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The title is inspired from this song. So i just thought i should share the URL. And also because it has been one of my favourite songs for years now :D

____________________________

Sunday came faster than I wanted it to. My inside has turned into a bundle of jittery nerves.

Liam refused to divulge any details relating to the date. People around me know that I hate surprises. But of course the only person who doesn't seem to understand that one simple fact turned out to be my mate.

The conversation at the mountain last evening went like this:

"I thought we were planning this together" I accused.

"No" he shook his head "That's not how it's done"

"Says who?" I asked irritated "What if I don't like it, whatever it is that you're planning?"

That got him thinking. I was on the brink of winning when he shook his head again "I'll take the chance" he looked like he was reassuring himself "That's how it should have been the first time around. Let's not count that okay?"

"You are just sooooo ancient" I told him

"Yeah?"

"Um hmm" I nodded "I strangely seem to not 'not like' it" I thought out loud

He smiled a full smile "And you are soooo" he pretended to think "real?"

"Yeah?" I played along.

"Um hmm" he nodded too "So much that it scares me"

"What does?" I asked, the conversation suddenly is no longer playful.

"You" he said not looking away "I know how to behave with everyone else. I know what they want from me, what they expect of me and I give them that. With you, I don't know what you want me to be. I can be what you want, only if you tell me"

"That's because I don't want you to be anything" I said "I want you to be you. I want to know you, not that i-don't-care mask of yours. Can you do that for me?" I asked "Show me who you really are?"

He stared at me for a long time before slowly nodding "The real me loves giving surprises"

My brows furrowed "What?"

The corner of his lips tugged upwards "Let me do this" his eyes eager "Our first date"

"This is the second one actually" I said taking his bait to lighten the atmosphere.

"Oh! Please" he crinkled his nose "Don't call that a date. Our grandchildren wouldn't forgive me if I tell them that that's where our first date happened"

I laughed. Yes, the horror in his face was real, it's funny. I would love to tell people how cute Liam looked when he made a face like that, but of course no one will believe me. Liam and cute? Nope.... It's not April, quit lying.

"Stop laughing" he complained.

"Okay....okay" I tried to control my breathing "So you are not going to tell me anything?" I asked for the last time.

He nodded.

"Fine" I said "Don't complain if I shows up in a pair of sweats"

He shrugged. Really? He doesn't care?

--------

I dropped Dan off at my parents. My father has been dying to spend time with him. So I have the entire afternoon to myself.

It's two in the evening. So I have three hours before I meet Liam and of course two hours before I actually start getting ready. Why? Because I want to p*ss him off. All I'm going to do is wash my face and put on my sweats. That patriarch. Let him get a taste of his own medicine.

Ah! Imagine the look on his face. The thought itself makes me want to dance. I'm a genius. Awesome.

With that happy thought, I was about to jump on my bed to take a nap when the doorbell went off. Am I expecting someone?

"What's up?" I held the door for Emma to enter.

"I don't have the time to do small talks sweetheart" she pushed me slightly to open the door wide "I'm already running behind schedule"

"What schedule?"

"Come through" she said to someone outside.

In no time, six strangers walked through my door. They were carrying things and instruments that I both do and don't recognize.

"What's going on?" I asked confused.

"Set them up in her room please" she smiled and pointed my room to them and then turned to me "You have to be somewhere this evening, don't you?"

"Yep" I nodded "But I don't remember telling you about it. Nor do I remember asking for your help. What's with all this?"

She laughed "It's not me" she said "I'm just following orders"

"Liam sent you?" I asked astonished.

She nodded.

God that man! It's a date, not my wedding. But why is my heart beating so fast. I can't be that shallow, can I?

No, I don't like surprises. I should stick to who I am.

"But why are there so many people?" I asked

"Oh that" she pushed me towards the stairs "There were supposed to be only three of them initially, dress, hair and makeup. That's all I booked until you scared him with your sweats last night. He bugged me all night with calls. The rest are just to assure him that you wouldn't be able to pull whatever mischief you have up your sleeves"

"You knew of the date?" I asked as the hair dresser stared rubbing chemicals one after another on my head to wash my hair. I also had an itchy mask on.

