Hi!!!! How are you all? Thanks for being such lovely readers, love you all for your precious votes and wonderful comments. I really love reading your comments - so much that I can't help but reply to almost all of them, you already know that right? :)
I was walking down the street in heavy rain with a ice-cream (wrapped up in a plastic bag of course), the sky looked dangerously marvelous whenever it was lightening making me jump every time and the running people around me curse and speeding up. That was the moment when this one scene came to my mind. No, the scene has nothing to do wit rain but still it's one of the most important scenes in this story - in my opinion at least.
So after you read this chapter and especially Brandan and Emma's THAT scene, don't forget to let me know if you agree with me...
Dedicating this chapter to @Aanchi_Arayansh and @LuvPreetikaRao
p.s: You can connect the song added to both Oliver's and Brandan's scenes. I think it would work both ways but with different purposes of course. :) Enjoy!
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Elli was wearing such a huge smile that her cheeks were hurting. She had bounce on her steps as she sprinted towards home from the bus-stop merrily. She was so happy today.
That's when she heard a very very familiar voice singing.
" ... one step closer, I've died everyday waiting to kill you. Darlin' don't be afraid... "
Elli stopped dead in her track and looked around. And yes there was that human version of Satan reincarnation.
Oliver was walking down the road singing in his terrible voice. Suddenly his eyes caught Elli's as he came face to face with Elli. He made a double take looking at the shine in her eyes, though she had made her face as much neutral as possible but her twinkling joy could be seen.
"Whooaaa! Why so happy, my beloved Elle - Belle?" He asked playfully surrounding a hand over her shoulder. "Found a new love?"
Elli tried to glare at Oliver but damn she was too happy to do so. So she broke into a smile.
Oliver dropped his hands amused at watching Elli be nice to him - for the first time ever.
"You can say so." She shrugged.
Turning around Elli began walking away still holding that smile intact. Oliver stood there frozen for a while, then he suddenly realized Elli was walking again. He sprinted after her.
"So, who's the cursed one?" Clearing his throat he asked casually walking next to her at the same pace as hers.
Elli seemed unfazed by Oliver's sarcasm. "His name's Raphael, well he's a doctor. I just met him today and he's sooo..."
Oliver gasped and in a freaking out tone whisper yelled at her. "Elli ! What the hell ! You just met him today and you are saying that you are head over heels for him!"
Elli snorted. "You don't know the meaning of love at first sight, do you?"
She said the last part with a dreamy glaze in her eyes, making Oliver curse under his breath. "But he's a stranger... where did you meet him?"
"Well in a club, he came to me and offered to buy a drink..." Elli giggled at this point. "... we talked and got to know about each other, he's a nice man Oliver."
Oliver stared at her in disbelief. "And you trust him, you just fell for that a**hole's sweet talks?"
"He was harmless Oliver, he had truth in his voice." Elli was now getting annoyed, why was Oliver trying to dampen her lovely mood.
"Well let me tell you, no show you a thing." With determination Oliver said.
Elli furrowed her brows. "What??"
"Come here - yeah - over here." He led her towards a small wall.
"Here??" Elli checked out the wall confusedly. "Now what's so special with this wall Oliver?"
Ignoring her amused expression and all the questions Oliver rolled his shoulders as if preparing for some action. "Now suppose I'm a stranger, that stranger doctor of yours... imagine..."
Elli raised a brow. "Why would I? No. This is plain ridiculous whatever it is."
"No it's not. Trust me, please Elli." Oliver's voice was so soft and pleading that Elli almost melted in it, now how could she not listen to that. Oliver had said PLEASE - to none other than her. Was this happening for real? She had no idea.
It seemed so much magical how they were having a normal conversation without ripping each others head off for the first time. Maybe Oliver wasn't that much of an evil she used to think.
"Well, if you insist - okay."
Oliver smiled softly. "Great. Now go and stand up on the wall and face the other way."
Once again Elli had this confused frown. "Oliver you aren't making any sense."
"Oh Elli! Just trust me this once please and do what I said." He added with a puppy face, "Please."
Elli couldn't help but smile a little, shrugging she went forward and stood up on the wall, her back facing Oliver as he suggested her. "I don't know what I'm doing."
Oliver didn't answer to that comment instead instructed something that was even more ridiculous, "Now close your eyes and fall back. I'll catch you Elli don't worry."
Elli gasped. "What! Are you freaking insane Oliver? What the..."
Oliver again went back to his soft tone and made that adorable puppy face. "For once Elli, trust me. I won't let you fall Elli, just believe in me for once. Please."
Elli huffed and turned back closing her eyes, she didn't have any idea why she was doing this. Maybe because she was fed up with the daily fights with him.
