Why Romeo Hates Juliet (36 page)

His smarmy grin registered with Juliet a second too late before she was unceremoniously yanked into his arms. Without hesitation, his lips clamped down on hers like a steel vise crushing her softness, and his hand forcefully held her head in place as he kissed her roughly. The helicopters, seeing the marriage kiss, went wild and began to swoop down low again, trying to get as many pictures as they could of the newly married couple. But as they came closer to the ground, the blades once again stirred up the sand, causing another blinding mini-storm. But the groom didn’t seem to care as he continued to kiss the hell out of his bride.

Juliet pushed hard at his chest as she tried to free herself from his imprisoning lips. But he was too strong for her, so she resorted to the only thing she could think of. She bit down hard on his tongue, which had just snaked itself, uninvited, inside her mouth.

“Ahhhhh…” Romeo groaned painfully, as he instantly let go of her.

And as his arms dropped away from her, Juliet lost her balance and immediately fell down backwards, landing unceremoniously on her bum into the warm sand. The two helicopters went even crazier with their aerial acrobatics, trying to get a photo of the groom just having dropped the bride on her ass, and the bride just sitting there, coughing and waving away the sand with her hands and bridal bouquet that their whirring blades had stirred up.

“Really, Juliet? You really had to do that?” Romeo shouted at her, as he tried to feel his injured tongue for teeth marks.

“Yes, I did, you asshole,” she yelled back, just as Faith and Sara rushed to her side to help her up. As she was set back on her feet, Juliet immediately turned to face her groom. “You are a total and complete jerk for going through with this and not telling me the truth,” she shouted, before launching her bouquet of daisies at him. The flowers landed squarely in his chest before breaking apart and scattering in different directions, some of them flying away in the gust of wind stirred up by the chopper blades.

The helicopters dove nearer to the beach again, trying to get more photos of the bride, who had just thrown her flowers at the groom. This was proving to be a bonanza for the paparazzi, who had never recorded such an incredibly outrageous, Holl ywood wedding before, and there were enough pictures here for huge spreads in several weeks’ issues alone.

Outraged by her accusations, Romeo turned to Juliet. “Me? Okay, so maybe I faked the amnesia thing to get back at you, but that’s nothing compared to what you’ve done to me all summer long, lady. You’ve turned my life upside down and made it a living hell. And now you top it all off with this charade?” He pointed an accusatory finger at Jake.

“You big faker! This is nothing compared to what you did to me, trying to take advantage of me and using the guilt I felt over the shooting to get me to do what you wanted . I cooked for you, cared for you and cleaned for you. I even washed your goddamn dirty underwear for you, and all the while you were playing me.”

Romeo leaned into her face and sneered. “So you didn’t think I’d have the balls to go through with this, did you? You thought I was a boy, not a man - with no internal fortitude to stomach a wedding ceremony? Did I get it right, Juliet? Isn’t that what you said?” Juliet gasped as she remembered those exact words that she’d uttered to Sara and Faith. “You were spying on me?”

“I wasn’t spying. I came upstairs that day to apologize but what did I get instead? A real education about the inner workings of Juliet Soma’s diabolical and scheming mind. That’s when I decided to turn the tables on you, honeycakes, and go through with your fake wedding and your fake minister…” Romeo pointed again to Jake, who was standing speechless, as was everyone else crowding around the bickering couple.

“Excuse me,” Jake suddenly piped up, shouting to be overheard over the noise of the choppers. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not a fake minister.”

Both Romeo and Juliet froze and turned to face him. “What?” Juliet gasped, barely taking in the implications of what she’d just heard.

“I’m an ordained minister. My church, Our Lady of Grace is on the other side of the island. I thought you knew that.” Juliet shook her head in confusion. “I - I don’t understand…” She turned to her friend and piped up, “Faith?” Bewildered, Faith turned to her husband. “Brad?”

Brad’s eyebrows drew downwards in puzzlement. “You said get me Jake the minister and that’s who I got.”

“I said get me a
fake
minister,
fake
not
Jake
! You never listen to me when I talk,” she yelled at her husband, as the helicopters continued to circle again.

Shocked, Romeo turned back to the minister. “So what the hell does this mean?” he shouted at the pastor.

