Beauties and their Besharams

9. The one with Noah's spell

After the lovely coffee break, I separated from Noah to not arose misgiving thoughts among the other fellow students. It wasn't decided yet, but there was still a chance, I might join the school again.

I collected my luggage from the locker room and waited in the parking lot for Noah to show up along with Liam and Riri. I was reluctant to show up at his place with all my stuff all of a sudden but I had no choice. I wanted to avoid this family lunch but there was no escape this time. Had I had not informed my mother, I would have skipped this but who knew, my mother was not on my side this time. I wished to have Mimin by my side while facing this situation because she was the only one who could handle my nervousness and the torture I was going to go through.

I had luggage in one hand, phone in the other and a pair of sneakers were making me get weird solutions in mind. My eyes flipped to either side of the parking lot. A lot of students were glaring at me, some giggling among themselves, some pointing out fingers at me and smiling and blushing. I was used to this treatment, after all, I was a well known Cinematographer now, but even then, my mind had been warning me. What if they were not really being cool about my return, rather were making fun of me?

I was getting cold feet and the thought of escaping again had begun to climb up my brownish curls.

"Planning to run away again?" Jade taunted tapping on my right shoulder. I turned to look at him but he wasn't there. I turned towards the left side and there he was gazing at my wedding ring. Thank God, I hadn't made a choice otherwise yet.

"You're obsessed with it, aren't you?" I asked waving my hand in front of his face. He jolted his head up smirking devilishly.

"I guess I'm. It reminds of the struggle my parents went through because of you." He sighed controlling his anger. "It reminds me of your stupid sister and her betrayal."

My eyes felt weak and my ears were already red. I was scared of the situation I was going to face let alone I was shivering already because of Jade's words and that is when finally, I saw him.

"Noah!" Jade called out throwing the car keys towards him. Liam and Riri followed him trying to match up with his pace. He had a habit of walking faster. As he caught the keys with one hand, he bent a little closer to my body and picked up my bags from the other hand. If he hadn't shown up then, I might have had just kicked Jade in his balls and ran away without saying a word, again.

Noah placed my bags in the car-storage and opened the passenger door for me to get in. Liam and Riri were already sitting at the back. I looked around to find Jade already riding his motorbike.

"Gosh, shift a little. Where did you gain all this weight from?" Liam teased Riri pushing her aside, distracting me.

Anyone would get the wrong idea if they behaved this way.

"I know right. But I guess, you couldn't afford to gain any over your muscles. I heard you had been hitting the gym really hard, but I'm sorry to say, you've been wasting all your wealth." Riri replied pushing him back, pinpointing her finger at his forearms.

"Even your hair has begun to turn dusky. Have you been living in some hidden tunnel or what?" Liam cross argued annoyingly touching Riri's hair.

She looked at him with a pure disgusted face and snapped at his hand, "keep your hands off me, you're spoiling my aura."

"Why?" Noah asked all of a sudden.

"Uh-what?" She stammered asking back. Not everyone had the bravery to take in Noah's words. He was so cold to the world, even sitting beside him made people shiver. It sure had an impact over me, I was often iced up too.

Noah looked in the rearview mirror and matched her eyes, "I heard a few people talk, I've got ears too, you see."

I controlled my laugh the hardest I could before Liam and Riri sneered at each other crying pathetically.

"Yuck! Why would you remind us of something so awful?" Liam questioned faking a shiver. He looked at Riri carefully, as if commanding her to side with him and so she did,

"Exactly, Mieal! Tell him to control his words, he can't just go on spreading more rumors." Riri added fuel to Liam's statement.

"You know, it is no longer a rumor if it's coming from Noah Martin's lips," I mumbled holding Noah's side.

"Sister-in-law, kindly behave your post while defending us. Stop helping him already." Liam teased sealing my lips once and for all. He sure knew how to beat me these days.

Noah turned to look back at him removing his eyes from the busy road, "she is behaving her post by taking my side."