Maybe because she had a flicker of hope that she and Oliver would be somewhat friends after this insanity Oliver was making her do.
"If you don't catch me Oliver, I swear I'll make your life a living hell." Elli grumbled.
"Just fall back. I'll catch you, don't worry." Came Oliver's assuring reply.
With closed eyes Elli inhaled a deep breath, counting to three she then leaned backwards and let her body fall. The cold air caressed her whole body, the feeling was similar to the feeling of flying...
She waited to fall in the safety of two waiting arms but instead she felt her body connecting to the hard ground. She whimpered as she felt sharp pain shot through her behind, her eyes shot open.
"Ohh! My arse! My back - My bones are broken... ahhh... aiii... !"
After a second she looked up at Oliver from where she was sprawled on the hard ground. The f***er was standing with a victorious smirk.
"You bas**** ! Why the hell didn't you catch me! You asked me to trust you and I did and this is what I get for that? You f***ing looser... son of a b****" Elli paused to take a few deep breaths, she was so angry that she felt herself shaking.
Oliver just chuckled evilly. "Who is Oliver?"
Elli stared at him with her mouth agape wondering if the moron had Alzheimer's disease or something like that.
Oliver shook his head at her as if he was talking to a child who had forgotten to do the homework. "I'm that stranger doctor of yours. Remember, you were supposed to imagine me as that Pharael and you agreed my dear."
Elli was still sprawled on the side of the street, too shocked and angry to move herself to a more dignified position. "Why the hell did you do that?"
Oliver stood unaffected by Elli's yelling. "Because this is what I wanted to show you - to teach you this lesson."
"What f***ing lesson you scum?" Elli yelled in exasperation.
Oliver chose to ignore all the profanities added to her every sentence. "That you should never trust a stranger, no matter how much they sweet talk and seduce you to do so."
Elli's jaw was hanging open - almost hitting the floor. A good long minute later she closed her mouth only to grit her teeth and spat out in a deadpan voice. "You are an a** Oliver. An a**."
Oliver shook his head. "No darling. I was the stranger doctor at the moment, so it should be him who is an... what did you say - oh yeahh a**."
Then he turned around, leaving Elli with her eyes furiously glaring a hole at his back.
Oliver quickly left singing...
"I've loved you for a thousand years, I'll kick you for a thousand next..."
Elli slowly stood up, wincing everytime she moved. Her ears red with fury. She grumbled under her breath. So much payback for thinking Oliver to be not that evil.
And there she thought that they would be friends probably. Hell! Who was she kidding? He was really the reincarnation of Satan himself.
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Evan sat their slightly confused as he kept staring at Robert's calm face. He couldn't believe and couldn't decipher why Robert had no surprised reaction when Evan revealed the fact that Emma was alive - that she was the mother of two six years old children... Brandan's children. Why Robert hadn't blown up in anger when he had said how Brandan had been hiding this whole lot of information.
This wasn't what Evan had been expecting.
Martha was a whole other case, she was pacing around the entire living room exasperated and in a state of joyous trauma after recovering from the sudden shock. The continuous clicks and thuds of her loud footsteps over the wooden floor were getting quite annoying now, the addition of her added rambling and melodramatic fits every now and then weren't doing any good either.
"Emma is alive - has been alive this whole time we were mourning over her death?!" For the hundredth time probably, she yelled throwing up her hands in the air.
Robert was calmly rubbing two fingers on his chin while Evan studied the old man curiously.
"She's really alive! The whole time! Emma just left, just like that? We performed her funeral!"
Again pacing around the room for a while she halted to a stop - yet again. It was like a non-stop asthma attack. "She has children! My little Brandan is a father? He has been a father since six years???"
Robert snorted. "Yes he is a father Martha, we're grandparents and Emma's alive - get over it."
Martha stormed and stood beside Robert in exasperation. "Get over it? Get over it !! How the hell can I get over such a news? Robert, how in earth are you sitting there like nothing out of the world had happened?"
Evan now cut in, "Yes, that's my question as well. How on earth you are sitting still?"
Then Evan added gravely after a seconds pause, "You don't even look that much surprised. Unless..."
He stared suspiciously at Robert. "Unless... you knew this before, you were aware of my sister being alive and with children all this time."
Martha gaped at her husband when that innocent looking husband of her's nervously rubbed his chin even more and looked away.
Evan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Am I right?"
All four eyes in the room stared and glared at Robert's hesitating face. The room fell exceptionally quiet.
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Standing under the heavy jet of water pouring down her body from the shower head, Emma tried clearing her head.
She shifted on her feet as the lavender smelling lathering of silkiness of soap trailed down her body and to the drain. Her body felt refreshed.
But not her mind.
