Hi! How're you all? I hope everyone's safe and sound.
I'm extremely sorry I've been MIA these couple of months! I'd been having a serious writer's block and then my classes decided to add to that trouble by piling up heavy assignments and scheduling exams. I'm just glad to finally be done with them for the time being. That being said, I apologize for making you wait so long. Hope you can forgive me. I promise I won't keep you guys waiting for long again.
P.S. I've been having serious issues with wattpad glitches. I haven't been able to edit the chapter in my PC so it's just me and my phone rn. Sorry in advance if you see any typos. I'll be glad if you could point them out. I'll edit when wattpad stops being an idiot.
Enjoy!
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“This place feels weirdly familiar.” I commented as I observed the large mansion in front of us.
We were currently standing in front of Adrian’s home, in Hillcrest Avenue, New Jersey. It was a beautiful place, one that looked like a castle the Disney Princesses lived in with their happily ever after. It was two storeyed and built in such a way that made it look like a cottage, just much larger. The house radiated elegance despite its modest and simple exterior. There was a cherry blossom tree in the left corner in front of the house with lovely pink little flowers scattered all over. For a moment I felt like I’d suddenly walked into a magical world.
“As it should. You did live here.” Adrian pointed out, effectively pulling me out of my thoughts before I mentally wrote poems about his home. I blinked in surprise as his words registered in my mind. I’d completely forgotten about that fact. I looked around and saw that there was another identical house a few meters away from his. I wondered if that was where I lived.
As if reading my thoughts, Adrian shook his head. “That,” he said, pointing to the next house, “is where Nate grew up. His parents live there with his younger sister.”
“Oh.” I sounded cringed a little inwardly when my voice came up with a disappointed tone. A part of me had imagined my childhood home right next to his. Silly Eve.
“You said we were neighbors. Where was my home?” I asked hopefully. I asked myself whether I'd imagined the slight dimming of light in his eyes because it was gone before I had a chance to confirm or deny the emotion.
“Right over there,” he replied, pointing somewhere behind me with his head. I turned around and saw another similar house across the small and empty street. This one also looked like the previous two but there was no cherry blossom tree here. Instead, there was a small swing where three little children were clinging to. They seemed to be in a heated argument at the moment- presumably about whose turn it was to play. I smiled a little at the scene despite the irrational jealousy I was feeling towards the innocent children. I envied them for living a happy childhood in a place that was supposed to be my home.
“There’s a family of five living in that house now. Dad says Uncle Nick had originally gave the house on lease for a few years. But the lease kept on extending when…” I turned back at him as he cleared his throat.
When we didn’t return. Adrian’s pained eyes said what his voice couldn’t. I gave him a small smile to let him know that it was okay although it really wasn’t. It wasn’t okay that we had to abandon our house that way. It wasn’t okay that we couldn’t return back to our home. It was really not okay that my parents weren’t here today to reclaim their home- to relive the memories it contained. Above all, it wasn’t okay that I didn’t remember where I grew up.
As I was losing myself in the unfairness of this world, the thoughtful fool that he was, Adrian wordlessly pulled me into his embrace, effectively comforting me without me even realizing I needed it. My heart swelled with the now familiar and stronger emotion towards the caring devil. I inhaled his scent that reminded me of hot chocolate and let him chase my dark thoughts away. He pulled away after some time and peered into my eyes.
“Well, we can ask dad more about it. But for that, we need to enter first. Come on, they must be waiting.” He clasped my hand in his and moved towards the front door but I stopped him.
“I- Adrian, what if...they don’t like me?” I asked the question that had been bothering me since last night. I’d never been good at meeting parents- not that I had much experience on that matter. The only parents I’d met was Allie’s and that too, was not by choice. They’d come to our room hoping to surprise Allie. Instead, they were the ones to be surprised when they found their daughter’s roommate who nearly knocked the poor Mr. Rivers unconscious with her heavy book.
Allie was out partying with her boyfriend of that time and some of his friends. She’d informed me that she’d be spending the night at his place. So one can only imagine my fear when the door to our apartment opened all of a sudden at half past ten that night. That combined with Mr. Rivers’ booming voice calling out for his daughter was one of the scariest thing I’d ever experienced in my life. I was still in shock while my defense mechanism and my adrenaline kicked in. I’d watched in absolute horror as the book I was holding flew out of my hands with the intent of giving the man a serious concussion- and it would have, if he hadn’t ducked down on time. That single handed experience was enough to instill a reasonable doubt in me regarding parents meet.
