She had vaguely known of an appointment Peter had made for Thursday, with one of his old clients who had been faithful to him while swapping firms... Juliet had known this, but still shouted out to Mark that Thursday she and Peter would arrive for the photos.

"Can I just wear my business suit?"

"Did you wear you're business suit to the wedding?"

He paused, and Juliet turned away from the mirror to raise an eyebrow.

He shook his head, "no"

"Well then...there you go!" she turned back to the mirror, puckering her lips together with the fresh lipstick.

"I feel like an idiot walking down the street like this!" he whined, adjusting his pink collar.

"Your not walking down the street...we are catching a cab!" she corrected, "and its not as though you look ridiculously out of place...not like I would wearing this great big, white, feathered, blatantly obvious wedding dress!"

She walked briskly over to her wardrobe, where her dress hung safely in a bag, "ready then?" she smiled, pulling the bag out and draping it over her arm.

Peter sighed, huffed a little, and gradually stood. "Why Thursday?" He moaned.

Juliet grabbed him by the arm, "because it was the only day he was free!" she chimed, pecking him on the cheek.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Don't be forever about this, ok?" Peter sighed as he stood tall infront of a plain white curtain.

Mark moved his head from behind the camera, "somewhere you'd rather be?" he asked smugly.

"Not rather be...." He mumbled, adjusting his collar for the billionth time "...have to be!"

He looked impatiently to the closed door of the bathroom, where Juliet had ducked in at lest twenty-five minutes ago. Impatiently, he looked to his watch. "Bloody hell!" he grumbled.

"Relax, mate!" Mark said, loading film into the camera, which stood on a tripod.

Peter ignored him. "Juliet!" he called, "Babe?!"

"Don't get you're knickers in a twist!" Came the muffled reply.

Mark and Peter exchanged a glance; riddled with the typical male response any time a woman takes more than five minutes to get ready.

"But, sugar!....don't forget I have a..."

"A meeting! I know, I know, you fool!" she yelped.

Peter rolled his eyes, but smiled none the less.

Mark shook his head, and looked to the camera again, making sure it was on the right lens focus.

The door opened.

"Look at you!" Peter beamed.

Mark looked up. And found himself holding his breath.

Juliet connected eyes with him only briefly...with just the slightest look of admiration from him, she was blushing profusely.

Mark cleared his throat. Remembered the routine (exhale, inhale, exhale...) and thought it the best moment to make a snipe remark. "Still fits then?" he scoffed.

Peter couldn't help but smirk, so Juliet hit him playfully and pretended to ignore Mark's comment. Though somehow...it meant more knowing that it was a cover-up.

"Well come on...happy snaps!" Peter took Juliet's hand, leading her infront of the camera.

"Where do you want us, Mark?" He asked, clearly in a hurry to get this over and done with.

"Yes...what's my motivation?" Juliet added, giving a cheeky, if not nervous, smile.

Mark cleared his throat again, and ducked behind the camera, his finger ready on the button. "How about you just...cuddle a bit...pretend to be chatting...and laughing..."

Peter and Juliet did so. He tucked an arm around her waist, pecked her on the cheek, and she started to giggle.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

"Alright, now.... Juliet stand infront of Peter...Peter wrap you're arms around her, head on her shoulder!"

Snap. Snap. Snap.

He took the camera off its stand, and started to move around them. Closer, getting head shots. They continued to smile, until their jaws ached. "Now look a little serious.... deep in thought..." Mark ordered, and they did so, though it was hard to change emotions at the snap of a finger.

The film ran out, and the camera started to wind up. Peter glanced at his watch while Mark went to change the film.

"I have really got to be off!" He said, untangling himself from Juliet.

Her eyes grew wide, and Mark reappeared, having heard his friend's announcement.

"I really have to go!" He kissed Juliet's lips lightly, and looked pointedly into her eyes, "I'm sorry, babe...business." He apologized.

"Well, what am I suppose to do?" Juliet snapped.

"Don't you want some shots of just you?" Peter said over his shoulder, as he threw his coat on.

She shared a concerned and slightly nervous glance with Mark.

She gave a faint nod, "well...yes..." she started.

He walked back to her, kissing her forehead, "then stay! Take another roll of film...have fun...don't bite each others heads off!" Peter smiled, and turned on his heel, heading for the door.

Before either could protest, or suggest another day to wrap the shoot, Peter was gone. Out the door. Leaving Juliet and Mark in the quiet solitude of his studio.

They both looked to one another, and eased the silence with a husky laugh; "what a knob!" Juliet muttered, smiling as she stood, in her pristine, white wedding dress. Looking radiant.

Mark gave a nonchalant nod, and looked down to his camera. Juliet could feel the tension...like a rubber band being pulled tighter and tighter...

"Right then!" she announced chirpily, "lets finish this.... I am ready for my close up!"

