Things have been off
It's been a few days since Stella moved into my apartment, not all of her stuff but only what is necessary for now. It wasn't different from before, Stella has been here so it was fine. The only difference was she was sleeping with me, to be more precise beside me.
The first night, I couldn't sleep, not even a small blink. I spent my whole night sitting on the chair trying to distract myself from her. But did it work? Absolutely not
She caught me
Obviously she did, the dark circles which were signaling my lack of sleep the next morning. Stella spent 15 minutes laughing at my state, she is a heavy sleeper so she didn't have much trouble sleeping in my bed but I was still processing the fact she was here
Anyways
The next night I somehow brought myself to sleep. The consequences? I was hugging her so tightly that I didn't let her get up and she ended up getting late for her classes and I was late for my work. I think I got too comfortable, not gonna lie. It was the best sleep I had in years
The third night we kept in mind to avoid any mistakes and it worked well. It felt good having her around, waking up to see her face every morning.
Eat breakfast together
Have lunch separately because of our works
Back home, cook dinner together trying out different recipes even if they don't turn out well.
Read books together
Watching movies
But Stella wasn't able to relax, after the stalker incident she was terrified. She didn't use her car to travel anymore, I didn't mind dropping her off and picking her up from her university yet I could see she was avoiding being left alone.
She didn't wanna go out for dates and preferred to stay in
She always took buddy whenever going to nearby places, if alone. Buddy was doing a good job accompanying her when I wasn't around
She is trying her best to show that she is fine, when she is not. She doesn't smile like she used to, a bit of discomfort still lingers in her gaze.
Even after looking through everything, there was still no evidence about that guy who broke into her dorm. The management wasn't believing it, and why would they? It would affect their reputation so they are ignoring this matter
I sigh, stepping inside the apartment, Stella doesn't notice me as she is busy watching the movie playing on the television. Buddy barks, grabbing her attention as she turns around and notices me.
"Hey" I smile
She quickly gets up and walks towards me with a small smile on her face. Opening her arms she pulls me into a hug, I Chuckle hugging her back pressing a kiss on her forehead "How was your day?" She mumbles against my chest
"As usual, what about you?"
She shakes her head with a small sigh "nothing much" there is a hint of boredom in her voice. She has been spending all her time inside. She takes a step back and her eyes fall on my hand, before she could react i try to hide it but it's already too late
"What happened to you?" She almost yells, taking my right hand her fingers trace across my knuckles which are slightly red and scratched due to certain activities
I chuckle awkwardly and slip my hand out "nothing, happened at work" I try to cover up. She looks at me with a suspicious gaze "You sure?"
I nod, making her sigh in agreement
"Hey, how about we do something at home? It's been a while right?" I suggest running my hand through her hair. She looks at me, an excited smile creeps on her lips "I do have something in mind" she replies
"Yeah, what is it?"
She takes a step back with a small grin on her face which is making me feel a bit suspicious "You should freshen up first," she says, pushing me towards our room. I glance at her "okay?" I mutter walking inside the bathroom to freshen up
After that, I take a shower and change into comfortable clothes. As I open the door I find Stella waiting for me "Go back inside" she orders. I raise my eyebrow and her words and take a step back as she follows me inside.
Where is this going?
"Against the wall" she says, stepping inside. My eyes widened at her order. I raise my hand stopping her "isn't that supposed to be my line?" I say, looking at her with a mixture of confusion and excitement
She chuckles taking out a small box from the shelves "you are reading too many of my books, becoming delusional" she mocks with a hint of playfulness
A chuckle escapes my mouth, yeah I may have been reading too many of her books but what's wrong with that? It's for her
She turns towards me holding the small box, a baby pink metal one. Almost which looks like a makeup box. With a mischievous smile she opens the box revealing the insides
I step closer to take a look. A sigh escapes my mouth realizing her plan. Skincare
"So? Are you up for it?" She asks excitedly
Looking at her happy expressions I couldn't help but agree. She giggles keeping the box on the countertop and removing different bottles of different sizes in fact of various brands. She takes one of the creams on her fingertips and starts rubbing it across my skin.
I bend my neck lower to give her better access. "I don't think this is necessary, my skin is perfectly fine" I mumble, trying to prevent whatever that's gonna happen with my skin after this. She narrows her eyes at me "are you defying me?"
