Maisara's pov

Apparently, peace is never an option for me. Not even five minutes pass when my phone starts ringing horrendously loud in the quiet hallway. I jerk up, pulling it out from my pocket with a scowl.

Vicky is calling me. That makes my eyebrows furrow more. Why would she be calling me now?

Felix is shamelessly staring at me as I pick up the call. His eyebrows raise when I look in his direction. "Hel-"

"What the fuck, Maisara?" Her voice is uncharacteristically loud. Dumbfounded, I pull the phone away from my ear and check again to make sure that it's really her and I haven't just picked up a random prank call. The prank caller knowing my name would be another problem.

Fortunately, it's really her. I hold the phone back against my ear. "What happened?"

I probably don't even get to finish the sentence before she replies, her words flying like a series of bullets, "What happened? Are you seriously asking me that? You called me out of nowhere and kept yapping about some dramatic nonsense like 'It's canceled' or something and cut off the call. Now you are asking me 'What happened?'. I need you to answer that question for me."

When she is done, I find myself at a loss for words. This is probably the first time I have heard her talking this much this fast. She sounds highly irritated, if not angry already. And I can obviously understand why. But the question is so sudden that I seriously don't know how to answer that in a simple way. How do I even explain it to her over a call?

Thankfully, she saves me from the trouble. Her annoyed words rush out again. "You know what? Don't say anything. I'm coming to get you. Where are you now?"

My lips curl into a smile at her words. I never really took her to be someone who would have a sudden burst of energy like this. At least I have never seen her like that. Maybe I have hit a nerve and it feels good to know that.

Her last words register in my brain and I look around aimlessly. My eyes catch Felix's again who is observing me like a ghost. I shrug. "Honestly, I don't know."

I hear her letting out an exasperated sigh. Then with a low growl, she says, "You dumbass, share me your goddamn location."

"Fine, but how would that even work in a mansion like this?" I'm genuinely curious about that.

"That....," she pauses dramatically to take a deep breath as if it's physically exhausting her to deal with me right now. That should make me feel dumb. If it was any other person, I would definitely get angry. For some reason, I don't feel it with her. Rather, I feel amused. Her voice floats through the phone with a dramatic drawl. "Oh, God, I'm a tech geek. Remember?"

I do. But just to annoy her more, I act like she has just reminded me that. "Ah, right."

Her hurried voice follows. "Do it now. I'm coming to get you. Bye."

Now that sounds like a threat. She cuts off just as abruptly as she calls. I stare at the blank screen for a few seconds before giving Felix an irritated look. "What?"

The way he just stares at me isn't necessarily irritating me. What actually irritates me is the way it makes me feel. However he doesn't look bothered at all, his steady gaze still cutting through me. "Who was that?" he inquires in a curious tone, gesturing to the phone in my hand.

"A friend," I reply, shoving the device back into my pocket. "The one I was supposed to ask for help."

"The one with whom you came here." It's interesting how easily he connects the dots. I nod. "What was the fuss though?" he sounds curious but I note the subtle alertness. Tearing my gaze away from his unflinching one, I answer, "Old argument."

He shrugs. "Makes sense." Now that is a teasing tone.

Before I get to ask what he means by that, footsteps start echoing in the quiet hallway. It doesn't require someone to be a genius to understand that they are coming towards us.

My body goes rigid with alarm. I sit up straight and hiss at the sudden pain in my injured ankle. The ankle has gone numb by now and I didn't feel anything for not moving it for a long time. Now the pain is ten times worse.

"Careful." Felix extends his hands as if to grab me but then thinks better of it. His tone is also alarmed but it seems more for me than for the increasing footsteps. That doesn't help with my current suspicious mind.

"Who's that?" I ask almost accusingly, trying not to shrink back from him. My mind runs all over the place. I have never doubted him once—well after clearing the misunderstanding—and I honestly don't want to do that now of all times.

