^^^ARAMIS' CARS ❤️😍

"Not to be rude or anything, but don't you have friends who could've come with you for this? I'm not sure why you need my help picking out a wedding dress," he said in confusion.

"Is it so wrong that I want to spend time with my brother in law? Especially since I was denied getting to know you for a whole eleven years," I pointed out, making his eyes widen.

It had been a week and a half since that night I spoke to Trent, and while our relationship was building, I hadn't gotten around to getting to know Gregory and getting him to forgive my brother. It's safe to say that things between them are very rocky.

"He actually told you?" he asked, stunned.

"He told me that very night Greg. He's not ok with where you guys are," I told him.

"I didn't think he would tell you. I was so sure he'd keep me a secret from you," he admitted.

"Why? Because he lied about being alive?" I asked.

He nodded. "He's lied to us both for so long. Who's to say he's not capable of keeping me as a secret?"

"Greg, Trent is stupid in more ways than one, but if there's anything I've learnt from him in the past week and a half, it's that he regrets everything and would take it all back, especially if it meant he'd never have to keep such a secret from you. The only other person I've ever seen my brother love the way he loves you, is me, and I mean that from a measurement perspective. He's not getting any better because he's dealing with a broken heart on top of everything. How's this?" I asked as I showed him one of the dresses.

"Too sparkly. Did he ask you to talk to me on his behalf?" he asked.

"No, he didn't. I volunteered to because one, you're my brother in law, and two, you can't let this be the thing that breaks your marriage. You're not the only person who was lied to, and all I'm saying is that you should at least hear him out," I replied as I continued to look through the dresses.

He pulled out one and handed it to me. "Here you go. This is the one. Now, I hear you, I really do, but how do I trust that he'll tell me the truth?"

"Thanks! Look, right now, he knows that he stands to lose everything, so I doubt lying to you is on the table. In his own words, his past has caught up with him, so he'll obviously want to tell you everything, especially since there's clearly danger involved," I pointed out as we walked towards the change room.

He hesitated before is next words. "Has he told you the truth yet?"

"Not yet, but only because I asked him not to. I wanted you to be there when he does," I confessed.

He looked taken aback. "You did? Why?"

"Because, if he lies to you, then he lies to me too. I don't think he's that stupid."

I didn't give him the chance to say anything else as I walked into the change room. I wanted to give him time to think about what I'd said to him. While I'm also nervous about what Trent has to reveal, I know that he at least deserves the chance to be truthful with us.

I got undressed before I delicately put the dress on. From what I was seeing in the mirror, it was honestly the perfect dress. I didn't even think twice about it, and I was even more amazed by the fact that I didn't have to look all that much.

My brother in law found me the perfect dress from one selection.

"Wow! When I said this was your dress, I didn't think it would fit so perfectly," he said when I stepped out. I was about to respond, except he was sitting with the last person I expected to see there.

"Zoey?" I said, choking on air.

"Evie? What are you doing here? Why are you in a wedding dress? Aren't you already married?" she asked rapidly.

Think fast!

"Cain and I got married in a court because he just couldn't wait, but now he's finally ok with us having our wedding ceremony. What are you doing here?" I asked after I lied smoothly.

"Aaaw, that is so cute! Well, I was here to scan through the dresses for my own wedding when I spotted this cutie over here and just had to come and introduce myself," she said shamelessly.

"Sorry if you're picking up the wrong vibes here, but I'm both taken and very much gay," he said, showing her his wedding ring.

"My gaydar is clearly broken, but you're still a cutie. How do you two kids know each other?" she asked.

He looked over at me and smiled. "She's my sister in law."

"How cute! Well then, let me get going. Evie dear, please be a doll and tell your husband that my fiancé wants to move forward with the first plan," she told me.

"Is this something you both agreed on?" I asked unsurely.

"Well no, but I can be very persuasive. I know how to get him to change his mind," she purred before walking out of the store.

"Is she always so disgustingly blunt?" Gregory asked me.

"She has been that way her whole life," I said, equally disturbed.

"And did she just hit on me even though she's engaged?" he added.

"It would seem so," I said at the realization.

"Some people! Wait! Is she thee Zoey? As in your sister?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's a really long story, but I'm only sharing it with you if you agree to hear Trent out."

