Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

Elena's heart was beating so hard that was the only thing she could hear. They had just gotten past the gates and she had a feeling that the driveway was going to be long and ostentatious. Her eyes fixed on the world outside, she briefly enjoyed the beautiful scenery out the window before she was reminded of the purpose and her heart began beating much faster than before.

Her fingers holding tightly to her clutch, she couldn't believe the nerves that was gripping her. She didn't know whether it was the thought of meeting Harry's family or stepping back into the world of the rich and famous. Having been out of this world for close to a decade, she didn't know whether she could remember all the rules that dictated this world. Many, many, ridiculous rules. Rules that she wished she'd taken seriously all those years ago.

Grimacing at her lack of foresight, she glanced towards April and was surprised to see her as nervous as she was. Even more so; she was so pale. Situated at the other end of the car, her teeth could be seen chewing her lips, her brows furrowed. Worried about her, Elena slid towards her. Luckily, her dress was slippery and slightly resistant to wrinkles.

“April, are you alright?”she asked, taking a hold of her hand. She was astonished at how cold it was. Glacia was a better word. Her worry increasing, she began rubbing her hand in hopes of getting rid of the coldness. April still didn't respond, her hand limp between Elena's hands. Deciding to let her get through what was worrying her, she couldn’t help but smile. Unfortunately, it was at that exact moment that April turned to look at her. She was not amused, to say the least.

Snatching her hand away from Elena’s grasp, she demanded to know what was so funny. A laugh escaped Elena, eliciting more anger. This 180 change in her demeanour was getting funnier by the moment. She could see that April was confused and annoyed, making her smile widen. Taking a swipe at her, April tried looking as miserable as ever. “Can’t you see I’m breaking down from nerves? Why are you laughing at my misery?”

“It’s just that you were so excited to go earlier,”Elena said, unable to let go of the drastic transformation of an hour ago and now. She had practically been bouncing on the spot, shouting for Elena to get ready and that they needed to leave. She had been such a pain that Elena had deliberately taken her time with the finishing touches of her makeup until she had been at her door, ready to drag her down, ready or not. But, now, her energy was gone and, as much as it amused her, she was becoming even more worried as well. “Tell me what’s wrong. Is it because Jason is not here?”

“That’s part of it. It’s also because I don’t really like this aunt. She is so stuck up and snobbish. The one time we met, she looked down at me so much that I could practically see her nostrils. And she’s almost a foot shorter than me,”she ended with a wail, her distressed eyes meeting Elena’s. Elena would like to say that was ridiculous but she had the unfortunate luck of meeting such people before and and experienced the fear they engendered. From April's description, she felt her own apprehension growing. But she didn't have the luxury to succumb to her own panic. April was the priority at the moment.

“Well, you won’t be meeting her alone. Jason will be there. And Harry. And I’ll be there too,”Elena offered, rubbing April's lower back. She hoped that it'd help calm her down- it worked for her- but from the looks of it, it wasn't working. April looked close to crying.

This was the worse for a breakdown. They were almost to the end of the driveway and there was not enough time to freshen up. “Look, we can see the house now. Let’s check our makeup. We don’t want to give her a reason to pick on us, right?”

“A reason? You’re saying there’s a reason? Why?” Elena cursed her choice of words as she tried to stem this new whirlwind of worries.

“There's no reason at all-” Her voice was drowned out by a clamor of panic and anxiety.

“Is there something wrong with my eyeliner? I knew it isn’t the same but it’s not that obvious right? Or is it my cheeks? Highlighter? Contour? I don’t have much practice with makeup and-”

“Where is Jason when I need him?”Elena muttered to herself before she again attempted to calm her down. He was the only one who could bring her down from her emotions. It was clearly the hormones taking over, over-exaggerating every emotions and reactions.

