Chapter-13

"What is this?", Elise asked. Clayton was still pulling out the chair for himself, and Elise was curiously eyeing the brown envelope he kept on the table.

"Open it!", he said finally getting comfortable in his seat.

"Just tell me what is this?", Elise asked picking up the envelope and flipping it around for any information that might give away the contents inside.

"Why can't you just open it?", Clayton asked looking at Elise who was staring at the envelope in her hand.

"I don't like your surprises.", she said but finally tore the envelope from one corner.

She pulled out two bundles of sheets, neatly put together and another envelope which said, 'confidential'.

"Is this a contract?", she asked as she read the heading which clearly said contract!

"You always ask obvious questions or is it something special today?", Clayton asked annoyed.

"Shut up!", Elise said with a roll of eyes.

"One copy is mine and the other is yours!", Clayton said taking one copy from her hands.

"Okay!", Elise said and kept the other copy in her bag.

"Wait! You need to sign the copy. Yours and mine!", Clayton stopped her.

"I am not signing without reading!", Elise replied.

"But you can read it now!".

"No, I need to read every point carefully. I'll contact you once I am done reading!", Elise said and closed her bag.

"And when can I expect the decision?", Clayton asked.

"What decision?", Elise was confused.

"Us moving in together?", Clayton asked without hesitation as if this was something that happens every day.

"What?", Elise almost stood up from her chair.

"Calm down! The details and the rules are explained clearly in the contract.", Clayton answered, again nonchalantly.

"Are you listening to what you are saying? Are the words coming out of your mouth going in your ears or is it just me who can hear all this nonsense?", Elise was confused, furious and baffled.

"We are married! We are supposed to live together!", Clayton argued.

"I know and that was a mistake! Our marriage is not real!", Elise replied.

"I guess it is real", Clayton said and handed her the envelope that read confidential.

"What did you do now?", Elise was almost on the verge of having an anxiety attack.

"I just made sure our marriage is real!", Clayton replied now a little scared. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to make his best innocent face as he saw Elise open the other envelope.

"You! You got our marriage registered?!", Elise screamed. She didn't know what to feel or how to react!

"Yeah! My dad would have obviously checked the documents.", Clayton tried to justify his actions.

"Are you crazy?", Elise was now staring at Clayton. Her death glare!

"Please, calm down! We might be married under the law now but we know it's not real!", Clayton whispered.

"BUT WE ARE MARRIED ACCORDING TO LAW!", Elise screamed looking at Clayton.

"Perfect!", a voice interrupted them and a flash of a camera made them look outside the window.

"Tomorrow's headlines- 'Clayton Cameron gets his marriage registered.'", the man with the camera right outside their window said and went to his car.

"What just happened?", Elise asked confused.

"We got shot by the paparazzi!", Clayton answered as he wrote down the guy's car's number plate.

"Wow! Just wow! Could this morning be any messy!", Elise's sarcasm rose.

"I see, you are a Chandler Bing fan!", Clayton smirked.

"Right, this is the right time to discuss that!", Elise shot another death glare at Clayton.

"Don't worry about the paparazzi. I have his car's number. Ben will handle him. Nothing will be printed tomorrow.", Clayton tried to calm his wife down.

"But how could you get our marriage registered without asking me? And wait-woah who signed in my place?", Elise asked looking closely at the documents, which had her signature.

"Ben did! He saw your sign at the Gucci showroom when you wrote the feedback in their register.", Clayton replied.

"This is illegal. I can get you behind bars for this!", Elise told him. She was serious. He could feel it. He had crossed a line.

"But Ben will go behind bars for this, not me!", Clayton replied with no remorse in his voice.

"He can always say you forced him!", Elise said.

"He will never do that! He is my best friend.", Clayton replied again, with no emotions.

"Are you?", Elise asked.

"Am I what?", Clayton was confused.

"His best friend? Are you keeping the friendship alive from your end? You were almost ready to put all the blame of forgery on Ben when we all know it was all you!", Elise spoke up.

Clayton looked at her for a few seconds. He was silent, almost at a loss for words. She knew nothing about him, about Ben, about their friendship.

"Read the contract, sign it, and tell me when you will move in with me!", Clayton said and stood up.

"I am not moving in with you!", Elise said. She was not going to compromise on this point.

"You give me no other option then!", Clayton said and took his phone out.

"What are you doing?", Elise asked confused.

"Asking the registration agency to send a copy of our marriage certificate, to your place. Your old place!", Clayton said.

"You won't!", Elise stood up.

"Oh, darling! I will! Trust me!", he said as he clicked the dial button.

"No! okay! I am not promising that I will move in but I will consider!", Elise spoke up.

"Uhm. Consider? Okay, for now that also works. But consider fast!", Clayton said and cut the call. He picked up his suitcase and left without another word.