If you notice a few things like the word s$x like this, that was me trying to make this chapter public. I have no idea why wattpad made it private if there is not s$x involved but alright!

Chapter Eighteen.

I personally loved family reunions.

Even when Mom and I did not visit our family often, we were close to them. We tried to keep in touch every once in a while. And of course, we visited them on Christmas and all the other vacations. Our family was awfully big, mom had four sisters and five brothers which resulted with me having a bunch of cousins. They all lived in Larafield, a town two hours away from ours. We were the only members of the family living outside that town. My aunts and uncles were extremely close, not to mention my cousins. They made me feel like an outsider sometimes but they were nice people.

Family is family no matter what.

The thing I loved the most about family reunions is that feeling of belonging you get when you’re there. You are surrounded by all those people who share the same bloodline, the same ancestors and have gone through bad things together-like that time my grandfather fell sick and died- We’d been all having each other’s back when that happened. It had surprised me to see how close mom was to her brothers and sisters.

To be honest, I wished I had brothers and sisters. Being an only child tends to get lonely and sad. I used to envy most of my cousins because they had each other to play while I was alone at home, waiting for Mom to finish her career. Don’t get me wrong, Mom was great and she was the most strong, determined woman I had ever met. I admired her, I truly did. I just wished she had another baby for me to play and love. Another human being to keep me company.

I found myself getting anxious as we approached Evan’s grandparents’ house.  As I said before, I loved family reunions.

My boyfriend?

Well, that was another story.

Evan did not seem one bit excit$d about this and I could not blame him.

After making me blush tomato red when he complimented the exotic way I looked, he had focused on driving in silence. He was squeezing the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles were turning white. However, that didn’t distract me from checking him out. My sexy boyfriend looked gorgeous that night. Evan looked hot in regular clothing, imagine how devastatingly beautiful he looked in a suit.

He was burning hot.

His suit was dark blue with a tie of the same color. His usual messy hair was combed perfectly backwards with gel, making him look older and more experienced. That bad boy tattoo of his seemed to be crawling up the collar of his shirt.

God, even his neck is sexy.

His plump lips were pressed together in a tight line when we stopped at a red light.

“Evan,” I called him out softly. He looked at me, waiting for me to continue, “I’m supposed to be nervous about meeting your grandparents, not the other way around.” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He gave me an uneasy smile, “I know. I just…” his eyes were back on the road as the red light turned green, “I haven’t seen them in a while, that’s all.”

“Everything will be alright,” I assured, extending my hand to caress the back of his neck as he drove, “I’m here with you, remember?”

He glanced at me, “I’m so glad you’re here.” He moved backwards against my hand, “Keep doing that,”

I chuckled, massaging his neck, “I thought I was a bad massager,” I commented, remembering the other day when I tried to give him a massage and he told me to stop because I wasn’t good at it.

“Oh, well, about that…” A slight blush covered his cheeks and I stared at him in shock.

“Are you blushing, Evan Woods?”

He shook his head, “No.”

“Oh yeah. Did I miss something?” I asked curiously.

“It’s nothing.” He shrugged but I could still see remains of that blush on his cheeks.

“What is it? Tell me.” I demanded.

“You are not a bad massager,” he started, keeping his eyes on the road, “You are just too good at it.”

“Then why did you stop me that day?”

Evan sighed, “Because you’re too good at it.” I knew he was hinting at something but I didn’t get it. He glanced at me, and probably noticed my confusion, “When it feels so good, I get a little excit$d.”

“Oh,” I said in realization, “But it was just a massage.”

“Jules, I love you,” he explained sweetly, “But I also want you so bad it hurts.” It was my turn to blush, “Having your hands on me like that is a huge turn-0n for me.” He stopped the car in front of two metallic gates.

I gave him a shy smile, “I understand.”

He turned his body towards me, “I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” He brushed my cheek with his fingers.

I pressed my face against his hand, “I truly understand.”