I open my mouth but shut it down and shake my head. "That's better" She nods with satisfaction and continues to apply the cold substance on my face with a smile. I could see how much she is enjoying this
I sigh softly looking at her peaceful expression.
How could I ever say no to her?
Her fingers gently move across my face, applying the cream to every inch of my skin carefully. "You know I binged watched all the Harry Potter movies and woahhh" her sentence gets cut off as I pick her up making her sit on the counter top.
She looks at me surprised but soon relaxes "comfortable?" I ask, placing my hands on the sides. She nods scooting back, I place my hand on her lower back to support her.
"So did you like the movies?" I ask, gesturing to her to continue. She smiles "yeah they were so good, I just watched the first movie in my childhood but the whole series was amazing!" She exclaims
Yeah, she did mention she didn't watch those movies. She was more of a Disney girl growing up.
She takes another skincare product and starts applying it on my face again "I bet your favorite character is Draco" I guess. She gasped at my words "How did you know?"
I chuckle "You always like the bad boy type of characters, I knew you would like him" with her book taste it's not that hard to guess, plus that character is really famous and liked sometimes more than the main characters
She giggles, her fingers moving on my cheeks "That's true, but I didn't get enough of it. I want more of the story, the magic, the vibes. Everything made me feel like a child again"
I hum in response
"You know my Hogwarts house is Hufflepuff!" She reveals. I nod acknowledging it, I think her personality does suit it. "What's your house?" She questions. I think for a moment trying to remember, it was so long back when I tried that quiz thing "I think it was ravenclaw, why do you ask"
She opens her mouth and nods "that actually suits you, I just wanted to know" she shrugs her shoulders continuing to do the skincare, step after step. As I stand there silently.
"If you liked the movies so much why don't you try reading the books? I read a few in my childhood. They were nice. You would like them too" I say, with a suggestion. Her being a book lover she would definitely like them more than the movies
"Yeah but I don't have any" she mumbles
"I will take you to the bookstore tomorrow" I say, her eyes widened in surprise "what? Oh no need. If I go to the bookstore I will end up buying too many books" she chuckles at her behavior
I rub her back gently "So? Buy whatever you want, as many as you want" I brush my nose to hers, slightly redness covers her cheeks "I am already taking up so much space in your room, no need for more book-"
I hush her before she could complete
"Correction, it's 'our' room" I remind, empathizing with the word 'our'. I don't care how long she is staying with me, she can use anything here as it's hers. "And that's not for you to worry about the space I will think of something" I add
She giggles at my words, her voice echoing in the bathroom "don't blame me for reducing your bank balance"
I smirk "Spend it as much as you want, I can always earn more"
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I stretch my arms with a groan feeling soreness in my muscles. I smile looking at the shelf and all the books arranged accordingly in a perfect manner. I take a step back looking at it making sure it's ready to show Stella.
As she is staying with me and almost all her stuff is brought here, I decided to bring her a book shelf too. I arranged it in the spare room she was using for her designing and now for studying.
Buddy stands beside me waggling his tale, curiously looking at the large white shelf in front of him. I clap my hands grabbing his attention "time to wake her up!" Listening to me without wasting a second he runs off to our bedroom.
I chuckle following him, he loves to wake up Stella every morning. As I enter the room I find him near Stella while she is deep in slumber, the blanket sprawled across the bed. She is a heavy sleeper and a messy one too. Buddy slowly and carefully tugs on the scrunchie which is holding Stella's hair in a low ponytail
Every delicately he pulls the scrunchie out of her without disturbing her even a bit. I look at him amazed by his skills. He holds her scrunchie in his mouth. Stella said her scrunchies have been going missing, now I know where
I walk towards the edge of the bed and try to wake her up "Time to wake up, Freckles" I say softly caressing her forehead. She whines, burying her face in the pillows, she is totally not a morning person. Not to mention it's afternoon now
I try to shake her a bit but she just shrugs me off and ignores me. I chuckle at her stubborn behavior. Knowing she won't wake up anytime soon, I scoop her in my arms. She smiles opening her eyes and wrapping her arms around my shoulders to support herself
"Did you rest well?" I ask
She nods snuggling in my neck making soft noises, I could notice her sleepy eyes. I carry her out of the room, taking her to the other one. Buddy walks ahead and pushes the door open helping me enter "Good job" I praise him
I stand in front of the shelf cradling Stella in my arms "Open your eyes" I mumble kissing her forehead. She sighs and her eyes flutter open she looks at me and turn her head towards the shelf, my eyes enlarged at the scene and a loud gasp escapes her lips
"See? Now you can keep as many books as you want" I say
She screams, her happiness over the moon. I slowly put her down on her feets. She strides towards the shelf with eagerness and views each and every book. I took some good time making sure to arrange it accordingly, few with the series, standalone with their tropes and a separate section for the dark romance
Tried to peek in it, but backed off knowing I am not allowed to
I can read any of the books except for the dark ones and I still don't know why? After Stella completes a book she leaves small notes for me in it while I read the book. I love it when she does it, few of them even have her lipstick mark on it.
