Author's Note: Note the POV switch from Jack to Popuri. I thought about having it all one person's POV, because, well, I just like it like that better. But if I do that, then how are you going to find out what Popuri's thinking? Yes, she can tell Jack, but... I don't know.
Mr. Brightside
Change Your Mind
(Popuri's POV)
Living on a farm was a whole new world to be exposed to. All my life I had only known the florist's shop; flowers, seeds, and more seeds. Not that I'm happy to have left my old home. I loved the quaint little shop I grew up in. And I'm definitely going to miss having my mum and dad in the next room.
But this was my new life now with my new husband.
I have only lived here for three days, and I've noticed a few things. The Greens are very nice people of course, and also very hard working. I really admire that. But there comes a point where the amount is just too much.
Take Gray, for example. Every morning he wakes up at five in the morning. He works all day, only taking breaks to eat. Then at night, when it's time to sleep, it's literally lights out for him. He does not even attempt a conversation. It makes me feel, I don't know, a little unwanted.
Maybe today would change.
Since I'm not much for strenuous work, I have become the official chef in the family. I prepare all the meals, and tend to any food-related chore there is in the household. Today, I had made a hearty tortellini dish, slaving over it for hours. Everything was made from scratch.
The family sat down at the table at six o'clock that night as usual for supper. My pasta got rave reviews from everyone, even the soft-spoken Gray a little something, which was more than his usual nothing. I smiled and took in their compliments, feeling welcome into the Greens. I told you they were nice people.
Bedtime immediately proceeded dinner, and Gray and I slipped into the same bed. I smiled at him.
"Did you enjoy dinner, darling?"
Gray, who had his eyes closed, opened them to look at me. "Yes, it was delicious."
I kissed his forehead and stroked him arm. This was beginning to get somewhere. At least his eyes were open today. "So, what kind of stuff did you do today?" I was hoping this would be the spring-board for some kind of chat.
"You know the usual," he replied bluntly, yawning widely. "Good night." He flicked off the light and turned over to his side to face the wall. It wasn't long before his breathing became even and laboured. The blood in my veins boiled just a little bit.
I sat upright in our bed, angered and a little embarrassed. This time, I thought to myself, I'm going to say something.
"Gray, wake up," I shook his shoulder rather aggressively and flicked the light on.
He mumbled in his sleep, and then bolted upright. "What is it?" He groped under the bed instinctively for a weapon to ward off intruders.
"It's not that," I told him, pulling his arm back. "I want to talk."
"Talk?" Gray repeated incredulously. "Now?"
"Yes," I insisted firmly.
"About what?"
"I don't know, just stuff." I felt my face begin to burn. "Anything. We never talk, ever. Isn't that what a husband and wife do, talk about stuff?"
Gray didn't speak for a moment. "I'm tired," he finally allowed. "We'll talk in the morning." He switched off the light, plunging the room into darkness.
My meal didn't work after all. I was hoping that the excessive amount of carbohydrates would at least provide him with a minimal burst of energy. Maybe even enough to exercise his vocal cords for just a moment. Evidently, I was wrong.
I continued to sit, staring at the pitch-black room, secluded in my thoughts.
His lack of communicational ability had never annoyed me before. Perhaps I had even thought it was quirky. Quirky that he couldn't carry on a conversation, huh? This wasn't right. We'd only been wedded for three full days, and already one could easily point out the many flaws in our marriage. This thought disturbed me. I love Gray, I really do. I know he loves me too. He just isn't trying as hard to show it like when we were dating, I suppose.
I finally succumbed to my fatigued and slid to a laying position on my bed and shut my eyes. As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but think of the farmer who lived on the Jones Farm.
Jack and I never had a problem when it came to conveying our feelings. He wasn't shy to tell me how much he cared about me, and I had greatly enjoyed his every word. He made me feel special.
I thought about what we did last spring as well. He always had the strangest activities in theory (case in point, the produce fights), but they all ended up being very fun. Then he would become romantic, and we'd take a long walk, hand-in-hand, through the colourful walkways of the forest.
It was thrown all away without much of a fight. For years, I knew Gray probably liked me for years, according to his sister Ann (who happens to be one of my closest friends as well). I waited eagerly for him to admit it, but for a long time he never did, and I was beginning to feel impatient. So when I met Jack, I fell for his outspokenness and natural charm, not to mention his boyish good looks.
That's when Gray finally stepped in. When he told me what I had wanted him to tell me, I was happy, even if it came a few seasons later than I had hoped. With all the history we had, I almost felt obligated to choose him over Jack, which I did.
It hit me suddenly like a cold splash of water. Jack had made me happy, and I enjoyed every moment of our relationship. There was nothing I regretted. Even our fights had a sense of purpose, because it strengthened our love. Were we in love before? Was he in love? Was I in love? Are we still in love?
But it didn't matter now. Jack has married Karen. I'm married to Gray. He's my husband, and I'm bound to him until death do us part. I had to take my marital vows seriously, because if we could just throw them away, then what kind of significance would they have?
Maybe I made the wrong choice.
Author's Note: Well, obviously, uh, you know what is probably going to happen. Infidelity! Sin sin sin! This is why I said not for Gray fan girls, Gray isn't exactly the protagonist, is he? Please review my story, even if you want to flame and tell me to go to Hell. Maybe I will make your wish come true, lol.