Endearment – Pietro Maximoff – Part Three

Darkness consumed me and I began to float away from the faint light that shone above me. I couldn’t feel anything. Strange noises echoed around me faintly and the darkness was becoming increasingly difficult to hold back from. I just wanted to let go, forever. But I wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t, not when I had so many responsibilities.

I woke with a gasp, the beeping sound of what I assumed was a monitor of some sort ringing in my ears like an alarm clock. My head was resting on something soft and my arms lay on either side of my body. Was I in a hospital?

“And she’s awake.” I heard a feminine voice speak.

I tried to open my eyes but I couldn’t do so, I realized that my entire body was incapable of moving at that moment. I could hear a faint buzzing noise, like a laser or something. I began to panic, what the hell was happening?

“Don’t worry Charlie, you’re absolutely safe.” a voice called out to me like a soothing balm and I instantly stopped worrying.

Oh well, I guess I was alive which meant something at least. I took deep breaths and attempted to open my eyes once again, slowly. It was so bright at first but my eyes began adjusting to the light. I was in a very bright room, obviously, and the walls along with the ceiling were completely white with the exception of lights hanging from above. Those were just bright little suckers. Tired eyes wandered over to my bashed up body and I saw something almost resting on top of my abdomen, it was just hovering there while a neon light swiped left to right. I looked around slowly and came face to face with a woman, she smiled at me warmly but I knew she was in pain due to the bruises on her skin. She was also the one whose voice I had been listening to moments ago. She had very unique features despite the bruises. A perfect round face, porcelain skin and a full fringe covering her forehead. She was so beautiful.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Helen Cho. How do you feel?” she spoke to me, eyes genuinely concerned.

I attempted to speak but was unable to, my mouth was dry and it hurt. I swallowed hard and tried to reply back, voice croaky and barely recognizable.

“Like…I’m dying.” I whimpered.

She smiled sadly at me. “Well, you’re not wrong with that. Practically all of us were.” she murmured, eyes wandering around the machine above my abdomen.

“Where…are my sisters?” I asked. It was killing me, it was the only thing going through my mind. I wanted to know if they were alright, and also. How long had I been asleep?

“I’m sorry, you needed to rest for a while so I told them to take a break and offered to stay here myself.” Dr. Cho replied.

“..and exactly how long have I been asleep?” I asked, almost fearing the response.

“You were brought here about 3 days ago.” Dr. Cho responded.

My eyes widened in surprise, those two numpties were here for three whole days? Thea, I understand why she would stay with me but Maira too? I was seriously going to have a word with those two.

“Please tell me they didn’t stay in here the whole time, bathroom breaks not included.” I groaned, pressing my head into the soft pillow.

Dr. Cho smiled at me softly and then turned away as she scanned through some papers.

“I’m afraid they did, but I wouldn’t be too hard on them. They were worried sick for you, rightfully so. You were in a terrible condition when they brought you here.” Dr. Cho began to explain exactly what parts of me had been badly injured.

I had been shattered, sort of speaking. I remember feeling a lot of pain but not being able to pinpoint it anywhere other than my back. But I had fractured my right arm, sprained my wrists, broken a couple of ribs, sprained my ankles and most likely suffered a concussion. I was prohibited from moving.

Wow.

Dr. Cho mentioned a few more injuries but everything she said went over my head after a while. How was I even alive? I should have dropped dead the moment I suffered that many injuries, but I didn’t. Okay, I might have been exaggerating but somehow, this was a miracle. I was actually a miracle, sort of speaking.

“I can’t believe I’m even alive right now..” I blurted out.

“The world of science is forever discovering. You’re alive because you’re not going anywhere any time soon.”

“Now, I won’t be a bother to you. Your recovering really well at the moment, everything seems normal, including your heart rate.” Dr. Cho stated, turning away suddenly and facing me with a smile on her face.

“Thank you Doctor Cho.” I murmured, closing my eyes. Suddenly I felt extremely tired.

“Don’t thank me, it’s the Avengers that saved us all..” was all I heard before I dozed off.

–

.

–

I couldn’t remember how long I’d been asleep for but it felt like a long time. I felt a little bit better than I initially did when I had regained consciousness. My body was aching just a bit and I knew that I was dosed with a high amount of medication to feel that way. My eyes wandered around the huge room and caught Thea pacing back and forth, but Maira wasn’t to be seen anywhere. I moaned softly, causing her to stop pacing and look directly at me.

“Oh thank god!” She whispered, almost running towards me.

“I can’t believe I landed in a hospital bed at 20..” I mumbled, throat hurting me.

“Yeah.” She laughed, grabbing the glass of water on the side table next to me. She pulled the bed up via the remote control and set it slightly higher so I could drink properly. It was still hard as I was unable to move. Thea placed the glass near my dry lips as I began to take little sips of water.

“Not just any hospital, it’s the Avengers’ private hospital. Also known as the Avengers Tower.”

Wait, what? We were…what?

“I know, pretty crazy right?” Thea chuckled. I wouldn’t call it crazy, it was rather unbelievable and absolutely not true.

“I mean, I should have known that but, really?” I asked.

She nodded excitedly. Okay, wow. I was in fact, inside the Avengers Tower.

“And may I ask where Maira is? Just because I was knocked out doesn’t mean you get to leave her alone Thea.” I scolded her.

She rolled her eyes at me and said “Relax, will you? She’s pretty occupied right now because unlike you and me, she has a rocking social life.”

I couldn’t argue with that. She did have a better social life than the two of us combined.

“I didn’t tell you the best part.” She said a moment later. How could this get any better than it already was?