"Yep" She made herself comfortable on my bed, enjoying me being pushed and pulled around by six strangers.

Oh that's why he was so sure of not ruining the date even without telling me.

"When?" I asked

"He came to me about a month ago" she laughed "God! I had never seen the alpha so flushed before"

About a month? That would be somewhere around our first date. Don't tell me he has been planning this since then.

"You have known this for a month and you didn't even give me a hint?" I accused.

"Come on" she grinned "Of all the people, you should know how good I'm at keeping secrets. I think that I'll soon be known as 'Emma- The keeper of Secrets'" she said proudly. Her love for Hagrid is as deep as my love for Ron.

I rolled my eyes and earned a glare from the makeup man.

"So tell me about his plans" I said.

"Nope" she shook her head.

I pouted.

"That's not going to work on me love, I'm not Evan" she laughed.

"When did you become best friends with him?" I mocked her.

She shrugged "I guess we have the same temperament"

They do. They really do. Just like Liam was trained as the eldest child of the Alpha, Emma was raised in perfect isolation as the beta's only daughter. It was only when we were put in the same group for training that we got close.

"I'm just not used to this okay. It's just a date and he's making it a big deal out of it"

"That's because it's a big deal for him Eva" she said "It may be a simple rational decision for you, to say yes to his date but it's not the same for him. Hell, he probably thinks it's a miracle, every time you talk to him. That you are near him, that you are giving him a chance, he never even dreamt of that" she chuckled "You are so clueless, aren't you. You don't realize how important you are to him. Have you seen how he looks at you? It's like you're his sun"

"It wasn't a rational decision for me either, Emma. It was on an impulse. It's like I want to give him everything that he desires. I am afraid too, of my emotions for him. I have never been so out of control. I keep on telling myself that it's just the bond, that I should go slow. I want to separate myself from my wolf, but I am finding it harder and harder to do that. It's like we want the same thing, that shouldn't have happened. My plan was to run away from him forever not to run into his arms"

"You are not ready for this are you?" she asked sympathetically.

"I think this is as ready as I'll ever be. There's no point in pushing away the inevitable. I'll have to do this" I took a deep breath in determination.

.

The dress was beautiful. It's a knee length sea green dress, my favorite color. It must have been Emma's choice. Although half of my wardrobe is swarming with different shades of green, I still appreciate another addition to it.

That reminds me of the shirts and the blue dress lying in a corner of my closet. I don't think I'm going to return the dress anymore but the shirts are a different story altogether. Like why am I collecting them? Do I want to auction them for money? Why can't I remember to return them to him? The number has risen to seven. How long am I going to keep stealing his shirts? When am I going to put my own clothes in the damn mountain? I have to do something about this particular situation after the date.

.

"It's here" Emma said looking at her phone.

"What is?" I asked glancing at my feet in nervousness. The darn silver pumps were beautiful alright, but I think I'll fall off it before anyone can appreciate their beauty.

"The car of course" she walked over to me and pulled my chin up "You look beautiful. Don't be nervous. Now go, he's waiting" She pushed me towards the door "Showtime"

.

A shiny red car was awaiting me alright but there was no Liam in it.

I turned to Emma with a confused look "You said he was waiting"

She smiled "Waiting as in waiting at the venue"

The driver held the door open for me. I smiled nervously at him before getting in the car.

There was a huge bouquet of blood red roses awaiting me. I picked it up. I should probably count the flowers to keep my nerves at bay.

"All the best" I could hear Emma's excited voice as the car took off.

----------------

Where is he taking me? I would have shouted 'kidnap' had I not been good at geography. The only thing keeping me sane forty minutes into the journey is the fact that we are still in our territory albeit the territory that half of the population never heard of.

Is this why I was shoved into this huge fur coat? We are at the north-west side of our territory. I have only heard of it from Luna when I was little, never actually been here. It has mountains, springs and small lakes that remain fully snow covered nine out of the twelve months in a year. The other three months, like now, the snow partially melts giving way to light vegetation but it's still not habitable.

The car came to a halt. The driver opened the door for me. I stepped out into the snow. Before I had the time to look around, the man bowed hurriedly and took off with the car in the direction we came from. Wasn't he supposed to stay and take us back or something?

