Welcome to Picktober III: Choices October Challenge
October being the wonderful and inspiring month that it is has led to a number of —tober themed creative labels over the years. This is our third year celebrating Picktober which encourages you to pick your very favorite —tober prompts to inspire something wonderful!
Guidelines
Submitted works will be featured on a weekly masterlist
Every form of creative work can be submitted: fanfiction, drabbles, moodboards, edits, drawings, poems, songs, sketches, and more—all are welcomed.
Work from any book and story from the Choices (and Pixelberry) universe are welcome (new and old alike)!
You can participate as many times as you want during the month
Clearly list the prompt your work is based on
Please add a cut to avoid long posts and exposing other fans to triggering/disturbing content.
If your work is NS*W please label it as such and use appropriate warnings. Adult content should be hidden under the page break.
You must be at least 18 years of age to submit and interact with adult content including Kinktober prompts
You can get creative with the prompts. It can be a variation of the word and/or concept. It doesn’t have to be exact or literal. If the word inspires a train of thought that led you to something different, put that in the notes and send it in! Have fun with it! Make them work for you! The ultimate goal is just to find joy in creating!
No AI generated content, please
Can be combined with any other prompts and events
Please tag @choicesmonthlychallenge and if you’d like to add me you can do so as well~ @lovealexhunt (feel free to DM me your work too since Tumblr tags are fickle)
summary: What better way to use a closet mirror, conveniently placed beside the bed than to see you writhe in his arms?
pairing: damien nazario x f!mc (written as ‘you’, no name usage)
warnings: mature/smut (minor DNI!)
a/n: couldn’t just leave our man Nazario out after writing for Beckett, so please enjoy this fic with our favourite private investigator! ‘you’ can be yourself or your OC! and don’t forget to leave some sugar! ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ
» fancy reading another choices fic? check out my m.list!
disclaimer! this is a submission for:
‘CFWC Naughty & Nice’ by @choicesficwriterscreations with the prompts (Naughty); “I can’t move.” “That’s the idea.”
‘Picktober: Choices October Challenge’ by @choicesmonthlychallenge using the prompts (Kinktober); Biting & Mirrors.
'The single piece of furniture, plus your scandalous moans playing in his head on a loop continuously taunting him.' ;
It was hard for Damien to believe that it's been six months since the end of the whole Eros incident. Though he has yet to sleep without waking up in a cold sweat every once in a while, he was definitely getting better by the day.
Plus, with you in his arms at every step of the way, he'd say he's doing pretty good!
Time flies when you're with the right person— as cliché as it sounds, the statement had resonated with him the moment he knew he wanted to be more than just your friend. He remembered Nadia offering him to hang out with the three of you as a thank-you for dealing with her stalker problem. He also remembered having second thoughts about it, considering how he's always ever avoided making friends with his clients. Yet, somehow, it was the need to see you again that pushed him to say yes.
No matter how hard he tried to deny his own feelings, he knew he had no chance of winning, and he'd often thank the universe for it.
So, getting the opportunity to enjoy an entire week in Hawaii with you, especially after a slew of misfortunes and just plain stress in the office, was like dying a hero.
Not that he'd call himself a hero.
Then again, he couldn't say that in front of you. Don't ever say that, you'd probably admonish him, but not out of anger.
Oh, you. Wonderful, wonderful you. Just an embodiment of pure love and hope.
He hasn't moved from his spot ever since he reluctantly let you leave the bed, glancing between the window and the bathroom. He was conflicted between watching the picturesque sunset and seeing you walking to and fro in the bathroom sink as you did your makeup.
You and Damien had just woken up, having been forced to follow Nadia and Steve to visit the local attractions at the crack of dawn. Sloane, Khaan and Hayden's presence made the activity bearable, considering it wasn't just you and Damien in that ten hour-torture. But what could he do? Nadia was the one paying for the trip, so Damien knew better than to bitch and whine about her itinerary.
Plus, Nadia knew he didn't hate it, as long as you were around, you knew your ways of distracting him.
