First Impressions

Part 15

You had a bit of a revelation a few days after your call with Loki, and it completely stunned you.

You just might be in love with him.

You thought about your interactions with him since that fateful day at Stephen and Christine's house. Loki had been polite to you and your aunt and uncle, and downright kind to you when he'd caught you in the middle of a panic attack in his gardens. Given the fact that you had so vehemently rejected him, he had no reason to be that nice. He certainly had no reason to call you just to check on you.

But, even if you did love him, it would never work out. There was no way Loki still cared for you in that manner, and now that Wickham was your brother-in-law, that right there was reason enough for him not to get any closer. You just had to deal with that and move on.

Even if all you wanted was to be near him, and talk with him, and walk with him through the gardens at your house and his.

But that wouldn't happen. Never. And the sooner you came to terms with that, the better.

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Your uncle called with news about Wickham and Sharon. Apparently, Wickham had gotten a job far up north. The distance made it unlikely that you would see them more than once a year for the holidays. Your mother used that fact to her advantage when she demanded your father allow the newlyweds to visit before they left. They would be staying for a week before heading straight for their home up north.

Your mother, of course, was ecstatic. She spent the rest of the week preparing for their arrival. You and your sisters steered clear of her. Except Kitty. She was all too happy to help.

Jane wasn't terribly thrilled either. She tried to make it better by saying how nice it would be to see Sharon again and make sure she's alright, but you both knew it didn't really help.

When Sharon and Wickham arrived, so began the start to the most awkward week of your life. You'd thought Loki finding you at his home was awkward; that was nothing compared to this. Everyone knew what Wickham had done, including Wickham. Your mother didn't seem to care, Sharon didn't seem to care, Wickham sure as hell didn't. You made sure to keep your interactions with him as cold yet polite as possible, a balance you had mastered years ago.

That first night, you, Jane and Sharon were the last to head to bed. Sharon had been regaling everyone who would listen (and even those who wouldn't) with tales of how great Wickham was. You tried to stay patient, mostly for Jane's sake, but you were about to lose it. Even Jane seemed like her patience was wearing thin.

Just when you were about to smack Sharon, was in the middle of describing the wedding, she said something that stunned you.

"Loki was there, too."

Your jaw dropped. "What?"

She nodded. "He was. I don't know why, and I don't really care."

And she continued babbling on about the wedding as if Loki being at her and Wickham's wedding wasn't even the slightest bit strange. You shared a look with Jane, and decided you'd listen to Sharon a little bit longer.

Unfortunately, she said no more about Loki, or why he was there to begin with. So, you did the most logical thing you could think of and called your aunt.

"Yes, Loki was there," your aunt confirmed. "He's the one who found them."

"Loki found them?" You asked.

"Yes. Not long after your uncle left to join the search, Loki joined as well. But you must keep it a secret, as well as this: Loki is the one who paid Wickham to marry your sister."

"He did?" You breathed, dropping to the edge of your bed. "Why?"

"Probably because he likes you."

"Oh, no, he doesn't."

"Why else would he do this?"

You did not tell her that it probably reminded him of Hela's situation.

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Even after Sharon and Wickham had left, you still couldn't get over the fact that Loki had been the one to pay him. You couldn't figure out if you were happy, upset, or some odd combination of both.

It was probably both.

To make things worse (or better, depending on how you looked at it), your mother was once again flying throughout the house, Kitty on her heels, exclaiming that Thor and Loki had returned to Midgard. Luckily, you'd heard the news before her, and had given Jane a heads up before your mother made a fuss about it as she was currently doing.

That same afternoon, a knock came on the front door. It was Thor and Loki. Why they were here, none of you had any clue. You felt a tiny spark of hope for Jane ignite in your chest.

They were invited in, of course. Your mother was overly sweet to Thor, making you cringe and wince at every other word. A new record, since before it was every single word.

To make matters worse, she was incredibly rude to Loki, which made you cringe and wince at every single word. You made a note to apologize to him later.

She invited them to dinner the next day. Meaning, she directed the invitation towards Thor, and both he and Loki accepted. Loki shot you a glance, and you knew he'd accepted it just to bother her. You just managed to stifle your laugh.

You were looking forward to dinner tomorrow.