Feather After // Chapter 53 // Hopes And Aspirations

Aria's POV 

"Nanna?" I said when she picked up the call in a single ring. I wasn't shocked because she had often shown and said that I; was her first priority and there was nothing more important to her than me.

"Are you okay? Why are you-"

"Nanna!" I exclaimed and continued, I didn't want her to start, "I have to tell you something, listen carefully-"

"Aria, I'll be there in five minutes, please don't tell me you punched somebody, oh god, Aria, I told Manchurian to not teach you that, why on earth would you do that?" She half shouted on the phone. I could hear her going from one place to another and then knocking something down the table in that process and I just smiled.

"Nanna, listen to me, I have not punched anybody, I-"

"Then why did you tell me you did? You're becoming naughtier each and every day, oh god, Aria, then why have you called me? Don't tell me you have left something in the house, we don't have-"

"Nanna! I did not forget anything, now listen to me," Nanna overreacted so very easily when it came to me. First, she thought I had punched someone, and then she scolded me. When she realized that I hadn't punched anybody, she scolded me again for telling her so whereas I hadn't even said a single thing to her. All I could do was shake my head and nothing else.

"I have volunteered for helping in the old age home," I told her and I waited for her response. I heard her take a deep breath and then she put her hand on the phone. God knows, what she was up to now.

"Where are you going?" She asked me after I heard a lot of hushed talking from the other side and she continued, "Take care of me, I'm getting older day by day."

"The one which is closest to my school, we're going there," I told her. Hopefully, she did not have any objections with that.

"And who are we now? Is it a boy or a girl? Send me their mother's number, their pictures, and their names. In case you don't pick up your phone, I'll call them. Oh, yes send me their full names. Ask them what their parents do," I head her tapping her foot on the floor. I could imagine her frowning.

"Do you want me to message their shirt and shoe size as well? I'll be back soon, don't worry. Ask Manchurian to meet me there like in two-three hours. We'll just serve lunch and don't worry I'll be home," I told her, hoping that she won't get too agitated.

"Take care, if anything happens, call me, and stay away from old men, they are evil," she warned me. I wanted to laugh and pinch her cheeks that second because of what she said. She took a deep breath and continued, I couldn't help but notice some hesitation in her voice, "Aria, we are going for your wedding dress shopping tomorrow."

And all the happiness disappeared, all the hope that I felt was gone and I was not at ease with myself anymore. I just mumbled a quick I love you and put the phone down. Out of all the things going wrong in my life, this was the only thing that I had not to control over.

I wish what Ignatius said was true, I wish I had a real chance in experiencing love with him or anyone for the matter. I was going to be tied in a relationship with a guy who didn't love me and I knew I couldn't be free from that any time soon. There was only misery and misery and misery. But somewhere in my heart, I knew something could happen. I knew a lot of things were going wrong but I still believed in miracles, and I was hoping, very dearly that something miraculous takes place and I won't have to marry Zachariah. He was a nice guy but I knew he wasn't for me.

I closed my eyes and thanked God for what Xavier did for me, I don't know if that was common or not but I knew I'll be forever grateful to him, for doing what he did for me today. He made me realize that there was more to family than just blood. While I stood in front of the school gate waiting for His Highness, Ignatius Blah-Blah Hudson to arrive, I remembered how surprised I was after seeing other student's reaction especially our biology teacher's reaction.

When Xavier had given his speech everyone was so shocked, I was shocked too. Our biology teacher just smiled and started the lesson. I thought she would send Xavier to detention but she didn't say anything. Mason didn't say anything to me; neither had I wanted him to. It was better the way it was.

I saw Ignatius coming from the door, wearing his black shirt; his overused black jeans and obviously his black shoes. He was wearing his metal black aviators on the bridge of his nose and had a lit cigarette in his left hand while his other hand was shoved in his jacket pocket. If I started talking generally, I'm pretty sure I saw a lot of girls turn their heads when he passed by but he didn't take any notice of that.

Ignatius with his arm's tattoos on display and his good fashion sense was nothing but hot. He was a total catch look wise but the only problem was that he couldn't keep his dick to himself for a long time. He needed adventure, he needed a change of girls. There was no harm in hooking up with guys like him, but the only problems were that their attention, affection, and love was like fall, addicting but not so everlasting.