"You've sold me onto the idea. I obviously don't want to lose my husband either, and since you're convinced that he'll be honest with us, I'll trust in that," he said.

"Then you have yourself a deal. Do you have to go in at the hospital today?" I asked.

"I have a night shift. What did you have in mind?" he counter asked.

"You'll probably want to sleep before then, so let's go and have some breakfast, and then I'll see you again tonight at the hospital," I suggested. It was only eight in the morning and I'd asked him to meet me here at half seven.

"That sounds like a plan," he agreed.

I headed back into the change room and changed back into my clothes before going out to pay for the dress. We left the store and he insisted that he knew the perfect place for us to have breakfast, so I followed him in my car.

We parked before heading inside. The restaurant had a very classy feel to it, and we were immediately attended to, being led to a table close to the window. It was a lovely morning out and I was dressed in a white dress with a brown belt, matching shoes and a jean jacket.

"So, what exactly did Trent share about his past with you?" I asked.

"I know that you're probably the most important person in his life. He told me that his parents split when he was five, and that his father then married another woman and that's how he got his favourite little sister. He considers Zoey a troll and the devil's spawn, the devil being your mom. In the lie version of his life, he ran away from home and was heartbroken to leave you behind," he informed.

"Alright wow. I didn't expect that. However, I'm pretty sure I share the 'most important person' spot with you now. In terms of everything else he told you, it's pretty much true," I said before launching into my life story.

He was engaging with me as I unravelled my life to him. I tried to also tell him things about Trent that my brother probably didn't share with him, and the one thing I definitely picked up on was the fact that he was grateful for that.

"You have truly lived a complicated life. So now Zoey thinks you're someone else?" he asked. Our breakfast had long arrived.

I nodded. "She does, but I don't think Zayn was sold. They both think I'm Mrs Bingham, so that's a mess already. I don't know how I'll react if I'm ever caught alone with Zayn."

"You're going to react like the confident and new you. Don't let him, under any circumstance, have one up on you, especially since he tried to kill you. Mess with him as much as you can. Play around with the idea of being both Evie and Melanie just to confuse him. If I'm right, then you'll have him in the palm of your hand," he replied.

I frowned. "What are you suggesting?"

"I know I wasn't there and all, but from what you're describing about the day you saw them again, it seems to me like Zayn may be intrigued by the new you. If he was still angry, he would've gone off at you, demanding to know where you've been and all, but because you've changed, he's probably more curious than anything," he pointed out.

"I would've never thought of that in a million years," I responded.

"I know. Men are weird Evie, and for all you know, you captured his attention for real," he argued.

"Not that I want it, but that would be something else alright," I admitted.

"It would be the perfect opportunity for you to get revenge without having to even try," he added in agreement.

"He's still dangerous though," I pointed out.

"True, but someone like that only has power if you let them have it," he advised.

I learnt more about him, and Trent couldn't have been more right about him. Gregory is my spirit animal and we just get along well. I can see how my brother ended up falling in love with him. He's not only loveable, but he's a wonderful person overall.

"What is he doing here?" I asked, annoyed at the sight of the approaching person.

"I told him I was with you, though judging from the look on your face, I'm guessing I wasn't supposed to," Greg replied.

"He claims he's in love with me, and he's not impressed by the fact that I'm marrying Cain," I quickly explained.

"What?" Gregory shouted as Aramis reached us.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"It certainly was until now," I mumbled, earning myself narrowed eyes in my direction.

"She's the woman who's been driving you up the wall for almost a year?" Gregory asked in disbelief.

"What?"

"What the hell man?"

"Oh, oh this is good. Does Trent know?" Gregory asked him.

"Know what?" I asked Gregory.

"He doesn't know, and you're not telling him," Aramis said through gritted teeth.

"What doesn't my brother know?" I asked.

"That Aramis proposed to you and you handed him his ass," Gregory said before laughing.

"It's not funny," Aramis said angrily, grabbing a chair and joining us.

"I don't remember inviting you to sit with us," I told him.

"I don't recall needing the invitation," he shot back.

"So, I'm not doing whatever the hell you two want to call this. Evie my love, it was amazing spending time with you, and I couldn't have asked for a better sister in law. You have a friend and confidant in me and I'll support you through everything. I can only hope that everything works out for us both, but I'm beat right now, so I'm going to catch up on my sleep and I'll see you tonight," Gregory said as he got up.

