Story written on May 6th, 2016
Revamped on October 22nd, 2022

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Jessica whined, red-faced and visibly angry. She could already feel the sweat forming

on the back of her neck. Sure, she and her boyfriend had been going out for quite a while now but THIS? You can't be serious… 

It was like any other Tuesday morning. Jessica and her boyfriend, Marvin, had been doing their everyday activities, but

something had felt a little... off. Perhaps because the weather wasn't ideal, the two of them felt dread about continuing the

day as usual. Jessica was at her desk in her bedroom reading the latest novel she picked up from the library, adjusting

her glasses and flipping through the pages. Marvin on the other hand was much more of a go-with-the-glow kind of individual. Sprawling

across the couch, he munched on chex mix as he watched random shows on Netflix, which were usually murder documentaries. You would think with how different the two are that you could never see them more than lab partners, but somehow they understood each other better than anyone else. Jessica took note of the time, glancing to her left. Next to her stacks of organized files, a small light blue clock in the shape of a bunny with puffy cheeks showed its presence next to her stacks of organized files. Its ears perked straight up, wearing a pink bow on its left ear to compliment its pink cheeks. It was the first gift Marvin had gotten her for their one-month anniversary. They had gone on a date to the mall, and he bought it for her saying how it reminded him of her. Jessica got up from her seat and made her way to the living room, where Marvin was relaxing. He adjusted his position upon hearing her footsteps glide on the wood floor. 
"Mornin', Jess. Any plans for today?" Marvin turned his head to his girlfriend, who stood near the edge of the couch.
"Nope. That's why I came to you." Jessica had her hands placed on the edge of the couch where Marvin's legs lay.
"One of my guy friends sent me an invitation to an art museum that should be open for the next few days... maybe that?" He proceeded to reach for his phone, opening his messages to see the conversation he and his friend had a few days prior.
"I thought you weren't into museums?" Jokingly, Jessica wrinkled her eyebrows, looking very confused, yet amused.
"Well, yeah, but I know you like them. And it's nearby, so why not? It's free admission from my bro." He signified to his phone with a charming look, making Jessica smile in response. 
"I don't see why not. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two and wrack some knowledge in that brain of yours." Jessica laughed and turned her heel to return to her bedroom.
The two of them made their way into the walkway, walls covered with various colors and sculptures. Perhaps a Tuesday afternoon was a good day to go visit the art gallery, the entire building felt abandoned. Crickets may have well inhabited the space with how quiet it had been. The two of them walked down the halls, hands interlocked, eat step bouncing off the walls. As they walked, Jessica felt herself being yanked back, acknowledging Marvin's sudden stop. She looked into his eyes and trailed the path to him staring at a certain sculpture, one that definitely captivated him. She exhaled and began to walk over to it, making Marvin's spacing come to a stop and follow her.
"Why are we going this way?" Marvin asked, looking at the back of Jessica's head before she stopped and swooped her head around to face him.
"I saw you looking at this sculpture. You could barely take your eyes off of it. Plus, it looks a little intriguing to me too." She grinned and continued walking, Marvin reluctant to join. The two of them arrived at their destination, looking forward to the piece in front of them. Jessica took a look at the description, Chained: Sometimes, your soulmate is just within the palm of your hand. Weird. Her eyes altered to the piece itself, two hand prints next to each other, one on the left and one on the right hand, visibly different sizes. They were molded with a form of gold, so exact even the lines of their palms and fingerprints were visible. Some parts of the structure were changing to silver, most likely from people placing their own palms over the piece. Marvin dropped Jessica's hand and grinned at her, making her raise an eyebrow. 
"We should put our hands on it," he expressed, "I'll go first." He leaned forward and placed his right palm on the piece, averting when he realized it was too small.  Jessica chuckled, "I think that's a female hand. I'll try it." and adjusted their position to where Marvin was to her left. The two of them locked eyes and smiled, placing their hands on the corresponding indents of the gold.
"Oh wow, I didn't expect it to be such a neat fit." Marvin expressed his amusement as he averted his eyes between his own hand and Jessica's. After holding for a few seconds, Jessica sighed and revoked her hand, only to be caught in confusion, her hand stuck mid-air. Marvin took notice of her hidden halt upon feeling a tug on his wrist. The two of them exchanged a concerned stare as they began to analyze the situation. Jessica tried pulling her hand away again, revealing a white string that was attached to both of their wrists visible for as long as she pulled, which wasn't long since she knew it was useless. Jessica turned back to Marvin, who then seemed to be in deep thought. When Marvin caught her eye, he smiled.

"Come on, Jessica, this isn't so bad. It's kinda cool," he told her, making her heart start to beat so much she feared it might stop. Either from the stress or just how attractive he looked, either way, she needed answers.