She was fed up, she was really fed at almost everything out of the place happening in her life. Sure, she was aware that her life would always continue to be the absolute epitome of weird and intense dramatics - but she hoped that at least someday it would be a little easier, a little bearable. Was that so wrong of her to hope so?
She had hoped to avoid Brandan and his charms but he had been stuck to her like a leech after she told him that she had forgiven him. It was so annoying that she wondered to take her words back. But no matter how much she tried she couldn't be so cruel.
On the other hand, where she had hoped to get a hold of Jonathon and officially break it up with him daring to face that guy's rudeness attack again... but of course he had to ignore her and steer clear of her at all costs like she was the living example of plague.
And to top it all, Oliver had to declare a war against Savanah claiming that the old lady had been stalking him with pervert purposes and snapping pictures of his young body in compromising states.
Sighing, Emma wrapped a towel around her bare body not giving a mind to pat herself dry. She furrowed her brows at the suspicion that peeked in to her brain from earlier. She had seen the humor in that girl's eyes, that mischievousness. And she had a feeling that Elli had a connection to Oliver's recent sexual harassment.
With droopy eyes and aim to drop down dead in her bed Emma stepped towards her bathroom door - an arm extended to open it. And then she saw it...
That fat - big body full of yucky hair, little nose twitching as if smelling whatever it was in it's two little extended 'hands'? Might be a piece of soap. Two teeth poking out of it's wet little mouth.
Emma stood frozen in her place, her arm still in the air now holding an invisible knob.
A mouse!
It made a screeching noise as it's deep eyes so black of demonic darkness looked up at her. Emma sucked in a breath without making a noise and as if acknowledging her the mouse screeched in response.
A scream tore through her lips before she could even jump backwards.
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"Maybe, I knew."
After a long silence Robert spoke.
"What? What did you just say? Come again." Evan croaked in disbelieve.
Robert sighed and slumped back in the sofa, the old man looked extremely tired. "I may not have spoken to Brandan all these years but I kept tabs on him." After a short pause he continued, "So when he went to New York... and found Emma there, obviously I too came to know about the news... from sources."
Evan didn't have any interest to inquire about these sources, he was way too much shocked of the fact that how much sneaky and cunning this old man could be. "Why did you keep it a secret? Not for once you thought to share this information with me, have you forgotten that she's my sister."
At that Robert narrowed his eyes at Evan. "A sister you loathed and blamed for your mother's death, a sister that you bullied."
Guilt ate Evan up from inside. He nodded. "Yes, a sister that I never valued until I lost her. I'm ready to grovel for all my mistakes for as long as it requires." Evan went back to again glaring at Robert. "But that's not the answer to my question. You know very well of Brandan's deeds as well but he got to stay there without so much of a single disturbance - where I here had no idea that my sister was even alive! Why?"
Robert shrugged nonchalantly. "You know Evan - I've always wanted Emma wedded to my only son, I want her as my daughter in law."
Evan's nostrils flared in rage. Here he was kept in the darkness and Robert was leisurely scheming the progress of his age old marriage conspiracy. After all that happened how the hell could Robert allow Brandan to wreck another havoc in his sister's life? Hadn't his little sister suffered enough at the hands of that arrogant prude?
"Over my dead body! I won't let this happen..." Evan yelled. He would be damned if he let this stubborn old man win.
Robert now leaned forward too and matched Evan's seething glare as his voice rang out calm, clear and full of wisdom that could only come with age and graying hair. "You are making a mistake again Evan. In the desperation of protecting your sister and repenting your past deeds you would hurt her even more if you keep up this stupidity."
Evan was now sure that smoke was coming out of his nose and ears.
The room was filled with too much tension, the air was heavy and suffocating with all the emotions - positive and negative.
And that's when the stunned and frozen Martha's brain decided that she couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes rolled back as she fainted and fell on the floor.
Jumping up, Evan and Robert stared blankly at Martha sprawled on the ground.
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Emma didn't know how things took such a turn but it took somehow in between her screams as the mouse crawled at her direction in slow motion.
Terrified, she didn't know where to go. The mouse was standing like a gatekeeper in front of the bathroom door and seemed determined to not let her pass until she greeted it properly.
She heard someone knocking the door and then a male voice yelling her name like his pants were on fire. And yes, it had to be Brandan. He might have decided to visit her house, say hello to the kids and to her too with the secret agenda of leaving her burning with sexual frustration. She dared not name that thing burning inside her increasingly as something else other than that carnal title.
With a loud boom the bathroom door was kicked down and in came stumbling the madman, he searched with prying eyes for the person he had to kill.
A moment later, Brandan's eyes fell on Emma who was staring at his feet with absolute disgust. He thought to ponder upon that look on her face later and instead raked his eyes all over her body for any sign of injuries. There was none... and finally he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Emma! What the hell! You were screaming like an axe-murderer was about to slit your throat apart." Brandan wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead.
