🔹Adrien Russell🔹

Crystal looks at me with confusion while I try to restart the car but it's of no use. Frustrated, I take off my jacket and roll my sleeves up to my elbows while Crystal's eyes lingered on me.

I immediately call Martin and ask him to pick us up in my other car. Since I had chosen a longer route, it would take him a minimum of 25 minutes to reach us.

"Let's get wet in the rain." Crystal said beside me. Her eyes immediately shone with excitement and all the sadness from before had vanished.

I hid my amusement and gave her a blank look. "Not happening. I hate rain."

"Come on, Adrien, don't be a spoiled sport." Her eyebrows cutely drew together. "It's gonna be fun." She unfastened both of our seatbelts. Despite all her efforts, I didn't budge. "Ugh. Why do you have to be so stubborn? It's no fun playing alone. Please Come." She whined like a kid and I let out a laugh.

"What are you? A five year old?" I asked. She glared at me and retorted. "What are you? A fifty year old?"

After getting no reply from me, she huffed and took her sandals off her feet. Giving me one last look, she ran outside the car in the rain. "Whatever. Old Soul."

Old Soul?

I watched her every move. The way she splashed her feet on the wet ground. The way the raindrops slid down her body. The way her brown, wavy hair stuck to her neck. The way her dress gloved her curves. It was thick enough to not go transparent but it clenched around her torso.

She stood facing the sky in the heavy downpour with her eyes closed. Her arms flew to her sides as she swirled around, making her dress flair up.

Dramatic much.

I was smiling like an idiot, admiring her ethereal beauty when Crystal suddenly crouched on her knees and held her ankle. Her face crouched in pain and immediately sprinted out of the car, worried.

"Hey, you okay?" I crouched down in front of her and held her bare ankle in my hand, examining it to see if it was sprained or something. The rain drenched me completely and also blurred my vision but I continued pressing her ankle gently until I heard Crystal chuckle.

I looked up at her to see her grinning beautifully. Before I could understand, she stood back up on her feet, straight and steady. My mouth was left aar at her tactics. She tricked me to come out of the car.

I stood up too and glared at her. "Grow up, Crys." I was about to turn back to the car but stopped when she held my arm.

"You're already here so don't go. Please." She pouted like a kid with her lips plucked out. I couldn't resist those puppy-like eyes so I sighed and gave in. I was already drenched so there was no point in going back inside the car.

"Fine." She grinned when I said. Her dimples deepened and a raindrop sunk into her cheeks. I resisted the urge to lick her cream like skin. She went back to enjoying it and I stood there with my hands in my pockets.

"What are you thinking?" Crystal asked me.

"I'm having a Deja vu. With the rain, my broken down car and you." I said, recalling our first meeting. She giggled and scooted closer to me. Her eyes met mine once then she darted them away.

"I wanted to dance with you." I admitted. "At the party before Sophie showed up to us." She smiled at the ground then looked back at me.

"Well, it's not too late." She grinned and moved a step away, lending me her hand. I glanced at her hand then at her.

"Here?" She nodded. "Without music?"

"You don't need music to dance. Just follow the rhythm of your heart." I gave her an amused look and took her hand in mine. Bringing her closer, I snaked my hand around her waist while she rested hers on my neck. We started moving our bodies clumsily, trying to match with each other's steps. We laughed at ourselves but didn't stop dancing. Soon, we somehow managed to move without stepping on each other's foot. Our wet bodies, that were mere inches away, swayed in sync while my eyes never left hers.

It was as if we stared into each other's souls. I had stopped caring about everything else around me. Not the rain, not the broken car, not the dark road.

It was only Crystal.

"We'll be considered freaks if someone sees us right now." I muttered low under my breath. It was meant to be a joke but I couldn't even bring it out that way. In fact my voice was way too deep for a joke to be said.

"Then that's a good thing that no one's around." She breathed, her eyes boring into mine. Our eye contact was so stern that I started to breath raggedly just by its intensity. I had forgotten that we were still dancing. Our wet bodies were still moving together within each other's arms.

Crystal's fingers trailed down from my nape to my throat. My heart beat at an abnormal speed and I gulped audibly when her soft fingers grazed my Adam's apple. I didn't stop myself from pulling her closer. Our bodies collided and Crystal took a sharp breath, her hand clutching my shoulder.

A huge wave of desire hit me when I finally broke our eye contact and looked down at her plump lips. Little droplets of water rested on them and my lips itched to suck the moisture from hers.

I leaned closer. Close enough to feel her breath on my skin. Close enough to let her nose graze mine. Close enough to feel her heart beat rapidly against my chest. Close enough to feel her eyelashes brush my skin when she fluttered her eyes close.

I held her face with both my hands and caressed her cheekbones. Her hands loosely clasped my shirt. Our lips brushed together, shooting sparks in my whole body. I had no second thought about claiming her lips and kissing her breathless, but I moved my face a little away.

