“Home sweet home,” Deagan commented when Aycin helped him sit on the couch of his new living room, with his family surrounding him stiffly.
“Whose house is this?” His uncle questioned, looking around the expansive open-planned house.
“Mine, I bought it a few weeks ago.” Aria and Deagan shared a smile.
“Why in the world would you do that, Deagan?” Amaya frowned deeply, sending a suspicious look in Aria’s direction.
“I needed a place to work while I was here and the apartment was getting a little cramped for the three of us,” Deagan answered truthfully.
“You don’t really have a business here, do you?” Maya stated more than aske
“It’s a duck!” Deagan called out, causing Hazel to stop short and send him an incredulous look.“Where in the world did you get that from!” She exclaimed which made everyone burst out laughing.“Uh, you said it swims on top of water?” Aria couldn’t hold back her giggles when the timer ran out.“I said it’s man-made!” He huffed in reservation and looked at her expectantly.“Well, what is it?”“A sailboat!” everyone else chorused, much to his annoyance.“I give up, this game is stupid!” he threw his hands up, pouting.
She looked stunning in her baby blue gown, the plunging neckline made him uncomfortable and the wisps of her pixie cut hair which brushed the back of her neck gave him the urge to go out and drag her back and hide her from the prying eyes of the world, but the hopeful smile she sent him when she stepped off the grand staircase still lingered in his mind. He could see the hint of insecurity in her eyes and the nervousness in the hands that constantly ran down the front of her dress, smoothing out invisible creases.As much as he wished he was the lucky man who would get to place his hand on the small of her back tonight, he knew he was one leg short and all out of luck, so he had to settle for watching her approach the sleek black Mercedes Benz which no doubt held a man he was insanely jealous of.As she disappeared from his sight, into the dark car,
Deagan’s eyes were furrowed, where in the world was Aria at this time of the night? He was far too agitated to stop himself from reaching for his phone.He trusted her, but dammit he was worried.“Hello?” she answered on the second ring, he barely had time to feel relieved before the sadness in his voice threw him into a panic.His eyes widened in alarm and he flew up from the seat, not feeling the pain that shot down his leg at the sudden movement. “Aria, where are you? What’s wrong?” his voice was frantic, the weight that settled on his chest only increased when a sob escaped her throat.“Ari baby, please tell me where you are.” he choked out and tried to take a step towards the door, but tripped o
“Hey… Can I join you?” Amaya’s voice broke her from her angry thoughts, she was surprised to see the youngest sibling standing beside her. She was the last person she was expecting, especially given the fact that Maya didn’t seem to be her biggest fan.“Sure.” The young woman took a seat on the bench beside her and pulled her knees up to her chest before leaning back to look at the star-littered sky. The evening was quite chilly, which wasn’t particularly unexpected since they were in England.“I always loved the stars even though I don’t get to see them real often living in the city.” She smiled, looking content.“You danced beautifully at the showcase, I know it may not count for much, but I am really proud of you Amaya.&rdq
“Aria! We need to go!” Amaya whined from the doorway, causing Aria to smirk evilly.“What’s taking so long?” Deagan stepped up behind Amaya with a frown on his face, looking as annoyed as his sister.“Just a few last-minute touch-ups.”“What are you touching up for and I thought it was only an informal dinner, why are you wearing a dress?” His frown deepened, now he looked more pissed than annoyed.“‘Cause I want to,” Aria smirked and walked past the pair.Maya puffed out a breath and walked behind her, sounding relieved that they were leaving.###
Andrew landed in London early on Monday morning against his better judgment. He was split between the need to leave Amaya be, or fix their “relationship” for the sake of his friendship with her brother. He knew getting involved with her in any way would later prove to be a bad decision, but he found it hard to resist her charm.It hurt his pride to admit to himself that he isn't who she wanted but was similarly turned off by the lack of interest she showed in his pursuit of her, especially after everything that happened when they were still back home.Neither her brothers nor aunt and uncle knew what went down between them and part of him wished it would stay that way, but given their inability to keep things platonic in front of her family, they would eventually ask questions and Andrew was willing to bet he would be the first person qu
“How’s your leg?” Aria looked worriedly at Deagan, he had just had the cast removed and Aria was worried that the leg wasn’t properly healed, but Deagan brushed her off.“Babe, I am just fine, it doesn’t hurt, it hasn’t for a while. The doctor wouldn’t have removed the cast unless I was ready and I still have the boot on for support.” He soothed, taking her hand into his and placing a kiss on the back.“Let’s take a seat anyway,” Aria suggested and Deagan got the feeling that she wasn’t convinced, but nodded for her sake.“Outside?” Deagan asked when he spotted the glass doors that led out to the garden and Aria nodded.“It’s so beautiful here at night if the
Andrew’s flight was leaving in two hours, but the thought of walking out on her without so much as a word didn’t settle well with him, so against the voices in his head screaming for him to take the elevator all the way down to the lobby, he stepped off on the floor her room was on.He sucked in a deep breath and knocked at the door. Glancing at his watch, he cringed when he saw that it was 3 am, she wouldn’t be thrilled about being woken up, she was a beast when woken prematurely.She opened the door with sleepy yet deadly eyes, which much to his surprise, lit up when they landed on him and dropped to sadness when she saw the bag beside him.“Andrew, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?” She eyes the bag cautiously, wrapping her arms around herself tighter as
Unlike other brides, Aria didn’t want to be escourted down the aisle by her father. While their relationship was far better than it had ever been in the past, she held onto the dream she had as a little girl of her grandfather giving her away and since he wasn’t there to do it, she opted to leave the space beside her empty. She sucked in a deep breath as the last of her wedding party exited the mahogany doors and descended the stairs into the backyard. “You okay, Honey?” Her mother asked when she saw the nervous look on her face. “Yeah, just nervous.” Her mother smiled comfortingly. “Why? You’re about to marry the man of your dreams.” Aria blushed at her mother’s words.