After crossing the gates and parking the car, we were facing a gigantic wooden door. My sweet boyfriend forgot to mention his grandparents live in a freaking huge mansion that looked like the white house. We were holding hands.

An elegant butler opened the door for us. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Evan.  Then, his wrinkled face contorted in nostalgia, “Welcome back, sir.” He gave Evan an emotional smile.

“Hi, Hector.” Evan returned the smile.

“Hector, who is it?” A female voice was heard from inside the house. Evan tensed up at it. I squeezed his hand gently. The butler opened the door fully, letting the lady inside the living room take a look at the doorway. It was an old lady in her sixties or more but that did not dim her elegance one bit. She wore a black, laced dress. Her white hair was pulled up in a classy bun. Diamonds hung around her neck.  

I would never forget that moment. Her dark eyes became watery when they met the man next to me. Her hand shot to her mouth as she fought back a sob. I could see the love in her eyes.

'I was their favorite’

Evan’s words echoed inside my head. I glanced at him and noticed the pain in his eyes. He had missed her, too. 

“Evan…” her voice broke, “You came.” Her lower lip trembled. Tears escaped her eyes and I found myself fighting tears back. There is something saddening about seeing an old person cry. It’s like their vulnerability hits you easily. She extended her shaky hands towards us and my heart broke for her. I could only imagine what this family had been through.

I looked at Evan, letting go of his hand, “Evan, go. It’s okay.” My voice came out shaky and hoarse. I was sure I was going to cry soon. I patted his back gently.

His first step forwards was slow and hesitant but the next steps were long strides. He reached her and wrapped his arms around her.

The old lady cried in his chest, “Oh baby, I missed you so much.” He kissed her hair, closing his eyes. I walked inside to stand next to Hector who was bawling his eyes out and I could not blame him.

An old man appeared at the top of the stairs, “Evan?” he asked in disbelief. Evan opened his eyes to look up at, who I supposed was, his grandfather. Evan’s eyes were red, his cheeks wet from tears.

“Hi, grandpa.” He whispered. The old man ran downstairs so fast, I feared he could fall.

“Oh my boy!” the man kissed him on the cheek then joined their hug.

“I told you he’d be back, Marshall.” The old lady said among sobs, pulling away slightly. She held Evan’s face with both hands, “I never stopped loving you one second, my dear.”

Evan smiled sadly at her, “I know, ma.”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Hector commented, wiping his tears away. I nodded in agreement.

When, they pulled away hector handed them a handkerchief to wipe their tears away. Their moment had been so intimate and emotional, I felt like I shouldn’t be there, like I was invading their privacy.

The old lady finally acknowledged my presence, “Oh hey, there. Who’s this beautiful girl, Evan?” I blushed at her calling me beautiful.

Evan held my hand, pulling me next to him, “This is my girlfriend Jules. Jules, these are Francis and Marshall Woods, my grandparents.”

I shook their hands nervously, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Congratulations on your anniversary.”

Marshall smiled at me, “Thank you and the pleasure is all ours.”

“It’s nice to have some young love around here, isn’t it, darling?” Francis commented, glancing at her husband.

“Indeed.” Marshall replied.

“Where’s the party?” Evan asked, placing his hand on the small of my back. I shivered.

“In the back garden, darling.” Francis informed, extending her hand towards me, “Jules, I think my husband needs some time with Evan. You and I can go to the garden already, if it’s okay with you.”

I nodded, “Sure.”

Evan gave me a cautious look, “Really?”

“Yes, I’ll wait for you there.”

“I’ll be there soon. I’m missing you already.” He bent a little to kiss my cheek.

“So cute.” Hector added. I had completely forgotten about him.

I was a little nervous about being alone with Ms. Woods but I knew Evan had a lot to talk about with his grandfather. They had a lot to catch up with.

The garden was decorated in white and red. It was incredibly beautiful. There were about fifty or so people around, talking with glass of champagne in their hands. There were many tables but most of the people were standing while they chatted.

