Chapter Text
Her fingers were shaky as she held the envelope in her hands.
Divya had sealed many envelopes with the invitation to hers and Raj's upcoming engagement ceremony. Most of them she hadn't held with the same reverence as she did the one she was now clenching between her fingers. There was something different about this invitation, and her instincts were shouting at her not to send it.
The names printed on the envelope made her brain swirl with an array of emotions.
Hank and Evan Lawson
The address to their little abode in the shadow of Boris's lavish home was printed in fine calligraphy beneath the two names. Her eyes studied it meticulously, making sure that it wasn't incorrect, but secretly a part of her didn't want them to come…
That part of her was the part that was hurting right now. She felt like she was being torn apart. Having Hank and Evan there would definitely be comforting, but…it would make her feel even worse about what her parents were forcing upon her.
Already she wanted to scream, to shout, to defy her parents, but the sense of obedience was so deeply ingrained in her that she was scared to tell them that she wasn't in love with Raj, and she would never be. They were just friends, nothing more.
Divya leaned back into her chair with an airy sigh, squeezing her eyes shut with a sense of impending doom. She felt her throat tighten, that strange feeling that meant she was about to cry… She hated it, and pushed it back with all her willpower. No, she wouldn't cry. Not yet, at least.
Gathering her resolve, she rose from her seat and walked to the door, headed outside to the mailbox. The invitation with Hank's and Evan's names sat mockingly on the top of the stack.
She didn't, couldn't, tear her eyes from it.
Though she wouldn't admit it, she couldn't imagine life without the Lawson brothers.
Evan and his crazy antics and schemes and his insults…they had become apart of her life, intertwined seamlessly and she often found herself looking forward to their daily banter.
And Hank…
Hank and his strong, compassionate nature, as well as just a kind disposition to everyone. His strong, strapping good looks and his gentle eyes…
She shook her head as her heart gave a subtle pang within her chest.
No, Divya. You can't think like that…not now. No matter how much you care about Hank…
She steeled herself, dropped the invitations into the mailbox, shut it, and turned on a heel, not looking back.
---
"Well, this is soon."
Hank looked up from his notes and focused his eyes on his younger brother's thin form in the doorframe, leaning casually against the side of it. His posture suggested that he was rather relaxed, but his elder brother could see the tension building in his eyes, his shoulders start to tighten, his mouth forming into a tight line of displeasure.
"What is?"
"We've just been invited to an engagement party."
"Really?" Hank's interest had been peaked. "Whose?"
Evan blinked, though the tension hadn't left his eyes. He looked unsettled and sad, and Hank was reminded of the time their father accidentally ran over their first pet dog. Evan was little and he had cried for days.
"Divya's."
The tone with which Evan said the woman's name was that of finality, that of a man who had lost hope.
"What?" Hank asked, his brow furrowing in confusion while his eyes grew wide with shock. He felt his chest grow heavy in a reaction he didn't know he was capable at the moment, all the things with Jill considered… He pushed that to the back of his mind and immediately all his thoughts were on his PA, "I saw her with some guy at the bus station, but…I didn't think it was that serious."
"It's strategic," Evan said simply, the look on his face trying to be casual, but it wasn't. This bothered him more than he let on. "You know, arranged marriage."
Hank felt as if his eyes were so wide at this point, they would take up his entire face if possible. "Arranged marriage?"
Evan nodded, his face now grave as he told Hank the rest of the story. About Divya and Raj, the fact that they would be moving to London after they got married, and everything else.
The elder Lawson brother groped in his pocket for his phone automatically after Evan finished telling his story.
"What are you doing?"
Hank looked up, trying to seem unaffected. "About to call Jill. See if she's heard."
"Oh," Evan said shortly, and his shoulders slumped as he walked to the couch and plopped down, turning it to one of those "Real Housewives" shows he loved so much. But Hank noticed that his eyes seemed downtrodden, though he still laughed when some crazy woman started shouting. The sound of it was bitter, however, and Hank cringed at the tone of it.
Hank didn't focus on that, however, his thoughts were all on his PA, and the fact that she was going to be leaving them… Leaving him most of all. He felt his heart thud painfully at the prospect and he knew the feelings he was being subjected to right now weren't the product of today, but they had been slowly building for a while. He had been falling for his PA this whole time…
He swiftly dialed Divya's number instead of Jill's.
---
Divya sat on the beach, staring dreamily out at the ocean. It was nighttime, and the moon was full. All of the families had long since packed up and headed home, leaving couples strolling along the beach, hand in hand, kissing and doing various other unmentionable things in the secrecy of night.
She sighed and pulled her cell phone out of her purse, only to see '1 new message' glowing on the screen. She pressed a button and read it to herself as the sound of the waves crashed softly around her.