“We’re staying here now!”

The sudden announcement spooked me as I began to cough violently. Thea patted my back lightly, giggling. Wow. I really did hit my head pretty badly. I was seeing and hearing things.

“There, there. I know how you feel sister.” She giggled as I struggled to breathe properly.

Okay, what the heck was going on? What was the proper explanation to whatever Thea was speaking of? We were going to stay here? With the Avengers? And most importantly, why?

So many questions went through my mind, none which Thea could even other answering. As I was about to ask her another set of questions, the automatic doors opened and in came an extremely happy Maira in the arms of, wait was that Captain America? And to the left of Maira was another grown man, looking equally delighted as she was.

Hang on.

Wasn’t that, him?

Okay, now I was definitely seeing things.

Endearment – Pietro Maximoff – Part Two

“Charlie, come on stay with me now. We’ll be safe soon enough, don’t you dare pass out on me” Thea was rambling now, trying to keep her nerves under control.

I looked around me, people desperately trying to keep calm but failing miserably. We were still under attack. The only thing keeping us alive were the Avengers. A team of superheroes. The Avengers. It was still weird to comprehend the fact that we had a God from another planet among us, a soldier out of time, a green rage monster and a genius who invented flying suits paired with a couple of master assassins. Let’s not forget the boy who could run really fast, broadly speaking. It was crazy, I never knew such people even existed. It was almost unreal, like it was all a dream or a fictional world I’d landed myself in. Apparently not. This was all real. I remember exactly 3 years ago when New York had been attacked, it was baffling. Robot armies from outer space? But then again, the one who summoned them here was also from outer space. This time it was Boston under attack, of all places. It was scary to think that there were other things in space, things that could potentially eliminate us all.

The earth beneath us rumbled suddenly and I almost rolled over in my current position. Oh yes, the city had been uprooted and was flying up to nowhere in particular with civilians still trying to escape. The important thing to remember here was that we could still survive this, even if it meant flying out in the open in the jets we had been provided with. It was going to be like sitting on a roller coaster, hopefully. God this was going to be awful, I hated roller coasters so much.

As if my thoughts had been heard, Maira started to squirm in Thea’s arm, eyes and hands darting towards me. Thea sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Okay fine, off you go to your fake momma.” Thea murmured, setting Maira beside me who then started to climb on top of me. Ouch.

“Baby, you mind getting off of me? I’m not exactly your usually functional playground right now.” I hissed as she dug her little pointy elbow in my abdomen.

I looked over to see Thea already making her way towards the seats, quite quickly I noticed. What was this girl doing?

Something rumbled vigorously, my hands grabbing Maira instinctively.

“What was th-“

For the second time in one day, my thoughts and words had been cut off and before I could even comprehend a thing, I found myself in a sitting position. I was definitely on a roller coaster. Great. Everything hurt, it was painful. Oh so painful. It was tolerable but only if I was immune to pain.

Wait, what just happened? Where were Maira and Thea? Eyes began searching for familiar faces but to no avail.

“Everyone please stay seated and fasten your seat belts. We’re going to fly now, so…enjoy if you want!”

It was his voice again, and it came from somewhere close. I tilted my head to the side and realized Thea was sitting right next to me, smiling broadly. The little rat, couldn’t she just be a little more vocal considering the fact that I’m in need of medical attention and could possibly be losing my senses? Apparently not.

Panic bubbled within me as I noticed the absence of Maira. I instantly tilted my head to the other and a similar pair of deep blue eyes connected in a heartbeat with mine. Oh lord. He seemed so calm, like we were not under a serious attack at all. How could he, of all people, be so calm and collected when the rest of us were freaking out? Was he trained to be this way so the rest of us wouldn’t panic? I suppose that was the only logical explanation, because all of a sudden I felt at ease. Like nothing would harm me if he was there. Girl..get a grip before you slip.

Something tugged at my hair and I broke our eye contact to look down. Dear god. He was holding Maira! How did I not see her before? Oh, never mind. I opened my mouth to say something but he beat me to it.

“Don’t worry, she will be safe in my arms.”

He had a mischievous glint in his eyes, but his words were reassuring. For some reason, I felt like I could trust him with her safety.

“I believe you, in case anyone is interested in my opinions” Thea interrupted from beside me, she was talking to him. I gave her a glance intense enough to make her look away from me whilst smiling.

I turned back to him, as he continued to watch me, and gave him a small nod of approval, wrapping my hand around Maira’s and squeezing them gently. The jet, plane or whatever this was meant to be began to move. Oh no. I felt sick already, with my body in so much pain I didn’t know if I was going to survive this.

Maira began to giggle and make incoherent sounds whilst waving her arms around, forcing my hand away. I watched him join in with her as they began waving their arms around. She was genuinely enjoying this. I closed my eyes for a moment. Happy thoughts Charlie. Happy thoughts.

It occurred to me that we had just lost our home, we had nowhere to go anymore. It had barely been 6 months since we settled in and already it was moments away from shattering into pieces.

I opened my eyes, the city was falling and getting smaller by the moment. There wasn’t much I could see from where we sat but I could just about figure out what was happening. My heart clenched painfully, what if we hadn’t been rescued? There was no way we could have survived this if it weren’t for these people. What if they hadn’t arrived on time? So many questions flooded my mind and I felt uneasy trying to think of the possible outcomes.

Warmth engulfed my now shaking hands, causing me to stop shaking. I didn’t even realize how badly my body behaving to all of this, I felt almost numb.

“I got you too, miss.”

