Beastiful || Completed||

Fifty Five

Jeremy took a deep breath through his nose as he sat in Fairy's waiting for Sasha. The ice cream shop was normally crowded and it felt a bit like neutral territory for them at this point. He drummed his finger tips on the table and bounced his leg underneath the table. He could see people he knew and he'd said a hurried hi before hand. They'd left him alone because clearly he was anxious.

His mind was everywhere at once. He'd really scaled mountains for her this time. His father and aunt never ever got along properly. Sure, they always met up at Christmas for casual talks and in seemingly good spirits but their characters and ambitions were extremely different. Ever since Kianga had given him that sound piece of advice, he'd pondered and immediately the answer came to him. All he just had to do was hunt his aunt down and get her to open up time in her extremely busy schedule for Sasha. After much begging and pleading, she'd agreed.

He'd flown to her country home in Madrid just to see her. The meeting had been extremely awkward since he never really kept in touch and was only now coming when he needed her help.

When he'd explained what he need her to do she'd been so quiet. Jeremy had always found her intimidating. With her shiny bald head and piercing blue eyes, she seemed to see everything and understand all situations. It was very unsettling for him.

"Please, Aunt Michelle, I know you'll be able to pull up her medical files with relative ease. Just take a look at her case and see if there's anything you can do for her. Please."

She'd kept on looking at him, eyes piercing and bright. Her fingers had been wrapped round a china cup of hot herbal tea and Jeremy's cup lay untouched. It was a stare down that Jeremy was determined to keep up.

"Why do you want to help this girl so badly?" She'd asked at last.

"Well, it's what she wants. And if she feels better or more normal after surgeries then so be it. I just need her to be happy again."

She'd raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow at him, blinking slowly. That was another unsettling thing about her. She had no eyelashes. His aunt had been diagnosed with alopecia when she was born. Not a single strand of hair was on her body. Her childhood had been strained because of her hairlessness and it was what pushed her to try correct the genetic disorders that plagued people. She understood the scrutiny and the ostracism they faced for their obvious defects. She'd lived it.

"Okay."

And that was it. She'd told him he could go and he'd let her do her thing.
Few days later Sasha had unblocked him and was ready to talk. Amazement was too small to quantify what he felt. That's why he was here early and shaking with nerves.

His heart skipped a beat when he spotted her walk in. It stuttered in his chest before breaking into a punishing beat. He wasn't struck by her beauty. She wasn't beautiful in a sense of the word. She was flawed and jagged round the edges. But she carried her flaws with a certain grace he'd come to notice. Even now as she walked in, there was a certain spring in her step. She was recovering whether she liked it or not. It felt lovely to think he had something to do with that.

For the first time, Jeremy Cox was wearing his emotions on his face. He didn't look like the powerful handsome prince. He looked a guy who'd messed up and was trying to make amends. That was the first impression Sasha had about him when she walked in.

Her eyes immediately found him and her heart skipped lightly at the sight of him watching her so intensely. She drank him in, enjoying the sight. This was her favorite version of Jeremy. He looked real. He looked vulnerable. He looked hot.