I pouted. "Don't leave me here with this monster."

"Yeah, that doesn't work when your brother does it to me. It's not working for you either. Now, the both of you had better play nice," he said before hugging me. He patted Aramis' shoulder before walking out of the restaurant.

"So, where's the fiancé?" was the first thing this man asked me.

"Why do you want to know?" I countered.

"It's just a question Evie. No need to bite my head off about it," he defended.

"Cain's in Chicago for business," I informed. He'd left three days ago and would only be back in a week.

"I guess you cancelling your debut into the fashion world allowed him to leave you alone huh?" Aramis commented.

I rolled my eyes. "Do I even want to know how you know about my debut?"

"Besides the fact that you're working with the closest people to me, I overheard Bernard talking about it," he replied.

"Isn't your ex-wife going to find you, what with you being seen outside and all?" I questioned.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" he deflected.

Oh so this is how we're going to play this out?

"I don't have anything planned for the day," I responded.

He surprised me by standing up and giving me his hand. "For the first time in a really long time, neither do I. Humour me."

I narrowed my eyes at him before reluctantly giving him my hand. "What do you have in mind?"

"Have you been on a proper tour of New York?" he asked after settling our bill.

"I haven't gotten around to it," I admitted.

"Well, today is your lucky day then. I'll show you around and take you to all the good places," he offered.

I was sceptical. "And what do you gain from this? Besides, you can't know New York all that well."

"Well, I get to enjoy my day in the company of the most beautiful woman I know. I'm pretty sure that's as good as it gets, and I do happen to know New York all that well. I lived here for three years and really got to know the place," he said nonchalantly.

Meanwhile, I was trying to get my cheeks to calm the hell down.

"Aramis, I'm a taken woman," I reminded.

"No need for the reminder. That horrible ring already does the job," he said as we got outside.

"What? My ring isn't horrible!" I defended.

"I'm surprised you're wearing it," he commented.

"Why wouldn't I?" I bothered to ask.

"It's rose gold. You hate rose gold," he said confidently.

I faltered. "I do not."

"You said, and I quote, 'rose gold looks like overworn jewellery'. You hate it," he reminded.

Ok, so Cain caught the wrong end of a conversation I had with Onyx. I didn't in fact tell him that I prefer rose gold jewellery. I was telling Onyx that Zena prefers rose gold jewellery, and before I knew it, things got out of hand with Cain since he believes I love it.

I don't have the heart to tell him that it's not the colour for me.

I released a very unlady like sound of frustration. "Why do you even remember that?"

"I remember everything you've ever said to me, and I pay attention to you, even if you don't want me to admit things like that," he replied.

"I think it's better I head back to my apartment," I said, turning to head to my car.

He caught my hand and pulled me back to him. "Hey. Ok, I'm sorry. I was an asshole for that. I promise I won't make any more remarks like that for the rest of the day."

"Are you sure you can handle such a great task?" I found myself teasing.

"There are so many things I could say to that, but I'm going to choose the high road because one of us has to be mature," he teased right back.

I gasped, smacking him as he laughed at me. "Take that back."

"Nah. The truth must be left heard by the universe," he said, still laughing.

He looks so gorgeous when he laughs.

I caught my thoughts before they could go any further. "Are we taking your car or mine?"

"Definitely mine. We're not taking that soccer mom car of yours," he joked.

"My car is not a soccer mom car!" I said, smacking him once more.

He laughed and you could tell that it was one of those genuine laughs from the stomach. "Wait. Let me guess. Bingham chose it for you because of its safety features."

I hate this man.

"I'm going home," I said, turning to leave, which believe it or not, only made him laugh harder.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm sorry. I won't say anything else," he said, barely getting himself to stop laughing.

"One more thing Aramis," I warned.

"I promise. Have you ever driven a sports car before though?" he asked.

"I've never really seen the appeal," I replied.

"So that's a no. I'm going to possibly endanger my life here and let you drive my car. We'll come back for yours later," he told me, handing over his car keys.

"You trust me enough with your car?" I asked, surprised.

A smirk adorned his face as a little laugh escaped. "Let me guess, he-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence."

Yes, Cain doesn't let me drive his cars.