He covered his eyes with one arm, the cloud-like pillow and your humming nearly lulled him back to sleep, only to raise his head at your soft 'fuck!'.
Something about the noise you made immediately had eyes landing on the closet mirror next to him. The single piece of furniture, plus your scandalous moans playing in his head on a loop continuously taunting him.
Fuck it.
And just like, he shot out of bed, unwilling to ignore what he had been wanting to do the second he got here.
Seeing you meticulously work on your lashes, he was nice enough to knock on the door, your expression shifting from extreme focus to a wide grin.
“Morning, handsome,” You joked and yet, you continued with perfecting your wing, “We should be getting ready, Nadia's been torturing my phone for like, 30 minutes now.”
As if on cue, the 'ding!' coming from your phone only supported your explanation, the 17th message from none other than Mrs Park herself.
Damien answered you with a hum, leaning against the door frame and watching you with his sharp eyes. He took in your current appearance; Dazzling and downright luscious, dressed to the nines, despite the lack of clothing covering you up. A naughty little vixen. A single taste of you and his self-restraints will immediately snap.
“Damien?” You didn’t look back at him, despite his lack of response, only for you to freeze up when he came up to you ever so slowly. The way he approached you with such a look made you feel like a prey, a thought that you couldn’t help yourself as you rubbed your thighs together.
He must’ve noticed it, chuckling as he stood behind you, his erection barely hiding behind his briefs as he pinned you against the counter.
“What are you doing?” You finally met his eyes in the mirror, giving him a nervous giggle.
“Just… appreciating.”
“Yeah? Well, do you mind if you…” You motioned him to step back with your free hand, “Move back a little?”
“Now, why would I do that?” His voice got deeper as if your question had offended him despite the mischief in his tone. You only thought of putting the brush down when he placed both of his hands on either side of you, trapping you between his hard chest and the counter.
“I… I can’t move.” The prominent bulge was impossible to ignore, especially when he began rolling his hips into your backside. You choked out a gasp, the mascara was long forgotten as it dropped to the floor, hints of ink smearing the marble top when it slipped out of your fingers.
“That’s the idea.”
He didn't give you the time to process and dragged you out to the bedroom, carrying you via bridal style. Your demands to put you down were as effective as a Pomeranian yapping at its owner, with Damien's chest reverberating with laughter against you.
Surprisingly, instead of placing you down on the bed as you expected, he sat on the edge of the bed, which faced the unexplainably long mirror. Damien knew he got you exactly where he wanted the second he heard your breath hitching, and he knew it wasn’t only because he had you on his lap.
It was the first thing you noticed when you checked in, the placement and sheer size of it drove your mind to run wild. It didn’t last long, though, for you were forced to snap out of it when Damien came in seconds later. But you should’ve known better than to think he didn’t notice, too focused on the idea of being ravished in front of it to see the smug on his face. You lied when he asked if you were okay, answering him ever so softly without meeting his gaze before running off to the bathroom ‘to change into your bikini’ despite forgetting to grab your swimwear out of your luggage.
Since then, his imagination, too, became anything but appropriate, though if he wasn’t being honest, he would’ve thought about it regardless. But the real problem was finding the right time for it. Since the very first day, he had you bouncing on his cock in the luxurious bathtub and has gone down on you in the sauna but not once have the two of you used the bed. Whether it was because you were too tired or too comfortable in the sheets, and in Damien’s arms no less, it didn’t matter anymore, because he was going to change that.
To hell with Nadia’s plans tonight, he had other priorities.
The way his warm breath tickled your neck as he perched his chin on your shoulder, his calloused hands running up and down your hips before settling them on your top. He grazed his teeth across your neck, easily finding the sweet spot that sent shivers down your spine. He didn’t spare you a second before biting into the soft skin, huffing out in amusement when you choked out a gasp, writhing in his arms, and he didn’t just do it once.
He didn’t want just one hickey on your pretty neck, after all.