Jake frowned disapprovingly at Romeo’s use of the word ‘hell ’, before answering him. “You and Juliet are officially husband and wife. You’re married.”

~ ~ ~

“What!?” A shocked Romeo and Juliet both uttered the question at the same time, just as a stunned gasp traveled collectively around the group. Sara, Faith, Brad, Tommy and Nick all crowded closer to hear what the minister would say next.

Jake’s brows drew together in a scowl. “I thought I was officiating at a real wedding ceremony.” He threw Brad a disapproving glare and Faith’s husband responded with a sheepish shoulder shrug as if to say he wasn’t quite sure what was going on either. Jake’s frown landed on the newly married couple before continuing. “No matter the intent, you have both taken vows and you’ve signed paperwork. Under the laws of God and of this land, you are husband and wife, and what God has brought together let no man put asunder.” Juliet’s mouth hung open. “It - it can’t be. There must be some mistake.”

Romeo remained very still, as his curious but suspicious eyes traveled from Juliet to Jake and back again.

“There is no mistake,” the minister reaffirmed strongly. “You two are now officially married. This is not a joke, I assure you.” The color drained from Juliet’s face. Her breath caught in her lungs and she turned incredulous eyes at her new husband’s stoic face. “I can’t be married to him!” she panicked, the words barely squeaking out.

“You are,” Reverend Jake insisted.

“Unmarry us then,” she demanded.

“That’s impossible. You took vows and the paperwork is done.”

Juliet desperately looked around at all of the interested faces focused on her. “Well, we won’t tell anyone - and - and it’ll be like it never happened.”

“I’m sorry Juliet, but I can’t do that. You and Romeo are now husband and wife. If you want this marriage dissolved or annulled, then you’ll have to go through the court system.”

Romeo, who’d been watching the entire show with no emotion, suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter. “You expect me to believe this bullshit?” he choked out.

“Why are you laughing?” Juliet angrily turned on him.

“Because this is another one of your little games, isn’t it Juliet? Something you cooked up between you and this terrible amateur actor,” he pointed to Jake. “I get it. It’s all just another scam to teach me a lesson, a kind of backup plan in case I went through with the entire wedding. Well, I’m not falling for it, so you can stop this pathetic show right now.”

Juliet’s head began to spin. “I - I - I…” she began to hyperventilate, “… I - I can’t breathe, I - can’t breathe…” She clutched at her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

Sara rushed to her side and grabbed her sister’s arm to support her just as a panicking Juliet started to bend over. “Oh my God,” she cried worriedly. “Juliet, what’s wrong?”

Faith, too, quickly rushed over to support her friend’s other arm, as all of the men remained impotently rooted to their spots, not knowing what to do.

“Sara - I feel dizzy, I’m going - to pass out,” Juliet wheezed, as she started to gasp more forcefully for breath.

“Put your head between your knees,” she frantically instructed as she, with Faith’s help, pushed her sister down into the sand. Obediently, Juliet did as she was told.

At this point, seeing the bride in the sand and in distress, the helicopters once more swooped down for closer shots. As they did that, the sand again began to swirl into a mini dust storm.

Romeo gazed down at Juliet’s bent head and suddenly he knew! She wasn’t faking; she was experiencing a full-fledged panic attack. And why was she? Because it was true - they’d just been married for real. In a flash, he galvanized into action as he bent down to her crouching form, his hand coming to rest gently on her arm. “Juliet?” he asked softly, the one word question laced with worry.

But Juliet quickly shook his hand off as her head came back up to glare at him. “Don’t touch me!” she wheezed, still trying to steady her breathing.

Frustrated, Romeo quickly backed away and turned to the minister. “There has to be something you can do. If it’s a question of money, then I can…” he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the roar of the helicopters, which were still flying low.

“It’s not, sir; this has nothing to do with money,” Jake replied curtly, insulted that they thought money could solve everything. “Marriage is not an institution to be toyed with and you and Juliet are now legally bound together under the eyes of God and the law. My job here is done.” Throwing the movie star a withering stare, he turned and stalked away towards the driveway to where his car was parked.

Brad followed him. “Jake, wait. I had no idea about this…” he pleaded, as he trailed after his golfing buddy trying to explain along the way. Both men disappeared around the corner of the house.

