𝓐𝓹𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓴𝓲𝓼𝓼; 𝓘𝓽 𝓶𝓪𝔂 𝓫𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽.

As quickly as I can I stuff the blue material of a dress into my bag, along with a few books that I don't pay much attention to. Gathering my waist-long hair into a messy bun at the top of my head, I look at my reflection in the mirror.

Not too extra, good!

Putting on my trustworthy sneakers I walk out of my room, into the living area where I see Riona sitting on the couch, scrolling meaninglessly through her phone. I stand in front of her as she looks up to assess my outfit. Her eyes narrow at my bag and my shoes.

"Well?" I ask her, my eyebrows raised and my hands on my waist.

"Okay, for a group study session," she mutters, shrugging a little.

"Thank you," I say, walking over to grab my coat. Sliding the soft material on I unlock the door, the clicking sound resonating through the silent house as I step outside.

"Ba safe," she shouts as I close the door.

"Got it," I shout back.

Exiting the elevator, I walk straight into the cold weather of Manhattan. Wrapping the coat tighter around myself I travel down the footpath, humming a soft tune as the sound of my walking mixes in with the regular bustle of the city.

I finally reach the discussed spot and my eyes zero in on the overgrown man, standing handsomely beside his lavish car. Half of his face is covered with a black mask, probably to save himself from being recognized in the crowd. Without me realizing, a smile takes over my lips as his eyes land on me. I wait for the lights to turn red and cross the road with the people standing around me.

"Ready?" he asks, raising his eyebrows when I reach him.

Upon further discussion yesterday we decided, well, more like I ordered, that I don't want Riona to know. So, we said I would exit the house and explain I was going to a group study in the library with some friends, when in reality, I'll be going with Albert to some place. I would get ready there, he said, because there was a place for me to change.

"Ready," I confirm, sliding into the passenger seat. I pull the belt and shove it into the slot, as does Albert.

"Wow, you're driving? That's a new one. Are you sure you'll get us there unscathed?" I tease him as he turns on the car. The soft purr of the engine surrounds us as warm air comes out through the provided slots.

"Oh, I don't know," he says, playing along, "It's been years since I've been behind the wheel."

"I'm scared for my life," I mutter, making us both chuckle.

"Okay, so I'm warning you, the place is kinda out of the city so it will take a while to get there," he says, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Somewhere," he mutters.

"It's out of the city?"

"Very."

"Are you taking me there to murder me quietly?"

"Of course not," he laughs, an incredulous look taking over his features.

"Is the place near a water body?" I ask again, one of my eyebrows raised.

"Yes..."

"Does it have a lot of trees?"

"Yep."

"Is it isolated?"

"Yes?"

"Will it be cold there?"

"Yes-"

"Do I look good?"

"Yes." He glances at me, a wide smile on his face.

"Do you know how to drive?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Ye- no." He stops himself from saying yes again, "Why do you think I'm going to kill you?"

"I don't know, it was just a thought," I mumble under my breath. He shakes his head softly, and taking my bag from my hand he throws it behind him in the backseat.

"Well, take some rest, you look like you need it," he says, eyeing my dark circles and pale skin before turning back to look at the road.

"Gee, thanks," I mutter, "Way to boost a girl's confidence."

"I didn't mean it like that. I-"

"I know you didn't, I'm just pulling your leg," I chuckle, and he looks at me through the corner of his eyes, his lips twitching a little.

***

"Ari, wake up, we're here." I feel someone nudge me, but I keep my eyes closed. Not paying it any mind, I turn my face away from the source of the disturbance. Whoever or whatever it was, doesn't take the hint and keeps on nudging me. Huffing silently, I crack one of my eyes open and a certain male comes into my view.

"What?" I ask, my voice croaky.

"We're here. The cabin you see there, you can go change your clothes and get ready. I'll send a friend of mine to help you get ready," Albert explains. I nod and sit up groggily.

Jumping out of the car, he speed walks over to my side and opens the door. I undo my seat belt and hop out, thanking him. A tall man comes into my view with my pink bag in his hand but because of my drowsy state, I pay little attention to him, following Albert into the cabin.

Through my half-closed eyes, I look at Albert as he gestures in front of him. I raise my eyes a little to look at the girl standing there. Her blonde hair flows flawlessly over her shoulders and her grey eyes shine with excitement. An ear-splitting grin takes over her face as soon as eyes hone in on me.

"Hey, I'm Stacy," the girl exclaims, extending her hand forward, "It's nice to meet you."

"Ari," I reply, taking her hand, "Nice to meet you too."

Instead of letting my hand go, she pulls me forward and further into the well-furnished cabin. Taking notice of it now, I realize it perfectly suits Albert, with a posh setting and fancy decor to match. I glance behind me at Albert, who gives a curt nod as I follow Stacy inside.

After a couple minutes of our shoes hitting the wooden floor we stop in front of a door. She pushes it open slightly to reveal a room, a guest bedroom by the looks of it.