"Ahhh...Juliet I'm not so sure....maybe you should go..." Mark began, rasing his head to look at her. Her almond eyes staring back at him, seizing his heart.

"Mark" she spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Take the goddam picture!"

"Right...right then..." he said, walking briskly towards her, crouching infront of her to get a different angle.

She looked down at him. Smiling. Basking in the glory of the flash.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

He stood, infront of her, raised the camera to his eye again. But then lowered it.

"What?" she asked, flinching as he stared at her.

"Nothing" he replied, raising the camera again. But he lowered it quickly...

"What is it?" She asked, smiling, trying to suppress her giggles.

"I just wanted...." He started, croakily.

"What?" she urged.

"I...I just wanted to say I had a really nice time yesterday, that's all"

The smile vanished from her lips. Mark quickly held the camera up, and pressed the button quickly.

"Mark..." she tried.

He ignored her. Too embarrassed to lower the camera again. He clicked the button and another flash went off in her face.

"Mark, can you just..." she struggled.

His finger was poised when she gritted her teeth, and raised her voice "Mark! Stop it!"

So he did. Revealing his heavy face. She just stared at him...her eyes soft; clearly sorry for yelling...her supple lips pouting slightly...she looked...

"Painfully beautiful..." he blurted quietly. But she still hear him.

She could say nothing. Just stare back at him. Aware of her pouting lips that were urging his to kiss her.... she hoped her eyes were saying all the things her heart wanted to...but her voice couldn't seem to find any volume. She completely forgot about her husband....at that very moment, standing before him...all she wanted was a kiss....and she hoped to god that he knew that.

"I'm...I'm sorry" he muttered, stepping back from her.

Dammit!

She closed her eyes and turned away, damn, damn, damn!

"I'm sorry, Juliet!"

"It's..." she struggled to find words, "it's fine, don't worry about it!" she assured.

"No! No, it's not fine!" He continued to ramble. "Its sick and twisted that I would like my best friends wife!"

She opened her eyes, looking at him, looking at her. She knew what he meant. But still, it hurt, for some unknown reason.

"Gee, thanks!" plagued with sarcasm.

He sighed, "I didn't mean it like that..."

She put a hand up, "no, no its alright. I know...it's just..."

"What?"

"No...it was just that..."

"Juliet, what is it?"

She didn't say anything. She took one giant step forward and did the simplest thing in the whole entire world.... she cupped his head in her hands, and placed her lips on his. She kissed him. Again. It wasn't soft and delicate...timid...like last time. Her lips lingered. They pressed hard and ruthlessly on his.

Finally, she let him go, took a step back, and horrified, brought a hand to her lips where his kiss had just lay.

"Oh...my.... weary heart!" she whispered, unable to look him in the eye.

He blinked, gasped for air and heard his heart beating in his ears. And then...he heard footsteps...running...for the door, which slammed shut.

He blinked again, and looked around him. "Jul..." he started. But stopped himself, racing for the door instead.

He flung it open, and saw a flash of blazing white running down the street.

"Juliet!" he yelped. Running after her.

She didn't turn around. Just kept running. And he knew that wasn't a good sign.

So he stopped. One, because he was completely unfit, and made a mental note to get a gym membership...and two, because he hadn't a clue what he was going to say to her when he did eventually catch her.

"Bollocks!" he yelled to the empty street. "Bollocks, bullocks, bullocks!"

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"Oh Jesus!"

"Oh...flaming, stupid, crusty...slag!"

"Stupid, stupid moronic.... Twatty knob!"

Juliet regurgitated these words as she paced around the kitchen in her small apartment. The bottom of her wedding dress fairly ruined with crusted mud and sleet on the hem.

She held a hand to her forehead, and closed her eyes as she tried to think of more abusive words. "Knobbly old hag!" she hissed to herself.

She considered ringing him to apologize. But realized this situation needed more than a phone call.... if anything, she would need to send him an elephant holding a sign that said 'Sorry I'm a great big huge slag and deserve to be shot' in its trunk. That would do it. Perhaps?!

"Oh flaming heck!" she winced again.

How could she screw herself over so bloody badly?

Mark's little fantastical crush could have been dead and buried weeks ago if she hadn't been such a teasing little slag and decided to fuel his fantasy by kissing him! Oh no...she couldn't end this catastrophe there...she just had to do more damage by kissing the idiot again! And not just kissing him....not just a light peck like the first time....oh no, that wasn't enough for Jules the brain-dead twat...she had to go and really kiss him! The kind of kiss where you hear music serenading in the background...the sort of kiss you see in movies and think 'god, that's a good snog!'...the sort of kiss that makes you weak in the knees, gives you're heart a flutter....the sort of kiss that creates this...this...moment that you could just live in forever!

"Shit!" she screamed.

She jumped about for a moment or two. Eventually calming down...taking a seat...holding her head in her hands and whispering ever so lightly "why did he have to be such a bloody brilliant pash?"