It left people with bittersweet memories that even if they wanted to; they couldn't get over it, because it was the reason if their survival even if it ended by killing them.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked me when he approached me, I mean I knew it was his thing to look nice but I continuously reminded myself that he was the reason that was stuck here in the first place. Or maybe he was stuck here because of me. Anyways the point was we were stuck with each other no matter whose fault it was.

"Yeah," I said and turned around; we were going to walk to the place because I wasn't interested in sitting on his bike or his car.

"Are we walking?" He asked and soon he was walking along with me. His was way taller than me so he had to work a little less than me.

"No, we're crawling," I rolled my eyes at him and gave him a what the hell look. As we started walking down the street, although it was not that sunny it was beautiful. The wind was blowing and it was very enjoyable.

"Have you thought about it?" He asked me, breaking the comfortable silence. That was the last question that was on my mind and that was the last question I knew how to answer, I didn't know anything about him or why he wanted it, but I knew one thing I didn't want to be a little fuck.

"I don't know," I told him, and that was the most honest answer that I could give. I didn't know what was happening with me, how could I have ever imagined explaining to him that. I had no words, no words.

"You know, I know you do. But you're not ready to accept it yourself. You're-"

"Stop pretending that you know me, you don't know who I'm. You don't know who I was before I came here or what I did, so please, give me a break," I was scared that he was right, I knew he knew me but I didn't know him. He was an unpredictable guy I already had loads of uncertainty in my life. I didn't need anything like that, not anymore.

I looked at him; his features were not soft anymore. I couldn't see his eye but I knew he was upset. He was upset about the whole situation. What I was saying was right. I could give him what he wanted.

"What about this?" He gulped, was he nervous? He turned his head on the other side and continued, "I'll give you a chance to fall in love with me, you say you have few days felt before you get married to that son of a," he didn't complete his sentence.

"What?" I asked him, there was one thing I knew about him, he was a clever man, he could think of stuff very easily. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a 666 mark somewhere on his forehead. When I looked in the front, I noticed that were just a block away from the place where we were supposed to be.

"Go out with me, Princess. I'll show you my world, which does not have your family's men following us around," he said and pointed out at his left. On the chair at one end of the road, there was a man sitting with a newspaper and a cup of coffee. He then pointed at him right, and there was another man sweeping the floors of the cafe. They were just two men, how could he be sure that they were my family mom.

"You're not convinced are you?" He said, answering my unvoiced question. I moved my head from left to right then he continued, "The man on the bench; has a pistol in his Socks, look closely while the other man, has a knife tucked in his belt."

"How do you notice that?" I was shocked. I already had so many shocks for the day. I didn't need more shocks. He just smirked and put his arms around my shoulder.

"Baby you don't know but you have invited hurricane in your life," he smiled and he stopped in front of the place where we had to be, leaving my mother's men behind us. I didn't know she had people following me in such a strange way. I didn't know why but yeah I was beyond scared for the way my life was turning out to be.

Ignatius cleared his throat to get my attention and said, "the proposal is that I'll take you out with me, I'll show you what it is to be a free bird, and if I'm able to make you fall in love with me before your wedding, you'll run away with me and be mine and if you don't, then I'll leave you. I'll leave you alone in your world, and I swear on my life, I'll never bother you again."

What he was not realizing was that in both ways, it was my loss. If I fell in love with him, I would lose my family, and if I didn't, I would lose him. What he didn't realize was that it was a very difficult decision for me. I could go out with him but I didn't know what to say.

"I'll give you time, I'll go inside to get us checked in, and then I would like my answer, I'll let you be here for five minutes and then we'll know what you want," he said and leaned down. My heart skipped a beat before I could think anything; I felt his hot breath on my neck and heard his lips part. I wished that he couldn't hear my heart, beating so fast in my rib cage. He moved his face upwards and bought his lips near my cheek. He pressed his lips on my cheek, and mumbled, "Best of luck baby," with that he walked away from me, leaving me bewildered and mesmerized.

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