Adrian looked at me like I was crazy and opened his mouth, probably to tell me just that but I interrupted him. “Listen to me first. Adrian, your parents… they remember me as their friend’s daughter- this little girl who probably used to cling to their son every day,” I ignored his amused smirk at that and continued, “but the thing is, I don’t remember them! I don’t even remember myself! How am I supposed to act around them if I don’t know how I used to do so before? What did I call them as? What if they’re disappointed in what I am now? What if-”
“Eve, love, listen to me now.” I was engulfed by a pair of arms and once again pulled against a strong, hard chest. I should’ve pulled away and reprimanded him for taking liberties but the witchy devil clearly knew what spell he was using, and he was damn good at it. Adrian’s voice calmed me like soothing sea waves in an otherwise dead night.
“My parents don’t just like you. They adore you. You’re all they’ve been talking about ever since they saw you that day at the hospital. Hell, I can bet on half of my money that they like you more than me, and they haven’t even met you yet. You have absolutely nothing to worry about, you hear me?” He pulled away and held my shoulders as I nodded reluctantly.
While his words had managed to reassure me, there still was that fear deep in my heart. I really wanted them to like me. I couldn't say whether it was because I was dating their son or because I used to know them, or simply because I was yearning for a family. Either way, I couldn't stand the thought of them being disappointed in me.
“If by any chance- which is as slim as the chance of you thinking I’m not handsome,” Adrian started, making me roll my eyes at him. Right. His daily dose of self ego boost. “I’d still like you all the same.”
To get a hold on my slipping composure at his stronger spells, I gave him a dry look- which I had a feeling, was not as dry as I’d have liked, judging by his infamous smirk. Huffing lightly, I forced my feet to co-ordinate with each other and take me to the front door of his house while the witch in the body of the arrogant devil followed closely behind, making me very aware of his body. Just as I climbed the last step on his porch, I was pulled against the hard chest. Again. The man seriously needed a lecture about personal space.
“Eve, wait.” I turned around to flash him with my perfected glare but stopped midway by the expression of pure admiration in his eyes. Adrian raised a hand and softly caressed my cheek, swallowing as he did so.
“I forgot to say this earlier. You look beautiful today, love. I love you.”
I felt the telltale signs of an unwanted blush beginning to invite itself over my face so I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. Just because he loved me, it didn’t give him the right to make me blush. Every. Single. Time. Evelyn White would not be reduced to a blushing mess. Period.
He procured a fancy looking key from his pocket and opened the door, not bothering to knock. That simple action made me wonder how wonderful it must feel to have a home to come back to and find out that the door would always be open for you- no matter how long you’ve been away. I pasted a smile on my face to ward off that feeling of longing within me that was becoming more frequent lately just as Adrian stepped aside to let me enter first.
There was no one on the other side of the door like I had expected but we could hear lively conversations and chattering coming from the deeper parts of the house, which I assumed to be the living room. A baby’s shrill cry welcomed us as we walked further, making Adrian roll his eyes. His eye roll didn’t last long as he smiled at me and whispered against my ear that it must be Jade’s newborn daughter.
Indeed, it was the new little member shining amidst the entire Stone-Marshall family. Everyone was looking in amazement as her cry suddenly turned into an adorable smile at her grandpa who was making silly faces at her. The sight of this family brought a familiar ache upon my chest. I had a half mind to return back, not wanting to intrude on a family moment. But clearly reading my thoughts, the devil tightened his grip in my hand, effectively blocking my escape. Damn him, the mind-reading witchy devil!
“Ah, the granddaughter arrives and your son is long forgotten. So this is how it is supposed to go from now on, isn’t it?” I didn’t have the time to pull the idiot’s ears for announcing his- our- presence as every member of the family turned their heads our way. I assumed with mortification that my face must now resemble a 12 years old girl with her face dunked in tomato ketchup. I couldn’t even stop the blush when Jade’s little girl looked at me curiously. I huffed inwardly. The CEO of Eva’s and Co. embarrassed by an infant. Just great.