Ms. Woods was really nice. She asked me how Evan and I met and how long we’d been together. We were sitting in a small table where she encouraged me to taste some exotic plate of fish. I was thinking of a way to say no when a waitress whispered something into Ms. Woods’ ear and she excused herself to go checking something.

Sitting alone provided of time to look around people. I knew I wouldn’t find any familiar faces. Everyone around here looked wealthy and well, I wasn’t a girl of having many wealthy friends or family. But I had completely forgotten how badly fate liked to mess with me.

To my utter surprise, a very familiar boy was discussing something with an old couple. My mouth hung opened in shock. What was he doing here?

He was wearing a black suit that matched his hair with a red tie. His hands were in his pants’ pockets as he spoke. His skin looked perfect, not even one sign of puberty was on it. He moistened his lips before giving the couple a polite smile.

And those eyes…

They were breath-taking. I felt a little jealous of them. Even though we had the same eye color, his were more intense, more vivid.

As if sensing my stare, Nash looked in my direction and our gazes met. He did not seem surprise to see me which made me frown. He said something to the couple and then headed to my table.

Was it just me or did he look taller?

“Good evening, young lady,” he sounded as polite and elegant as he looked.

I stared up at him, “Good evening,”

“Mind if join you in this table?”

“Have a seat.” I gestured the chair across mine but he chose to sit next to me instead. I didn’t want to look at him because I felt like we were going to be too close. That was actually the first time Nash and I were alone. The thought made me uneasy.

“I didn’t think I’d find you here.” He started casually. I noticed how deep his voice was. Nash did not only look wiser, he sounded wiser as well.

“Why?”  

“Well, you are not the type of girl to be around this circle.”

“What do you mean? You don’t know anything about me. I could be related to the person who threw this party for all you know.” I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and found him staring at me intensively.

“No, you aren’t.” he said matter-of-factly, “I could assure you, you are not related to anyone in this party in any way.”

I looked at him and realized we were indeed too close, “How can you be so sure?”

He leaned a little closer, “I know a lot about you, Julie Ann Jones.”

I swallowed, “That sounds creepy.”

“Does it?” he grinned at me before leaning back, “Where is he?”

“Huh?”

“Your boyfriend?” he asked indifferently.

“How do you kn-“ He gave me a look of tiredness, “Right. He’s inside, talking to Mr. Woods.”

“I bet they have a lot of to catch up with.”

I scowled at him, “How do you know all these stuff? It’s kind of weird, if you ask me.”

“It’s not weird. Nowadays, you can find out a lot about people through the internet.” He shrugged, “It also helps having a superior IQ and an ability to hack a few things.” I stared at him interested.

“Really?” I cocked an eyebrow, “What else do you know about me?”

He smirked at me, “Do you really want to play this game, Jules? Or should I call you JulesRocks?” I froze. That was my Wattpad username, I gazed at him with widened eyes, “You have potential. Behind the toxic romance in your stories, there are actually good plots.”

“You read my stories?”

Nash chuckled, “Yes, all of them. Fast reader here, comes with the package of being smart.”

“Are you always this c0cky or is it just with me?” I wondered aloud.

He tilted his head to the side, “Are you insinuating I am attracted to you?”

“What? No! How did just get to that conclusion?”

“Well, you asked me if I am this cocky only with you which meant you think I behave in a specific way around you. And that leads us to the question of ‘Why would I behave differently around you?’ And you might feel tempted to think it’s because I am attracted to you in a way and that’s why you made that question.” He explained.

“You have a weird way of thinking.”

“I’m just ridiculously honest. And to answer your question: Yes, I am attracted to you.” My heart stopped right there. I did not see that coming, “I find you highly interesting.”

And that’s the Nashish way to leave a girl speechless.  

What the hell was I supposed to say to that?

Nash got up, “I should probably go. You have approximately 10 seconds to compose yourself before your boyfriend gets to this table,” he gestured forwards. Evan was scanning around, looking for me, “Have a nice evening, Jules.” He gave me one last smile before walking off.

Alright, that was just… weird and unexpected all at once.

“Hey there,” Evan greeted, sitting next to me.