“Deagan Lockheart, I swear to God I will cancel this wedding in a heartbeat if you don’t get that creature out of my bedroom right this instant!” Aria screeched from upstairs, gaining the attention of all the guests that were invited for their rehearsal dinner.Deagan with a huge mirthful grin on his face carried the glass tank down the stairs, much to the amusement of their friends and family.“I am going to kill that man and it will be completely his fault, but I’ll have to rot in prison for it.” She mumbled, stomping down the stairs, trying to brush away the escaped wisps of hair that tickled her chin.“Oh honey, he’s just having a little fun.” Aria’s mother tried, but her face morphed into a po
The evening turned to night as the sunset in the sky and before Aria knew it, they were taking the elevator down to the basement parking. She was beyond happy that Deagan was officially taking over D’Heart enterprises, but she had worked herself up to a different kind of happiness which she never received and that was disappointing.“Everything okay?” Deagan asked just as the silent elevator ride came to an end.“Yeah, just a little tired. I’ve kind of been living on coffee this week.” She confessed, blushing when he sent her a disapproving frown.“So all that talk of, ‘I slept well’ was just a hoax?” Aria grimaced and nodded.&ldquo
Aria hopped off the truck with her heart rate erratic and smoothed down the frock of the beautiful red dress. The sweetheart neckline with cap sleeves accentuated her collar bones and the flattering A-line fit made her waist appear smaller. There was a pair of silver heeled sandals inside the box which fit her feet perfectly and complimented the dress in the most subtle way possible.They were parked in front of D’Heart Incorporated as the sunset. She had no idea what to expect, but at the very least she knew she would find the love of her life in that glass skyscraper which calmed all the nerves she felt.The chauffeur handed her another rose, making it the sixth she received that day.Halfway there beautiful, are you ready for a little walk ‘up’ memory lane?
One year laterAria turned to exit the Espresso bar with an iced coffee in hand and her phone in the other.‘You know. I still owe you a cup of coffee.’- Deagan Lockheart ‘Why?’- YouHer eyes were so focussed on the strange text she received from Deagan, trying to decipher what he meant, that she didn’t notice the man in front of her until he placed his hands on her forearms and stopped her midstep.Aria was shocked out of her distraction to find a si
“Sweetheart?” Deagan’s voice pierced through the darkness.“Hmm?” Aria hummed from her position with her head on his chest.“Have you ever considered London home?” Aria bit her lip.“No, not really.”“Have you ever considered moving back to Seattle?” Aria sat up and folded her legs beneath her, prompting him to sit up as well.“I’ve thought about it a few times, more so after the party the other night. I mean it’s cool that you guys are all here right now, but everyone has a life back there and I don’t expect you to stay here forever
Deagan waited patiently outside the ladies’ room as Aria tried to pull herself together, the redness of her eyes refused to subside and the pain in her heart wouldn’t allow her peace.She sighed for the umpteenth time, throwing away the tissue with resignation.“Hey, you okay?” Aycin asked with a worried look in his eye the moment she exited the bathroom.“Not really, but I will be.” Aria smiled, taking Deagan’s outstretched hand.“Just mingle a little, then we’ll run away.” Aycin winked and Aria grinned.Together they made their way back to the table where Alaster’s parents w
Aria blew out a heavy breath as she stepped off the podium, the bright stage lights made sweat bead along her hairline, but despite the discomfort, she was elated at the response she received. The crowd was alight with cheers after she told her story and made the opening pledge towards the charity of her choice.Taking a deep calming breath, she placed her hand in Alaster’s and smiled at the photographer as he escorted her down the stairs.“You were amazing, Aria.” Alaster complimented seriously, making her smile.“Thank you, Alaster, thank you for giving me the honour of doing this.” He nodded at her, smiling tenderly. She was an inspiration that he was proud to call his friend.
“What the hell?” Aycin commented, seeing Andrew seated on Maddie’s bed, feeding her a cup of yoghurt.Maddie looked at Andrew in panic, she knew they would put two and two together when they saw them, but she wasn’t ready for the outburst, especially knowing about Andrew and Amaya’s recent past.“It’s okay, I’ve got this. Did you have enough?” Drew asked, putting the empty cup and spoon down on the table. Maddie nodded and glanced over her shoulder at her family who watched the exchange with confusion and suspicion.“Does someone want to explain what’s going on here?” Uncle William asked sternly when Drew turned around.&