We walked to his car, and the idiot was still laughing. Unfortunately, his laugh is contagious and I found myself laughing along. My laughter was cut short when we arrived to a shiny and stunning all black beast of a car. I'm not one for fancy sports cars, but even I would admit that this car is beautiful.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" he commented beside me.

I nodded, still in awe. "She is."

"It was only fitting that I then name her Evie," he informed, heading to the passenger side.

"What?" I asked, incredulous.

He chuckled. "Get in the car Evie."

I did as he said and I was met by a complicated interior. He explained how everything works, and soon enough, things weren't so complicated anymore. I giggled when I started the car and it roared to life. I learnt that it's a Bugatti Chiron that he had customized to 'feed his speed demon'.

"How do you feel?" he asked once we'd reached our first destination. He hadn't said anything the whole way here, letting me enjoy driving the car.

He'd only put the address into the GPS so that I knew where to go.

"That was freaking amazing. That adrenaline rush was insane. I can still feel it in my fingertips. I mean, I've never understood the thrill and the hype before, but man, that was all kinds of out of this world. I totally get why people enjoy driving sports cars," I rambled.

He was looking at me like he could see the sun inn my eyes, and I very quickly blushed. He chuckled, shaking his head, before surprising me with a hug. I unashamedly melted into his arms, hugging him back. I felt a pang of guilt when I realized how right this felt, and when he kissed my forehead, I was sure my knees would give in altogether.

"Let me show you the best place to get doughnuts," he said, taking my hand in his.

I reluctantly pulled it away. "We can't do the whole affectionate thing, even though I just let you hug me. I'm begging you to respect that boundary."

"You're saying one thing, but your eyes and your body say another. However, I get what you're saying, so I'll keep my distance," he said, looking unexpectedly sincere.

If you'd told me when I woke up that I would end up spending the day laughing and enjoying myself as much as I did with Aramis of all people, I would've had you admitted. Nonetheless, I was having undoubtedly one of the best days of my life.

"I'm so full," I whined as we sat on the swings.

"That's when it's best to sit on a swing and just sway," he said amusedly.

"It was your plan all along," I said in realization.

He laughed. "What? To get you full so that we can sit on swings?"

"Ok, it doesn't sound as devious when you say it like that," I murmured.

"It was never meant to be devious to begin with," he pointed out.

"Shut up! Why are you never like this around other people?" I asked curiously.

He looked away from me. "Like what?"

"So carefree. Everyone who knows you only has negative things to say about you. According to their perception of you, you're very gloomy, moody, closed off and very much an emotionless brute," I elaborated.

"What do you see me as?" he instead asked.

"You're known as 'the stupid brute' in my head," I joked, making him smile a little.

"But no really, I don't know what to think of you anymore. I mean, where I'm concerned, you can be a brute, but you also have this side that cares about me, takes care of me and jokes around with me. I guess it's just hard to read you, especially after a day like today," I explained.

He was silent for a while, looking out at the people in the park. "I was always an odd kid, and I had trouble making friends or keeping up with people for that matter. I know for a fact that you see the best in people, so you probably choose to see the best in my parents, but they're probably the two people who failed me most, especially my mother. She wanted her family to be so perfect that having a problematic child was a risk to her perfect image, so she shipped me off to Greece. I was raised by my grandparents who realized that I had a problem. I was admitted to a hospital, and after a series of tests, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. You're the only person who knows this now that my grandparents are gone."

Dumbfounded doesn't even begin.

"Didn't they tell your parents?" I questioned.

"I was thirteen by then, so I begged them not to say anything. I've been taking medication since, but my personality has just always been too much for people to handle, even with the medication. Your brother and Gregory are the two people who saw past my personality. They both suspect that it goes deeper than my personality, but they don't harass me about it. Artemis puts up with me, Gigi is still trying to figure me out and Zena just loves me as I am, flaws and all. My parents and I don't have much of a relationship because I'm a disappointment to them," he added.

I reached out to hold his hand. "I still don't get why you don't tell them."

"You're right in saying that people see me as an emotionless brute, and honestly, I can deal with that. I wouldn't be able to deal with people taking pity on me because I have a mental illness. I don't need anyone to make me feel like less of a person, and people tend to do that when they know things like this about you. I'd rather keep everyone at a distance," he replied.

"And what about me? You don't seem to want to keep me at a distance," I pointed out.

