The last rays of late afternoon sunlight escaped through the small apertures of maple trees slicing across the windows casting a radiance on the beautiful sleeping figure who was peacefully laying on the bed oblivious to the surroundings happening in the room.

“Austin, please,” Leah spoke in a whisper shoving her fiancé. “Lene will kill us.”

“Shhh….don’t worry. This sloth is not even stirring with all the things we are doing here.” He murmured softly and resumed his task.

“Pass on that bottle.” He looked over to his right nudging Leah to pass over the bottle he asked for. His voice sank into a low growl so as to not wake the lazy bug sleeping on the bed without any senses.

“That’s enough idiot! She is a real mess now.” Leah pleaded in a whisper without raising her voice. She wanted to yell at him for the nasty task he was executing but she was afraid to even raise her pitch, for a certain beast would strangle him on the spot once it is awakened.

Austin turned a deaf ear to Leah’s pleas. It was like talking to a brick wall when speaking to him. He stretched his long hands over a table and grabbed the bottle by himself. He then slightly loosened the arm of the sleeping log and dipped her two fingers into the bottle. He wanted to roll on the floor laughing looking at her doodle face, but he controlled himself.

With the sudden cold touch of some liquid on her fingers, chills run down her body twitching from her sleep.

When Austin sensed her movement, he immediately stopped and stared at her will all bulging eyes. He did not expect that this sleeping log would wake up very soon. He still has to finish his job, but he doesn’t want to get caught now. Reluctantly, he grabbed Leah’s hand and run away for his life.

Leena stirred from her sleep when she heard slight whispering murmurs. Still in a daze, with half-opened eyes, she looked at the surroundings only to find nothing. Didn’t she hear some noises? She looked at the ceiling and sighed.

Thank god, there is no ghost. There was one horror movie which Leena recently watched and the main protagonist hears all the noises and murmurs but when she looked everywhere, there was no one. Only viewers knew a ghost was crawling over the ceiling like a lizard. Didn’t she had any other place to lurk in. Nasty ghost.

Leena yawned rubbing her face forgetting something was still stuck on her hands. She did not know why her mind was constantly darting to those bright eyes since she stepped out of the airport. She felt like the six hours flight journey has ended in six minutes. What’s wrong with you Leena! Those are just eyes!

She wanted to slump on her bed again, but her stomach rumbled loudly indicating the need to feed with the food again. Leena got up from her bed and straight away walked out of her room.

When she was climbing down the stairs, Leena could hear some voices speaking, running and occasionally laughing. Did everyone arrive already? Don’t they have any work? Who would arrive before ten days for marriage? Except her.

She did not want to pay any attention to them when her stomach was already craving food again. She lazily passed by the living room not even bothering and entered the kitchen without knowing they were already looking at her with wide eyes.

“Aunt Daisy, I am hungry.”

“Five more minutes sweetie, go and sit in the living room. I will be back in a jiffy. Even Austin has come. Go and talk to him.” Daisy informed her without even looking at Leena when she was busy preparing the snacks.

“Why did that stupid fellow arrive so early,” Leena mumbled and walked out.

Walking towards the living room, her footsteps stopped when all the looks fell on her face. What’s wrong with these people.

“Is something on my face?” She touched her face to check if she had drooled again as she did on the flight.

Austin was the first to burst out from laughing even rolling on the floor. When he arrived at Wilson’s mansion, Leah informed him about Leena’s early arrival. All the pranks she pulls on him when they meet every time resurfaced together when he came across her sleeping face. He badly wanted to take retribution on her for hurting his ego and bullying him all the time and he could only do that when she is unconscious. Within no time, he became an artist and painted her face with all the designs he could.come up with.

Mark tried to conceal his laughter, but it was not enough to control when Leena was acting so innocently without knowing anything. The other two guests arrived also bubbled up in a pool of laughter. Leah was currently busy giving measurements to the designer, so she stayed in her room.

Leena looked at the laughing idiots as if they have grown three heads. What’s wrong with these people? Not to torture Leena anymore, Mark was about to get up and take her to the room when another person fast approached her.

“Stop it Austin. It’s not even funny.” Leena heard a calm voice and looked up to see a man walking towards her.

“Trent is right. You went overboard with the prank Austin.” Mark hit him on the head and walked towards Leena.

“Overboard? It’s because you have never seen that monster playing pranks on me.” He murmured and giggled again looking at those cat mustaches on her face. He had already taken the photos to blackmail her in the future.

“Your face is painted with a marker. Here! Use this tissue.” He stretched his hands to handover the tissue flashing a smile at her. When Leena stood rooted staring at him, he thought she wanted him to wipe for her. He was about to reach her face when Leena swiftly stepped back.

“Don’t!” Her voice came instantly. She processed his words only when he was about to reach her face.

God! This stupid fellow has painted my face and I did not even know about it and embarrassed myself in front of everyone.

Without turning back, Leena glided the stairs not to embarrass more.

She scrutinized her face keenly with a shock written all over her face. There was not even a place left on her face without being marked. Her nose was covered in black, thick lines on her eyebrows making her look like a real witch, cat-like moustache. On top of it, she has touched her face which further covered with the ink left on her fingers. In total, she was a mess. Leena pulled her hair in frustration. No wonder they were laughing at me.

“Lene. Are you all right.” Leah and Daisy worriedly went to her room when Mark informed everything that happened in the hall.

“Do you think this is alright?” Pointing a finger over her face, Leena barked at them.

“Either I or he stays in the house, you both decide.” With that Leena shoved them out of her room to clean the mess.

I will give him a live show on how hell feels like.

“Mom! Help me. Leena will not spare him.” Leah cried banging the closed door in hopes of opening.

“Well, I_I have to go out shopping sweetie.” Daisy ran away.

“I have an urgent business meeting in an hour dear,” Mark answered even before Leah could ask for his help.

Leah cried looking at the retreating figures for not even helping their daughter.

Leena was glad that he used a marker that could erase over a wash. She freshened up after clearing her face and went out. While she was climbing down the stairs, Leena saw a silhouette with his back facing her while talking to the person who has aided a tissue to her.

Without making a noise, she went towards him and kicked on his back.

“Oww. My butt.” With the sudden kick, Austin fell on the ground.

“You never learn your lessons right. Didn’t you forget that I have learned martial arts.” With that, she tried to kick him again. Austin got up and threw his forearms like an offensive front but Leena pushed his elbow, catching his head making him roll on the floor. She was thrashing his left and right continuously

“Leena! P_lea_se. I_I will never do it aga_in.” He begged her with a half breath but to no avail. Leah has to take the charge dragging her best friend away.

….

Everyone gathered in the garden quietly sipping the tea, but they could sense a tense atmosphere around. Austin lied down on a bench with a soar back gritting his teeth

When Leena was munching her oat cookies, the man sitting next to her was looking intently and she was already feeling uncomfortable. What’s wrong with this man. She has to check her face occasionally to see if there is any mark that she left out without washing.

With all the commotion happening, Trent quietly sat there looking at Leena with a smirk on his face. Sitting next to her, he could smell a flowery fragrance intoxicating him after having her fresh shower. Despite he smiled at her, she was not even looking in his direction. Being an actor and a famous celebrity, he was never ignored by anyone except this woman. Interesting! he mused.

He had once seen her in an event and was smitten by her beauty. He tried to talk with her, but she was surrounded by many other people and he ignored it then. Now, when Austin and Leah talked about her showed the photo, he immediately recognized and agreed to it when his schedule was already free for a month.

Ten days would be more than sufficient. He is a famous actor and had won many women’s hearts.. No one can resist his charm, even her.