The best notes
Collecting as many as I could
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She jumps excitedly and turns around to face me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I wrap my arm around her waist lifting her a bit off floor
"You" a kiss on my forehead"are" a kiss on my left cheek "the" a kiss on my left cheek "best" a kiss on the tip of my nose "boyfriend ever!" and finally a kiss on my lips
I laugh, my heart beating with each brush of her lips against my skin. I sigh softly, kissing her back, holding her in my arms.
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"You had to see his face! He was looking like red from angry birds!" Jasmine's laugh from the screen, following her Stella also snickers at her story line. Even though Jasmine isn't mentioning his name I know very well that she is talking about my brother
Jasmine staying in my house has brought nothing but chaos for Lucas. Everyday I receive a text from Aunt Lia as she updates me about their banter. Running and chasing each other and sometimes throwing things at each other too. Aunt Lia enjoys it very much, mom doesn't know about all this because both Lucas and Jasmine behave like good kids in front of her
They are good actors
Mia even commented that 'they definitely met in a zoo or something' because of the nicknames they gave each other
"You need to stop troubling him , Jasmine. He will take revenge" Stella says, teasing her best friend. But Jasmine just laughs it off not caring about the consequences she would face if Lucas is pushed off limits.
I poured some water for buddy in his bowl, it's been getting hot lately and he has been really thirsty because of the weather. Gotta keep refilling it.
Stella and Jasmine keep talking on FaceTime, they have this never ending conversation which has been going on for the past two hours. Sometimes about books or Jasmine's favorite movie she watched recently or just Stella talking about how it feels to stay with me
Do I like it? Yeah!
"Jasmine! What the hell did you do with my shirt!" A loud scream comes from the phone and my head snaps in the direction. I walk closer to the couch and recognising it was Lucas's voice. "Damn-I got caught. Gotta go bye!" Jasmine rambles and hangs up the call.
She did something to piss off lucas again
Stella laughs at her expressions she gave before disappearing "your brother will kill my best friend" she comments
I scoff, shaking my head "I don't know about killing her, but he is definitely gonna do something else" I hint and walk away, Stella turns around looking at me suspiciously "what is that supposed to mean?"
I shrug off my shoulders "Nothing, don't worry about it"
She frowns, but she doesn't need to worry about her friend. "Let's go, it's time," I say, grabbing my wallet and phone. It's already afternoon and time for us to visit the bookstore. "Yeah one second, I gotta send Jasmine something," Stella says, grabbing her laptop, she stays seated on the couch doing something on her laptop while I grab my car keys.
I pour her a glass of water, to stay hydrated before we leave. I grab the glass and walk towards her. My steps halts noticing her expressions "freckles?" I call her but she keeps staring at the screen. Her lips pressed together in a thin line, a bit of moist forming on her eyes.
I quickly put the glass away and step closer to her to get a better look. Her hands gripped the edges of the laptop and her eyes glued to the screen. I lean closer, a sigh escapes my mouth reading the email. I sit beside her and slide the laptop away from her grip, she looks down at her lap, her hands trembling.