Before long, the said infant must’ve realized that there was someone else stealing her attention- although for the wrong reasons- for she claimed the stage once again by wailing loudly. Her shrill cry shook my eardrums rather violently but I assumed that the people here were used to it as none seemed to be clutching their ears in agony.
I silently thanked the little girl as the heads turned her way once again, giving me a second to breathe in relief. But strange as it may sound, I could’ve sworn that she gave me a smug smile as everyone started cooing at her once again. I narrowed my eyes at her but she ignored me and continued smiling at her father. I was going nuts indeed.
While the scheming little angel was basking in attention of her father, Adrian’s parents walked towards us. Both of them were smiling, which loosened my nerves a bit- or perhaps it was because of the little reassuring squeeze in my hand by the devil himself.
“Oh, Eve darling! You’re finally here!” I didn’t have time to react when Mrs. Stone suddenly hugged me. I stiffened initially, neither used to nor expecting any physical display of affection. But when she didn’t pull away soon, I let myself relax in her arms, feeling strangely at peace. It could now see where the devil got the habit from.
She pulled away after sometime and held both of my hand in hers. She smiled at me with her eyes filled with pure affection which warmed my heart despite the fact that she was technically a stranger to me. “Oh, sweetheart! You have no idea how I’ve longed to see you again! I questioned myself if it was a dream when I saw you in the hospital the other day. Thank the lords above that you’re real! Oh, how I’ve missed you, my girl! You’ve grown up so much! And into such a beautiful woman! Welcome back to the family, sweetheart.”
Welcome back to the family. As if I was already a part of it. I felt my eyes misting over her words. But thankfully, Mr. Stone saved me from another spell of embarrassment by putting his arm around his wife and giving me a warm smile.
“Now, now, don’t scare the poor woman away, dear. I don’t want to face a punch from Nick for making his girl cry when I meet him someday. The man was always stronger than me.” His words were met with a long silence. I could distinctly feel Adrian stiffening next to me the moment Mr. Stone uttered my father’s name. I glanced at Mrs. Stone and saw that she, too, had stiffened as she looked warily between us, as if waiting for a volcano to erupt right before us.
Mr. Stone must have sensed the sudden tension in the air since he grimaced uncomfortably. Then he cleared his throat. Once. Twice. Then two more times. “Uh… too soon, wasn’t it? I… I’m sorry, Evelyn dear. I didn’t mean to… I mean… I wasn’t… that it to say… I would never…” He looked at his wife hopefully, probably hoping she’d some to her rescue but Mrs. Stone just shook her head as if to say, it’s your own fault, keep me out of this.
By this time, all three Stones seemed to be looking at me with different expressions- Mrs. Stone with concern, Mr. Stone had guilt written all over his face while Adrian looked like he was contemplating taking me away from his home right at that instant.
I couldn’t help myself. I laughed hard. I had a fleeting thought that I must be going really insane but I couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter that threatened to burst from within me. I couldn’t care that all three of them were looking at me weirdly- and probably contemplating calling the asylum. I breathed deeply after I finally came up from my laughing fits. It felt good to let go of all my worries and just… laugh them away.
I smiled at Mr. Stone in what I hoped to be a reassuring manner. “It’s all good, Mr. Stone. You don’t need to apologize. It’s good to hear you talking about dad. I heard the two of you were good friends. Will you tell you more about him?” I asked hopefully and smiled as all three of them relaxed spontaneously.
Mr. Stone was the one to release the deepest breath. He grinned at me. “Oh, of course! I’ll let you in all of the details. But for that, you, young lady, need to stop making us feel older than we are by using these Mr. and Mrs. Nonsense. I barely tolerated it at office- thank the lords they found a new victim- my son.”
Adrian snorted beside me, but was simultaneously ignored by his parents. “Exactly! We’ll have none of that formality here. You’re family and you’ll address us as such. I’m Brittany and he’s Daniel. That’s what you’ll call us, unless you want to use some other name, of course.” Mrs. Stone- Brittany- piped in next to her husband. While their words warmed my insides, it somehow didn’t feel right to merely call them by their names.
