Married at First Sight

Owen felt encouraged for the first time as he held his pretty new wife in his arms. "This is nice," he told her.

"Yeah. It's not so bad," she agreed quietly.

"We better get a move on. We're supposed to leave for our honeymoon this afternoon and the camera crew is due back anytime."

"Oh, wow. I completely lost track of time. Okay, I'll call her right now then jump in the shower."

"Can I jump in with you when I come back inside—if I use the breath spray?"

"Don't push your luck, Owen," she said letting him know there was no way in hell that was happening without being mean.

Even so, he couldn't help but smile as he stepped outside.

******

Dr. Schweitzer was a PhD, not a medical doctor, but she had one waiting for the new couple by the time they arrived.

He spent some time talking to both of them then said, "Have you tried patches and gum before, Owen?"

"Not really. I never actually wanted to quit until now," he said as Reagan reached for his hand.

"Okay, let's try them because something like Chantix allows you to keep smoking for a few days and that seems untenable for Reagan."

"For me, too," Owen said letting Reagan know he cared how she felt.

He handed Owen a box of patches and another one with nicotine-laced gum and offered his best advice on how to use them. "You seem highly motivated to quit Owen, and I can assure you that's half the battle. These will take the edge off, but unless you're fully committed to quitting, nothing will do it for you."

He looked at Dr. Schweitzer and asked, "Where are you sending them on their honeymoon?"

"To Jamaica," she said.

Reagan got very excited before the medical doctor said, "Is there anyway to send them somewhere they'd be outdoors doing things like hiking rather than sitting on a beach?"

He saw Reagan make a face and explained why he thought that would be better for Owen. "He needs to stay active, outdoors, and avoid triggers like alcohol."

"And sex?" Reagan said trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm not touching that remark," the doctor said with a smile.

"Just be aware of your triggers, Owen. Talk to Reagan. Tell her how you're doing. Don't use more than the recommended dose, but do use all of it, okay?"

He shook their hands, wished them well, then left.

"Okay, I'm going to switch you guys with Terrence and Mikayla. They'll go to Jamaica and you two will be going to The Poconos."

Reagan's countenance changed again, this time for the better. "The Poconos? That's very romantic, too. How do you feel about that, Owen?" she asked.

"Honestly? As long as I'm with you, anywhere is fine."

Dr. Schweitzer smiled and said to Reagan, "You better hang on to this one!"

Six hours later they were on a plane to Pennsylvania. Owen had his last cigarette before they went inside the terminal then slapped a nicotine patch just before boarding the plane.

"Do you have your gum, too?" Reagan asked.

"Yep. Right here," he assured her.

That first night was indescribably awful and as much as Owen wanted to be with his new wife, he felt like hell even with the patch. He ignored the doctor's advice and chewed a piece of gum, too, but it just wasn't the same.

"Do you mind too much if I just go to bed? I'm not feeling all that great," he told her around 9pm.

"No, not at all," Reagan said. She was deeply disappointed and yet happy at the same time knowing her husband was doing something this hard for her. "I'll go to bed with you. But just to keep you company."

"No worries. For the first time in my adult life, I'm not in the mood. At all. I just want to go to sleep and make it to tomorrow."

Owen brushed his teeth but didn't shower. He crawled in bed and pulled the covers over himself and curled up in a ball.

"Hey, it's time for a new patch," Reagan said. "At least according to the box." She got one out and said, "Here, give me your arm."

He pulled the covers down so she could peel off the old one then said, "Sorry. You need to flip over and let me put in on the other arm. You're not supposed to use the same spot."

"For Christ's sake!" he said as he complied and rolled over.

Reagan carefully stuck it on then said, "Okay. Good to go. I'll be right there."

A few minutes later she laid down with him and asked, "Is it really that bad?"

"I'll be okay. The patch helps, but trust me, it's not the same."

"Well, I'm really proud of you and I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thanks," he said. "I just wanna go to sleep now."

He rolled back over and Reagan couldn't help but feel bad for him. After all, he was only doing this for her and his sacrifice touched her. Her back was toward her as she slid closer and put her arm around him. "Sweet dreams."

"You, too," he said. She thought his teeth were clenched but couldn't be sure. Exhausted, both of them fell asleep together for the first time and spent a purely platonic night in bed.

