WANT (Complete ✔️)

Chapter Eighty Eight

Lia

It's my cousin's wedding. Maliha is from my mom's side. Maliha's dad is from Pakistan but her mom is like my mom, Mexican and Indian. Maliha's husband is Russian. And since she's got all these cultures in her bag, she chose to have traditional Mexican, Russian and Indian weddings.

We couldn't make it for the first two because mom couldn't get off from work but alas mom, Elijah, and I drove over two hours to be at her last event.

She looks ethereal, like royalty in her red lehenga. Her husband can't stop looking at her. It's romantic.

And it would continue to be romantic if my dumb brother would stop fidgeting.

"Would you stop? You're annoying me." I snap at him, immediately making him stop.

Elijah tugs at his bow tie like it's a noose around his neck.

"This fucking tux is suffocating."

I roll my eyes at his dramatics. Sometimes he can be worse than us girls.

"Yeah, well, you were the one who wanted to wear it just because your girl said it looked good on you. You wanted to come in jeans and a sweatshirt."

He gives me the stink eye.

"What's your point?"

"You're whipped." I grin back.

Elijah scoffs.

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I'm whipped by some girl."

Yeah, right.

"Some girl that you're stalking and buying lingerie for."

Elijah is horrified as he glares at me and I can't stop the laugh from bursting out of me. When Xavier told me that my manwhore of a brother asked him about what type of lingerie girls like, I was speechless.

Elijah has always been the one to fuck around with no dating and no commitment. Watching him become a lovesick puppy chasing a woman that he genuinely likes is both amusing and worrying. My brother is not the best at handling emotions. I just hope he doesn't hurt her.

"Xavier talks." I'm teasing him and it's hilarious to see him so worked up.

"Snitching," he smirks with a glint of revenge in his eyes, "Adding that to my list of why I want to kill that pretty boy."

After giving Xavier a black eye all those months ago, Elijah has stepped back and since he and Xavier are in contact then I'll say it's all good between them.

Plus, Elijah knows that if he hurts Xavier again, I'll burn all his Jordans.

Elijah holds his stare with me, a faint sneer curled on his lips.

"What?"

"Have you had sex with him?"

My eyes widened.

"Ew! Elijah, what the fuck?"

He clenched his jaw.

"Answer the question."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment and shyness.

"We are not talking about that."

"It's a basic question."

"Boundaries, Elijah! I am not discussing my sex life with my brother."

That was a talk I did not want to have with my brother. My mom is another story. She's a woman and my mother.

"You better be having protected sex with that fuckface."

"Elijah!" I whisper-shout at him, smacking him across his chest.

He chuckles and dodges my second hit.

Prick knows better than to cross boundaries with me. And it is none of his business.

Elijah ignores me the moment his phone lights up with a message and I know who it is just by looking at his faint smile. I excuse myself from the table to head to the bathroom. Blair texts me as I'm reapplying my lipstick.

Race has started. Xav looks hot! – Blair

I giggle at her bluntness. Then jealousy tightens my chest. I want to be there at his race. This is his fourth race and I'm not there. I don't know what it is but whenever I plan on going, something happens. I get sick. A client orders a complete change-up for their design. Mom's birthday. My cousin's weddings. Why is the universe being so mean? Just once, I would like to see the man I love doing what he loves in his hot as fuck uniform, racing with his sexy car. Is that too much to ask?

Ugh.

There's a pretty arrangement of flowers near the entrance of the hall so I sneak in some photos of myself in my traditional clothing. I had a specific design idea in my head and I took it to Blair who designed and stitched my outfit.

It's a simple baby pink lehenga. The skirt is billowy and soft and the top is cropped with spaghetti straps and a very thin strap on the back. It's a little risky but so cute. The intricate details on the material that Blair personally ordered from abroad is mesmerizing and the design continues to the plain silk scarf—or traditionally known as a dupatta. I love the entire thing and I love Blair even more for making it for me.

When I walk back into the hall, mom and Elijah are with the bride and groom along with her mother, my aunt, and two other people I don't recognize. My aunt's eyes light up when she hugs me. And then introduces a woman and her son to mom and me. The woman compliments me on my appearance and manners. My aunt goes on and on about the guy and where he works. And it was in that moment that Elijah, me, and mom shared a look.

I was being set up.

My brother choked on a laugh when he saw me awkwardly smile at the guy who was handsome. He wasn't bad to talk to, he was actually funny but it was just a matter of my heart and who it belonged to.

I can't imagine myself being with anyone who is not Xavier.

Mom stepped up when the dude's mom not so subtly asked my hand in marriage.

"Lia wants to focus on her school and career. Marriage is the last of her worries. And I want her to enjoy her youth before she finds someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with."

But what mom doesn't know is that I've already found that person.

"I can't fucking believe how desperate she was being, she was practically salivating for you," Elijah is giddy with hilarity, "Damn, I would've died to see their reactions if mom told them you have a tattooed boyfriend who is a racer."

"Stop," I can't hide my amused smile, "And he's not my boyfriend."

"And I haven't been fucked in six months," he smirks like a cocky idiot, "We can all lie to ourselves."

I elbow him for being a smartass. He chuckles, slouching more in his seat. But then my phone lights up. The texts continuously chime in one after the other and I grow worried. Nolee, Hudson, Zack, Viini, Blair, they're all texting me and as I read the words on my phone screen, my entire world shuts out.

Blair calls me and numbly, I answer.

Her terrified sob breaks me.

"What's wrong?" Elijah worriedly looks at me.

I can't breathe.

No.

"Xavier crashed in his race."