He fondled your breasts, feeling your nipples tighten under the material. He dragged the top down, the material folding under your breasts and accentuating your assets. His mouth was dying to latch onto your nipples, but he was already too entranced by the current view in front of him. That didn’t mean who wouldn’t do it later.
He never said he’d be done with it after one round.
And the second his fingers brushed against your sensitive bud, he knew you were done for.
The way his fingers pumped in and out of your pussy had you squirming in his lap, his lips unconsciously parting with yours as he watched your face contort in pleasure. He didn’t even bother removing your panties, opting to move the offending material aside before easing in his thick, middle finger. The more he curled his fingers into you, the more you soaked both his briefs, down to the bedsheets. Not that he gave a shit anyway. In fact, it was exactly what he wanted to see, the same way he wanted to hear that delicious squelching.
Your head rolled back, resting it against his shoulder as he leaned in and whispered.
“Open your eyes, mi vida,” You whined, both from the nickname and how his voice went so far as to make you tighten around his fingers. He growled at the sensation, but managed to keep it together before continuing, “Look at yourself in the mirror and see how gorgeous you are.”
You tried to, you really did, but with the way rolled his hips against yours, it was almost impossible to even open your eyes, let alone keep your head up.
So, he helped you out.
His other hand moved from your waist, his fingers sliding from the valley of your breasts, tits now hard from when he rolled them just moments ago, before holding you by the jaw. It was nowhere near rough, but enough to help you look up.
If it wasn’t for Damien, you would’ve looked away just as quickly, your body growing hotter than you thought was possible at the sight; your skin glowing from the sheen of sweat and dim light coming from the bathroom, his thick fingers thrusting in and out of your tight hole and those blown out pupils of his as he watched you, right before his eyes met yours, now far less innocent of a situation then your brief conversation in the bathroom earlier.
“Cancel our plans,” You didn’t even know what he was talking about at first, not especially when he turned your head to look at him, hair disheveled and looking feral, “I want you to see how beautiful you cum in the mirror. Over and over again.”
˚ · . f i n . · ˚
» gorgeous rose divider by the amazing @firefly-graphics ♡
Prompts: @choicesmonthlychallenge : falltober ; @choicesficwriterscreations : an autumn walk
Synopsis: Bryce and Olivia take a walk in the Public Garden. [Art]
There is nothing quite like autumn in New England. The vibrant array of colors, the sharp, earthy scent filling the air, the abundance of apples and pumpkins just waiting to be picked, the warm, familiar comfort of a cozy sweater on a cool afternoon, the crisp breeze blowing across the pages of an old book, the bittersweet reminder of the beauty in endings and new beginnings—Autumn in New England was something special. It was a kind of magic, both old and new—one that had to be experienced to be understood. It was an enchantment Olivia knew well, but one Bryce was still discovering.
The quiet of the Boston Public Garden offered a momentary escape from the bustling metropolis of the city just outside. The pair strolled hand in hand, bumping shoulders from time to time. The idyllic breeze wrapped them with its brisk, refreshing scent. Leaves fluttered, gliding down from the crimson, orange, and golden trees, and tumbled across their path. Every now and then, a dry leaf offered a satisfying crunch beneath their feet.
His thumb caressed softly over the back of her hand for a moment before he lifted their joined hands to his lips, brushing a tender kiss across her knuckles.
Olivia's face warmed at the adoration she found when she met his gaze. She tucked a loose strand of her fiery hair behind her ear. "What was that for?"
"Do I need a reason?" Bryce lowered their hands as he took a step forward. "In fact—" He pulled her into him, spinning her quickly against his chest. "—much better." He kissed her softly at first, but no longer able to resist, he lifted her into his arms.
Her mouth slipped open further in surprise at his sudden affection, allowing Bryce to take the opportunity to deepen their embrace.
Olivia forgot the warmth rising in her cheeks and the public setting they found themselves in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, meeting the heat of his lips over and over.
Swirling splashes of color danced around them as they kissed beneath the falling leaves. The wonder of the season had taken hold of them both.