Reagan was up and had coffee waiting when he woke up. She knew this first morning without a cigarette was going to be tough. She saw him sit up and said, "Coffee's ready."

"Thank God," he said. "Oh, shit. That's a huge trigger. Maybe I better pass."

"You'll get a caffeine withdrawal headache, too. Are you sure?"

"No. I'm not sure of anything right now," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I need to pee and I want a cigarette so bad I'd kill for one."

"There's a fresh patch by your toothbrush. Sorry, that's the best I can do."

Owen decided to take a hot shower first then slapped on the new patch. Unlike smoking, where the nicotine hit was immediate, the patch took time to work and it only released a small amount of nicotine into his body which was craving a huge, immediate hit. He grabbed two pieces of gum and chewed the hell out of them before getting into the shower. After drying off, he applied a fresh patch then went to sit down with Reagan.

"I think I will have a cup," he said. "There aren't any cigarettes in the room so I think I'll be okay."

She handed him a cup and even though he desperately wanted to smoke, the coffee still tasted incredibly good.

"So what's on the agenda today?" he asked noticing the cameraman was already filming.

The entire week was planned out for them although they could skip events or request changes. The show had them going skiing, backpacking along a beautiful, snow-covered trail, learning how to do ice sculpting, and a dozen other things.

That next day was also tough, but keeping busy really helped. Meals were the worst, but Owen was bound and determined to do this and every time his willpower waned, all he had to do was look at Reagan and see her smile at him; something she was doing more as each hour passed that he was smoke free.

Before they got on the plane, Owen got Meagan's phone number from Dr. Schweitzer and asked her sister some questions. Just as they were about to hang up, Meagan said, "Any man willing to do these kinds of things for my sister is the kind of man that can win her heart. As much as I dread having to admit she was right, I'm really hoping this works out. She can be a handful Owen, but she's also a really amazing person. You seem pretty amazing yourself."

He thanked her then ordered a few things on line from his phone. With express shipping, he knew they'd be there when he needed them to be.

That first evening, his cravings were still there, but they were less than half of what they'd been the night before. As they came back to the hotel after dinner, the concierge let them know there was a package for them.

Owen grabbed it and thanked the older man for it. He shook it in the elevator and said, "Hmmm. I wonder what this could be."

When they got to the room, he pretending to look at the name for the first time and said, "Well, look at this. The package is for you."

"For me? Who's it from?" she asked as he handed it to her.

"Looks like it came from someone named Amazon. Does that ring a bell?" he said with a smile.

"You goof!" she replied as she sat down to open it.

She sliced the tape with her fingernail, carefully opened the box, then saw the gift. "Oh, my gosh!" she said as she pulled out an off-white cashmere scarf and gloves. "These are so pretty!" she told him as she wrapped it around her neck.

"I think there's a card in there," he said pointing to the box.

She opened the card and read it out loud: "Dear Reagan, I'm not very good at anticipating your wants and needs yet, but I am willing to try. It's cold here and it seems to me these are things you'll need and I hope they're things you also want. I am fully committed to you and this marriage. Your husband, Owen."

Reagan set the card on the bed then stood up and hugged her husband. "Thank you so much. That was just about the sweetest thing ever."

"So am I doing okay so far?" he asked her as she held him tight.

"You're doing very well, so far." She pulled back then smiled at him. "If you keep this up, I just might fall in love with you."

"As long as I don't relapse, right?" he said trying to make a joke out of a very serious subject.

She didn't respond to that. Instead she just told him, "This was so thoughtful of you, Owen. Thank you so much." She stood on her toes then kissed him. She went to pull back, but he held onto her and kissed her again and to his delight, she kissed back. For the first time, their tongues met several times as they kissed.

"That was very nice," she told him when it ended.

"I am trying," he let her know.

"And it's much appreciated. These are perfect. I can't wait to wear them tomorrow." She kissed him one more time then asked if he'd like to maybe watch a movie in the room.

The cameras were rolling the entire time and kept rolling during the romantic comedy they watched together and caught them making out a couple of times. The filming continued until the new couple got in bed and began making out again. "Goodbye you guys!" Reagan said as she pulled the comforter over them.

The cameras went off and the two-man crew left.

