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Possession
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Chapter 24: Possession (Rowan's POV)
Evie shifted once more in the passenger seat while I drove us to The Vortex and I resisted the urge to groan yet again.
"Stop moving, Evelyn," I said through gritted teeth.
"Don't call me that," she replied, clicking her tongue.
"Then don't move like that. What is the problem?"
"I don't like this, Rowan," she whined, turning to face me. "I don't like lying to everybody, I don't like having all eyes on us, I hate it all. Can't we just... I don't know..."
"Not go?" I prompted.
"Yeah."
"No," I answered quickly. "It's a matter of one day, Evie."
"But it isn't, is it? It's a matter of an entire year."
"Don't make this any harder than it has to be, Ms. Spencer."
She forced out a dry laugh. "Calling me 'Ms. Spencer' again now, are you?"
"I am since 'Mrs. Volkov' freaked you out so much, darling. Would you rather I call you something else?"
"I don't imagine you know a lot of endearing and romantic nicknames but I'd love to be humored. Enlighten me."
"You seem to enjoy Russian a bit more," I pointed out, glancing at her. It surprised me that I'd been calling her Lyubov for years and she still had no idea what the word meant. Despite that, she didn't seem to mind it.
"You don't speak in Russian a lot, at least in front of me. How come the only Russian I get to hear and the names you call me, which for all I know, could be insults."
I eyed her in amusement. "Trust me. They're far from insults, Milaya."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing you need to know," I replied smugly.
She huffed in frustration, resting her hands in her lap and staring out the window.
She's dying to ask again.
"Why don't you ever tell me the meanings of all these nicknames you've given me?"
"If you want to know so badly, why don't you just look them up?" She didn't reply and I stole another look at her. "I see. You like not knowing," I stated. It wasn't a question, it showed on her face.
"No, I don't like not knowing. I'd just prefer it if you told me yourself."
"All these years and you don't know what Lyubov means?"
She hummed. "Maybe I'm waiting for the day you'll tell me yourself."
"Then I guess you'll never know."
"And why not?"
I slowed down the car as we entered our hotel through the security checkpoint. I turned to her as I parked the car and turned it off. "Because some things are better left unknown."
She stared at me, then mumbled, "I highly doubt that." She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the console in between.
I mirrored her, placing my elbow beside hers and then knocking hers off, making her take in a sharp breath and clench her jaw. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "It's true. Some things are just better when you don't know them. Not every word I say to you in Russian should be translated. You ever think that maybe I say certain things in Russian because I don't want you to know what they mean?"
"You ever think that's just plain mean and annoying? What if I did that to you?"
"Try me," I told her, lifting a brow.
She stared right back at me, her eyes narrowing. "I hate you."
"I hate you more." We both faced forward as Nate's car stopped beside ours while the other guests were already making their way out of their own vehicles and into the hotel. "Stay here for a minute," I said before climbing out as Nate walked over, Leo by his side. "Did he come up to you?" I asked immediately.
He shook his head in reassurance. "You?"
"Not after the last time."
"Which was when?"
"The last time he spoke to me?"
He nodded.
"It was the time he spoke to me last."
He rolled his eyes at me, muttering, "Very funny," sarcastically. "When? Not since the ceremony?"
I shook my head.
"Okay. Well, handle her. And be nice," he demanded, hitting my arm. "She looked really nervous earlier."
"She's having... trouble... getting used to this ruse that we're performing. I'll take care of her." My eyes fell down on Leo. "Who takes care of you?"
"Daddy!" he grinned up at me and then turned to Nate.
I bent down, fixing his bow tie again.
"See you inside, Leo, come on," Nate said as I stood back up.
I rounded the car and went to Evie's door, pulling it open as I buttoned my suit back up using one hand. Holding out a hand to help her, I waited.
She glared at me. "Why do you look like you're enjoying this?" she asked, taking it and pulling herself up before fixing her dress.
"Because you look like you're miserable," I answered.
She rolled her eyes at me while I shut the car door and locked it, pocketing the keys. Her arm linked with mine as we walked inside and towards the banquet hall.
I watched her as she let out a heavy sigh and then nervously fidgeted with her earring. "Breathe, Evie," I said as we entered the hall. "It'll be over before you know it."
"Evie!"
We both faced forward just before her arm was ripped out of mine.
"Arre wah, dekho ise!" Oh wow, look at her!
Evie laughed as her aunt held her by the arms and carefully looked at the dress.
If I remembered correctly, this was Priya's mother. Priya walked over, laughing forcefully and pulling Evie away. "Itna bhi mat dekho, Mumma," she muttered. Don't look too much, Mom.
Evie laughed while Priya went and stood beside her mother, saying, "I don't have that budget for my wedding dress, don't get any ideas," she told her, making Mrs. Kapoor roll her eyes.
"She looks stunning, let me compliment my niece."
"Thank you, Masi," Evie smiled widely before stepping back to stand with me and elbowing me in the ribs.
I reluctantly moved forward, holding out a hand. "I'm Rowan. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Kapoor."
She shook my hand, grinning at me. "Lovely to meet you, Rowan. I've heard a lot about you."
I looked at Evie and Priya, both their eyes fell to the ground immediately and while Priya let out a snort, Evie turned her head the other way, pulling her lips together. "Not great things, I presume," I mumbled.
"No," Evie laughed, linking her arm with mine and patting it with her free hand. "Some good things." I looked down at her as she rested her chin on my arm casually. "Only some," she added cheekily. I lifted a brow at her and she lifted one back.
We both looked forward, at her aunt as she sighed dreamily, watching us. "Nazar na lage," she mumbled and then shook her head.