“Do you remember what I used to call you before?” I asked before I could stop myself. I watched with worry as the older couple exchanged unsure glances with Adrian. It was Mr. Stone who spoke after a few minutes.
“You… you were this young then,” He held up his hands up, a foot apart as he spoke with a fond smile and a faraway look on his face, “You couldn’t even pronounce our names correctly. I was quite fond of hearing you call me ‘Uncle Danny’. But my wife wasn’t so happy with you for calling her ‘Aunt Brinny’. I remember her trying countless of times to correct you.” He finished with a chuckle.
Mrs. Stone laughed a little as well. “Without success. I gave up in the end when no amount of cookies could coax you into calling me Brittany. I had a strong feeling that you purposefully called me that even when you learned my name but I grew fond of that name over time.” She smiled at me, sniffing in the end as tears gathered around her eyes.
“Mom! Dad! Are you planning on doing all the talking there or do we get a chance to say hello to our guest as well? I need some female company in this house!” Adrian’s sister hollered from the other side making Mrs. Stone shake her head.
“Oh, dear me! Where are my manners?! I’m so sorry, sweetheart! I got carried away. Come on, have a seat while I bring you something to drink. Oh, Adrian, you too, come sit!” She spurred into action and speed-walked into what seemed to be the kitchen.
“See what I told you about my parents loving you more than me?” Adrian remarked sourly as he sat himself beside me on the couch. I was about to offer my sympathies to his bruised ego when something on his pants caught my attention.
A small hand tugged his own that was resting on his knee and I followed Adrian’s gaze to see a boy of around five leaning holding his arms out to Adrian. The boy had the same shade of copper brown hair as Brandon and with the same shade of brown eyes as Jade’s looking at me curiously, there was no doubt that this was Adrian’s nephew. He looked so adorable in his dress shirt and pants that I could imagine him being a heartbreaker as he grows up. Good looks must run in their genes instead of blood.
The boy let out a small squeal as Adrian leaned down and lifted him up, settling him on his lap. I watched in fascination and the arrogant devil completely disappeared behind the caring uncle mode Adrian was currently sporting. The boy whispered something into his ear, making him chuckle softly. Adrian smirked and looked at me with amusement while the little boy was blushing deep red. “Eve, this is my little nephew, Luke. He’s got something to tell you.” He turned to the boy then. “Here, I made the introductions. Why don’t you tell her yourself now?” Adrian nudged him, making the boy redder than he already was.
While I was curious about what the little man had to say to me, I didn’t want to torment the poor boy by embarrassing him further. So I narrowed my eyes at Adrian with the intent of scolding him when a small voice reached my ears.
“I think you’re pwetty. Like an angel.”
I turned my surprised gaze to Luke, only to see him jump out of Adrian’s lap and run to hide behind his mother, who was watching the whole exchange with a small smile.
It was now my turn to blush as everyone laughed at Luke’s words. Brandon gave me a small wave and smiled, cradling his daughter in his arms. “Hello, Eves. It’s good to see you again. How’s Eva doing? All well?”
I returned his smile. “Hi, Brandon. Yeah, everything’s well. She’s creating trouble, as always,” I joked, making him chuckle. I eyed the little girl in his arms who looked as if she was glaring at me for taking her father’s attention away from her.
“She’s beautiful,” I commented honestly. Despite the assumed glare, the baby looked beyond cute with her chocolate brown eyes and some scanty tufts of blonde hair.
Brandon followed my gaze and smiled warmly at his daughter. “Ah, that she is, aren’t you, my princess?” He made little cooing noise at her that made the girl giggling in awe, her ire towards me easily forgotten.
I smiled at the scene and turned to Jade, who was also watching Brandon interact with their daughter with pure love shining in her eyes. “Hello, Jade. I hope you’re well now?”
She nodded and smiled at me. “Yeah, I’m much better, thank you. I’m just glad to finally feel my abdomen again. The wound hurts time to time but it was worth it. She’s worth it.” Jade and Brandon shared a tender look between each other and I averted my eyes, not wanting to intrude on their private moment.
I felt a hand over mine and saw my cute devil smiling at me with an expression that nearly matched that of Brandon’s to his wife. His eyes held something deeper than just love- something that made me want to commit that particular moment into my memory for the rest of my life.