Knock knock.
"Uh, Lucie… we have a problem…" Jessica exclaimed awkwardly, not daring to make eye contact. The couple decided to visit their friends, Lucie and Julian. Lucie was Jessica's childhood friend, accepted to colleges near each other, so they're still able to keep in fresh contact. Julian on the other hand is one of Marvin's bros, the one who gave him the invitation to the art museum, to be exact. Both Lucie and Julian had met each other at a ballroom exchange their parents set them up for, the same way Jessica and Marvin met when they were in high school. The two currently live together in an apartment complex a few streets down. You can imagine Lucie and Julian are also an opposite of each other, but they moreso complement each other. 
"Huh? Is the art museum closed?" Lucie asked, in her always happy tone.
"Well… no, the art museum was fine but… look," she said as she moved her hand, revealing the chain connecting her to Lucie.
"No way... did you guys touch the Chained piece?" Julian pushed Lucie away from the door entrance, making her stumble backward. He stared in awe, ruffling his hair with a grin on his face. 

"Yeah, we did. I think that thing caused this." Jessica huffed, lifting her wrist up towards her chest, dragging Marvin's along.
After Julian examined the chain a little longer, he invited the two into their apartment, where they obliged. The two sat on the couch as Julian took it upon himself to research the piece and its history. He told them that it shouldn't be a problem; it would wear off in a few days, and that the chain would remain invisible when it wasn't pulled on. Jessica could not believe it. She and Marvin have barely gone past first base, there's no way she could handle being chained to him for up to three whole days... she needs to take a shower, change clothes, go to the bathroom... oh my god. There were so many thoughts going through her mind all at once. How is she going to survive?

Jessica fumed as the two rode through the cold night on Marvin's red glossy motorcycle. She couldn't sit in a very comfortable position, but at least being relatively smaller than Marvin she was able to sit in front of him, bending forward out of his view. The wind was exhilarated by the speed of the motorcycle, blowing her hair behind her, probably getting into Marvin's eyes. And mouth. She turned around to look at Marvin, who was looking forward with a deadpan expression. Jessica blinked a few times, a little taken aback by his face - definitely a new one. Once they finally got to their apartment, silence fell between the two. 

"I need to go to the bathroom," Marvin mumbled sympathetically, he was clearly embarrassed as he turned his head away from Jessica as he said it. Jessica felt her face redden, but obliged and walked to the bathroom door with him. Marvin went in and closed the door. At this moment Jessica was more than thankful their toilet was right next to the door. Her legs were sprawled out towards the entrance of Marvin's bedroom as she leaned her head against the door, waiting for Marvin to finish his business. At some point, Marvin walked too far away, pulling Jessica's hand into the door. Jessica pulled her hand back hard, receiving a loud groan in response from Marvin. 

"You're pulling me," she told him through the door. She didn't get a response until Marvin abruptly opened the door and started walking towards the kitchen, Jessica quickly getting up and following him like a lost puppy. Marvin then started fumbling through the refrigerator, Jessica staring dumbfounded. She has to go through this for three more days... doesn't she?

"You hungry?" Marvin asked, but Jessica didn't respond for a few seconds because she was too lost in what she would have to go through for the next few days. Eventually, she did realize that she was very hungry, as she hadn't eaten since breakfast, and it was now 7 o'clock at night. Together, Marvin and Jessica awkwardly made themselves dinner, two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They hadn't dared try to make something more complex. Once they were finished preparing their food, they both sat down at the kitchen island and began eating their meal with one hand, their other laced with their partners. The whole time Jessica munched on her sandwich, her mind buzzed with ten different thoughts at the same time. Jessica could feel her face redden once again while she ate and instantly quickened her pace; hoping Marvin wouldn't notice her nervousness. He never misses a beat though.

"Something wrong?" Marvin asked. Jessica quickly shook her head, almost violently. Marvin gave her a suspicious look but shrugged it off. A few minutes later it seemed he knew what she had been thinking about and started to grow the slightest blush himself. They both finished their sandwiches at the same time and instantaneously got up, put their plates in the sink, and sat on the couch. Jessica cautiously watched as Marvin turned on his usual shows, but she was too distracted to see what it actually was. She was too focused on him. Right next to him...

Jessica slowly rested her head on Marvin's shoulder. She could feel the weight of Marvin resting his head on hers while he gently brushed hair off her forehead with his free hand. The two of them stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the moment. Before Jessica could regain consciousness, Marvin's hand was under her chin, gently raising her face to his. Their eyes locked as he began drawing her into a long, and much-wanted kiss. Jessica grinned under his kiss, reciprocating the desire. She gently closed her eyes as she wrapped her free hand around his back and found his around her waist. Their chained hands were intertwined in front of their chests, with Marvin caressing her thumb as their lips danced with each other. It got more intense, yet more tender and loving at the same time. Somehow, when Jessica finally opened her eyes, she found herself lying on top of Marvin, stuck like glue. She jumped off and lightly smiled.