Oh No-
Her design got rejected by NYX
I take her hand in mine and a teardrops on my skin followed by a sob. I scoot her closer in my arms, rubbing her back gently trying to comfort her. "It's alright" I whisper against her hair. Her hand fists my shirt as she buries her face in my neck sobbing
I keep caressing her back trying to calm her, her soft breaths mixed with the heart breaking sobs, her hand shaking in mine. My heart aches as I see her becoming a sobbing wreck, I hold her in a tight embrace stroking her hair
The voice of her cries screaming how much hurt she is. She couldn't get what she wanted the most, the one she worked for day and night.
-E-mail:
This is to inform you of the outcome of the recent design competition held by NYX . After rigorous evaluation by our judging panel, I regret to inform you that your design submission has not been selected
Please understand that this decision was made after thorough consideration of all submissions against the competition's established criteria and standards.
While your design was not chosen on this occasion, we want to express our appreciation for your participation and the quality of work demonstrated in your submission. We understand the dedication and talent required to create such designs, and we commend your efforts.
We encourage you to continue pursuing your creative endeavors, as your skills and passion for design are commendable and undoubtedly hold promise for future opportunities.
Thank you once again for your participation. We extend our best wishes for your continued success in your design pursuits.
I regret to inform you that your design submission has not been selected
I regret to inform you that your design submission has not been selected
I regret to inform you that your design submission has not been selected
I failed
I failed
Oh God
I failed again
What am I gonna do now?
How did this happen?
Why?
Didn't I do enough? Was it not enough? Were my efforts not enough? Where did it go wrong? No, where did I go wrong? I thought I did well. Did I do well? Certainly not-
If I did, I would have succeeded, but I didn't do enough. I didn't try my best, I couldn't succeed. I failed
I failed in achieving something I wanted the most
I failed miserably
I failed him and his trust in me
Oh God
My fist clenches his shirt, the tears flow down my cheeks staining his shirt. He holds me tight against him, cradling me while stroking my hair. I could hear his heart beating
He whispers some soothing words in my ear, his voice soft and gentle comforting me. But I can't understand anything that's happening, my heart pounding as if it could explode. What I feared the most has happened. Failure
Something everyone told me, that I will fail, i couldn't succeed and they were right. I can't even do a small thing. How could I become a fashion designer? I couldn't even pass a small test
Liam lifts my face, his hands cupping my face. His eyes softened looking at my messed up face, my vision blurry due to the tears. "You are okay," he mutters, holding me close. His thumb brushes across my cheeks wiping off the tears
"I failed, I couldn't do it!" But I can't stop, another sob breaks out of my throat, Liam's expression changes to a more concerned one, he hugs me tight. His grip on me is as tight as iron.
"I am sorry, I am so sorry. I let you down" I mumble, my voice cracking between the sobs. He believed in me the most, he was the one who supported me the most throughout this journey yet I let him down.
He shakes his head "No you didn't, you did well" he mutters softly, his hand on either side of my face "You did amazing,you worked so hard" he continues to assure me, trying to calm me down. I choke due to the constant cries, He places his hand on my back rubbing it.
I take deep breaths to stabilize myself
Liam keeps wiping my tears "you didn't let me down. I am proud of you, Stella. You have done your best, you did everything you could. I saw your efforts, you know your efforts" he says stroking my hair.
I stop crying listening to his words, I lean closer to him burying my face in his neck. He sighs softly and brings me on his lap wrapping his arms around my waist "I am here" he says leaning against the couch with me in his arms "let it out, I will be here. I will always be here for you Freckles" he whispers
He is here
He will be here
I wrap my arms around him, hugging him tightly. Trying to relax in his arms , to forget the pain and disappointment. His embrace provides me with comfort and I could lose myself in it.
Message
3:09pm
Ethan: hey. Come see me
3:12pm
Ethan: Are you doing well?
Can we meet?
3:15pm
Ethan: It's urgent
Please
3:16pm
Ethan: Please Ella
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Author's Note
Finally updated ð Thanks for bearing with me. But guys please understand that I have a personal life too, and I will assure you guys that I won't leave Scent of Love just hanging. You gotta wait a little if I can't update, I will inform y'all about it on my Instagram or Wattpad message board
The next chapter will have 'love confession ' ð¤ who do you think will confess first? ð
And why is Ethan suddenly messaging Stella? ð¤¨
Follow me on Instagram for updates - Id authorvenus
Voting target- 310+ votes & 150+ comments
-have a nice day ð