His voice rang in my ears, causing a shiver down the length of my spine. I began to wonder if he was a mind reader as well. Who was he?

I whimpered in response to that and focused on anything other than the current situation. Oh who was I even trying to fool here, I was a complete downright mess and I knew it. This was not me, not even in the slightest. I hated feeling so vulnerable and, weak. Well, should have just faced your fears then instead of bloody complaining.

Something came into contact with the jet from beneath us, causing quite a turbulence.

“Damn.” I cussed, swallowing hard. My vision was starting to blur again and I felt the wounds on my body all over again. The pain had returned once again.

“Relax, we just landed. Nothing else.”

Thea’s voice rang in my ears, but I couldn’t move anymore. I should have been relieved that we’d made it to safety but my body was betraying me. My eyes began to close slowly despite my vain attempts in keeping them open and then that was it, I felt myself go limp. Voices echoed around me and I began to fade away.

Endearment – Pietro Maximoff – Part One

The city was under attack. An evil robot going by the name of Ultron had led an army of equally insane robots into attacking the city and they were everywhere. Everywhere.

I feared for everyone’s safety, no one was safe right now and every delayed moment could result in something much more terrifying. My heart raced faster than ever and I panicked thinking of my loved ones. Thea and Maira. I needed to make sure they were unharmed. I pushed my way around the broken tables and chairs, aiming towards the door only to find it blocked by metal fragments. I saw a few guys trying to kick it down but it seemed useless. The door was jammed with little to no room for escaping. My eyes darted towards the exit sign no one seemed to have noticed, that door was unharmed which meant we could all get out of here. I needed to get out right now but couldn’t just leave, with the amount of people surrounding the blocked door I reckoned there would be a chaos with everyone trying to get out all at once.

“Listen up everyone!” I pretty much screamed, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“I need everyone to calm down and listen to me. I need everyone’s cooperation if we’re going to get out of here alive.” I continued, earning hopeful glances.

“There is an exit door to my right and it is our only way out of here. I need you all to be a little patient and try not to kill each other!” I finished, marching towards the exit door.

I pushed it open, it was an alley that seemed harmless for now. Everyone began making their way towards the door as I stood there guiding them out. Once everyone was outside, I walked back inside to see if there was anyone else. There wasn’t anyone. I sighed in relief, only to have it replaced by a familiar feeling. Panic.

I ran outside and tried locating the whereabouts of my house, I recognized the streets and ultimately my destination. The entire street was unharmed so far, which was a huge relief. I ran inside, panting. Hang on, why was the door unlocked?

“Thea!” I screamed, running into the kitchen. She wasn’t there. I heard footsteps and quickly made my way back towards the staircase.

It was Thea, holding Maira in her arms. They both carried backpacks, if the situation wasn’t so serious I would have found this adorable.

“Oh thank god you’re safe Charlie!” Thea cried out, meeting me halfway. Maira extended her tiny arms towards me indicating that I hold her.

“We need to leave right now, the city is under attack!” I told her, holding my arms out and picking up Maira. I turned around and we began to hurriedly walk towards the front door.

“I think I know the city is under attack! I’ve packed everything we’ll need, and yes I’ve emptied the safe too and basically what I’m trying to say is—” she didn’t finish her sentence as a massive explosion was heard. Instinctively, I tried to shield them both with my body as everything exploded around us. Sharp pain began to shoot through and up my spine and I screamed, everything going blurry and eventually black.

Strange voices echoed around me. Something warm touched my face but I could not get myself to move. My eyes remained closed but as the warmth was lost all of a sudden, I panicked. I struggled and willed myself to open my eyes, wincing at the bright light beaming through the broken walls. We had been attacked from the outside. We. My heartbeat accelerated as I frantically tried to adjust my eyes to the blinding light. Warm hands embraced me as I was placed upright.

“Maira…” I gasped for air, my mouth dry. My eyes were starting to close and it was then that I realized how badly my entire body was in pain. It was like every bone in my body had been broken down into tiny shards that were then piercing through the skin threateningly.

“Hey hey come on now, don’t leave me again…Charlie!” I heard Thea’s voice from nearby, realizing that she was the one holding me right now.

“Thea…maira..where is she?” I whispered, forcing away the pain emitting from every part of my body and opening my droopy eyes to look into the eyes of my sister.

“She’s right here, but we need to get out of here before the rest of the remaining roof collapses on us” Thea responded, looking up at the ceiling.

Instinctively my eyes searched for maira only to find her sitting right next to me with her eyes widened. She’d been the one touching my face I realized. I sighed in relief, forcing away the tears that threatened to spill any second.

“Charlie we have to get out of here right now!” Thea said as she picked up maira, carefully placing her against her left hip and extending her right hand for me.

I winced at the amount of pain every movement caused me but we needed to move. The roof was not going to stand any longer. I wrapped my arm around Thea’s shoulders whilst maira grabbed hold of my fingers in her tiny hands.

We were in this together. Always. As a family.

We made our way out the door, getting away from the collapsing building that was once our home. It hurt. It hurt so much. But we needed to move fast before the city was destroyed completely.

“We need to get closer to one of those jets, or whatever they are before that crazy robot finishes us all!” Thea grumbled, I couldn’t disagree.

The ground rumbled dangerously and my eyes wandered around just in time to see a building starting to fall forward. Towards us. Panic grew within me and I realized it was going to be too late. I looked to my left, into the eyes of my sister and I knew she was thinking exactly the same. Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes, encircling my arms around Thea and Maira, a group hug. A family hug.

“Sorry for stepping on your moment, ladies.”