Juliet finally lifted her head as her breathing began to return to normal, and with the other girls’ help, managed to stand back up on her feet.

Having heard the conversation between Romeo and the minister, she began to seethe with mounting rage. “I know what you’re thinking,” she accused her husband.

“I doubt it,” Romeo gritted, his voice hoarse with frustration. Of all the things that had happened to him this summer, this topped everything. He was now a married man - a married man, for God’s sake. And he’d never even proposed to anybody! He’d been bamboozled into yet another incredible situation without his knowledge and now here he was, married to Juliet; the woman he loved, but who was driving him absolutely crazy insane! He refocused on his bride. “So, you think you have all the answers, Juliet? Then tell me what I’m thinking,” he dared her.

“There’s only one reason you’re talking about money with the minister. You’re worried that you just got married without a pre-nuptial agreement.”

“What? That never even crossed my mind,” he exploded, amazed at how her brain worked.

“Rest assured, buddy, that I don’t want your big-time, movie star money because I don’t want you. The only thing I want is a divorce,” Juliet yelled, shouting over the noise the paparazzi helicopters were still making. She fumed inside. So he didn’t want her, did he? He was only worried about his precious net worth, was that it?

“A divorce? Yeah, well you got it, baby! I wouldn’t stay married to you for all the Oscar-winning roles in Holl ywood. Consider this marriage over before it even starts,” he voll eyed back, before turning on his heel and stalking away into his house. Tommy immediately followed his friend.

Frustrated, Juliet raised both her fists in the air. She was so mad right now, but it was mostly at herself for having landed in yet another stupid mess of her own making. Inhaling a deep, calming breath, she turned to her sister. “I should have listened to you, Sara. You said this was going to backfire on me and it did. Now what do I do?”

“I’ll call Rob in Vancouver. He’ll get you a good lawyer and we’ll have this whole thing annulled in no time. It’ll be like it never happened,” her sister reassured her. “We can even fly out of here tomorrow. What do you say?” Suddenly exhausted from it all, Juliet’s shoulders slumped and she nodded her approval. “Okay, let’s go home.” Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Nick walking away towards Romeo’s beach house. “Nick?” she shouted after him.

Having already reached the patio area, Nick turned and stopped to watch Juliet run up to him and put her hand on his sleeve to detain him.

“I want to know why. Why did you play me like you did?” Juliet demanded. “I never did anything to you.” Nick’s eyes wandered over her beautiful face. Did he still have a chance with her, he wondered? “I’m sorry, Juliet. I didn’t know you before. I never meant to hurt you.”

“Did he pay you? Is that why you did it?”

The soap actor nodded. “I’m ashamed to say, yes. But you - you’re an amazing person and I’m sorry for what I did. Can you ever forgive me?” He gave her his best, overly practiced, woeful, puppy dog look, the one that had made him somewhat famous on Sunsets of My Life. If he played his cards right, then maybe, just maybe he could have her, because there was nothing he wanted more right now than Juliet in his arms and naked in his bed.

He bent down to give her a soft kiss on her full lips and then let his own lips linger there, a mere breath away. “I care about you, Juliet, and I’m here for you,” he mumbled softly.

Juliet didn’t have time to respond to the kiss because suddenly, she felt a strong hand grip her wrist and yank her out of Nick’s arms. And then she saw Romeo’s fist fly over her to land squarely on Nick’s jaw, sending the soap actor sprawling to the patio pavement.

“Stay away from her,” Romeo shouted at him, just as the helicopters began another round of aerial acrobatics, trying to get pictures of the sudden fist fight.

Nick massaged his jaw as he awkwardly stood up. “Why? You don’t want her,” he taunted Romeo, and before Romeo had a chance to respond, the soap actor launched himself at the A-lister, grabbing him around the waist until they both fell down intertwined together. In a flash, fists began flying as both men threw punches at each other. Both Sara and Faith yanked a stunned Juliet out of the way as the girls all watched the fight, paralyzed on how to stop it.