See, I told you. I was more often iced up than anyone else. He turned his attention back to the road while Liam and Riri controlled their laugh behind their horrified faces, I, on the other hand, was again shocked.

After that, the whole ride, Liam and Riri kept fighting, sometimes hitting each other literally while sometimes teasing us for no reason. Noah had crazy self-control, thankfully. They were like the two parrots who just wouldn't stop chirping no matter what. The wheels of our car rolled to our destination and my nervousness level maxed out. We were finally at the great Martin's mansion and my feet were being rebellious again. What if I got down and ran away without considering the next scene?

All through the ride, Noah said nothing to those two or me after that threat, but as soon as he parked the car, he leaned closer to my ears and whispered, "Welcome home."

The chills from his words were so real even the blood in my veins started to freeze. So, this was it. Time to judge the reality already.

"Welcome home, sister-in-law," Jade heckled opening the door for me.

He never left a single chance of being an asshole or targeting me, as if he was getting paid to do so. Nobody in this world could handle him except for Mimi.

"Jade, my door too," Riri ordered showing him the knob.

"Don't you have hands?" Liam asked jumping out of the car through the overhead opening of Noah's Lexus. These boys reached, super-rich.

"I'm not a joker like you, besides, this is my first time coming to this house in years." Riri pouted folding her hands, "I deserve special treatment too."

"Welcome home, little sister-in-law," Noah said opening the door for her. Liam ridiculed a little before giving up fighting anymore. Noah clearly was on his in-law's side today. But, was this really a good thing?

Riri cupped her face in excitement on seeing Noah being so polite to her. He sure had a charm, even the one who had literally no interest in rich boys was drooling all over him.

"This is going to be fun!" Jade taunted staring at the door where our mothers were already waiting for us, folding their hands against their chests. There was no chance I was going inside the house alive. The look on my mother's face was a crimson-ish dark haunting and alarming shade. Beside her stood Aunt Felicia, Noah's mother who had blank expressions just like the pages of my future after today.

"Nervous?" Riri asked whispering in my ears, as she held my arm clinging over it. She could see the grey clouds hovering over my head clearly. 

Noah was helping Liam with my bags while Jade was being what he was best at, a total jerk.

"No, I feel like I'm about to fly to heaven." I joked faintly trying to calm myself down.

"Oh, don't worry sister-in-law, I have made all the arrangements for you to have a one-way flight to heaven anyway," Jade peered smiling hysterically.

Finally using my trump card, I warned him, "If you don't stop now, you'll be dealing with Mimi next."

"As if I'm scared of her." He rolled his eyes. No, he wasn't scared of her but the world knew, once Mimi pulled his ears, he would be occupied in torturing her and she will be occupied in doing the same. I'll have plenty of time to be free.

"Let's go," Noah said holding my hand and dragging me inside after him. To him, everything was so simple. His actions were rebellious but they couldn't justify my wrongdoing anyway.

God, this is the last time, I promise, save me! Please! 

"Greetings, mother, Aunt Esme." The Golden Boys said in chores. They were so well mannered in front of the families as if ditching them or misbehaving with them was going to cause them to lose their share in their father's will.

"Aunt Felicia!" Riri exclaimed jumping as she fell in her arms. 

"Look at you all grown up." Noah's mother, oops, sorry, my mother-in-law replied to her.

I was still hiding behind Noah, his back was so masculine my eyes were finally having their feast at the wrong time. Suddenly my lovely moment with his back was destroyed when he pulled me in front to face the devil's mother - my mom and angle's niece, his mom.

"Hey," I uttered slowly waiving my right hand because left one was still in Noah's hold.

"Miael, is this how you greet your mother?" Aunt Felicia asked the question I was expecting from my mother. What was this new story going on now?

"Esme, I'm so sorry on behalf of my daughter-in-law. Please don't mind her, she is not aware of our customs yet." She added apologizing to my mother.

"Aunt Felicia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Please don't apologize like that." I mumbled tucking my hair behind my ears in guilt. This was the first time when Noah's eyes fell on me since we came home.