His kisses slowed as he gently lowered her to the ground. Bryce held her in his arms, letting the moment linger. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
"I think you just did." Olivia chewed her lower lip, a blissful look spreading wide across her face. "I love you, too."
Bryce held out his hand to her. "Shall we?"
She laced her fingers with his, offering a gentle squeeze. "We shall!"
The two continued on, matching smiles on their faces as they gazed in wonder, enjoying the dazzling display of autumn painting the park around them.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this pointless fluffy drabble. Bryce absolutely randomly pulls Olivia into his arms for kisses. How could he not? She is so pretty and smart and amazing! And Bryce is just Bryce! *dreamy eyes at the both of them*
A/N: Olivia is from Rhode Island so New England fall is always one of her favorites.
The Haunted Halloween Predictions (Ch3) - A TE Halloween mini-series
I didn’t proofread this due to lack of time, excuse some mistakes!
Book: The Elementalists, book 2, sophomore year, 30th of October.
TW: Cursing
Rating: PG
Pairing: Beckett Harrington x f!MC
Other Characters: The rest of the Pend Pals! <3
Words: 1471
Summary: This is the third chapter of my Halloween mini-series: ‘The Haunted Halloween Predictions’.
A/N: This whole series is my submission for the Picktober challenge @choicesmonthlychallenge for the prompt ‘Tarot Cards’ and this chapter is also my submission for Naughty & Nice @choicesficwriterscreations for the prompt ‘Autumn walks’. All prompts will be in bold.
Tags: @theclassycandy
Let me know if you want to be tagged in future fanfics or TE content!
And on that note, i hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3: Aster and Estelle
So, turns out, these cards have a mind of their own, and not even Zeph knew about it. Should Estelle be surprised? Probably not, since it is a magickal deck, after all. But even after just over a year in this world, she still is.
“Is that.. Aster?” Estelle almost spills her drink while leaning over the table to get a better look. It couldn’t be anyone else. Her vibrant smile, the lively leaves in her hair, still shifting to form more defined lines. Aster gingerly leans forward in her chair.
“I guess that means I’m up next..,” she hesitantly says, worried eyes glued to the card.
“It’s not because some conceited cards tell you that that you’re required to,” Beckett cuts in.
“Uh, she definitely is! The cards chose her!” Shreya immediately objects.
“It’s fine, you guys. I want to.” She sits up straighter in her chair. “Let me see what they have for me.” Zeph goes to grab the deck, but, as if activated by Asters’ words, it quickly produces two more cards, floating them next to the first one.
It’s raining inside. And very cloudy. The raindrops feel cold on her skin. She’s standing behind the bar and filling up and handing out various drinks. The people all smile at her. In some weird way the droplets seem to miss them everytime. Suddenly, her heart starts slowing down and her vision blurs. Then a black void sucks her in. She’s not afraid. She knows this feeling. She’s branching.
The branching shows her images, and gives her these weird feelings. The images show Estelle. And Atlas? Or is it Atlas and Estelle? Her brain knows the solution, but somehow it stays buried deep down in her long term memory, where things get foggy and dull. Anger. There’s anger. No, frustration? Angry frustration. It changes very rapidly. Now everything gets more of a sad filter… She still can’t make out who’s feeling what, and if the mix is a mix of emotion coming from one person, or just the both of them together. It fades and the place she was in first fades back in.
“These cookies are mine, yes sir!”
Now, that was Atlas. Recognizing that disembodied voice is piece of cake. She looks around the big space, trying to find the Moon Atts’ location, but the dimmed lights don’t allow her to see past a few feet. Also that rain that is clouding her vision… Further in the room, the door swings open, and a figure steps outside, followed by a second one. Aster looks down at the drink she’s preparing, and then it all clicks.
“You guys I know why Atlas was so mad at Estelle!” Everybody immediately turns their attention back to Aster.
“That was fast,” Griffin remarks. She’s only been away for a minute, at a maximum. Estelle perks up from flattening out wrinkly candywrappers by the mention of her name.
“See, I told you, Ace of Swords means clarity! Tell us, Aster!” Zeph expresses.