"Someone I called to help you since I'm stuck with you here." His vague response doesn't help much, nor does his reaction when he looks over his shoulder expecting someone. The footsteps seem mere feet away from us. I hold my breath cursing myself for straining my ankle now of all times. Seconds later, James turns the corner and stops in front of us.

I have never thought I'd live up to a day when I would feel this much relief just seeing James in front of me. But here we are. I probably make some kind of noise to express that because Felix gives me an odd look before turning to him again.

"Finally. What took you so long?" Felix asks James as James hands him what I'm assuming is an ice bag. James shrugs in response, gesturing to the bag. "Ice."

"Right." Felix nods once, moving towards my ankle with the ice bag in his hand. His eyes slide up to my face to meet my gaze. "I'm gonna press them to your ankle. It may hurt, so brace yourself."

That soothes my curious mind but doesn't really comfort me. Because his tone is too much careful as if he is holding himself back. And I know for a fact that I am the cause of this kind of behavior on his account. I feel James staring at us and can't exactly tell if he senses the odd energy between us.

Coldness hits my injured ankle when he presses the icebag and I let out a hiss. Felix gives me a sympathetic look but doesn't pull away. After a moment, the cold starts feeling oddly comforting against my aching organ. A satisfied sigh escapes my lips as I slump back against the wall. Felix's lips curl upwards. "It feels that good?"

The tone is teasing which would irritate me under any other circumstances for sure, but I find it hard over the comforting numbness on my ankle.

"Never thought I would get to see this face of yours so easily." Such innocent words yet my mind turns them into some sinful meaning. He seems like he is mumbling to himself until I feel his eyes on me. The intensity in his gaze tells me that I'm not overthinking and he has meant the exact same thing I'm thinking. I feel a shiver run down my spine.

The keyword is 'so easily'. That means he has thought about it. Oh God.

I sit straighter, the pleasing sensation still present on my leg but I don't let myself drown in it again. Instead, I shift forward, reaching for the ice bag. "Let me do that."

He shakes his head, bringing his eyes back to the task and shifting to the side, avoiding my hands. "The least I can do for now is this. Providing you some comfort. Making sure you are okay."

The words sound so simple yet so complex at the same time. It's as if he is not only talking about my injured ankle. It's as if he knows everything and is talking about that as well.

I open my mouth but someone else steals my words and makes it theirs. "Maisara!" The shriek of my name is so sudden that it makes me wince. I recognize the voice, however. My eyes slide up to the familiar woman who has just emerged from the turn of the corridor, dressed in a lavender gown, one hand pressed on the stone wall while the other is on her chest, breathing heavily. Her pale eyes glow brightly when they fix on me, her lips form up into a quick grin.

"Vicky." I smile up at her, genuinely impressed by how quickly she has found me. She returns my smile but that wipes out when she takes in my state, slouching down in the corner, disheveled with one leg bent oddly to the side, swollen ankle on the other which she probably can't see since it's currently covered with an ice bag.

"What hap-" Her words cut short as her eyes follow up on Felix, a completely unknown person to her. Her eyes widen as if she has just noticed him and they jump back to meet mine in question. I shrug nonchalantly. "I broke my leg it seems."

Okay, I may have exaggerated a bit just to see her reaction. Felix doesn't bother to correct me either, going back to pressing the ice bag on my ankle silently. Vicky's eyes go wider if that's even possible, she opens her mouth wide too as if to shriek again but at the last moment decides not to do that. Still, her tone is high-pitched when she talks, "How the fuck that happened? And why are you even here then? You need to go see a doctor or-"

"Not really." The gruff voice cuts her off from the opposite side of the hallway and it's only then I realize that James is still there. How I haven't noticed that is both an interesting and terrifying question.

He gazes in our direction briefly. If it is anyone else I can say that he is giving us a hard look. But with James, I can't say anything. His eyes then move back to Vicky.

