The Traps of Black Swan

At Avron mansion

Aarvi, Aaron, and Milo had left the warehouse soon after Aarvi didn't feel like watching the torture. Aarvi sent Milo to have fun on the weekend so the duo had half a day to spend and also complete their boring office work.

On the way, Aaron chose to tell Zain, Dax and Shawn about what Aarvi went through. The three men hadn't uttered a word until he ended and hung up the call. Aaron didn't worry and left them to digest it before removing headphones from Aarvi's ear.

Some of the Shadow team members made sure to be around Aarvi for her safety whereas the rest were in the warehouse to complete the job. At some point, even they started to feel nauseated watching them.

After a very light lunch, Aarvi had dragged Aaron to her swing bed for a nap since they had slept late and had to wake soon. He wasn't used to napping in the day, since she wanted some rest and urged him to nap, He cuddled her and didn't realize when he had dozed off.

It was around four when Aarvi stretched herself lazily in Aaron's embrace and saw him sleeping calmly. Sleeping too long in the day would leave them sleepless in the night so she decided to wake him up to make up for his missed morning excercise routine.

Aware, Aaron wakes up by a small disturbance, she tickled on his cheek and asked in a low voice, "How should I wake up the sleeping beauty today? A bite?... A sharp bite until the red blood sweeps out. Wow, I can be a vampire."

Aarvi grazed her fingers from his cheek to neck ever so slowly causing him to flinch and ask, "Is this your new way of seduction?" Opening his eyes, he saw her grinning mischievously while her finger gently drummed at the crook of his neck.

Aarvi didn't dare to reveal she was testing how he might react to her touch but said, "I was checking where vampires and demons bite their partners. Should I try? Then you can't have any other girls other than me."

Aaron had seen her reading novels of vampires and demons, especially the novels of revenge so he wasn't surprised by her lines but about the bite. "Ms. Evans, It's male vampire or demon that's bite their mate. Are you asking me to mark you mine?"

Before Aarvi could react, Aaron was on top of her and his fingers grazed her neck. Aarvi failed to be unreactive, she instinctively shrank giving lesser to no space for his fingers to move.

Her gaze had already left his tempting gaze and her undivided attention was on his hand and how she felt. What was that feeling? She didn't know but oddly felt good. She still could feel his finger trail on her skin.

A touch could speak of hundreds of emotions. Aarvi's lips obliviously arced, understanding the meaning of it. His hold always spoke of his caring, concern, protectiveness, and affection. This touch was different, the touch which raises her heartbeats in anticipation, the touch which evokes the desires that she never had.

Aaron was amused by witnessing her reaction. He had actually expected to see her serene expression feeling nothing, he was content seeing her slowly open up melting the walls for him.

Anyway, he had no plans to take a large step, he was happy with the baby steps. He least wanted to see her take a step back so he uttered to get her attention, "You want this side."

The deep voice caught her attention and realized she shrunk to her right leaving clear and open access to her left side of the neck. Her lips gaped when his brows raised and lowered to… bite her?

"Wait… Are you really going to bite? Marking exists for humans too? Aaron?..." She continued to blabber when buried his face in her neck and was very near to bite her.

When she felt him open his mouth, she was confused if he was scaring her or if the bite really existed for humans. "Don't you dare bite me! I will mark you everywhere" She threatened without thinking.

Aaron's head gently bopped hers as he chuckled hearing her threat, "Don't worry, I am all yours to mark till your heart's content. I will wait for that day." He continued to chuckle.

Seeing him laugh at her, Aarvi pouted before grabbing his hand. Aaron watched her bite his forearm before showing his hand to him, "You don't have to wait for that day. I can leave marks now. Hmph."

He watched his hand having her teeth imprints before looking at her negligible anger. He again burst into laughter thinking if he should teach her what mark he spoke about.

Aarvi: "..."

She couldn't believe she bit him and he was laughing instead of getting angry at her. Getting off from the swing, she stormed off saying, "The plan canceled. I am not going to play with you."

Aaron coaxed her and got to know she had planned to play tennis with him. Soon both stood in the tennis court and Aarvi saw him go towards another end of the court.