“Well, actually, Estelle was mad at Atlas. I think.” She pauses for a second, and frowns. “Hold on… No, Atlas was mad at Estelle? Huh..” She sags in her chair and sighs.
“Estelle pushed me. That’s why I was mad,” she sulks while rolling the soft inside of a slice of pumpkinbread into a ball.
“In a vision! Gods…” Estelle pulls her legs up on the chair. Will she ever let this go?
“Just tell us the reason!” Shreya gushes.
“I… She was sad. And angry and frustrated. I branched in my vision.. It was weird. Oh, and it was raining inside!” Zeph and Beckett throw out their questions at the same time.
“Who was sad?” Zeph asks.
“How was it raining inside?” Beckett asks.
“I don’t know?!” she answers.
“Which one don’t you know?” Griffin adds.
“Both.. The feelings were so mixed up, complicated and overwhelming..” She pauses for a breath. “And the rain… I can’t explain. It wasn’t magickal.” She takes a sip of her drink, and everyone seems to eye someone else. Shrey puts her elbows on the table and leans on them, rubbing her temples.
“I’m really confused. I don’t know what to make of this,” she says.
“Do all the visions link up or are these all separate events?” Right. That’s a good question. Estelle looks in the direction of her favourite voice and nods.
“They need to be connected somehow. If Aster got something about our ‘fight’ that Atlas got in her vision…”
“How does mine play into this? I had nothing of that,” Griffin skeptically cuts in. Estelle inclines her head to think. Griffin’s right. Then Aster stirs.
“You had something about a party, right? I think I was at a party too!”
“So they are related. Maybe, we could make a full image of the night by putting them all together,” Beckett explains, his hands moving with his animated expression. Estelle shakes her head.
“But these are just predictions. The chances they’ll come true..”
“What about we look at your vision, and see if it’s interconnected with the other ones?” Zeph suggests. Oh hell yeah. She’s down.
“Okay, pull those cards! I wanna see.” Zeph gathers the Ace of Swords, Three of Wands and the Chariot and sticks them back into the deck. After some shuffling, three new ones get pulled. Estelles’ head instantly starts spinning.
Estelle opens her eyes. She knows where she is. It’s not exactly a where. But it is an exactly. She’s in her brain. It’s like staring into the pitch black. She tries to reach out by yelling a ‘Hello?’ into the void. Nothing. She tries again and again, and after a few times, the darkness warps, and she feels herself being pulled to the surface.
She’s back. Back where this all started. In that half-assed bathroom at the university she didn’t want to be at. She tries to stick her hand through the mirror, to get away from that hellhole, but her fingertips hit the glass. In the mirror, the figure she now knows is Atlas stares back at her. She touches her own hair. The short, almost white locks glide through her fingers. Hold on. She actually has this hair? What!? She steps back in disbelief, and her surroundings change, warmer colours, and she recognizes her dorm, before she stumbles into someone. It’s Beckett. He regards her wearily for some reason. She can’t place it, just like how her room is the same but also totally different at the same time. She reaches out to touch his arm, but it just passes through him, and she stumbles forward, loosing balance, and falling into a corner of the room. All of a sudden, a pressing sense of emotion washes over her. It overwhelms her, and she hugs her knees to her chest. Everything feels wrong. Why is everything wrong? Everything’s too much… She squeezes her eyes closed, and like a ‘pop’, she’s standing outside. Dark, cold, windy outside. Leaves tumble over the quad. And there’s Beckett again. He doesn’t seem so confused this time. More.. worried?
“Do you want to take a walk?” He sticks out his hand. Weird.
“Seriously? It’s one a.m,” she answers. Apparently it is one a.m.. She didn’t know she knew that.
“That’s the best part.” The way he says it lifts the stress off of her shoulders. He’s right. Autumn walks at one a.m. objectively are the best.
“Fine.” She walks up to him, and he holds out his hand. She looks at it, but doesn’t dare take it. What if it’s just an illusion, like last time? A fraction of a second, her vision glitches, and then her hand is in his, warmth spreading over her palm.