It was ethereal. That's what it was, the view ahead of me.

A couple of steps away from me, the snow ceased to give way to a lake. A lake with blue water and floating ice. And in the centre of its vast expanses, was a beautiful wood house. It was huge. How was that thing even there? Trees covered with white flowers were surrounding the house. I can bet all of my fortune on the fact they were fake. Trees can't simple grow out of nowhere. The snow-clad mountains overlooked the entire valley. The sun was glowing orange in its path to the end of the horizon.

It was a dream and in the middle of that dream was my date. He was standing on a boat tied to the shore, looking at me intently with his haunting green eyes, a bouquet of white in his hand. I could hear the movement of the blood that my heart was pumping; it was probably because the valley was silent as if frozen in time.

He extended his hand for me. I started walking towards him, still in trance of the enchanted land.

"Hi" he breathed nervously as I stopped next to him. He was dressed in a charcoal black suit with a white shirt complementing it. His otherwise unruly short hair was swept back. That automatically made me smile, the fact that he even put an effort on himself for today.

"Hi" I replied. It feels so weird, to be in this unfamiliar setting with him away from the world we know.

"Did you have a comfortable journey?" he asked softly.

I could not answer him because my eyes were stuck on the flowers in his hand.

"These are..." I pointed at the flowers.

He smiled "For you" he forwarded the bouquet "Here I'll hold those for you" he said taking the roses from me.

I took the beautiful white and green bundle in my hand. I could feel tears pricking the back of my eyes. I didn't want to fall weak in front of him today, but I was, and that too not even a minute after I met him.

I ran my hand over them "Where did you find these?" I asked not taking my eyes off the flowers.

"Do you like them?" he asked, stepping on the boat and holding his hand out for me to take.

I placed my hand in his; a shiver ran down my body "No" I said, sitting opposite to him "I love them"

He smiled indulgingly as he started rowing the boat towards the house "Where did you meet them?"

"White spider lilies" I smiled at the flowers in my hand "My maternal grandma used to grow them. She was in love with the green in the tropics. So despite this being a tropical plant, she grew them in her backyard with special care. I fell in love with the flowers the moment I saw them. They looked so pure, so fresh, like the morning dew" I sighed finally taking my eyes off the flowers to look at him "It's been over a decade since I saw them last. They went away with my grandma. No other flower ever caught my attention after it. I never thought I would see them again. Thank you" I said.

"You really have a unique taste. They are beautiful" he complemented

I smiled wide and looked down at the flowers. He shouldn't have given me these flowers if he wanted my attention on him.

"We are here" he said.

The boat stopped next to a couple of stairs. The stairs were half submerged. It led to the front porch of the house that was a few feet above the water.

I stepped out on the stairs and waited for Liam to do the same.

Leaning on the wooden railing around the porch, I took in the vast water surrounding us. Dusk was setting in to give us a peek of the moon.

"Wowww" I was awestruck "How does this place even exist? It's like I am a looking at my desktop's wallpaper"

Liam chuckled next to me "Yes it's beautiful"

"Isn't it?" I turned to him, excited. But he was already looking at me, his eyes laced with the familiar desire that I've started to see so very often these days. It still feels so new to me.

"You look beautiful" he said not hesitating even when I caught him staring at me.

I could feel my cheeks heating up "thank you" I managed to say before turning back to the horizon.

"We should go inside" he said "It's freezing out here"

I agreed reluctantly.

The inside brought another shock to me. I was expecting it to be a small resort of some sort but there was no one inside. It was like a warm comfortable deserted home, not a resort. The ground floor was one room in entirety. I could see the kitchen in the east, dining table a little away from the kitchen. The west side was filled with comfortable couches and decorated like a living room. Two staircases lead to the first floor from either side.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked when he saw that I was still rooted to the door.

"I....I.....There's no one inside" I said.

He smirked "Why?" he walked towards me "you think I'll take advantage of you?"

