Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Eileen was blissfully unaware of the commotion on Twitter.

After lunch, she and Egbert resumed their wedding photo shoot.

That afternoon was reserved for something special-the underwater kiss shot.

The photographer, donning his own swim gear, submerged with his waterproof camera, scouting for the perfect angle. "Ms. Lopez, position yourself here, please," he directed Eileen.

She floated into place as instructed.novelbin

Turning to Egbert, the photographer said, "Mr. Reed, when you go in for the kiss, keep a steady hand on Ms. Lopez's waist, will you?"

Egbert grunted an affirmation and waded over to join her.

Once the preparations were finalized, the photographer gave the cue, "And... action!"

Beneath the aquamarine surface, Eileen closed her eyes, leaning back, her body gently bobbing in the undulating waves.

Moments later, someone drew close.

Then, she felt the support at her waist, and Egbert's familiar taste on her lips.

After a series of shutter clicks, the photographer surfaced, dissatisfaction in his voice, "Let's take a breather."

Eileen popped her head above water.

A crew member handed Egbert a towel, which he passed to Eileen first.

Dabbing her face, she asked the photographer, "What's the issue?"

"It's a bit stiff, Ms. Lopez. You need to really lean into it," he replied.

Eileen frowned. "I'm not into it? He kissed me so hard that it started to hurt, and I didn't make a peep!"

A snort of laughter erupted from someone nearby. Egbert swam closer, cupping her chin, checking her lips gently with his thumb. "Here?" he inquired. Eileen swatted his hand away, shooting him a glare before swimming off a little.

The photographer persisted, "To capture the magic, a little sacrifice is normal. Ms. Lopez, try to throw yourself into it a bit more. Learn from Mr. Reed." Learn from Egbert? Eileen shot Egbert a sidelong glance before replying with feigned enthusiasm, "Fine."

After a five-minute break, they were back under. Eileen submerged, simmering with annoyance.

This time, as Egbert steadied her waist, Eileen took the reins. She grasped his face and, sensing his momentary surprise, she bit down hard on his lips!

Click-click-click. The relentless shutter sounded in her ears.

Eileen cracked her eyes open, catching Egbert's gaze through the misty water, his deep eyes reflecting her silhouette.

She kept her gaze locked on his, and as he remained still, she felt a twinge of guilt.

It wasn't entirely Egbert's fault, after all the direction came from the photographer.

Eileen eased her bite.

With Egbert still watching her, she attempted to make amends, softly licking the spot.

But then, Egbert's expression shifted. His grip tightened on her waist, and before she could react, she was pulled into his embrace. The kiss deepened.

The camera continued its relentless documentation until, gasping for air, the photographer broke the surface, panting, "Let's, uh, take a break." Beneath the water, all was still.

Trained to hold their breath for over five minutes, the couple remained entwined.

The photographer cleared his throat awkwardly, "Folks, let's take a break, okay?"

Eileen snapped back to reality.

Her hands, once caressing Egbert's face, now shoved his forehead away as she propelled herself to the surface with a kick and swam to the shore. Egbert emerged more leisurely.

"You're bleeding, Mr. Reed," a crew member exclaimed, noticing his bleeding lip.

Eileen turned away, feigning ignorance.

"It's nothing," came the reply from Egbert.

She buried her face in her towel, silent.

Three hours later, the underwater shoot wrapped up.

Driving home, with Egbert at the wheel and Eileen in the passenger seat, she couldn't help but notice the slight swelling at the corner of his mouth. After a moment, Eileen blurted out, "Stop the car."

He glanced at her, "What's up?"

"Stop the car," she pointed to a convenience store, "I need to grab something."

Egbert offered to go in her stead, but she was already unbuckling and hopping out.

Minutes later, she returned with a popsicle, unwrapping it and pressing it against Egbert's swollen lips.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise as the cold soothed the sting.

Eileen huffed, "Don't expect an apology!"

With a soft chuckle, he just gazed at her fondly.

"Drive," she urged.

He reached for the popsicle, but she pulled it back, "How are you supposed to drive? I'll hold it."

And so, they continued, with Egbert driving and Eileen feeding him the popsicle.

As it began to melt, she nibbled off the drippy bits and then offered it back to him.

He took bites where she had, all while keeping his eyes on the road.

In the back seat, the photographer, camera in hand, wondered if he should remind the couple that they weren't alone.

When Eileen arrived home, she happened to catch Hobson, Sylvia, and Calvert chatting by the front gate.

Egbert was off to park the car, so Eileen got out curbside and went over to greet the trio.

Seeing Eileen returning so late, Sylvia asked, "Eileen, did you guys just wrap up a wedding photo shoot too?"

Eileen replied with a groan, "Yeah, it was absolutely exhausting."

Sylvia looked puzzled, "Exhausting? It wasn't too bad, though some of those fancy poses were tricky, but overall, it was pretty straightforward."

Eileen, in disbelief, said, "You found it easy? Which studio did you go to?"

After Sylvia mentioned the studio's name, Eileen responded, "That's the same place we went! Our photographer was super strict!"

Sylvia added, "Well, our guy was pretty chill, though Mr. Hobson did got injured."

Eileen glanced at Hobson in surprise.

Hobson chuckled awkwardly, "The injury wasn't the photographer's fault. It was all because Ms. Sylvia fibbed about her weight. I miscalculated when I lifted her and threw out my back..."

"Hey!" Sylvia slapped Hobson's arm lightly, chiding, "We agreed not to bring that up!"

Calvert then chimed in with a chuckle, "Speaking of which, Aurora Bell and I had our session at the same place."

Hobson said, "Seems like we all did, but at least you guys came out unscathed."

Suddenly, Eileen interjected, "Egbert got hurt too."

Calvert inquired, "What happened to Mr. Reed?"

Eileen explained, "I bit his lip; he's bleeding."

Calvert, Sylvia, and Hobson exchanged bewildered looks. Eileen glanced at Hobson and Sylvia's lips, then at Calvert's. "But none of you have any swelling or red marks."

Hobson, confused, asked, "Why would our lips be swollen?"

Eileen said, "From kissing."

Hobson, still perplexed, replied, "Why would Ms. Sylvia and I... kiss? We're not an actual couple."

Eileen, taken aback, said, "You didn't kiss?"

Hobson confirmed, "Nope."

Eileen, skeptical, turned to Calvert, "What about you guys?"

Calvert, with a mix of laughter and disbelief, said, "We didn't either."

Eileen was flustered. "But isn't it a tradition at this studio to have a kiss shot? They say it's about capturing the sweetest kiss, freezing the most beautiful moment, to show that the couple will have a long-lasting, loving marriage."

Hobson, Sylvia, and Calvert shook their heads in unison, "Never heard of that."

Eileen was at a loss for words. Just then, Egbert finished parking and walked over.

Eileen immediately blurted out to him, "Can you believe it? They all had their wedding photos taken without any kissing!"

Egbert strolled over to Eileen's side, glanced at the three neighbors, and after a brief silence, he said, "When one person says there was no kissing in their wedding shoot, we might let it slide. When two people say it, we might still ignore it. But when three people claim the same thing, we need to realize the gravity of the situation. They're all telling lies!"