress I like the most is a navy blue gown which showed my small curves before flowing down to the ground. She notices my interest and tells me the gown is perfect. She sits me down and does my makeup for me. 

Levi's eyes widen when I finally step out of the changing room. My heart races as I wonder whether the dress is as good as I think.

“It's perfect.” He says, after recovering from his initial shock.

I can't stop myself from smiling like a little girl at his compliment. The woman walks up to me with some butterfly jewelry and tells me to put it on. I put it all on and it compliments my dress even more. We thank the lady and Levi quickly pulls me towards the car.

“Don't we have to pay for all this?” I ask.

“Already taken care of.”  He says almost immediately.

I don't have time to process what's happening as we are already driving towards the company. We reach the company in record time thanks to Levi's amazing yet scary driving. Standing in front of the company building is Seth. He is dressed in a black suit which hugs his body like it was made perfectly for him. His dark brown hair, even in its usual state, still makes him look devilishly handsome.

Levi parks the car and opens the door for me to come out. I carefully step out of the car and stand in front of Seth. He looks me up and down, accessing every part of my dress. I expect to make a comment but he doesn't look away just as fast as he first started looking. I feel a pinch in my heart at his seeming disregard for my appearance. I try my best to subdue the incoming tears.

I refuse to cry on my wedding day; contractual or not. I think Levi senses the tension in the air as he informs us that we need to leave for the courthouse. Seth and I stay in the backseat while Levi drives. Throughout the drive, I stare outside the window. I can hear how loud my heart is beating in my chest. The closer we get to the courthouse, the harder my heart pounds. I cast a quick glance at Seth who is absorbed with his phone. This is about to be a new beginning to my life; for the worst.