"You can go in there to get changed, I'll help with your hair and all those shenanigans," she says, smiling and pointing to a door similar to the last one.

I step inside the bathroom and my attention is instantly drawn to the mirror. A fully rested but shabby version of myself looks back at me. Releasing a sharp puff of air through my mouth I pull out my bun and remove all the tangles from my hair, flattening it down. I quickly wash my face and put on the blue full sleeved dress I packed earlier. The soft velvet material brushes against my hand as I raise it to open the door.

Walking out of the bathroom I look at Stacy who is sitting in front of the mirror, taking out makeup stuff from her bag.

"Come on." She stands and motions for me to sit down, "Sit, I'll work my magic on you." A smile takes over my face as I look at her.

"You look beautiful," she mutters, and after some time working on my hair and face she speaks again, "I'm sure Albert will be blown away." I smile at my reflection. She tied up my hair into a fancy knot thing, leaving a few strands of hair framing my face. My face has a light layer of makeup now, giving me a really glowing look. A pair of long blue gem earrings dangle from my ears, tying everything together.

"Oh, I'm sure he will be," I say, "I mean, who wouldn't be if they saw this?" I ask, pointing at myself. My lips turn up into a smirk as I give her a little twirl.

"I love you already," she laughs as I put my black platform block heels on, "now, let's go before Alph- Albert has my head for keeping him waiting."

I smile and take the deep blue clutch from my bag, putting all of my necessities into it. "I'm sure he won't," I say, walking ahead and out of the room and the cabin.

"Albert," I call, "I'm ready," I say, the smile still on my face as his eyes scan me. The smile dims a little as he stops and looks at me without saying anything. "Here, excuse me," I exclaim, snapping my fingers, "Hello? I said I'm ready. Let's go."

"Oh yeah, I just- you look beautiful," he whispers, his eyebrows raised and a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Thank you." I beam, and I can feel my cheeks heating up. My heart rate quickens enough for me to feel my heart thumping wildly against my ribcage, and the butterflies in my stomach go wild. I finally let myself look at him, to really observe him. He's still in the same suit he came to pick me up in but he restyled his hair. It looks more organized, rather than the messy style he usually goes for.

He takes my hand in his and walks me towards the treeline. Walking through it, silence envelopes us, the crunching of fallen leaves the only sound that can be heard. As we cross the tree line, a beautiful gazebo-like structure made at the centre of a clearwater lake comes into view. Fireflies dance around, and lit tea candles float on the surface of the water.

My hand slips from Albert's as I take a couple steps forward. Fairy lights hang around the gazebo, and a path lit with candles leads up to it. The whole place looks... out of this world, somewhere where majestic and beautiful creatures would reside without the disturbance of people.

The glow of the fireflies and candles reflect off Albert's face as he stands at the edge of the lake, giving him a glorious aura. A smile takes over my face as I stare at him.

"Did you do all this?" I ask, my eyes wide, still trying to take in the beauty. He takes my hands and we walk along the path to the structure. As soon as we reach it, my eyes travel to the plates and silverware lying there and waiting to be used. Candles line the circumference of the gazebo and fairy lights hang from the roof.

"The gazebo has been here, but yes everything inside," he says, "I know, it's not the best setting you can find compared to those lavish hotels but-"

"This is amazing," I breathe, observing the beautiful structure and how it's lit up.

"Let's sit then," he says, pulling out a chair for me to sit in.

My heels tap against the wooden floor as I walk over to the plush, comfortable-looking armchair. I lower myself down onto the soft cushion, and the sound of our chairs scraping against the floor fills the air as Albert settles himself in front of me. He picks up the cover of the enormous plate in the centre of the table, and the delicious smell of baked potatoes and cooked rack of lamb enters my nose. I take a deep breath, absorbing the mouth watering scent.

"This looks, no, smells delicious," I chuckle as Albert serves me.

"What are you waiting for?" he asks, a smirk on his face, "Dig in."

The two of us eat together in a content silence, enjoying the tasty food in each other's presence. I pop what's left of the baked potato on my plate into my mouth, finishing up my juice as Albert sips what's remaining of his wine.

"Did you enjoy it?" he asks softly.

"Yes, I did," I say, "The food especially, it was amazing."

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." He gives me his lopsided half-grin. "Now, do you feel like a walk?"

"I won't decline."

"Oh, that's great then, 'cause you wouldn't want to miss it," he says with a grin.

"I'm excited to see what you have planned next."

Heyy everyone! I know it's been long but I was having my exams this week and could find little to no time to write but I still got their date in! Yayyy! I love, love this chapter and the next one which will be part two! I'll upload it today itself so you won't have to wait for too long!

Also, if you didn't know, I have started a book club of my own! I would love if any of you would want to join! It's called Avar and it's up on my profile now!

So if you liked this chapter and are excited for the next one, please do vote and comment! I would love to hear your guys' thoughts. Also, if you feel like it please do give me a follow!!

Stay safe and see you with the next part!

Edited by Sarah Baker!