Emma shook her head in exasperation. "Oh the door! You broke my bathroom door Brandan!" She yelled at him.
"You're worried about the door, woman? And what about how worried I was about you?" Brandan asked now getting a little angry.
Getting angry herself Emma placed her hands on her hips intending to stand erect in an intimidating way. "For how long I don't know I'm going to go in to a bathroom that has no door and you're the one responsible for it." She narrowed her eyes at him and hissed. "You're going to fix that door or bring a new one, Brandan, in 24 hours."
No words or threats going in his ears, Brandan stood fascinated at the sight of Emma. For the first time, after he broke into her bathroom he had noticed that she had only a towel to cover her naked body, that too so short. His throat went dry.
"Brandan! What happened to you?" Emma was confused at the way suddenly Brandan's whole demeanor changed.
Following his gaze up and down her body as if sensually caressing her every inch mentally, Emma looked down at herself and suddenly got her answer and not from his mouth. How could she forget she was in a towel? Yes, a little mouse and a not so little man were the reasons.
Flustered, Emma clutched the towel tight to her chest as her eyes fell on the visible bulge in his pants which had grown in a matter of a few seconds. She looked into his eyes and was taken aback to see them turn to that stormy shade, she had never seen such a sight before which made her feel like she was being sucked into a dark abyss.
"Y- you should go now Brandan." She managed to squeak out looking at anything but at him. It only made him step forward like a predator going for his prey.
"But you still didn't tell me what made you so frightened Emma... or were you intending me to come and assist you in the shower. You didn't need to scream like that Em, you just had to ask." Brandan's smirk held all those wicked promises tempting as forbidden.
He was still advancing towards her with slow steps and Emma felt like if she didn't stop him now she would be in great trouble. She couldn't allow him to talk like that and melt her panties down so that she could jump him like a wanton. That's when she had one precious light bulb moment - she wasn't even wearing her panties.
Squeezing her thighs together was her immediate reaction. "A mouse!" She croaked out.
That made Brandan stop dead in his track, with amusement he raised a eyebrow. "Mouse? You were screaming like that because you saw - a little, innocent, harmless - mouse?" After a small pause he asked again unfazed by her silence. "And where is that mouse now?"
Clearing her throat Emma glanced at the broken door sprawled on the floor of her bathroom behind Brandan. "Right under that door, I think you smashed it and stomped your way inside over it's dead body..." She made a horrified face, she felt bad for the poor mouse now but also couldn't help but feel a little disgusted about the condition it's dead body might be in beneath that heavy door.
Emma saw flabbergasted as the corners of his mouth twitched. That douche was trying to contain his laughter.
And the next moment like an explosion had occurred, Brandan burst out laughing.
Embarrassment transformed into anger, Emma marched at the man laughing like a maniac in her bathroom. She loathed at the situation she was in, never had she ever felt so cornered before.
Poking his chest hard with her pointing finger she yelled at him. "Would you stop laughing and leave now?"
But of course that didn't put a stop to his fun, instead he caught that finger that was poking him in his chest feeling the vibe of the rumblings of his laughter. With his other arm around her waist the next second Emma found herself hugged by this infuriating - sexy man. Engulfed by his scent suddenly she found herself slump into relaxation in his arms after a little bit of struggling. Now she just couldn't struggle too much while wrapped in nothing but that short towel, at least she told herself that.
"You're one strange woman Emma, there's no one in this world like you." His low chuckles vibrated all over her body deliciously.
Biting her lip she sighed. "And there's no one in this world so infuriating - so stupid as you."
His hands tightened around her, securing her - cherishing her - desiring to love on her and... so much more.
"Stupid indeed."
They stayed like that, for how long they didn't know but that didn't matter. This moment they were sharing seemed to be a gift from the heavens.
His fingers were rubbing soothing, burning circles on her lower back when she looked up at her. She might have imagined him dropping a very - very light - barely there kiss on the crown of her head. Such a simple action and yet so intense consequence.
He gave her one of those faint smiles that had the power to melt one's insides into mush. Dazed eyes stared back at her with emotions shining and twirling so bright.
"I love you Emma..." His soft voice trailed off into her ears and ran through all her veins before settling finally inside her heart.
A broken door and a dead mouse witnessed the moment when one man vulnerable like never before held her like she was life itself.
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That's all for now.
What do you think Emma will do after this confession? How she's going to bash Jonathon out of her life when he's playing hide and seek with her in a regular basis? And about Oliver's sexual harassment - do I even need to ask the question? hee hee... :D
Don't forget to vote, comment and follow me. :)
(Imagine me handing over ice - creams to those who votes and comments :D)
Love, hugs and kisses.
- Lara.