Eyes closed and lips parted in anticipation. A tiny frown of impatience on her face. A restless tug on my shirt. That was all it took for me to get rid of my sanity and do what I was dying to do for several weeks.

I crashed my lips on hers.

Her breath hitched. Our mouths moved against each other in torturing slow speed at first. Her lips felt heavenly against mine, causing my heart to skip a few beats. The speed then became fast when I took her lower lip in between my teeth and sucked it hard, making her moan into my mouth.

My hands slid down her body and I grabbed her waist. Her hands travelled to my hair and she fisted them, urging me to keep going. My tongue traced her lips, trying to get permission to devour her mouth. When she finally opened her mouth, my tongue entered inside and I tasted every nook of it. Our small moans mixed with each other until we were a breathing mess. My hands ran all over her body while hers stayed in my hair.

When at last, the urge to breathe overpowered me, I broke the kiss. The rest of our bodies stayed glued to each other while we tried to catch her breath.

"Is this a dream?" Crystal whispered against my lips. Eyes still closed and breathless. I chuckled at her and slightly pinched her waist, making herself arch against me.

"It's not." We smiled. My fingers drew circles on her waist while we stood attached in the middle of a road.

"It stopped raining." Crystal muttered and looked up at the sky. I mirrored her action.

"Thank God."

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After the party, things were back on track. With deals to crack, I had been quite busy and so has Crystal. She had to arrange a bachelorette party at Evan's club.

Crystal and I had gotten a lot closer after our kiss. Man, I still feel the taste of her lips on mine. It was addictive. I feel drugged.

Coming back to work, I was in the cabin of one of my oldest employees with Ryan, going through a presentation when the door was knocked on.

After receiving the permission to enter, the person came in. The person I was not really in the mood to attend.

Not paying attention to Sophie, I turned my eyes back to the screen when she spoke.

"Where were you Adrien? I had searched for you everywhere. Your cabin, the conference room, the cafeteria. You didn't even carry your phone." She shrilled.

"I was just here with Mr. White, Sophie." I said in a calm tone hinting to her that I am in no mood for a conversation. With her.

"I think the presentation is completely fine, Mr. White. But if you would update the profile section, and make it look a bit more interesting, it will be much better. We have a few more days until the conference with the Oberois, so I want to give them the perfect presentation." I explained and he nodded.

"Sure sir, I will look into it."

"Alright then." Giving him a pat on the shoulder, I walked out of his cabin without glancing at Sophie, as Ryan followed me. He made his way to his desk and I got settled in my cabin when someone entered without knocking.

I didn't have to raise my head to know who it was. The only such intruder in this office could be no one but Sophie Flores.

"Do you need something?" I asked to continue my work. She leaned on the desk in front of me and huffed.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked. After not receiving an answer she spoke again.

"Why are you ignoring me?"

"I am not." I said sternly.

"Adrien." I looked at her. "Look, if you are mad because of what happened at the party, you know I am a bit outspoken. I can get a little out of line sometimes and now, Crystal is my friend too. I don't think it's that big of a deal if I might or might not have said something unintentionally."

I clenched my jaw at her bluntness. She was so casual about it as if what she did was absolutely fine.

"Being outspoken is not an excuse for your misbehaviour, Sophie. In Spite of knowing the truth of our marriage you told that ridiculously made up story to your friends. Unintentionally or not, you made her feel humiliated. She does not show her feelings, does not mean she isn't hurt." I barked. It was a relief that my cabin was soundproof.

"Let me make one thing clear Sophie. Even as a friend, next time you look at her, I want you to remind yourself that she is Crystal Adrien Russell. Doesn't matter if she isn't from a rich family. Doesn't matter if we were forced to marry each other over a contract. She. Is. My. Wife. And even though you are my best friend, it gives you no right to talk to her the way you did."

I breathed heavily to calm my rising anger. Sophie looked speechless but I continued.

"I don't know what you were upto that day. Clinging onto me while dancing, narrating our marriage story to your friends as if it was some juicy gossip. What was all that, and why?" She looked down and was on the verge of tears.

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. "Whatever it is Sophie, make sure it does not repeat. Because seeing even a frown on Crystal's face makes my blood boil and the angry me is not a pretty sight. You know that better."

After a few minutes of silence, Sophie spoke.

"I-I am sorry, Adrien. If you want, I will apologise to Crystal too. It- it won't happen again. I promise." She said and I sighed.

I have been sighing a lot lately.

"Alright." I nodded. "Let's get to work now, shall we?"

She gave me a small smile and left. I knew my words hurt her but it was necessary. Sophie's outspoken nature was not very good for my wife's sensitive nature and so I had to warn her at once.

My own words echoed in my head.

She is Crystal Adrien Russell.

She. Is. My. Wife.

A frown on her face makes my blood boil.

Boy, I was in trouble. I couldn't decline anymore that I was falling for my wife.

Hard.

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