Before I could comprehend anything, the air shifted around us suddenly and an arm was instantly wrapped around my waist. I looked over my shoulder and bumped my head against something, forcing me to stay there against something warm. And then it was all a massive blur as I found myself stumbling back a little, the wrapped arm around my waist long gone. I looked around and realized we had been transported into one of the helicopters, or whatever the heck these things were called.

“Woah! Did he just..woah!” Thea exclaimed. Apparently he did..

My legs began to tremble and I began to feel dizzy. So much for surviving an attack that nearly paralyzed me.

“Charlie, are you alright?” I heard Thea say, I couldn’t see her anymore as my vision started to blur.

“I..uh..” I lost my balance and began tumbling forward. Thea tried to grab my arms but it was too late, I was moving forward and inches away from hitting the ground.

A familiar arm wrapped around me and suddenly I was resting on the ground. A pair of deep blue eyes connected with mine in an instant, alert yet concerned a little. For me? I wasn’t sure.

“Are you alright?” he spoke, his voice thick with an accent. It was nice, surprisingly.

I found myself unable to formulate a reply, still lost in those eyes. Truthfully speaking, I was far from alright. My entire body was in agonizing pain, I could barely move so I simply lay there, staring into his eyes that seemed to be concerned for me.

“I’ll take it from here Mr. Fast.” I heard Thea say to the man, causing our eye contact to break all too soon. He stood up quickly, looking at me and then in an instant he was gone.

He was so fast. Just a blur.

I didn’t even know who he was to begin with, just knew he was working with the Avengers at the moment and trying to save the dying world I was currently a part of.

Endearment – Pietro Maximoff

 

 

Sokovia wasn’t the only place Ultron tried to destroy, no. I lost my home, and so did he.
I was just an ordinary girl weighed down with too many responsibilities. Could he possibly help, or make it worse for me with his ability to render me speechless every time our eyes connected?
Let’s see.

Author’s Note :)

Hello and sincere apologies to everyone out there. This blog has been abandoned for a very long time. I feel really bad about it, I really do. But a lot has happened in my life and it has been extremely difficult to just sit down and write something. The last year or so, I was handed many responsibilities that were my main priority. Period. I honestly cannot explain how hard this year has been for me, between college and personal life.  With college completed, I feel less burdened now so I am back, at least I feel like i am. I have new work as well as the old work. I have new ideas and Fandoms that I wanna just dive right into. The one I am currently head over heels is MARVEL. I just can’t believe i didn’t introduce myself to it years earlier. Anyway, i’m about to update this blog with new work and organize everything that i already have. Honestly, this blog is a complete mess!

Chapter Four

Uncomfortable

Previously;

“You..” he breathed against my flushed cheek. I inhaled sharply, closing my eyes as his warm breath caressed my cheeks. I swear I could feel that smug grin of his, what an ass! “Left this..” he spoke again, my heart drummed against my ribs as his lips faintly brushed against my cheek, Girl get a grip! “Here..” I felt the warmth of his humongous frame move away. I opened my eyes slowly and saw that he had his hand extended towards me, holding something. I squinted my eyes slightly and saw what it was.

Continued 

Aarti’s P.O.V 

Realisation dawned upon me as I stared at his extended hand. My headphones. My precious little headphones.

Quick as lightning, I snatched the head set out of his palm and dashed towards the door. I honestly didn’t know who was  behind all of this, it was as though everything around me wanted me to get closer to him no matter what the situation was like. As I made a beeline for the door, which would eventually lead me to escaping him and his overbearing presence, I ended up tripping up on my own feet. Who trips on their own feet anyway?! Oh yeah, I do. As I tried to balance myself in order to prevent a face plant, I felt his arms snake around my waist tightly and pull me towards his rock hard torso. Damn he’s got Abs…gaahh..no! Concentrate girl!  

“Be careful there little one.” he murmured against my ear, sending tingles down the length of my spine.

This was wrong, so wrong in so many different ways. The fact that he knew how much he affected me was worsening the whole situation way too much. I inhaled sharply and wrenched myself out of his muscular arms, at least he made the job easier by letting me go without a struggle. I ignored his presence completely and walked out of the room with my head held high. And face flushed red as a tomato. Fantastic.

I ran into the next room, which was currently my room, and headed towards the bathroom to freshen up a bit. I heard a knock and then a sweet little voice I knew way too well at the door. I ran towards the door after drying my hands and opened it.

“Hey Aarpita, I was about to come downstairs in a moment, you didn’t need to come up here” I said to her, she laughed and the hugged me.

“Come on then, let’s go!”  

We made our way down towards the humongous dining table, everyone was already sitting down and eating away. Except for him. I mentally scolded myself for even thinking about him. How can you not? You were in his sexy arms 5 minutes ago! Though it felt like an eternity.. I groaned inaudibly. This was so useless.

“Finally, the princess makes an appearance!” Pratiek bellowed. I rolled my eyes at him as everyone laughed. Well almost everyone.

Gayatri aunt was busy throwing daggers at me and crazy Bua was busy staring at Pratiek. I shuddered. That woman seriously needed to quit doing that because it sends wrong signals to those around her.

“I ain’t your princess” I retorted, raising my brow slightly to make a point. He huffed dramatically at me and then continued stuffing his face with whatever the hell he was eating.

I sat down next to Aarpita, what scared me though, was the empty chair beside me. It was the only empty chair available which, no doubt, made my heart drum painfully against my ribs. I ignored the feeling as best as I could and grabbed the glass of water, drinking it away to calm myself down. Maybe he was already done eating, no wonder he was in his room doing lord knows what my headphones. I shuddered at the thought.