Now, to my astonishment, the look in his eyes significantly changes. He holds a softer look in them. Exactly like those I read in novels. Whenever I read this description in a novel, I thought it to be ridiculous. I have never seen someone's eyes have a transition like that. I always thought it was more of a facial expression changing than of the expression in eyes changing.

Not a single muscle has moved on James' face. Yet I can tell when he was looking at us he had a borderline annoyed look in them. But just when he turns to face her, his eyes soften.

"She just sprained her ankle." Damn, his tone has changed too. He almost snapped at us but now he is talking to her in a gentler tone. He still holds that characteristically gruff edge. But the shift is clearly noticeable.

Vicky, on the other hand, looks completely baffled, forgotten about me and everything else around her. I'm sure she hasn't even listened to whatever he has said. She has that awed gaze in her eyes that clearly says what she is seeing in him. If this was a cartoon animation, her eyes would definitely have those heart-shaped orbs.

I glance at Felix to check if he's seeing what I'm seeing. He decides to copy me at the same time, angling his head a little to look at me. My heart flatters noticing how much in sync we are. His eyes are twinkling with amusement. I'm pretty sure I have an identical look on my face. My lips slide up into a half smile. My eyes move back to witness the physical representation of love at first sight happening before our eyes.

Now that I'm looking back at him, I see that James kinda has a similar look in his eyes as well, that awed gaze, just like Vicky's. Not as intense as hers but it's there. His face is, otherwise, kept neutral carefully. On the other hand, Vicky looks like she's only moments away from saying, "Kiss me."

She actually says something but it's worse than what I have assumed. "Fuck me," she almost mutters to herself but the quiet hallway intensifies the sound.

I bite my lips trying not to laugh out loud, my eyes sliding back to see James' reaction. He looks taken aback for a moment. The next second, his eyes glint in amusement. "Excuse me?" Though he sounds way too formal when he says that.

And that's when the horror of what she has said hits her. His words pull her out of the daze she was in. Her eyes comically widen. She jumps back clenching her chest as if James has shot her. I don't know how he is keeping such a neutral face over her comical reaction. Felix lets out a snort. I nudge him with my knee of the uninjured leg.

Vicky's eyes snap at us. I wave enthusiastically. And I notice that her face is as red as a tomato. Her eyes light up when they meet mine like she has found a way out of the disaster she has created. I watch her in amusement as she speaks, "Ah, Maisara. Let's go. We need to hurry. The ceremony is about to begin."

I let the grin slip past my lips. She is acting like that slip-up hasn't just happened. Not only that, she is suddenly ignoring the whole existence of James. I can play along with her. "Sure, Vicky. I'm gonna run all the way down there."

Sensing the sarcasm in my words, her eyes drop down to my ankle where Felix thankfully is still pressing the ice bag. "Right, sorry."

In the next second, I find her beside me trying to haul me up by my right arm. I try to help her sliding my uninjured leg beneath me and shifting my balance on it. It requires a good amount of energy and effort to stand back on my legs without hurting but I'm finally doing that. Standing is one thing but how I'm going to walk is the real question.

"Can you walk?" Vicky asks, slinging my arm over her shoulder. I have no other choice but to lean against her. "No idea, we will have to see."

I take a cautious step with my uninjured leg and am thinking about what to do with my injured one when suddenly I'm hoisted up in the air. It happens so fast that my brain takes a second to register what has exactly happened. It finally hits me when I feel engulfed in a warm embrace, one hand behind my back and another under my knees. Felix has pulled me up.

"Hey, put me down!" I snap at him, making a failed attempt to wiggle out of his grip, and end up hissing in pain when I feel a sharp tug on my ankle.

"Shh," Felix's voice behind my ear leaves involuntarily goosebumps all over my body. I make the mistake of turning my head. His face is so close to me, closer than when we crushed earlier. I would bump my nose on his chin if he wasn't looking down at me. And looking down, I realize, is not the best thing for him to do right now. It makes me feel extra weird. His gaze is so serious and focused. But my unholy eyes keep tracing his lips, soft and plump, and—I turn my face away sharply.