“Estelle? Are you okay?” She shakes her head. Wow. She’s back. Everyone is looking at her. Why are they looking so… nervous?
“Yeah…”
“You were crying..,” Aster softly says. Estelle feels her cheeks. Damn it! She swiftly wipes the tears off of them and tries to not flush.
“Sorry.”
“Was it that bad?” Shreya magicks over a tissue.
“No, it was very weird. I felt… bad. I was back at my last uni, and then here… No party, though.” She doesn’t want to tell them everything. What made her cry. That probably was the fact that Beckett wasn’t real. She shivers with the thought. He’s sitting right there, but still. If she lost him, she doesn’t know how, and if she would survive that. Shit, it this really the moment she needed to realize that?
“Ahw, man! We lost out common denominator..,” Zeph expresses.
“She still felt bad. Aster had that, right?” Griffin adds. Aster nods. Then Shreya determinedly slams her hand on the table.
“Okay, we need to get to the bottom of this. I vote for myself for the next vision!”
A/N: If you want to know more about my OC’s in my TE universe, click here. If you want to read more, here’s my masterlist with all the fics on it! (dated <3) Another thing: you can find sneak peeks of future fics and other posts on my masterlist (indicated with coming soon!) Last thing: my asks are still open! If you want headcanons or anything, don’t be shy, ask some more :)
For her Diwali visit to her family, Arundhati thought of taking Ethan with her to finally meet her parents. She constantly kept changing her decision as she was afraid of her parents disapproving of her being in a relationship with anyone. So, she had never taken her ex home, no matter how serious they were about each other.
Ethan was already nervous about meeting them, but his nervousness increased when he saw how scared Aru was. He had already met her brother Sahil, the only one who knew about their relationship. As a result, he was the only person from her family that Ethan was comfortable around.
"Didi, come on, there is no need for you to worry about aai and baba. Once they find out how much Ethan loves you, they will not have any issues at all", Sahil said when Aru called him to discuss her dilemma.
"What if they don't accept Ethan and disown me after learning about us?" Aru questioned, with a quiver in her voice.
"Don't worry about all of that, didi. Nothing like that will ever happen. Just focus on coming here to meet us."
"How can you be so sure?"
"That's because I know they love their daughter more than anything in the world and trust her completely. If you tell them that Ethan is the one for you, they will fully trust your decision. So, please do visit us, okay?"
"Thanks for your support, bro. I'll discuss this with Ethan and hopefully change his mind about visiting you all."
Ethan was initially extremely tensed to meet Aru's parents, more so because of her nervousness. However, when he saw that she was relaxed, it made him feel better as well. He knew that he would face anything if she was by his side.
Eventually, Ethan and Aru headed to her childhood home to meet her family.
Aru didn't know how her parents would react to her having a boyfriend who was her boss at work. Therefore, she decided not to inform her parents about the relationship as soon as she met them.
Ethan marvelled at the decorations outside Aru's home and how bright they made the house look. He knew what Diwali was but had never gotten a chance to experience it first-hand.
Arundhati's parents were elated to see her after a long time. She couldn't get time to meet them during her first year due to her workload, and she got even busier due to being on the Diagnostic Team. It was only after the attack that she stopped taking her life and family for granted.
Her parents were surprised to see another person with her, to say the least.
They welcomed Aru and Ethan inside, and Sahil greeted them with a hug and a refreshing glass of water.
He was amazed to see how pretty her home looked, especially with the beautiful fairy lights and some flower garlands.
After some nudging from Sahil and confusing looks from her parents, Aru decided to introduce her parents to her boyfriend.
"Aai, baba, this is Dr. Ethan Ramsey, my partner and my supervisor," she said, throwing caution to the wind yet unsure of their reactions.
Her parents were more scared for their daughter than shocked. They knew that their children would date someone once they grew up. However, they did not expect their daughter to date someone significantly older than her. They were unsure if Aru pursued the relationship because he forced her to or if she did it herself to get a better job opportunity. Nonetheless, they made sure to mask their expression until they knew more about her relationship.