“Oh hey Yash, glad you could make it buddy!” 

Oh no.

You have got to be kidding me.

This was NOT happening to me right now.

I timidly looked up, just in time to see the said walk down the staircase more graceful than anyone I’d ever seen. My cheeks felt hot as my gaze met his, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Sorry Pratiek, I was a little busy with something.” I saw his lips move and scowled. Asshole! 

His eyes never left mine, it was as though he was looking right through me. Into my soul. And i didn’t like it at all. I quickly averted my gaze and began helping myself with some salad, silently praying he would leave or something instead of sit anywhere near me. My hands were shaking as I chanted the same thing over and over again. Please don’t sit next to me.  

He did. I groaned inwardly in annoyance, which soon turned into shock as I felt his arm brush up against my teasingly. My breathing hitched terribly as I tried to concentrate on the task in hind. Putting some salad in my damn bowl. Epic fail.

Yash’s P.O.V 

She was so damn adorable it was hard not to tease her. The way she blushed whenever she saw me was endearing. Well, at least to me it was. Having her so close to me gave me chills down the length of my spine. So imagine my surprise and the delight, seeing her sitting next to the only empty chair available, all vulnerable for me. I wanted to bark out a super evil laugh as I thought of the ways to see the amount of affect I had on her. I lazily walked down the staircase, I could see her fumbling with whatever she was trying to pick up. She was trying to avoid me and possibly, praying that I did not sit next to her. You’re so out of luck on that sweetheart.  

I made my way towards the table and sat down, making sure my arm brushed slightly against hers. I felt her stiffen beside me. This is going to be fun. I grinned as I began helping myself with the food.

Aarti’s P.O.V  

This.man.was.so.infuriating.

He made sure his arm brushed up against mine in order to get a response from me, which he did! Then he made sure to surround me with his scent as he moved his arms all over the place trying to pick up the various different dishes. This was torture! I wanted to get out of here because of him, but I couldn’t because I was so damn hungry. I gulped my way through the salad, wanting to finish as soon as possible.

“Aarti slow down, you’ll choke on it” came Aarpita’s voice as a round of soft chuckles to went around the table.

Oops. I guess I wasn’t that subtle as I thought.

“Yes Aarti, slow down there.” he murmured. Jerk! 

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves down. There was no doubt that he was good looking, even more so now after so many years. Pfft just ‘good looking?’ try something else like ‘the incarnation of perfection itself!’ He was always a gentleman, but the way he acted towards me was quite the contrary. He was a complete caveman. It was like he wanted me to squirm uncomfortably because of him and his not so innocent antics. The way he would talk to me, as though he wanted me to “assume” he was saying something else when really, it was nothing! The way he hovered his hand below the table, as though wanting to brush it against my leg had me screaming inwardly. Why was he doing all this? Who did he think he was, tormenting me like this from the moment I arrived here.

I sucked it all up though, because that’s what you have to do if you want to avoid the melodrama. I was here for Aarpita’s wedding and that was it. Once it was over, I was expected back in England. Not here. Not any more.

Chapter Three

I knew you were trouble

– Continued from the last chapter.

Yash’s P.O.V

I leaned forward, captivated and held in an unbreakable trance.

“Aarti..” I whispered inaudibly.

Damn girl, I missed you.

Damn right I did.Memories flashed in front of my eyes as I watched her lay still in my bed. But then my heart ached in a familar pain as guilt washed over me. I shook my head in a feeble attempt to clear my head out. Now is so not the time to be a little pup, Yash.

Truth be told, I remembered Aarpita telling me about the Dubey family coming back from London a few weeks ago, and I couldn’t help but feel restless and, well pretty much guilty as one could be. Let’s just say, the last time I saw this girl in front of me, it had resulted in an almost blood bath. She broke my nose. Duh! So I imagined how the confrontation was going to be like, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Aarti Dubey laying on my goddamn bed, sleeping so peacefully!

I gulped in her strong features, literally. Her long, jet black hair cascaded down the pillow behind her while the perfectly messy fringe spawled across her forehead. Her soft brows were slightly hidden beneath her fringe and her freakishly long lashes touched the top of her flushed cheeks, slightly. Her nose was flat but so well defined, just like her cheekbones. My eyes slowly wandered towards her plump lips. Jesus christ..

My parted lips were just a tiny inch away from touching her closed ones, I was that close to her. Damn if only my conscience wasn’t an ass to me.

As though going against my conscience, she moved slightly and our lips faintly brushed against one another. I swear something inside me fluttered. Yes, frikkin fluttered! A familiar feeling jolted through my body in that tiny ass fraction of a second and I froze, taking in the feel of her lips brush against mine. But it was over too soon for my liking as she shifted her head to the side, giving me a clear view of her flawless neck. Damn I feel like a perverted ass…and damn my frikkin conscience for telling me so!

Her side profile was breathtaking as she slept rather peacefully. I wanted nothing more than to just stare at her for as long as I could. Okay I did want something else too but I ain’t going to sound like a bloody creeper now am i? She was so beautiful, even more so than before. Yep, I was definitely sounding more like a creeper now. Oh hell..

I shifted my entire upper weight on my right palm and softly slumped down on the bed so I was facing her, even though my evil little brain had other ideas but the darn conscience wouldn’t have none of it.

“Damn girl, the things you do to me” I murmured against her cheek. She moved, again, shifting her entire frame to the side, cuddling into the pillow. My pillow.