"Well, we'll let you two be," Priya said and then narrowed her eyes at me before taking her mother away.
Evie stepped away from me as I turned to her.
"What does that mean?"
She eyed me in amusement. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She moved to continue walking forward but I tugged her back.
"Tell me."
Sighing, she thought about it for a moment. "It's like saying touch wood, bless you, that kind of thing. It's... wishing that nobody's bad intentions jinx you. It's praying that we stay exactly the way we are, no matter the odds, no matter what goes against us. It's hoping that..." she paused, her eyes flickering over my shoulder and behind me.
I began to turn but stopped when she grabbed my tie, jerking me forward and closer to her.
Her eyes came back to mine as she scanned my face.
"That?" I asked, sliding her hand off my tie but not letting it out of mine.
"It's hoping that we stay together forever," she said softly, inching closer to me. A shoulder bumped against mine before she would have to kiss me and I heard the little exhale come out of her as I looked up and watched my father walk right past. She loosened her hold on my hand and took a tiny step back. "Why is he here?" she asked, glancing at him.
"To ruin the day," I answered.
"Evie!" A few of her family members, including younger cousins, came over, running and gushing at her dress, and then took her hands, dragging her away. With one last look at me from her and giggles from her family, they whisked her away.
I met a few more guests, bided my time, and talked a bit about work with some of the shareholders, but not once did I miss the eye that my father kept on Evie. I just knew that he was waiting for the perfect moment to find her alone and ask her all the questions that could make her crack. Luckily enough, every time he got too close, someone was there to take Evie away or ask her something and busy her.
Evie and Priya were sitting alone at a table and talking when I saw him trying to approach her. "Excuse me," I mumbled to whoever I was talking to, I couldn't even remember, and then made it to their table, keeping my back towards Daniel and stopping behind Evie's chair, blocking his way. "Evie."
She turned in her seat to look at me and smiled. "Yeah?"
I looked at Priya. "Mind if I steal my wife?"
In return, she offered me a sarcastic smile. "Yes, I actually do."
My jaw ticked. "Too bad, Priya."
Evie stood up, waving Priya off dismissively and then walking with me, right past Daniel. "Is something wrong?" she whispered.
"No. I'm just hoping this day will end soon. We can't keep avoiding him," I responded.
Evie looked at where he stood, speaking to one of the company shareholders but watching us. "So let's not avoid him anymore," she said while spinning the wedding ring around her finger nervously. "Let's just... handle him."
"Can you?" I questioned, lifting a brow.
Annoyance flashed in her eyes. "Try me, Rowan," she grinned at me.
The day most certainly lasted much longer than we hoped for. It was dark out by the time all the guests left the hotel and almost midnight by the time Evie's and my families did after ensuring that everything would be packed up by tomorrow at the latest. We were both drained by the time I got us to the apartment and inside.
"Hello Niko," Evie said drowsily beside me as I locked the door and Niko walked around us cautiously before walking off and lying on the couch.
"Since we don't have work tomorrow, we don't have to worry about anything. Just go to sleep. We'll make a plan before going to work on Monday." I began moving up to my room while shrugging the suit off.
"Work?" she asked from behind me. "Rowan, please," she whined, "what about a honeymoon?"
I rolled my eyes. "You wouldn't survive one with me."
"Of course not, I wouldn't want to test my luck. But can't we just take a few days off work? Please? We'll say we went on a honeymoon."
"And what will we do instead?" I spun around to face her.
"Make a solid plan that nobody can pick apart. Especially Mr. Daniel—"
"Call him Daniel."
She paused, then sighed, "Fine, Daniel. We should be careful and thorough. Three days? Just three." She held up three fingers, wiggling them while smiling at me.
"No."
"Rowan," she cried, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and wincing immediately, lifting the skirts of her dress to look down at her heels. "Please?" She continued persistently.
I huffed, "We'll talk about it tomorrow."
Beaming at me, she replied, "Thank you." She stayed downstairs to take her heels off while I went up to my room, shutting the door behind me.
Before anything, I walked into the closet, opening the black wooden box with the golden butterfly right at the top. The box used to be my Mom's. I found it when I was packing to leave our house in Russia all those years ago, and kept it. It had a bunch of dried paints in it but I used it for something else. I used it to keep my letters.
Reaching into the inner pocket of the suit jacket I had on, I grabbed the folded paper between two fingers and pulled it out. I hung the suit back up and then opened the box, staring at all the folded papers, at my letters. Unfolding the paper in my hand, I read over the words one more time. The vows I wrote to Evie but never told her.
Maybe one day I will. But she never wrote any, I would be a fool to admit I did.
Contemplating between ripping the page to pieces and trashing it or keeping it, I settled for the latter and dropped the page with all the others before closing the box and tucking it away. I scoffed at myself and then began undressing to change for bed.
It was pathetic, this box of letters. Yet it had somehow become my most prized possession over the years.
A box full of letters to the girl I hated most. Evie in a box. A box full of everything I ever had to say to her but didn't. Sometimes, I couldn't, sometimes I wouldn't. My most prized possession and my dirtiest secret.
.
.
.
.
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Chapter 24
WHO THE FUCK WAS IT
SOMEONE COMMENTED "A BOX OF LETTERS LIKE ALL YOUR PERFECTS BY COHO" AND I WAS LIKE WHO TF GUESSED IT RIGHT WHAT THE HELL HOW
I think it was @harryhavemybabiespls
I bet it was, how tf could I forget you honestly, it was you. HOW DID YOU GUESS THAT?