“What did Jason mean?”

Harry looked down at Elena as they slowly made their way to his parent’s house, their pace on the driveway indicating their hesitation to enter the building. His fingers entwined with hers, he couldn’t help but tighten his hold. The tension that had been gripping him since the start of the evening was slowly ebbing away, the resultant headache receding, and he knew it had something to do with her presence.For some reason, despite their constant arguments, he found comfort being with her. With the clear sky above them, he wanted to continue walking, enjoying this rare moment of peace between them.

However, he knew they had to go in. Apart from the fact that the security at the gate would have informed the house of their presence, he needed to keep an eye on Xavier. The few guests inside, friends of the family and a few others, were acting like it was a done deal, that with his return, Xavier would take up the helm of the company. If Harry didn’t nip this in the bud, he knew this would spell his doom.

Even so, they didn’t have to go in right away.

“Let’s go to the garden,”he suggested when they were almost to the porch. Elena looked quizzically up at him, her eyes probing for answers, but nodded nonetheless. Their feet crunching the gravel beneath, they traversed the cultivated paths that lined the garden. Silence reigned between them.

“You’re lucky I won the fight tonight and wore flats,”she said wryly when she almost slipped on a particularly slippery section. He managed to flash her a smile, moving his hold from her hand to the crook of his arm. Leading the way, he knew there was a part of the garden that couldn’t be seen from the house.

The trees lining the path, thankfully, hid their progress as well as the many statues and hedges. He wanted to enjoy this peace as much as possible and he had a feeling that Elena felt the same way. From his peripheral, he saw her taking in their surrounding with wide-eyed interest. He was glad that she had dropped the question but knew he had to warn her. But how?

As his mind ruminated over this, his leg grew a mind of his own and he was eating up the distance in an instance.  Peace gone, his mind raced. How did he find a solution to this new issue? He didn’t know Elena well enough to predict her reaction. Apart from her tears and rage, she was still a mystery to him. And this was an entirely new situation. His breath coming in short intervals, he saw more unknowns with too many ways this could go down-

Slowing down when he felt persistent tuggings on his arm, he looked back and was shocked to see Elena panting behind him, her free hand resting on top of her stomach. He realised that he had forgotten about her and had practically dragged her to the destination he had in mind.

“Your legs are too long,”she complained once she had caught her breath. Remorse filling him, he, nonetheless, found it amusing, his lips lifting slightly at the edges. Moving closer to her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, hoping that would rein him in. Setting off at a slower speed, this time, he found that he could breathe again. “This evening isn’t going as I expected. At this point of night, I thought I would have, at least, crossed the front door.”

“It’s not sunshine and roses at the other side. Trust me. I was there,”he retorted, his lips twisting bitterly at the reminder. He was surprised when she let out a soft laugh.

“Something to look forward to. I didn’t wrack my brain on how to put on makeup decently for nothing. Someone is going to see my hard work, damn it,”she mock-cursed with a roll of her eyes, her hand pointing to her face. His lips lifted up in a smile. He’d forgotten how self-deprecating she could be. It was a trait that had intrigued him from the moment they had met. And something that he had, surprisingly, missed.

“Well, as someone who has seen it, I can say that it is very beautiful.”

“You kind of have to say that. If you don’t, I would go all hormonal on you.” She sent him a narrow-eyed glare but he could see the laughter within. A chuckle bubbled at his lips. The air between them felt different tonight. Despite the underlying tension, the animosity and anger was gone. Well, not completely gone but had lessened considerably. And the Elena he had gotten to know after the auction was emerging. The witty, humorous woman who didn’t take herself too seriously. A refreshing blow of fresh air when he had been slowly drowning under the pressure of running the company and the demands of his parents. Slowly changing, transforming into the very people he hated.

Pulling her to a stop just short of the clearing, he allowed himself to study her, his eyes slowly caressing every feature. Her big, green eyes that hid so much pain and worry. Pain and worry that she had slowly allowed him to see even while they had been fighting. Revealing another side of her that further complemented his vision of her. Her luscious lips that were an enticing shade of pink, calling to him. Reminding him that he still burned for her. Heat and tension began thrumming within, a different type of tension. He hadn’t realised that he had been lowering his head, hoping for something right in his world, hoping for her sweetness, her softness. Not until Elena rose the last few inches and connected her lips to his.