I sighed softly, shuffling towards her slightly until I was that close to crushing her. Her arm brushed against my torso gently as she leaned towards me. Holy Shit.

She mumbled something I didn’t catch properly and moved towards me, again! Her head now rested against my chest and one arm was loosely draped around my torso. Man it felt so good having her this close to me, it made me feel..i don’t know. It made me feel, so frikkin happy. I don’t know how long I stayed still for, just simply gazing at her sleeping form. But it wasn’t enough, I wanted to freeze this moment forever. It wasn’t long when she started moving again, I felt her face nuzzle into my chest and I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. She was waking up and probably getting confused too.

She tensed up, lifting her head up slightly. Then she began opening her doe eyes blinking endlessly, making me grin at her antics.Time to play the big bad wolf.

“Well hello there, little miss sunshine” I whispered against her ear.

She froze, literally. I doubted she was even breathing with the way her rigged body was holding on to me! I was pretty much regretting on trying to play the bad wolf up until her light body jumped up in the air like a baby kangaroo. I watched her scramble out of my huge bed frantically, stunned and beyond amused. Could she get any cuter? Apparently, Yes.

She began running around the dimly lit room, looking for the door probably. I chuckled at her adorable antics, she looked so cute when she was all flustered. My amusement didn’t last for long as I saw her bang against some random object. Damn it! I bolted towards her and called out her name almost automatically. She stopped her frantic movements as I began to approach her. I placed my arms on either side of her, taking in her scent slowly, as I gently pushed opened the door for her. I may be a cheap ass, but i’m not that cheap to trouble my girl like that.

I watched her petite frame bolt towards the exit faster than I thought, considering how clumsy she was at times. The door next to mine slammed shut and I realized something. She was next door to me! The feeling of joy coursed through my veins and my eyes glinted in sheer, evil wickedness thinking of the future that lay ahead of us.

“This is gunna be so much fun.” I murmured, chuckling to myself.

I closed the bedroom door and literally jumped across the room and onto the bed where she was sleeping in just moments ago. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep with her scent all around me, but I was unable to doze off,knowing the scent surrounding me belonged to the angel in the room next door. Jesus Yash, could you get any more girlier than this? Grow a pair and doze off!

Aarti’s P.O.V

It was around 10Pm when I finished taking a long, relaxing shower. I was still jet-lagged but the steamy shower helped ease the tensed muscles. Now I was hungry. I sat down on my bed and opened one of the suitcases, grabbing whatever I could grab hold of. Minutes later I was dressed in a long red tank top and a matching red loose harem trouser. My hair were still wet so I blow dried them slightly before braiding them into two loose pigtails.

I had no idea where everyone had gone, either they all abandoned me here or were sleeping it off. I grabbed my phone and quickly texted Prateik ‘Where dafuq are, doofus?’ and he immediately replied back saying ‘Everyone’s downstairs chilling out, shorty’. I groaned at the word shorty. I was not short! Prateik would call me shorty every time I called him names and if that wasn’t enough, Adi would call me munchkin whenever he wanted to, and I mean WHENEVER he wanted! Boys and their stupid nicknames.

I walked out of my room, looking to the left and then to the right. Damn both sides just looked the same! I quickly slipped into the pink slippers i’d taken out, and headed to the left, passing by a familiar door as I walked along. I tried not to think about it, but an involuntary shudder ran through my body as I walked right pas-

“Woah!” I squeaked, feeling the air change as well as the surroundings.

There he stood in all his glory, hovering over me like the jerk he is. He leaned down towards, making me cringe myself against the wall behind me. His eyes danced in mirth, he was enjoying my nervousness. The ass!

“You..” he breathed against my flushed cheek.

I inhaled sharply, closing my eyes as his warm breath caressed my cheeks. I swear I could feel that smug grin of his, what an ass!

“Left this..” he spoke again, my heart drummed against my ribs as his lips faintly brushed against my cheek, Girl get a grip!

“Here..” I felt the warmth of his humongous frame move away. I opened my eyes slowly and saw that he had his hand extended towards me, holding something. I squinted my eyes slightly and saw what it was.

Chapter Two

Intruder

Aarti’s POV

I stepped out of the car, stretching my arms and arching my back. God I was so tired!

“Gaah I can’t feel my feet!” Prateik whined, hopping out of the car.

We all walked towards the awaiting mansion. All I could think about was the softness of the luxurious bed that I was going to be claiming as soon as I’d reached there. Aaah heaven.

Did I mention how Aarpita’s mother sort of, disliked me? Oh well..

Now here I was, standing in front of her, Gayatri Scindia. I couldn’t really tell if she was throwing daggers at me with her narrowed eyes for standing in front of her or mentally planning on roasting me alive for tonight’s dinner. I figured it was both.

I shrugged my aching shoulders and leaned down slightly to touch her feet. She patted my head gingerly and I straightened up. Man I was so tired to even give a crap. Not in the literal sense though, that would be weird. Never mind, forget I even said that.

“Aarti come let me show you your room!” Aarpita beamed, gripping my arm and dragging me somewhere.

To be honest, I could barely remember the way around this house. Explains why I was already confused which room Aarpita had lead me to after I’d gone back to get my headphones that I left in the car. I may be tired but I will never be tired enough to let go of my headphones. Precious…

I headed towards the hallway, there were two doors that screamed “pick me!” at me. I was confused though, I should know which room she’d shown was mine but I couldn’t.

I shrugged my shoulders and dragged my feet to the nearest door, I could only hope it was my room. And if it wasn’t my room, well then they could suck it up anyway.