"What? No" I said embarrassed "That's not what I meant. I thought this was a restaurant of some sort. You know, in an exotic location"

He came to a stop as he reached me, uncomfortably close. His lips brushed my cheek before moving to my ear "So you are okay with me taking advantage of you then?" he whispered.

"What....wh....are you doing?" I shuttered.

"Closing the door" he replied moving back "Its cold outside. Can I have your coat?"

It was only after he moved back that I realized I was holding my breath.

I nodded wordlessly and gave him my coat. He walked away leisurely and placed both mine and his coat on the coat stand.

"Should we start with the dinner" he said waiting for me to join him "Finish it before it turns cold?" I nodded walking towards me. He gave me his hand and I took it for the second time this evening.

He walked me to the space behind the kitchen that I couldn't see from the door and my breath stuck for the nth time today.

There was a table for two set at a corner of the space next to a huge French window. The lake, the dark mountain and the now prominent moon were peeking into the house through the glass. A round source of light was hanging above the table spreading a soothing light to the otherwise dark corner.

Liam pulled a chair for me. I sat down after thanking him. He moved to the opposite chair.

"What is this place?" I finally voiced my curiosity

He smiled as he withdrew the lids of the dishes. Are you kidding me, those were my favorites, all of them. Okay! I'm sold.

"My grandfather built it for my grandmother" he said.

"Awww how romantic" I grinned "So you guys actually own this magical place" my eyes widened as I gave the entire place another sweeping glance.

"No we don't own it" he replied pushing my plate towards me "Here"

"Thank you" I smiled at him.

"Try it" he said eagerly, his eyes wide in anticipation.

My eyes narrowed at that "Did you...." I hesitated "Did you by any chance make all of these food?" I asked skeptically.

I could see light hues of red on his face as he coughed to distract my attention.

"No ways" this man is all set to kill me "You can cook" I said astonished "Since when"

"A long time" he said "You didn't know that" His voice had a hint of sadness in it. Why on earth did I never notice that? There's no way I never saw him cook, I probably shrugged it off as another of his perfect qualities. After all, I and Evan spent all of our childhood cursing him for his perfectness. He made our flaws more noticeable.

"You don't like it?" he asked after my silence.

"Are you kidding me? How can I not like the fact that you can cook" I lost my head in excitement "Kitchen romance has always been my fantasy I sw_" my eyes rounded, I slammed my palm against my mouth.

The surprise in his face slowly gave way to a prominent smirk. He opened his mouth to say something but I held my palm up.

"Don't" I pleaded "Please don't say whatever you're planning to say. This is embarrassing enough"

He nodded but the smile never left his face so I ducked my head down and concentrated on the food, gulping it down as fast as I could. The fact that it was delicious beyond the world helped the cause.

"Wine?" he offered "You'll choke on your food at this rate" his voice laced with concern.

"No" I don't want even a drop of alcohol in my system tonight even though this much alcohol won't even make a difference to the working of my system. But no thank you, I won't take the risk.

.

"Coffee?" he asked at the end of the dinner.

"Yes please" I nodded instantly and then gave him a sheepish smile.

"Let's go" he said getting up from his chair.

"What about these?" I asked looking at the table.

"There will be someone here tomorrow" he said.

I nodded and followed him into the kitchen.

"So who owns this awesome place if not your family?" I asked sitting on a highchair kept next to the kitchen counter as I watched Liam move around looking for ingredients.

"You do" he said, finally settling next to the coffee maker on the counter.

"Okay" I nodded picking up the coffee cups to look at the words on them.

I paused midway and looked up at him, he did too.

"What?" I asked confused.

He placed his elbows on the counter and leaned towards me "I said this place belongs to you" his gaze was so tender that it was getting hard for me to look away from his eyes and process his words.

"Why would this place belong to me?" I said, still not looking away from his eyes.

He smiled and pulled a chair to sit on the other side of the counter "Eva, I brought you here to give you my grandfather's gift for you. He knew that he wouldn't live to see you so on my 16th birthday, he left it in my care so that I can give it to you when I meet you" he looked away and I knew what was coming "when I decided to mark Maya, I also decided to give this to Emma. I thought, if not my mate, my grandfather will be equally happy to give it to Evan's mate" He sighed "But then you came when I least expected you to and you left in such a hurry that I didn't have the time to process it all" he took my hands in his "I'm sorry I'm giving it to you this late"

"I....Liam" I exhaled "It's burdensome" I told him.