I grinned at him, “Hi, handsome.”

He gave me a short kiss, “I missed you.”

“It wasn’t that long,” I chuckled.

“It was long enough for me.” He caressed my cheek, “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For coming with me. I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t for you.”

“Anything for you.” I leaned my head on his shoulder, looking at the party. The place was peaceful. A soft melody was played in the background by a live orchestra.  

I realized Evan and I still needed to know more about each other. I wanted to know everything about him.

“Evan?”

“Yes?”

“There’s something we haven’t talked about directly,” I started nervously. I leaned away from his shoulder to look at him. His dark eyes were glowing with curiosity.

“What is it?”

“Well, we haven’t talked…” I trailed off, pulling my hands into fists on my lap, “You know, s$x.” I could feel the blush rushing to my cheeks.

Evan relaxed his shoulders, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You’re a big boy and I know you’re probably used to having s$x with your girlfriends and all that but I-” he placed his index on my lips, effectively silencing my rambling.

He looked right into my eyes, “There is only one thing you need to know, Jules. There is no rush. Take as much time as you need. If you want to wait until marriage, I’m in for it. You’re worth it.” I smiled at his sweet words.

“I just want to be sure.” I said honestly, “Besides, I just… I want to know more about you.”

“Alright, here I am. Ask anything you want.”

I grasped the courage to ask it, “Are you a vIrgin?” Evan didn’t seem surprise by my question.

“No.”

I swallowed, “How many?”

“What?”

“How many girls have you… you know…” I trailed off.

“Does it matter?”

I nodded, “I want to know.”

“One.”

“I thought there’d be more.” I added, “You’re extremely good-looking.”

He smirked, “Thanks for the compliment. But I am selective. I don’t sleep around.”

“Who was she?”

Evan tensed up, “Just a girl I met on college.”

“If you lost your v/rginity to her, she wasn’t just a girl. What was her name?”

“Jules…”

“I just want to know.”

Evan sighed, “Evelyn.”

“What happened?”

“It didn’t work out.” He replied shortly.

“Why?”

“Jules, drop it. I don’t want to spend the night talking about my ex.”

He was right. This night was going too well to ruin it, “Okay.”

“Any other question?” he prompted, taking a glass of champagne from a waiter that was walking by.

“Remember when we talked on Wattpad at the beginning?”

“Yeah, I remember every word.” He said solemnly.

“You were flirting with a girl on your board,” I remembered bitterly, “Who was she?”

Evan laughed while I folded my arms across my chest, “What is this? Delayed jealousy or something?”

“Answer the question.” I demanded.

He bit his lower lip, looking amused, “She was no one. I used her to make you jealous and I see it worked.”

“Do you still talk to her?” I pressed, trying to ignore him as he leaned forward.

His breath mixed with mine, “No, I don’t. Why would I? I have everything I need right in front of me.”

“Don’t try distracting me with your sexy voice and beautiful eyes,” I swallowed as his tender lips brushed mine, “And your ridiculously soft lips.” I protested. He nibbled on my lower lip and I felt my knees go weak.

“I’m not distracting you.” He whispered on my mouth, his tongue tracing the corner of my lips, “I’m merely having a taste of what’s mine.”

I smiled, “Getting possessive, aren’t we?”

“No, I’m just stating the true. You are mine, Jules.” And then he kissed me with so much passion, I felt my toes curl.

Always yours, darkpoet.

-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Long chapter to make up for the long wait. Do I get a hug? Yes? No? It was also an Evan/Jules chapter to make it up for the past Evanless chapter. Jesus, all I do is to keep making up to you, guys. Did you like it? I know you did –winks in a Shanish way-

Don’t forget to leave your cute votes up there. Every time you vote is like you’re giving me a gentle pat on the back or a full slap on the back yelling “Update, woman!” either way, just vote :D –mentally crossing fingers for the gentle pat-

Also, Nash… -simply looks at you in silence-

See you soon,

Hugs, unexpected confessions and stomach dragons,

Ariana.