“You bastard!” Romeo shouted at his ex-friend, as he landed another strong punch to Nick’s jaw. “Keep your hands off her.” But Nick wasn’t giving up so easily, as he staggered back up on his feet. “Why? So you can play her some more? She wants me, not you,” he shouted back and then lunged again at the movie star. The force of the blow caused the fighting duo to hit the back of the gas barbeque, which was on the patio nearest the sliding doors of Romeo’s beach house. But as the two men moved onto the grass, with all fists flying, no one had noticed that the barbeque had begun to wobble and quickly fell down on its side. The food for the reception that was being kept warm inside, spilled everywhere onto the concrete pavement and the hot, metal BBQ gril suddenly touched the edge of a curtain which was Bill owing out of the open, sliding door from which Romeo had emerged minutes earlier. As the polyester material touched the heated grill, a flame quickly erupted and the curtain was on fire in seconds. But because the brawling duo was now on the grassy part of the property, all the girls had their backs to the patio and no one had seen what had happened.

“Romeo, Nick, stop it!” Juliet screamed, afraid that either of them could get seriously hurt, but they ignored her and kept fighting.

Tommy, having heard the commotion, ran outside from the kitchen back door. On seeing his two friends fighting, he rushed to their side, oblivious to the curtain fire burning brightly at the side of the house. “Stop it! Stop it!” he cried out, before quickly grabbing Nick to haul him away from Romeo’s raging fists. “Romeo, stop it,” he yelled at his best friend.

As the fight progressed, the helicopters maneuvered themselves even lower so that the paparazzi on board could take closer pictures of the incredulous scene below, but as they did so, the gust of wind created by the whirling blades fanned the small fire burning in the house even more.

Within seconds, it had been fed into ceiling high flames, engulfing one side of Romeo’s beach house completely.

Smelling smoke, Faith whirled around and on seeing the house on fire, she let out a scream. Romeo stopped in mid-punch and looked up, as did everyone else. The entire house was now on fire and the wind from the helicopters had fanned it to apocalyptic proportions within seconds. The flying machines suddenly flew out of range, so as not to affect the flames anymore.

“Oh my God, my house!” Romeo screamed, as he ran towards the fire.

Juliet ran after him and everyone else ran after her. “No, Romeo!” she shouted, afraid that he was going to rush into the now raging inferno that had been his beach house. She grabbed his arm as he tried to get at a water hose coiled at the side of the building, but the flames had reached that spot too and he had no choice but to back away. He looked at her then, speechless, but his frightened eyes told her everything. How could this be happening, they were pleading. Was this even real?

Sara immediately broke into a run towards her own house to call the fire department, but what she didn’t know was that the helicopter pilots had already radioed in a call as soon as they had seen the flames. But by the time the fire trucks had arrived, the beach house was completely engulfed by sky high flames. As the firemen battled the blaze, Juliet, Sara, Faith and Brad stood on one side of the property, helplessly and silently watching, and Romeo, Tommy and Nick stood off to the other side.

A few times, Juliet had let her eyes wander over to where Romeo was standing to see how he was reacting to it all, but she couldn’t gauge anything from his frozen stance. He didn’t look her way at all and made no move to approach her. He just kept staring straight ahead at the fire, immobile like a marble statue.

Within the hour, the fire had finally been put out, but the damage was extensive. The house had been completely gutted and all that remained were some blackened, charred beams and the foundation. Everything else had burned - everything. It was all gone. Romeo’s beach house was gone.

The firemen had told them that if the paparazzi helicopters hadn’t been there fanning the flames with their blades, then maybe they could have gotten there in time and saved more of the structure, but as it was, the house had burned down completely. They had done their best.

Juliet nervously chewed on her lower lip as guilt flowed through her veins. This had all been her fault too! The helicopters, the ones she’d tipped off about the wedding were not the only ones fanning flames; she’d also fanned a flame - a jealous flame - between Romeo and Nick and it had finally burst today. She was as much to blame for this fire as were the two of them for pushing over that gas barbeque and igniting the whole thing.

And now Romeo’s beach house was gone, a distant memory.

She watched Romeo out of the corner of her eyes and as soon as she saw the fire chief who’d been talking to him move away, she walked up to the movie star. still dressed as she was in her white wedding sheath, she noticed that he’d removed his black jacket, exposing the soot that was splotched across his white shirt from when he’d tried to grab the water hose.