He furrowed his brows together.

"It's burdensome" I repeated "I am not a part of your family. I'm not officially with you. I'm sorry I can't accept this gift of yours. It's too much and even you know that" I told him calmly.

"It's not my gift" he said "I haven't given you my gift yet. It's yours. Whether you are with me or not has nothing to do with his gift. I have no right over it. I was just the guardian of this place. Moreover I already wrote it over to you. Took months of paperwork, can't bother going through that all over again."

"What? When?" Are you effing kidding me?

"I don't remember. Years ago" he said "I only brought you here to give you a tour to this place. I'm happy that you like it here"

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, trying to cohere a sentence but finally gave up "Whatever. We can deal with it later. I don't want to ruin the date" I said "If this was a date to begin with and not a property tour" I glared at him, to his credit he looked guilty.

"Of course it's a date" he smiled sheepishly and handed me a coffee cup and took the other himself.

.

We took the coffee and moved towards the couch. The couch too was situated near a French window.

I put the cup down and walked over to the window. I put my hand against it and let my palm seep in the coolness of the glass "It's like watching a movie in real life" I said looking at the sparkling darkness ahead.

A large warm hand soon covered mine over the glass. He was standing behind me, his body almost touching me. My breath hitched. I felt his other hand slowly push the hair on my back over my right shoulder he then let the hand land softly on my waist. He then placed his chin on my now bare shoulder and exhaled. My entire body jolted up giving way to goose bumps.

"26th May, 06:02 P.M" he breathed. He was so close that I could even hear the slight quiver in his otherwise confident voice "The moment I realised that I was hopelessly in love with you"

I turned around so fast that Liam almost lost his balance. I held his shoulder to steady him, his hands instinctively wrapped around my waist. My back was thankfully supported by the window. I looked at him with wide eyes.

26th May?Days before Dan's birthday.

"Wow" he smiled "I didn't know it was that much of a news. I thought it was pretty obvious"

"Wh...wh...at?" I fumbled

One of his hands rose to cup the base of my face "I love you, Eva Taylor" he whispered.

My heart skipped a beat as I kept looking at him smiling down at me. Wasn't this the moment I dreaded a few months ago? Yet why is every cell of my body reacting this way to his words. There's not an ounce of repulsion, only a fire, warming its way up my body.

He loves me.

The realization itself makes my knees wobble. I held onto his shoulder tightly, afraid of falling down.

I couldn't bear the intensity in his eyes as moments ticked by but I was so captivated that I couldn't turn away.

"W...wh...why are you..." I racked my brain for words "now" I finished stupidly.

"Because you told me that I have to voice out my feelings. You said you wouldn't know otherwise. So I wanted to let you know" he said rubbing the back of his index finger softly on my neck.

"I...I...."

"You don't have to say anything right now" he pulled me away from the window and made me sit on the couch "Sit here. Let me put the mugs away"

And just like that he was gone, giving me the much needed privacy to deal with his confession.

.

By the time he was back, I was stable enough to speak without fumbling.

"You're alright?" he asked sitting next to me.

"Yes" I nodded "You almost gave me a heart attack there" I said

He laughed "Won't want that to happen. Your heart is precious"

When I went silent he asked softly "You have questions?"

Yes I do and I don't know how he figured that out. The problem is that my question is really stupid but since I'm not in the state to think anything sensible, this is all I could come up with "How did you count the minute"

It took him a moment to even understand my question. He was expecting something more mature out of me. God!

"I'm sorry" I blushed "it's a stupid question"

"No, it's not" he grinned "The coffee shop at the mall had a huge clock in my line of vision" he answered.

The coffee shop in the mall. Is that why he kissed me? Because he realised that he was in love with me?

I nodded, my face heating up. I was tongue-tied. The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.

"Liam....I...I.." I felt like I should say something but I just had nothing to say.

"It's okay" he said "I know you're not there yet. I'll wait until you come to me" He took my hand in his "I just wanted you know how important you are to me. I wanted you to know that I never thought of you as anyone's replacement. You are you. And that's why I fell in love with you.