"I'm not ready to go all the way yet," she said. "But I am enjoying the kissing."

"Then kissing it shall be," he said as he pulled her on top of himself.

The kissing grew hot and heavy and ended in a kind of mutual masturbation. Both of them were flat on their back as they quietly pleasured one another with one hand until Reagan gasped and tensed. She came hard but continued to stroke Owen's nicely thick cock until streams of warm liquid shot out all over his chest.

Reagan handed him a bunch of tissues from the nightstand and said, "Looks like you sprung a leak."

Owen wiped himself off and quipped, "You bring out the best in me."

Reagan laughed then kissed him goodnight. "Thank you again for the gift. That was so sweet of you."

"My pleasure," he told her. "Goodnight, Reagan."

The following evening there was another package at the front desk and Reagan was openly excited as they got to their room. Inside was a teddy bear, but not just any teddy bear. Meagan told him about the one Reagan had as a little girl and that they were being offered again for a limited time.

"It's Mr. Muggles!" she said as she pulled it out. Her eyes were darting between his as she said, "How...how did you know? How could you know?"

"I do my homework," he told her.

She was still wearing her new scarf as she held the bear in her arms. "This was my favorite stuffed animal ever. I left it in a motel when we were on vacation and I cried for days." There were tears in her eyes as she looked back up at Owen. "Thank you!" was all she could say before she kissed him slowly and deeply.

"Wait right here, okay?" she said.

Several minutes later she came out wearing that very sexy nightie he'd seen the first night. She stopped in front of him and said, "Do you like it?"

"Oh, yeah," he told her. "Very much."

"Well...then why don't you go get ready for bed so we can um...consummate our marriage?" Reagan kissed him and ran her hand between his legs and moaned softly when it ended. "Hurry back, okay?"

An hour later, Reagan was asleep with a large load of her husband's cum safely inside her warm, wet pussy. She'd taken him in her mouth, offered him her nicely-trimmed cunt, and happily spread her legs wide for his thick cock. She wanted so badly to say those three little words, but she just couldn't utter them—yet.

On the way into the hotel the next evening, Owen said, "Gee, I wonder what will be waiting for you tonight?"

Reagan took his hand and said, "This is by far my favorite time of the day."

He opened the door for her and said, "Hey, wait a minute? Better than last night?"

"Hmmm. I have to think about that," she said playfully. "It could possibly be a tie."

"Okay. I guess I can live with that," he said as the concierge waved them over. "Anything that makes my beautiful wife happy works for me."

When Reagan saw the copy of her all-time favorite book growing up, tears filled her eyes. "Charlotte's Web. I love this book!"

She held it to her chest then asked Owen to sit next to her. She wiped her eyes the best she could then took his hand. "Thank you—again." She kissed him said, "Owen? I...I love you."

He smiled and said, "I love you, too, Reagan."

"No, I mean I really love you," she said as she stared into his eyes. "I don't know how you did it, but this...these things...quitting smoking for me...all that. You have no idea what that means to me. I've dreamed about a marriage like this forever, but never really thought it would happen. Not to me."

"Why?" he asked as he put his arm around her.

"You know why," she said without looking at him.

"No, sorry. I don't."

She sat there looking at her favorite book as she stroked the pretty scarf around her neck then looked over at Mr. Muggles. "I've always been so self-absorbed. I'm selfish and self-centered and you're so...giving. And...loving. And...thoughtful and kind." Tears were falling freely as she said, "I love you so much and...and I have nothing to give you in return."

"Hey! Stop that," he said cheerfully. "You are all I need in return. Just you and your love. That's it."

She sniffed then said, "See? Even there you're the better person. You don't need things. You tell me I'm all you need and...and I can tell you mean it."

"I do," he told her truthfully.

"And that just makes me feel worse, because I want to give you things in return. I just have no idea what you even like. You seem to know everything about me and I know nothing about you. And yet...I know I love you."

"It's okay, honey," he said using an endearment for the first time. "I love you, too, and I honestly don't need anything."

The emotion was so raw and so real both of them forget the cameras were rolling.

Reagan looked over at them and said, "Sorry guys. It's gonna be another early night for you."

Owen held her close and said, "Oh, well that means an early night for us, too. I like these early nights. A lot."