The room was dark in contrast to the daylight rays outside that were peeking through what looked liked a window. I pressed my palm against the side wall to get a hold of the switch buttons but to no avail. And then again I was reminded of that awkward fact that I’d read online that said something like, ‘that awkward moment when you make love to the wall while you’re looking for the light switch.’ I cringed at my own thought and dropped my hand down immediately. I was too tired anyway. I shuffled myself around the room and then slumped myself down on the lush bed.Aah..just like I’d imagined.

My eyes dropped close as soon as I hit the bed, not that I was complaining. I was bloody jet-lagged to the max.

I vaguely remembered myself waking up after some time, only to sleep back again. You know those times, when you wake up for a split second and doze off again unless someone decides to wake you up? Yep that’s it. However, there’s times when you wake up and, well you wake up! Right now I had my eyes closed but I was, well awake! Ugh I hated this. I rolled over to my side to hug the pillow.

Since I was awake I knew I had just snuggled against something soft, but it wasn’t soft enough to be a cushion or heck even a bed mattress. I moved a little closer, out of my sleepy curiosity, it was warm as well! I frowned, my eyes were still closed. Yes they were. I then felt it shake against me, okay now this was weird. What the hell was I cuddling into?!

I swear to god I’m going to kill this thing for making me do this!

I forced my eyes open, yes I FORCED them as I looked ahead, everything was hazy and kind of dark. Well duh..

“Well hello there, little miss sunshine.”

Pin drop silence.

I think I just died.

No wait, I didn’t. Not Yet.

My heart fluttered, yes it fluttered like it was about to fly out of my mouth! I gasped, a little too late but nonetheless I did, and jumped back like I had just been electrocuted.

Oh crap. Oh frikkin crap!

I scrambled out of the bed, rather clumsily, and instantly bolted towards the door.

I was going to get out of here, hide inside MY room and pretend this never happened.

Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to do, the only problem now was; I couldn’t locate the goddamn door!

I felt like a headless chicken running into anything and everything while looking like some form of entertainment for my intruder. Oh wait, I was the intruder here..oh boy.

“Gaah!” I yelped, smacking my head onto something really hard after tripping over something.

I began to move around once again but was stopped.

“Aarti” that voice, that familiar voice.

I paused despite my brain screaming at me to run around like a headless chicken again. I shook my head, breaking free of the sudden trance I was in and instantly began looking around for the exit.

I froze, seeing something move on either side of me. My hands shot to my face in an instant as light hit my eyes. I realized the door was now open, and I could leave. Without a second thought, I sprinted outside and barged inside the room next door, locking it with shaky hands. I leaned against the door frame, my breathing uneven. God I wish i’d just taken this room when i’d first arrived. Would have saved me the sheer torture of…no.

I was so not going through this shit again like a helpless chick. I was so not letting that jackass do this to me again. I, Aarti Dubey, will never be affected by Yash Rascal Scindia during my stay here. Never.

–

Yash’s POV

I was in such a foul mood today. Not only did I wake up late and lose a big contract because of it, I also managed to crash my car while heading back home.

Thankfully I wasn’t injured at all, though I don’t know about the driver who was riding with me..

I was known for causing minor, and sometimes major damages to every car we owned. I wasn’t a reckless driver, I was just an impatient man that’s all. So I see no point as to why people called me that when I clearly wasn’t!

I headed up towards my house, doing the “walk of shame” upon seeing my mom at the doorway. Mom being the “mom” that she was, scolded me like I was a 5 year old who’d just stolen cookies from the forbidden jar and even broke the jar in the process. I was an adult for goodness sake! With a well built body and a gorgeous face, may I add.

“Yash how many times have I told you to be careful when you’re driving?!” my mom yelled at me, touching my face and inspecting for any kind of injury. Awh mom.

“Mom i’m fine!” I exclaimed, lifting my hands up.

I was really tired, and pissed too. After a long lecture from mom, I headed upstairs saying I was really tired. Mom of course began her inspecting session thinking I may have an internal injury or something but I told her to chill out.

I stepped inside my bedroom, yawning and stretching my arms out so they touched the top of the door frame. My legs came to an automatic halt as I looked at my bed, my eyes taking in the most beautiful sight they’d ever witnessed.

On my bed laid a beautiful girl, a girl I knew all too well. My feet began moving on their own accord as my heart thudded against my chest, until I tripped over something and stumbled forward, towards her. Jesus save me from waking her up and scaring the shit out of her!

I gasped softly, managing to place my palms on the soft mattress and stopping my extremely heavy body from falling on her. Not that I mind, but I could very well predict the consequences if i ‘d done that. She’d be crushed into a mush. A beautiful mush.

She shifted in her sleep, turning around a little so she was facing me completely. To say I was in complete awe would be an understatement.

I leaned forward, captivated and held in an unbreakable trance.

“Aarti..” I whispered inaudibly.

Damn girl, I missed you.

Chapter One

The Introduction

I made my way through the busy airport, my shoulder bag on one side and a small trolley case trotting behind me. Eh, the rest of my shit is on its away. Damn airport restrictions though.

“AD wait up man! Jeez, so much for telling you to move your ass away from the plane’s frikkin door.” I heard my brother mumble from behind me.

Prateik, my brother, was a year older to me but I was the boss here, as always. Him and I never got along though, we’d fight like toddlers, but well..we just loved each other despite everything.  I guess..

I didn’t halt and neither did I intend to, but he managed to catch up with me somehow. Damn.

“An apology would be great, thanks.” I muttered sarcastically, ignoring his presence as I walked.