"She is not your aunt anymore. And she is apologizing because you're our responsibility, not Aunt Esme's anymore. Jade, help Riri settle. Let's talk inside?" Noah asked trying to handle the situation. He was right, I was not at his place anymore, I was at mine.

"Sure, you must be tired from all the traveling." Mom said caressing my face. What again?

It felt as if the heavens just went too free on me and gave me some kind of elixir. Her touch reenergized my broken hopes. I held her hand and kissed it softly as a teardrop ran down my cheek.

"Miael..." Aunt Felicia sighed hugging me.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I really am selfish and stupid." I said hugging her back. Mother joined us too. It was an emotional moment and it was so intense I could feel the shattered pieces of my heart reuniting. How crazily I had missed the warmth of their arms! How crazily I had wanted to hold them and finally after 2 years I had all that I wanted. It was another guilt that I had. I disappointed these ladies who were like angels to me. I still remember how excited they were for the wedding even in that remorse condition.

"You girls are ruining your mascara. C'mon sissy! I'm hungry!" Riri complained, trying to lighten up the mood. We all parted and I wiped away my tears. We were all smiling again except for someone who was still sobbing.

"Why are you crying now?" Riri asked Liam who was still struggling to control his tears. He was more of a drama queen than any of us.

"I don't remember the last time my mother hugged me that way," Liam complained wiping his face with Riri's scarf.

"Aee! Aee! Aee! Getaway!" Riri yelled pushing him away as she ran inside the house. So, it turned out it was another trick of his to irritate her like always.

"These two!" Jade rolled his eyes before heading inside the house too. Our mothers followed them but Noah held me back.

"What?" I asked pulling back my hand. It was a little weird for him to keep holding me every now and then.

"Customs." He said picking me up in his arms.

"What the...? Put me down!" I gasped looking around uncomfortably.

"No, I'm good." He replied walking inside the door.

Liam and Riri rushed towards us while Jade slapped his forehead on seeing the scene. Our mothers seemed unbothered which was actually quite shocking. They were usually the kind of ladies who would leave no chance to tease us. Even in the situation we got married in, they enjoyed every single moment and carried out every foolish ritual.

"Go freshen up first, we're setting the table." Aunt Felicia said fixing up some plates on the dining table, completely ignoring the crazy scene going on in her house.

"Put me down," I muttered under my breath but the great Noah Martin had other plans.

Jade jumped down a few stairs and yelled out of frustration, "Stop fooling around and finish that stupid ritual faster, I'm getting stomach cramps now."

"There's more?" Riri asked.

"You don't have to know that," Liam replied covering her eyes with his palm walking her out of our site as well.

With Liam's reaction, I was certain the ritual was going to be the end of my life and in severe cases, our boundaries. Noah bounced me up and began to walk again. He reached the stairs and climbed carefully, tap, tup, tap, tup.

I gulped down the tension and the severe thoughts of uneasiness arousing in my mind but it was too soon to do that. He unlocked his room, got us inside and locked it again.

"Now, can you put me down?" I murmured closing my eyes.

I heard him chuckle a little as he slid me on to his bed. I ogled at him as climbed up as well, his shirt hugging the muscles of his abs that I clearly remember not having any memory of from two years back, his deep eyes fixed at my face. He simply leaned down hovering over me, his fingers creased the hair over my face behind my ears as his lips for the first time ever, I believed, curled up gluing over my face.

His breath felt so cold as it touched my nose, my whole body felt paralyzed. I was being trapped into his charismatic spell and my feet turning cold was a clear sign. He slowly kissed my forehead and brushed my hair with his iced fingers again. How can someone not fall for him, let alone the fact I was already obsessed with his scent.

"Rest can wait." He said, lying beside me.

My cheeks were the darkest color of pink and my eyes were fixed to the ceiling while his gaze was fixed over me all the while. My chest had been thumping so fast, I could hardly breathe.

Why the hell did he do that?

"You're crazy," I mumbled, still frozen in my place.

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