Elena couldn’t help but ask herself whether this was how unreasonable she was when she became emotional and hormonal. Had it always been over something this trivial? She hoped not but, as she had come to a realisation earlier this evening, had a feeling that it was. Seeing the door in sight, she tried to distract her this time. “Look, the door is right there. We’re going to stop soon. So if you can stop crying, we can fix your makeup-”

“I’m going to be sick.”

“Stop!!!”

-----@@@@-----

Elena couldn’t believe that this was the first impression she was giving. Standing over her friend as she kneeled on the ground and puked into the bushes that lined the driveway. It was so dark that she couldn’t even see what flowers they were-  the light from the doorway not reaching where they had stopped- but she knew that their host would not be impressed. Even if they had a reason. Like being pregnant. Sighing, she patted April's back gently, kneeling on the dirt to check on her.

When she heard April dry heaving and sounds of her sobs, she knew she was not in any shape to meet anyone. Much less the ogre in her mind. Deciding that Jason needed to be informed about this, she rose to her feet, searching for an attendant. She wasn’t surprised to find the butler looking disapprovingly at them from the porch. Suppressing the urge to be apologetic, she put on her snobbiest look and imperiously signalled him over. She knew he wouldn’t respond to someone he thought lower than him. And she thought she did a fair impression of her mother at her most impossible.

When he wouldn’t move, acting as if he couldn’t see her, she tried to amp the snobbishness with a glare at him when the door behind him opened. Since he was leaning against the door, she was gratified when he almost fell through. Her satisfaction was replaced with relief when Jason came bursting out with Harry strolling after. She'd forgotten that the driver had mentioned informing the men of their unfortunate situation. There was a such a frantic air around him that she was sure he was there for April. Glad to have reprieve near, she waited for him to head for them, whispering to April that Jason was coming. She was increasingly glad when April stopped heaving, ignoring her plaintive mewl for Jason.

Wondering where the men were when they were taking longer than usual to reach them, she saw that they had a hard time finding them. The light on the porch was blinding them as the surrounding area wasn't as brightly lit. Calling out their names while waving her hand up, she hoped they would come soon. April's weight was growing heavier on her and Elena wasn't sure she could support her.

“What happened?”Jason demanded when he reached them. Elena tried to explain but he immediately lifted April into his arms and carried her to the car. The driver had returned, reaching soon after them, and courteously held the car door open while Jason gently laid her on the seat.

Pleased to have the weight off her, Elena began the laborious task of getting to her feet when arms suddenly appeared around her. A squeal escaped her until she hit the hard chest that was Harry's. Blinking rapidly, she realised that Harry had gathered her in his arms and was looking down at her, concern in his eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Still recovering from the suddenness of his appearance, she was unprepared when he got to his feet with her in his arms. Eyes widening, she threw her arms around his neck and hope he wouldn't drop her, her heart in her throat.

“Put me down,”she demanded, flustered when he didn't let her go once he was firm on his feet. He didn't even look strained, she observed sourly, while she always felt like an overturned turtle trying to get back on her feet everytime she got up. Her irritation grew when it seemed like he wasn't going to let go soon. She was unsettled when he just tightened his arms around her. “Harry, is everything alright?”

“Yeah. I was just worried when you didn't arrive on time,”he responded softly, his eyes not meeting hers. Her irritation replacing with concern, she was about to probe further when Jason appeared beside them.

“I'm sorry but I'm bringing April back. She's not in any shape to socialise tonight,”he said, slapping Harry's back softly. Then he turned his attention to her. “Thanks for taking care of her. I'm glad she wasn't alone.” With a final pat on her arm, he began to leave. Before he entered the car, though, he turned back for some mystifying final words.

“Be careful in there. Don't fall for his mind games.”

AN: Hey guys. Hope you're well. How are your preparations for the holidays? Going well I hope.

So what do you think about this chapter? A bit of drama and just the two of them together until family time.

Also what do you think will happen next? Hmm... Hehehe (for those who've read, no spoilers please)

Anyways, please VOTE and COMMENT if you liked it. Also follow me on Wattpad and Twitter, sai_rahman2017, for other, even more sporadic updates.

THANKS