"I need to take a shower," Jessica found herself saying instinctively, regretting what she said almost immediately. She peeked over to Marvin, whom you could tell by just looking at, was thinking... thoughts. "So what do you propose we do? You need to take a shower too," Jessica told him. Marvin opened his mouth and was about to say something when Jessica quickly interrupted him, "we will have to wear our swimsuits." Marvin frowned, seeming a bit disappointed at this idea. Jessica rolled her eyes and dragged Marvin into her room, taking her swimsuit out of her drawer. She was prepared to change into her suit when she turned to Marvin with a dastardly stare, fire in her mint green eyes as she said, "If you peek so help me I'll--" Marvin quickly raised his free hand in defense and closed his eyes, averting from her direction. Jessica quickly undressed and re-dressed, unable to tell if Marvin was truly looking or not, wanting to keep her back to him even though they were only a few feet away. She tossed off her fashionable light blue and ruffled tank top, realizing that clothes are able to sizzle through the invisible chain. She proceeded by taking off her jean shorts, leaving her undergarments for last. Everything was going well until she got to her swimsuit top, where she couldn't reach the back. She held it, covering her breasts when she exclaimed, "I need you to tie this," quickly kicking her other clothes away so Marvin wouldn't be able to see her underwear before he turned and tied the strings together. Marvin looked away then took her and went into his room, retrieving his swim trunks from his drawer. She listened as Marvin took off his tee-shirt, and knee-length khakis, his … Jessica felt her stomach start to twist. She forced herself to stop. When she heard him stop moving she turned her head slightly to see he was done. Jessica smiled a bit then led him to the bathroom and turned on their hot shower. Jessica felt grateful for the warm water. It seemed to wash away all her worries, even though they were standing right next to her, in the shape of a tall, muscular, tan man. His wet black hair was complimented by his almond-brown eyes and an enormous scar that traced along his whole torso from when he was a child. Jessica shook her head, ignoring her thoughts, placing herself under the showerhead, and started washing her hair with Marvin's help as she did, since he could tell it made her smile and made butterflies flutter in her stomach. Jessica also helped with Marvin's hair, him crouching as she rubbed her nails into his scalp, bubbles forming around her fingertips. When Jessica started putting on her rose-scented body wash on her body, she felt Marvin begin to help again, rubbing all over her back and her arms, making her feel as if her skin was crawling with electricity. She felt herself stiffen, yet smile. Once there was enough body wash on the two, she took notice as Marvin continued to rub her arms, but Jessica swiftly caught his hand and kissed his lips tenderly, smiling and rinsing off the rest of the soapsuds before the two stepped out of the shower, drying each other with their towels.

Marvin and Jessica walked out of the bathroom, feeling the warm air escape the bathroom and the cold crawl through their skin. Marvin yawned.

"I'm tired too," Jessica whispered to him. They both got dressed in their pajamas in the same manner as before. When they finished, they kinda just stood there, looking at each other, unsure of how to continue.

"Let's go to bed," Marvin told her with one of his crooked smiles, only this one was somewhat gentle looking. Jessica nodded and they both climbed into her bed. Jessica laid there, stiff as a stick as Marvin's arm was tossed lazily over her shoulders, forcing her arm to be bent upwards, to where Marvin wanted it. Jessica was slightly irritated, but eventually cooled down and turned to her side, lacing her hand with Marvin's, keeping his arm over her shoulder and curving into his body. Jessica listened to Marvin's heartbeat as if it was a calming lullaby falling asleep to its rhythm. 

​

Jessica tossed and turned until she forced her eyes open from the light that eliminated through her window. She eventually sat up in bed, turning her attention to Marvin, looking at him up and down. She gently caressed his cheek, suddenly feeling like all of these romantic things she had been so hesitant about had come normally to her. They had exchanged kisses in the past and seen each other in bathing suits before, but yesterday felt more important than any day of her life. Marvin was lazily turned over in his sleep, his hair messed up going every which way, but his face was peaceful, up until he slit one glaring eye open. Jessica smiled as he sat up and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. She looked down at her wrist, the handcuffs invisible to her, but for some reason, she felt like she was really happy they were there. Breakfast went by swiftly, Jessica finding herself again on the couch, though this time she was entertained by her favorite morning show. Marvin was distracting himself with his music coming from the headphones he had on, head in Jessica's lap. While the show was on a commercial break, Jessica looked down at his relaxed face. His eyes were shut; his whole body was concentrated and filled with the jazz music being played through his headphones. Jessica smiled sweetly. She remembered when she first met Marvin... when she first heard him play.

It had been five whole years since Jessica walked into the great ballroom, furnished with only a grand piano in the middle of the room, being played by the man whom she felt so strongly for, who played his feelings through the piano keys so willingly, so freely. The music left her in a trance, she knew from that moment, she knew from the moment they shook hands and became friends, she knew from the moment Marvin first asked her out, she knew from the moment they first kissed, she knew…

"Marvin," she whispered to herself, eyes closed, having paid no attention to anything but her thoughts for the last five minutes. "I love you, Marvin. I really do…" she whispered again, feeling the love actually coming from her own words. She opened her eyes to find Marvin facing her, headphones off, at full attention. Their eyes seemed to read each other with full clarity, tracing each other's feelings. Then he grinned and tackled her waist, her chuckling and begging for help in the process. Honestly, will these next few days really be a problem? In fact, Jessica didn't mind if these handcuffs never came off, because in all honesty, she was starting to prefer them.