The taste of her entering his mouth, he couldn’t help but pull her closer, his hand curving over her abdomen. They were doing nothing more than a soft meeting of lips, re-exploring the person that they knew now. He hadn’t realised how he had been craving this, craving her touch and closeness. She had been the only woman, apart from his cousins’ partners, who had seen him as a person, as a man, instead of him, the CEO, the millionaire. But since they had been reunited, it had been a constant tug-of-war between them, especially when she found out who he was.

But tonight, he felt like she was the woman he had met that night. And all the feelings he had barricaded within was fighting against his restraints. Pushing against the walls he had erected around his heart. Something was still stopping him, though. As involved in the kiss as he was, he managed to delve deeper into his psyche. He was surprised to find out that it was fear. Fear of being hurt. A fear that he had carried around with him since he had first been rejected by his parents and brother.

Startled, he withdrew, letting her go. This was more than he expected from a simple kiss. He could see Elena blinking her eyes open, dazed and mellow. Her lipstick was gone but her lips were wet and calling for him. This time he was more aware of his body and had to physically keep himself away. Trying to order his thoughts, he almost jumped out of his skin when someone spoke.

“So this is what a whore my granddaughter has become. A shame.”

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

In a blink of an eye, Elena found herself sequestered on a loveseat, a glass of apple juice in her hands and her grandmother on the other side of the room with Xavier, some men and a middle-aged couple between them. She didn’t know how she had gotten there but missed the expansiveness and fresh air of the garden. She missed Harry, too, but he had disappeared within the time they had moved from the garden to the brightly-decorated living room.

Brows furrowing, she returned her attention to her grandmother, who was as regal as she last remembered. Her clothes reflected her age but they were of good quality and looked great on her, showing off her trim figure. The only changes were her hair, becoming a duller gray and cut in a bod style, and her eyes, which were still a sharp blue but not as bright as before. Her face was also more heavily lined with wrinkles but, with the help of expensive plastic surgeons and an active lifestyle, she looked like a woman in the fifties instead of her age which bordered on the eighties.

She had been surprised to see her in LA, especially since she had professed such a burning hatred for the place. Citing the liberals and the loose morals of the city, young Elena had listened with wide eyes and intrigue sparking in her adolescent mind. The city had sounded very different from the world she had been growing up in. She hadn’t realised it then but she had been dissatisfied with her life and the trajectory it was heading then. At the back of her head, she had been planning her escape. Stephan had given her an excuse and, knowing the sentiments of the matriarch of the family, LA had been the perfect choice. Her grandmother had ruled the family with an iron fist; her grandfather steering the business arm while her grandmother took care of their social standing.

For some reason, she appeared smaller than the giant in her head. Elena knew her advanced age had something to do with the change in perspective but she was still not one to be overlooked The couple, obviously Harry’s parents, were deferential to her, sitting closely with her, listening when she spoke, while watching everyone mingling. It was clear that they felt her grandmother was higher than them in the social ladder and by positioning themselves so, they were showing that they had her approval. Otherwise, knowing how this type of people were, Elena knew they would have ignored her. And, possibly, made snide remarks when she was near.

Her lips curling in disgust, she renewed her search for Harry. About to escape from the seat, she was dismayed when Xavier turned his attention on her. From the way his lips were lifting and the malice in his eyes, she knew he had something up his sleeves. Something more than the unexpected presence of her grandmother. She had been fortunate earlier; she was able to brush off her being there, her grandmother’s hold having worn off over the years. But she had to admit to being thrown off the first few moments.

If this was what she had to look forward to at the start of the evening, she was apprehensive for the rest.

What else did he have planned? And where was Harry when she needed him?

AN: Hey guys. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I don't know what role her grandmother plays right now but I plan for her to be somewhat important. Hopefully it pans out.

I'd like your feedback on the chapter titles. This is something I've done for this book so I'd like to know whether you like it. Or is it misleading? Too misleading? Let me know, yeah.

Anyways, please VOTE and COMMENT if you liked this chapter. Follow me on Wattpad and Twitter, sai_rahman2017, for other updates.

THANKS

P. S. I'd like to do something new at the end of some chapters. Hard as it may seem, I do have difficulty writing out reactions for different ppl as I can only draw upon the experience of myself. Like how I react when angry or sad or embarrassed. But my characters are all different people.

So I would really appreciate it if you guys can let me know how you'd react upon a certain scenario or feeling. If you're willing, do participate. And for this chapter, lets start easy with a feeling:

Embarrassed
*what is your physical reaction and what would you do?
For me, I'd feel my skin just become hotter while trying to keep a poker face and failing miserably

Looking forward to your response :)