"Wait a second, so is this the same Dr. Ramsey whose books you used to read all the time?" Sahil pretended to be surprised in front of their parents.
"Yes, Sahil. He's the same doctor."
"Well, Dr. Ramsey, welcome to our house. I hope you have a good time with us today. And I hope you are taking good care of our daughter."
"Thanks for welcoming me, Mr. Kulkarni. I promise I will never harm your daughter in any way. If I break my promise, you can feel free to give me the harshest punishment possible."
"Well, we'll see about that later. Right now, you are my guest. So, I have to look after you till you are here."
"Well, enough chit-chat for now. Please have these snacks, children. I hope you aren't hungry," Aru's mom said.
"Thanks, Mrs Kulkarni. We had some breakfast on the plane. Thanks again for the snacks."
"Aai, the chaklis are so delicious. How do you always make them this good?"
"Beta, my mom taught me this recipe. I have been practising this recipe for years now."
"Please teach me how to make these!"
"Ho, pan tyacha sathi tula vel pahije na. Tu tar purna divas busy astes."
"Ho na. Amcha kaam tasach aahe na. When I have a free day, I will video call you. Chalel na?"
"Ho, mala chalel. But let me know in advance so I can arrange my chores accordingly."
"Yes, I'll let you know, aai."
"Beta, do you want to show Ethan around by the time I set lunch?"
"Are you sure you don't want any help?"
"Ho. Tu relax kar. I'll call Sahil to help me."
"Are you mad that I am dating Ethan?" Aru asked her mom privately when they entered the kitchen.
"I'm not worried, Aru. I'm happy for you. Ethan seems like a good person."
"I can clearly see that you are worried, aai."
"Aru, we can talk about it later. Go on, beta. Get Ethan away from your dad's threatening."
"Thanks a lot, aai."
Aru made her way to her father to ask for his permission to take Ethan away.
"Baba, is it okay if I show Ethan around?"
"Yes, my girl, go ahead."
"Ethan, come on, let's go," she said, relieved to get Ethan away for a while.
"Where should we start from, Aru?"
"Let me show you my room first."
Ethan wanted to check Aru's room to see how she was as a child. Also, he wanted some material to tease her with to get back at her.
"Well, this is my room," Aru said.
The first thing that Ethan saw after entering her room were some movie posters.
"I see you have been a huge fan of movies since childhood," Ethan expressed, observing her giant posters of different Hollywood and Bollywood movies.
"I know you, Ethan. You love this, don't you? You finally have something to annoy me with."
"It seems you know me very well, my darling."
"I mean, that's..." Aru couldn't speak anymore because of how much she was blushing. No matter how many times Ethan called her his darling, she couldn't stop blushing every time he did so.
"Honey, didn't you used to read classics while growing up?"
"Why yes, I did, and absolutely loved them!"
"What else did you read?"
"Well, I started reading medical books that my grandpa owned. As I got more interested in medicine, I wanted to read more recent books."
"Can I have a look at them?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Aru, you have almost all the books I have written," Ethan said, as he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Aru enjoyed his research.
"Yeah, I first got Diagnostic Principles and was in awe of your research. That's when I made it my mission to read all of your books I could get."
"So, you were my biggest fan, weren't you?"
'Well, a fan. Not the biggest fan."
"So, how did you not know what I looked like?"
"I wanted to focus only on your work."
"Why, Aru, was I that distracting?" Ethan asked jokingly.
"No, Ethan. As much as I love looking at you, that was not the case. I didn't want to look at your picture or look you up as I didn't want to have a bad impression of you."
While Aru was showing Ethan around, her parents sat with Sahil to discuss her relationship.
"Sahil, please tell me the truth here. Did you know about them?" his father asked.
On hearing that, Sahil hesitated a bit.
"Beta, we won't get mad at you or Aru if you tell us the truth."
"Yes, your dad is right. We want to know if Ethan genuinely wants to be with Aru or if he's taking advantage of her good nature," his mother told him calmly.