The spell was broken when Mrs. Stone returned with a tray of cookies and Mr. Stone trailing behind her.
Soon, everyone was digging into the cookies before she had even finishing putting the tray down on the table and I soon found out why. I also found out where the devil got his incredible cooking skills from. The cookies made by Mrs. Stone were one of the best I’d ever had. It melted as soon as it touched my taste buds, releasing a series of different flavors there. I made a mental note to ask Adrian if he could bake as well as his mother. If yes, I could assign him as my personal chef. I inwardly smirked at the thought.
Everyone made light conversation with each other until the peace was broken by the little infant wailing loudly once again. Luke, who was about to grab another cookie, stood up abruptly and went to his mother where his baby sister was currently thrashing in her lap. He tried to entertain his sister by gently tapping her nose, the cookie long forgotten. All of us watched in amazement as the girl immediately stopped crying and giggled at her brother making him smile goofily at her.
“I’m afraid she’ll have all the males in our family at her beck and call when she grows up. She’s already a handful to deal with. Poor Luke will be at his wits end trying to please his sister.” Jade commented, making everyone murmur their agreement.
“What have you named her?” I asked as Luke leaned down and pressed his lips to his now sleeping baby sister. My heart melted at the sweet scene, some unknown emotions threatening to break free from it.
“We haven’t.” Jade’s answer pulled me out of my thoughts, effectively putting a stop to my emotions. I turned backed to Jade, only to find her glaring at her husband. “Everyone is useless here when it comes to naming!”
Brandon raised his hands in defense. “Hey! I did suggest you some names! It’s not my fault that you didn’t like any.”
Jade’s glare intensified. “You wanted to name her Allergy!”
“Allegra,” Brandon corrected her, “It’s an important drug. Used in case of allergy. It can save lives!”
“I don’t care how important of a drug it is! I am not naming my daughter after allergy!” Jade bit out.
“I could help you choose some names too. I chose your name as well. See how lovely it turned out to be!” Mr. Stone offered enthusiastically.
“Dad, you named me Jade.” She replied dryly.
Mr. Stone raised his eyebrows. “And?”
Jade let out an exasperated breath. “Dearest dad, if you haven’t noticed yet, my eyes are brown. Who even names a girl with brown eyes as Jade?”
The only response she got was a shrug. Jade looked at me with an expression as if to say, see? “Eve, now that you’re back, you must help me choose a name for this little one. I can’t rely on anyone else.”
I held back a smile and nodded at her. It felt very good to be surrounded by people who cared about each other. The conversation continued around me and for the first time that I remembered, I felt like I was finally a part of a family. Despite it being my first time here, no one made me feel like a stranger. I felt like returning back home after a long time.
Mr. Stone was about to say something when Adrian stood up suddenly. Surprised, I looked up to see him holding out his hand to me. Seeing the question in my eyes, he smiled easily. “Come on, I’ve got something to show you.”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the couch. I could feel the curious looks of everyone as the idiot pulled me towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms.
“But I was about to tell her something important too.” I heard Mr. Stone calling out but the devil paid him no mind as he practically sprinted up the stairs like a child on sugar rush, all the while dragging me behind.
“Later, dad! I’ve shared her enough. She’s all mine for now.” He responded back, making my whole body heat up at the bluntness.
Adrian finally stopped in front of a room, nearly making me fall flat on the floor with the sudden stop if not for his arms around me. He released a small breath and turned to me, looking nervous like a schoolboy trying to confess that he hasn’t completed his homework.
“Adrian, what is it?” I asked, worried with his expression.
“This… was my room before I moved in to New York. My parents haven’t changed anything here. I wanted to show this room to you. Are you ready?”
I was suddenly very curious to go inside, to see what his room used to look like, to know more about young Adrian. But something in his eyes told me I needed to be careful. Trying to calm my furiously working heart, I mimicked Adrian’s actions and took a few deep breaths. Only then did I nod, giving him the go to turn the lock and open the door.
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Hmm... what do you think will greet her from the other side? How did you like the chapter? And how have you been liking the story so far? Do share your views with lots of comments. I look forward to hearing from you guys everyday. While at it, don't forget to press the star button to vote! See you soon!