"Hello, Doctor Rivas, where are you going? I don't know how to play. Who is going to teach me?" Glancing at the heavy racket in her hand, she pointed it to him, "And why is this so heavy?"

Aaron had really thought she knew to play when she casually told him about the tennis game plan. Walking back to her, "Then why did you choose the game?"

Aarvi looked at him as though he was dumb, "Because we have only tennis and basketball ground here and I don't know both…" She paused to remember which outdoor games she knew so that they could build one, "In fact, I haven't played any such games."

Aaron watched her embarrassed little face before smiling. "How did this little clueless girl learn swimming?"

Aarvi tried to remember before telling, "I was getting a dream of somebody drowning or I am drowning so I learned it in case I might need it."

Aaron noticed her ugly frown recalling her teenage years. He could already guess how her parents might have tried to stop her from learning that too. He flicked on her nose to bring her back to the present.

"We can't have a match since you have to learn from the basics, so let's warm-up and start off. You can learn slowly whenever we are free."

Aarvi excitedly nodded and started following his instruction for another two hours till the darkness dominated the light and their stomach started to growl.

…

Lying in the hot water tub, Aarvi appreciated the players thinking how could they use a tennis racket, she cried internally feeling her arms sore.

Soon her phone rang distracting her peaceful bath. She had to answer the phone on the speaker before entering back the water, "Yes?"

The male's voice sounded as he reported everything that happened after she left the warehouse, the state of five officers, and their current location.

Aarvi silently heard before the call hung up. She started to mull over and replan forgetting the water had turned cold and the knocks on the bathroom door becoming louder.

She distracted only when her phone rang and got out of the water. She answered it to hear, [I was about to break the door. It's been forty minutes.]

Hearing his grim tone, she could already guess, he was afraid something might have happened to her, "Give me two minutes. I will be out."

After showering the rinse of foam, Aarvi bolted out in her bathrobe to see Aaron sitting on her bed while his hand played with Laze. Surprised, "When did this happen? Laze let you touch!?"

Aaron was astonished too when Laze voluntarily went to him to cuddle, "Laze got to know I am its Dad."

Chuckling, Aarvi caressed it a few times before going to change. Aaron entered the cloakroom when she was drying her hair.

Taking the dryer from her hands, he dried her long silky hair and even brushed her hair locks as he asked, "What were you doing inside? Fell asleep?"

Aarvi shook her head before leaning on him and revealed, "My plans are failing."

Aaron tried to think but couldn't remember which one went wrong and noticed her sulking. He was about to carry her but Aarvi stopped, "Will you braid for me? Please?"

Aaron had learned to braid when she was comatose. Melia had told her about it. She didn't want her hair to trouble Aaron when they cuddled to sleep.

Aaron nodded and went behind her. He hadn't tried it after she woke up from a coma so he wasn't sure if it will come well. He patiently parted her hair and started braiding.

Forgetting her failing plans, Aarvi's lips arced watching Aaron braid her hair carefully. She was expecting him to go for an easy three-strand braid but his movements felt like it was fishtail braid.

Aarvi revealed without moving her gaze from his reflection on the mirror, "Wedding hairstylist apart, you are the first one to make my hair."

Aaron gently smiled looking at her reflection. Aarvi continued in melancholy, "I always wanted to grow my hair long when I was in school but I didn't know how to manage it and there was none to help me either so I had very short hair till twelve years."

Aaron faintly nodded to indicate he was hearing her as he continued to braid her hair, "Many times I had to chop my hair on my own else the maids would do it for me when I was requesting them. Apple Pie noticed it once and took me to a salon. Then I started going there occasionally and I slowly started to grow my hair. When I could finally manage the washing and combing my long hair, I don't like cutting them short."

She craned her neck back to see him and smiled, "Thank you for not chopping when I was in a vegetative state."

Aaron dipped his head and planted a kiss on her forehead. He was glad he didn't hear nurses or Melia's suggestion but took care of her hair.

He continued to braid her hair thinking to ask later about which plans were failed.