He looked me straight in the eyes, and I knew his next words would hit me deep. "It gets lonely when you push people away, especially when you get comfortable doing so. It becomes second nature to drown in your own darkness. When you finally see a light, you want nothing more than to keep it in your life forever."

Just as I'd suspected.

I was speechless after that, and he thankfully didn't say anything else. Instead, we sat there slowly swinging as we looked out into the horizon. The sun was setting over the city, and the park was slowly but surely clearing up. I was brought out of my thoughts by Aramis' phone beeping.

"Shoot!" he said, reading the text message.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There's a fundraiser I'm supposed to go to tonight. I forgot all about it," he informed.

"Well, take me back to the restaurant so that I can get my car and then you can head over there," I said.

"Come with me," he said suddenly.

I shook my head. "I don't think that's a good idea. People may talk."

"It's a masquerade event. Besides, you spent the whole day with me anyway. If people are going to talk, they were going to in any case," he argued.

I guess he had a point.

"What about Emily? I thought you were hiding from her," I questioned.

"Emily knows where I am. I told her yesterday," he informed.

I frowned. "And she's not here yet?"

"I told her to stop acting like a stalker and let me live my life. I'm obviously not stupid enough to believe that she'll leave me alone, but she did say she would. I think I'd like to enjoy my freedom before she goes crazy again. Now will you please not be a party pooper and come out and enjoy my freedom with me?" he begged, adding a pout.

Seriously, where is Aramis Van de Woodsen?

I laughed. "Well, I guess when you plead your case like that, I can only agree to help. What's the dress code?"

"It's formal with a mask," he informed.

"Well, I have formal clothing, but I don't have a mask," I pointed out.

"I'll handle that. Let's get going so that we're not late. I'm actually giving a speech at the event."

This man is honestly a man of many surprises. We headed back to the restaurant, with him driving this time around. I'd enjoyed driving us around the whole day, and I was definitely considering getting a sports car for sure.

We got to the restaurant and agreed that he'd pick me up from my apartment in an hour. I drove to my place and headed straight to the shower when I arrived. I was ready in record time, dressed in a silver floor length dress. I curled my hair before tying it up in a loose up-do.

By the time he knocked on the door, I was coming down the stairs. I opened the door to find him there dressed in all black. He had on a traditional tux, but instead of a white shirt, he had on a black one. He had on a different cologne, and it was dancing around my senses, drugging me almost.

"I don't know how it's possible, but you look even more stunning. This is for you," he said, handing me my favourite flower.

A single white lily.

Blushing, I accepted the flower. "Thank you. You look handsome yourself."

"Why thank you," he said charmingly, making me roll my eyes at him.

I locked up before we headed down. This time we weren't taking the Bugatti. Instead, we were taking his equally classy and all black Rolls Royce Ghost. This time he was driving, and we listened to a classical album as he drove to the hotel.

We arrived and the valet came over to open the door for me before taking the keys from Aramis. He handed me my mask before putting his on. I followed suit and we entered without bothering to entertain the press. I wasn't in the mood, and it was obvious that neither was he.

I learnt that the fundraiser was for mental illnesses and that Aramis was the guest of honour as the co-founder of the organization and its highest paying benefactor. The master of ceremonies mentioned that none of them can understand why the cause means so much to Aramis, but they're grateful for all he does.

"Does your family know about this?" I asked him as we danced. They were playing one of my father's favourite songs, something we were both aware of, and he asked me to dance.

"No, but then again, I revealed my identity to everyone. They were all wondering about the silent co-founder of the foundation, and tonight was the first time I was revealing myself to them," he informed.

"How come?" I asked.

He twirled me around before bringing me back to his chest. "It's not like I'm telling anyone that I have a mental illness, but I guess I wanted to be known as less of a brute. A certain feisty woman called me carefree today and I've never been called that before. I much liked it, and I know this doesn't automatically mean that I'm seen as a different person altogether, but everyone starts somewhere right?"

"Aramis, you don't have to change yourself to suit anyone else. Anyone who doesn't accept you fully for who you are doesn't deserve to have you open yourself up to them," I said strongly.

"Do you?" he asked.

"Do I what?" I countered.

Once again he twirled me and brought me back to his chest. "Accept me fully for who I am."

My next words had the potential to change the rest of my life, and at that moment, I just didn't know it.

"I do."

***

Elo Smurflettes

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