"Well 'Mrs. Kingsley', there's one thing we have to do before the flight tomorrow." Arthur picked up his car keys.
"What's that?" she queried, still queasy at the fact that Eames put them together.
"We have to look like a couple. The easiest way to do that is to get rings."
They drove around Paris for a half hour. Ariadne noticed many jewelry stores as Arthur cruised.
"You passed five jewelry stores." She said. "You do realize that right?"
"We're almost there." Arthur assured. "Those other places don't have much to choose from. So when we go in, we're going to have to act like a couple."
"Great," Ariadne put her hands together. "Thing is, I can't act."
"In this business, you'll have to do a little acting." He said. "Just smile, hold my hand and pretend we're engaged."
"Do you have any idea why Eames would do this?" she asked.
"I actually think it was wise of him to put us together." Arthur concluded. "That way, I can make sure no one touches you."
He pulled over to the edge of the sidewalk and parked the car by a blue granite store with necklaces displayed in the window.
"Van Cleef and Arpels?" Ariadne eyed him as if he was crazy. "Those cost like a million bucks."
"You're 'married' to a man that can buy half of Paris." He reminded her. "I don't mind Ariadne."
"Your insane." She told him. "I mean, you pass by other good stores with convincing looking jewelry and you want to buy me a ring from here?"
"That's right." Arthur exited the car and walked over to her side to open the door for her. He didn't hesitate to take her hand walking into the store. Inside, the place was as white as a bridal parlor. Everywhere there were glass cases containing diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and more. Ariadne thought some men in ski masks would crash in at any second.
"Welcome to Van Cleef and Arpels." A man in a white suit approached them, noticing they were holding hands. "I assume you two are looking for rings?"
"Yes, we sure are." Said Arthur. Ariadne hoped he couldn't feel the beat in her wrist. As he spoke to the salesman, she felt her palm sweating.
"Do you know what your interested in Madam?" the salesman asked. Ariadne was starring at Arthur's hand around hers and didn't hear him. "Madam?"
"Oh, uh, I was thinking something with a gold band that has multiple colors?"
"Certainly. Right this way."
Ariadne looked at over a million varieties of gold rings. While hunting, she had eyes on a certain sapphire. When she didn't find anything better, she pointed to it.
"I like this one."
Arthur eyed the gold ring with the sapphire in the center. Around it were circles of diamond and on the sides were diamonds and sapphires.
"So do I." In fact, that was the exact ring Arthur was eyeing. The salesman unlocked the sliding door and brought out the piece of work.
"Your lucky." He said. "I think this will fit perfectly."
"It looks like my size." She was about to take the ring from him when Arthur seemed to push his hand in. The Point Man handled the ring gently as he took Ariadne's hand. "Oh my God what is he doing?" Arthur slid the ring through her finger delicately. She tried her hardest to stop her hand from shaking, while struggling to remain calm on the inside. Ariadne didn't notice how well she and the ring looked together.
"I think it looks stunning on you, dear." Ariadne swallowed through Arthur's professional acting.
"I love it. I want this one." The poor girl was in a rush to leave the store so she could be alone for the rest of the day. Arthur did not grow a tad bit insecure when she looked ready to faint.
Outside the store, Arthurs phone went off. He received a text from Eames so it had to be something humorous that he would hate.
'Remember, you have to carry her over the threshold ;)'
"Look Ariadne," he started. "I can see you're uncomfortable with this whole fake marriage." Arthur placed his phone back in his pocket and walked into her view.
"I'm just not good with any of that." She confessed. The last time a guy kissed her, she passed out. To make the situation worse, they were in public and paramedics were all over her acting as if she was dying. She never called that guy back since. Humiliation was cruel.
"Well maybe you should relax for the rest of the day." Arthur advised. "Go shopping and eat your favorite food."
"I really can't afford to shop in this town." She told him.
"You can now." He smirked. "Spoil yourself this one time."
"I think I've been spoiled enough." Ariadne looked at the two million Euro rock on her finger. "For being a fake wife. You could have bought a convincing fake."
"I have reasons for doing things certain ways." He said. "Now, go spoil yourself."
Ariadne liked the idea he was suggesting but decided it would be safer to pay in cash than credit. She withdrew three thousand dollars from the bank and went out to her favorite store.
During her shopping trip, all she could think about then was a Glee marathon. She didn't have the time to watch the episodes when they aired in France because she was in Kenya.
As she was about to exit the store, one more piece of merchandise got her digging for her size.
The next morning at the airport, Arthur was waiting by the doors. In one of his many suits, he was wondering what was taking her so long.
Just then, a small female brunette got out of a taxi holding a Vera Bradley travel bag. The brown shoes and butter scarf gave her identity away; the dress and the trench coat were a new feature. The Point Man found himself in awe at his 'wife' as her dress swayed in the breeze.
She gave him a friendly wave as she approached him to throw her nerves down. Arthur was studying her new outfit with slight interest in her fashion skills. The way he looked at her made her feel slightly awkward.
"You told me to spoil myself." She reminded him playfully. "So I did. Do you not like it?"
"I love it." His complement made her smile and look down to the ground. As a moment of silence ran through them, Ariadne looked up when she heard a man whistling.
Duke walked past them, giving her a wink, before heading inside. Arthur glared at him for a second then grabbed her hand.
When they passed through the sliding doors, she would have to go from nervous to lovey-dovey.