I sometimes try to think of the beginning of my attraction to you but never come up with a definite answer. I gave up after the first few times. I concluded that it was always there, in whichever form in whatever situation the time demanded, you always meant something to me.

When you were born, I wanted a baby like you. When you were my brother's playmate, I wanted a friend like you. When I was a day away from my 16th birthday, I wanted a mate like you. I realized that I have always wanted you. There was never a beginning" he finished.

I know I have said this a thousand times today, but my head is once again not working. I look at the man in front of me and its taking me every ounce of my self-control to not kiss him right here.

Why have I always been so blind? Why did he never try to include himself into my little world? Why wasn't I born a few years early? Why were we always at the wrong place in the wrong time? I have so many complaints from my life at this moment.

I didn't realize how long I was staring at him but I was shaken out of my self-pity when he started speaking again.

"I know it's not the most appropriate time but I still haven't given you my gift" he said nervously.

"I thought this was your gift" I wondered out loud.

"I'm flattered that my confession felt like a gift to you" he smiled "But no, my gift is a little more demanding than my confession"

I quirked a brow and he brought out a little velvet box from his pocket. I opened it and my eyes widened in shock.

"Don't worry it's not what you think it is" he said quickly.

"It's a ring" I said stupidly.

"Yes but it's a couples ring" He raised his hand to show me a similar platinum band in his finger "Wear it when you're ready" he said "I'll wait. As long as it takes, I'll be there. Even if the day never comes, I'll still be there by your side"

Because the alphabets have been frustrating me so much today, I decided to do the only thing I could do without using words.

I kissed him.

************************************************

5 months later:

"It's been a year already?" Luna asked.

"Yes" I smiled feeding Dan "A year back home"

"We should have a party to celebrate it" Evan jumped in.

"Let's do that" Emma agreed.

"Nooo please" I pleaded "I have had enough parties in the last one year to last a life time. Moreover it hasn't even been a month since you had Ethan, Emma" I told her "How can you even think of putting yourself under stress"

"That's true" Alpha Blake spoke up for the first time "But we also need to commemorate this day. You brought happiness to our house" he folded the newspaper he was reading "How about a gift from each one of us. Whatever you want"

"Really Dad" Evan mocked his father "You never gifted me a single thread and you are ready to give her whatever she wants"

The senior alpha sighed "That's because you never gave me any happiness, my son" he said dramatically.

"What about Ethan?" Evan challenged.

"Ah! My little grandchild" the Alpha pretended to think. He suddenly looked up at Emma "Tell me what you want my child" he told her.

Me and Luna burst out laughing at Evan's pouting face.

"You'll all receive gifts" Luna said "But its Eva's turn today" she looked at me "You won't get another chance like this. You should grab this opportunity" she winked at me.

I smiled at her "Alright then" I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the change in environment "I want you to forgive Liam" I told the senior Alpha

There was a pin drop silence at the table after that.

"I don't think that has anything to do with you or your gift" he said

"At least let him come back home" I pleaded "He has suffered enough. He needs his family" I tried again.

I could feel that Luna would break into tears any moment now. Evan was silently looking at his father, making it clear that he had no objection to it. It made me want to sigh in relief, Evan's yes means a lot to me. Emma nodded in encouragement.

"He didn't make a mistake that I can easily forgive, child" the alpha said "He committed an irreversible sin"

"We are dating" The words smoothly sailed out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Both alpha and Luna looked at me, shocked. I didn't keep Evan in the dark this time, so he knew.

"What?" Luna asked, not believing her ears.

"We are seeing each other. Me and Liam"

________

"A gift?" Liam asked as he chopped the onions.

"Yes, everyone's giving me gifts for the one year anniversary" I said putting the spaghetti in the boiling water "I need one from you too" I turned to look at him.

He stopped chopping and turned to me with watery eyes "Have you thought of any particular gift?" he asked.

I took his hand and entwined it with mine and then raised it for him to see. It took him a while but soon his eyes widened in surprise. The two platinum bands were seated next to each other.

"You" I replied.

*****