"There is no way in hell I'm gonna let you walk out of here like that. You can't even take a single step. How do you plan on going all the way down there? Tell me where you want to go and I'm gonna take you. Just bear with me till then. After that, I will leave your sight or I will do whatever the fuck you want me to do, don't worry. But I'm not gonna let you hurt yourself."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Godddamit, this guy. Why is he made so fucking perfect?

I can't feel anything except him. Him everywhere, his breath on the side of my face, his hands on my back and knees, his warm chest against my right side, my arms around his neck, and his stubble rubbing against my forearm. I can't hear anything except the roaring of my heart in my ear. One more second like this and I would blast. How the hell does he expect me to carry down there and in front of all those people? No way in hell I'm gonna let that happen!

I pull myself as much away from him as I'm capable which I doubt not even is one inch and then tilt my face to glare at him. "No fucking way! Put me down right now!" I scream in his ear. He cringes, tilting his head away from me.

"Gosh, woman, do you plan on deafening me?" He doesn't look even the least bit annoyed, if anything he has an amused glint in his eyes. Before I snap at him again, he pulls me closer and the hand he has on my back slips away. Instinctively, I let out a scream gripping his neck tightly.

He only chuckles. "And here I thought you wanted me to let you go." I roll my eyes, hanging on him for dear life. How is he even carrying me with one hand? I know for a fact that I'm not that weightless. My cheeks heat up instantly. He smirks turning his gaze away from me and looking to the left.

"Miss Vicky, would you do the honor of tying the ice pack to her ankle with it, please?" The polite tone he is using with her is infuriating me. Before Vicky can respond, I speak up with a hard look in his direction. "There is no need for that."

His eyes focus back on me. "There is very much need for that. You are not getting it now. But as we start moving, you will start screaming."

I get what he means. I swear I do. But something has happened to me today. Because I keep taking his words for the wrong meaning. This time is also no exception. My mind takes the last sentence in a completely different meaning which is not a good thing when I'm already feeling him everywhere. A shudder passes down my body. Sensing that, Felix offers another teasing grin.

"Jerk," I mumble, turning my face closer to his neck. His intoxicating familiar smell is at the same time comforting and terrifying me. I do that unintentionally. But then I notice him shivering as my breath brushes his neck. He has goosebumps rising on his skin. I find myself smirking. At least, I am not the only one getting affected.

"Sure, darling," he whispers back in my ear and I have to bite my lips as I feel a sudden fear that I may end up doing anything wrong. He looks back at Vicky and gestures for her to do her work.

From the corner of my eye, I find her giving me a wary look before taking a handkerchief from his hand. Picking the ice bag from the floor, she walks over to where my legs are. I feel the soothing cool on my ankle first before the knot on the side of my leg.

"Where do we go now?" Felix asks me when Vicky moves back to her place. Now that's a real question. Vicky wants to talk to me and we need a secluded area for that. But if I let him take me there, I will also have to let him take me back to the wedding. Because it's true that I need to be back at the venue whether I want it or not. I need to see the end of the game Ryker and I are playing. I'm not gonna chicken out just because the ending may not go my way.

"To the wedding," I grumble out suddenly feeling annoyed as the whole thing with Ryker comes back to my mind. Felix's eyes swipe over my face before nodding. "Mhm, let's go."

"What about you two?" I look up to find him staring at James and Vicky. They both answer at the same time.

"I need to talk to Maisara. Alone."

"Need to be back at the wedding."

Despite my situation, I snort. James looks in Vicky's direction with which I'm assuming is a surprised look. Vicky, on the other hand, tries her best to not glance at him. The alarmed look in her eyes and the flash on her face speak for her.

"Okay, let's go," Felix says in an amused tone and starts to walk. I brace myself for the needle of pain hitting my ankle. That doesn't come. Felix was right after all though I'm not gonna tell him that.

The four of us make an odd squad but together, we start our journey back to the wedding venue.