"Well, to tell you the truth, they have been together since the attack. I saw how Ethan was around didi. He stayed with her all night after they gave her the remedy. When didi woke up, the first person she saw was him," Sahil revealed.
"I talked to her about Ethan then and asked her all about him," he continued.
"Well, what did she say about Ethan?"
"Didi told me that he was gentle and caring. He looked after her when she most needed him."
"Well, that sounds good to me. If Aru trusts him, I don't have to worry about him. But is he still her supervisor now?"
"No, I had the same question. Didi told me that they have reported their relationship to HR. She now has a new supervisor."
"Well then, that's good. But that doesn't mean I trust Ethan. I'll be keeping an eye on him."
"Sure, baba. Do what makes you feel better", Sahil said sarcastically.
"Well, I'm glad she hasn't been forced to be with him. And that Aru finally has found someone worthy of her."
Meanwhile, Ethan and Aru finished their tour of her childhood home and came down to the living room where her family was chatting.
"Aru, done with the tour? Did Dr. Ramsey like our place?"
"Ho, aai. Ethan loved our garden the most."
"Good. Come on, have lunch now. You both must be hungry," Aru's dad mentioned.
"Dr. Ramsey, please forgive me. I had no idea you would be visiting us today. So, if you can't eat the food for any reason please let me know."
"Mrs. Kulkarni, don't worry about it. I'll happily have what you have made."
"Well then, please get started, doctor. Please call me Nandita."
"Only if you call me Ethan."
"So, Ethan, are you serious about our Aru?"
"Baba!" Aru said, surprised at her dad's forwardness.
"Aru, we are asking him this just for your benefit, my girl. So, Ethan, please forgive us if it feels too much. We want what is best for her."
"I completely understand, Mr. Kulkarni."
"Ethan, please, call me Dilip."
"Dilip, I understand what you are saying. I have been serious about Aru ever since I almost lost her," Ethan said while interlocking Aru's fingers with his. I assure you all that I'll never hurt Aru at all. Also, I promise you that I'm here for the long run."
Her parents saw the sweet gesture and felt reassured by his words. They felt as if all of their worries had disappeared.
"Well, Ethan, I'm glad that you care about Arundhati. She's our only daughter, and we don't want her to be with someone who doesn't respect her," said Nandita.
"Ethan, I hope you enjoy your stay here. We hope you can visit us regularly", Dilip said approvingly.
"Aru, I think we should introduce our families to each other, don't you think?" Ethan asked.
"That's a good idea. Alan and Naveen would love to meet you all."
"Aai, baba, Alan is Ethan's father while Dr. Naveen Banerji is Edenbrook's chief, Ethan's mentor, and friend," Aru explained to her parents.
"Yes, that sounds fun, didi. Aai, baba, I have met Dr. Banerji. He is sweet and welcoming. He made me feel as if he knew me for a long time."
"Well, Ethan, I think we can come to Boston for Thanksgiving to meet your family. What do you both think?" Dilip asked his family.
"If Ethan wants to be in Aru's life for the foreseeable future, I think it is important for us to meet them."
"That's true, aai," Aru expressed.
"That's settled then, didi. We will be visiting you! Hopefully, we will also have a chance to meet your roommates without any stress."
"Yes, they would love to meet you at leisure. Aai, baba, everyone would love to meet you both," Arundhati replied, hoping no one would notice her internal freakout. She hadn't told Sahil that she mostly lived with Ethan ever since she went on leave.
Ethan realised what she was thinking and gave her a comforting smile which made her feel warm inside. She relaxed a bit, knowing that all would be well if he was by her side.
By the time Ethan and Aru came back from their vacation, her parents had gotten rid of their inhibitions against him. They had accepted him as their son, much to Aru and Ethan's happiness.
Translations:
Ho, pan tyacha sathi tula vel pahije na. Tu tar purna divas busy astes- Yes, but you need time for that. You remain busy throughout the day.
2. Ho na. Amcha kaam tasach aahe na- Yeah, but that's how our work is.