Reagan gave himself to her husband twice that night and she gave herself in every possible way. She'd never enjoyed giving oral before, but Owen made her want to give in every way she could and for the first time she found herself thoroughly enjoying taking a man's hard cock in her mouth. She was aware of how it felt; the mushroom-like head, the thick, fat veins on the side. His large, elliptically-shaped balls that seemed to float in a soft bag of wrinkly skin. All of it was suddenly pleasant, wonderful, and very enjoyable. She'd always loved being eaten out, and the sex itself was great. But now she was...making love...with a man she loved and well, she loved every aspect of it.

The following day, she decided to give her sister a call and let her know how things were going.

"I guess you're going to rub my nose in it, huh?" Meagan said after describing how wonderful things were going.

"No, not at all," she said. "I just wanted to share this with my best friend. Owen is just so amazing. He seems to know so much about me. It's...it's uncanny, you know?"

"Not really," Meagan said. "Reagan? He called me before you guys went on your honeymoon. He wanted to know what you liked, what you loved, what you dreamed about, what you wanted. I could tell how much he cared about you so I shared things with him."

There was silence for a moment and Meagan said, "Hey? Are you upset or something?"

"No, not at all," she said quietly. "I hadn't thought of that but it makes perfect sense. And that's just so like him to take the time to find out."

"So why don't you do the same thing for him?" her sister suggested.

"How? How would I do that for him?"

"He doesn't have a brother to call, but he does have a best friend. That cute guy with the closely-trimmed beard."

"Art. Arty-art who let a fart," Reagan said absent-mindedly.

"What are you talking about, Reagan?"

"Sorry. Nothing. It's just that you actually answered my question."

"Well, alrighty then! Glad I could help," Meagan said not quite sure what she'd done.

"Thanks, Meg. You're the best. I love you!"

Reagan hung up the phone then called Dr. Schweitzer and got the information she needed then made another call.

"Hello? Art? Hey, this is Reagan...Delm...Palmer. We met at the wedding."

"Oh, yeah. What's the haps up there in the mountains? It's cold, right?"

"Yeah, it's very cold. Listen, I was wondering if we could talk. I kind of need some help in the form of information."

"What kind of information?" he asked.

"What kinds of things does Owen like or want or need?"

"Ah! You came to the place, Grasshopper!" Art told her.

Five minutes later, Reagan hung up the phone knowing how to please her handsome, loving, caring, devoted new husband. All of the things Art mentioned were easy. Well, all of them but one—the most important one.

*****
On the last night of their honeymoon, Reagan opened her last gift, a present that was as personal and touching as the rest. Her heart was overflowing with love and gratitude, and she was giving herself to her new husband as fully as she knew how. Or at least as fully as she presently could.

After making love again, Reagan saw the ever-present patch staring her in the face and asked Owen a question as she poked it with her finger. "How are you doing in the war on smoking, honey? You never say anything about it."

He rolled over and looked at her and said, "That's because there's nothing to talk about. It's not up for debate so I deal with it. End of story."

Reagan traced circles on his chest with the same finger she'd just used to poke his fresh patch. "Are you saying you want it to be open for debate?"

"I try not to wish for things I can't have," he told her.

"That was the kind of answer a politician would give," she told him, and it was.

"If you're asking me if I still want to smoke, the answer is both yes and no. It's 'yes' from the standpoint of it being a habit I for about 12 years. It's 'no' from the standpoint that I love you more than smoking and don't want to disappoint you, let alone ever lose you. Nothing is as valuable or important to me than you, sweetheart," he told her.

"So...do you ever wish I'd start smoking?" she asked already knowing the answer.

He put his hand on her cheek and said, "Like I said, I try not to wish for things I can't have."

"But...what if you could have them? Would you wish for them then?"

"I don't live in a hypothetical world, honey. I'm a science-based guy. I'm logical and rational. I'm a linear thinker. You know, A to B to C. I don't spend time wondering what life would be like had I done things differently. It's a colossal waste of time because the past can't be changed. I do my best to live in the present hoping the future will be rewarding. Why are you even asking me this?"

"I don't know. I just love you so much. That's all."

"Well, I love you too, but I don't ask you hypothetical questions because I love you. Is there something going on? Something in the real world that's whirling around in that pretty head of yours?"