We were outside the Airport now, the warm breeze collided against me once again as I took a deep breath.

“HA! What do you want me to say? ‘Oh i’m sorry sista for telling you to move your non-existent ass away from the door so normal people like me could get down’ like really?!” I heard him blabber behind me.

“Could the two of you just stop! We’re not even out of the airport yet and you two have already gathered an audience!” my epic remark died down as I stared at my brother, and then we both turned back to stare up at our seething big brother. Adi.

Adi, short for Aditya, was our big brother. He was 8 years older to me, I considered him as my godfather..heck most of the time he WAS pretty much like a father figure to me. When our parents got ‘divorced’, my dad moved to Canada with his new wife after abandoning my mum and us in India. Our mum was left alone to raise 3 kids on her own, Adi being the eldest and me being the youngest. I was only 4 at that time so I never knew what my dad was like, neither did Prateik, but Adi was old enough to know what was happening around him. He gave away his life, his dreams in order to keep his family alive. He was my hero. Period.

“Bro it’s her fault!” Prateik whispered, as if that was going to stop the onlookers.

“AB you know it wasn’t me” I pouted, jutting my bottom lip out slightly.

He looked at me sternly, I could already see his stern look slip away at the sight of my pouty face before darting his eyes towards Prateik. Payback time bro. Hehe

“Prateik.” Adi spoke, keeping his eyes on him.

“This is so unfair AB! You listen to anything she says just because she gives you them pouty face.” Prateik pouted. He probably hoped Adi was going to be easy on him too. Ha!

“I certainly do not.” Adi announced.

“Aww someone has issues with admitting the truth.” I whipped my head around to face the owner of that smooth voice. Samana! Awesome timing Sammy yay!

“Bhabs!” Prateik squealed, running towards Samana.

Sammy was my sister-in-law, we were more like sisters though. I was so glad my brother had her, she was perfect for him in every way.

“Samana-” Adi began but was cut off as our mum stepped outside and stood right next to Samana.

“Aarti, Prateik. Kab sudhroge tum dono?” Mum scolded us, as we both glanced at each other and pouted.

“Maa don’t worry, i’ll handle these two munchkins.” Adi spoke, making Sammy giggle a little as me and Prateik glared at Adi.

And then suddenly, everyone burst into a fit of giggles and laughs. Our mum, Shobha, was quite amazing at acting. I was so lucky to have been born from such a loving mother. I loved my mum so much.

“Maaumm i’m tired!” Prateik whined.

“Still the whiney child eh?” A male voice emerged from behind us.

I turned around just in time to stabilize myself as I was hit with an immense force. An immense force I knew way too well. Aarpita!

“OH MY GOD AARTI!!” she screamed, hugging me tightly as I responded back.

“Aarpita” I whispered, hugging her ever so tightly.

We stayed like that for god knows how long, I had tears streaming down my face as we mumbled incoherent words.

“Alright Alright knock it off you lesbos.” I closed my eyes. If I wasn’t in a public place Prateik; i’d have your face punched real good.

We broke the bone crushing hug and stared/glared at Prateik.

“Wow Pratty, you’re still the same!” Aarpita beamed, causing Prateik to scowl at her.

Oh I loved this nickname, it was Aarpita who came up with it years ago, and I would call him that every time he pissed me off.

“Don’t call me that” he hissed, glaring at us.

I giggled at his face and he just continued giving us glares.

We all went around and hugged the people that had come to receive us. Aarpita’s dad, Suraj Pratap, was the one who’d called at Prateik earlier. I hugged him as he hugged me back. Then I met my adorable Vidhi bhabhi and Pankaj bhaiya, I was hoping to see Vedant and Vedika but I was told they were at home waiting for us.

Our luggage was put into the waiting cars as we all finished up with our little reunion. I sat in one of the cars with Aarpita next to me and Prateik in the passenger seat. Sammy, Vidhi and Pankaj sat in another car whilst Adi, mum and Suraj uncle sat in another car. I could already tell Sammy and Vidhi were going to get along.

I put my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. God I was so tired!

–

Precap

I snuggeled against something soft, but it wasn’t soft enough to be a cushion or heck even a bed mattress. I moved a little closer, it was warm as well! I frowned, my eyes were still closed. I then felt it shake against me, what the hell was I cuddling into?!

I forced my eyes open as I looked ahead, everything was hazy and kind of dark.

“Well hello there, little miss sunshine.”

Oh crap. Oh frikkin crap!

The Wicked Wedding Planner – Prologue

Prologue.

I stepped outside, feeling the gush of wind hit against my small frame slowly as I stretched my arms above my head. Damn jet lag was such a horrible side effect when it came to travelling, I could already tell what was going to happen once I’d arrived at my destination soon. I forced a yawn, trying to ‘un-pop’ my ears. Another bad side effect of travelling, you just can’t hear no jack shit without the sounds coming out as mere muffles.

I took in my surroundings, glancing around quickly. It’s been so long since I left this place, nothing seems to have changed. Or at least I thought so..

“AD move outta the way will ya! People are waiting to get down you know.”

Thanks a lot for ruining the moment, bro.

“Ugh fine.” I muttered, as I began stomping down rather grumpily.

Although my body was aching and dying to slump down onto a soft bed, I was excited to the point of mentally doing a break dance. My best friend was getting married! Heck, to say I was excited would be an understatement. I was over the moon, literally. Memories came rushing down the moment my mind wandered off to the bitter memories. I shrugged them off faster than they’d arrived. I wasn’t going to ruin my mood for anything. Period.

But..I had to admit though, it was going to be really hard.