From: Hank
Be there in 2 secs.
She had just finished going over the message for the third time when she heard the kind voice of Hank call out her name. She turned slightly, not caring that the wind was mercilessly blowing her hair around her features. Divya met Hank's eyes and her heart started pounding mercilessly. She wondered how Hank took news when he found out, and then wondered why she cared.
She wondered why, but in her heart she already knew the reason.
Divya gulped and steeled herself. No matter what this infuriatingly handsome man does, you are not going to break…no matter how much you want to break, you can't.
Hank seated himself on the sand beside her casually. His light eyes glowed in the moonlight.
"So…"
Divya looked at him, curious as to where he was going with this. "So."
"I guess you're wondering why I called you."
"And especially this late at night," Divya said, smiling gently at him before focusing her eyes back to the moon. She was scared that if she gazed into his crystal clear eyes that she might see what was right in front of her for once.
Hank watched her lips curve into a sly smile, one that he hadn't seen on her before, and he felt himself return the gesture. Though her features were soft, her eyes were hard, determined, and focused as she stared out at the water that was lapping on the shore by her feet. It was as if she was trying to tell herself to not slip up in any way…
"I just want you to know that I'm here for you," Hank said in that voice that Divya had such a hard time resisting. "Whatever happens."
It was quiet for a moment as Divya let the magnitude of those words settle in her mind. She inhaled shakily and looked over her shoulder at Hank, dark hair billowing over her shoulders. "Thanks," she said simply, obviously not knowing what else to add to what he just said.
And she met his eyes.
Hank found himself lost - those eyes were dark, intelligent, mysterious. He never found himself so enraptured with Jill's gaze, though her eyes were icy and calculating. Divya's were an infinite pool of possibilities that he could see through the emotions she wore on her face; however hard she tried to hide them, they always seeped through.
Divya found herself in a staring match with Hank. She felt as if she would be knocked over if she had been standing up at the moment. But she wasn't, and she was grateful for that fact. She shook her head and posed the most logical question she could think of.
"But why did you have to meet me at the beach at night just to say that?" Divya asked cautiously, unaware of the doctor's true intentions.
"I…" Hank trailed off, looking at his bare feet submerged in the sand.
Noticing his dilemma with forming words at the moment, Divya lifted a hand to stop him and smiled. The way her lips formed the gesture seemed bitter and resentful, and Hank definitely didn't like seeing this side of his PA.
"I'm actually glad you wanted to see me in person, so you don't have to explain why." Divya barked a laugh as a nighttime breeze blew against the two.
"Really?" Hank asked incredulously. He couldn't think of a reason as to why Divya would actually want to meet with him on a beach in the dead of night just to talk. He felt as if he were missing something vital, and his heart panged to back up that point.
"Yes, really," Divya said, her voice sounding like music even on the most common of words. "Believe it or not, Hank, but you are actually a pleasure to be around."
"Unlike Evan, huh?" Hank joked.
Divya chuckled, the very sound of it making gooseflesh appear on his arms. "Evan's actually…very interesting to be around. Different than you, though."
"He cares about you, too, ya know."
"I know." Divya smiled and the look of her lips in that bitter contortion of a grin made Hank hate that her parents were doing this to her even more than he had before. They were making her life decisions, causing her to miss out on what could be love with someone important.
With you. A voice inside Hank's head sounded.
The very notion that Divya could possibly fall in love with him made his stomach flutter uneasily. But it was a good kind of unease, though he hated to admit that.
"Raj is…" Divya started, her eyes sad and detached. She'd never talked to anyone about this. Not her parents, not even Raj himself, and the fact that she was revealing her feelings to Hank now of all times made her feel freer, but also uneasy. "Raj is my best friend. We have been friends since we were little, and…well, he's very well-off. Therefore, my parents sought it fit that we would be married. Move to London. You know the story, I'm sure. So…" She trailed off, her voice becoming wistful and even more sad than before.
Hank didn't interrupt the silence that followed. He only watched her, his eyes caring and resolutely not moving from her face, waiting for her to continue with her story.
Divya smiled over at him, her eyes watering with unshed tears, "I don't want to marry him." So much for not letting him break you down…
Hank's eyes widened at her words. They were determined, but pained, as if she knew she had no other choice, or she was to be disowned by her family. It was a hard choice by anyone's standards. He still said nothing, only gazing at her profile in the moonlight and wondering how he could best help her.
"I love him, but I'm not in love with him, you see?" Divya said, her voice cracking on the last syllable, "He's like my brother. Just a very close friend that I can't even see myself marrying, let alone being intimate with." She blushed, an embarrassed note to her words.
"Yeah…" Hank said, his voice suddenly thick with emotion.
Divya was shocked at the tone in his voice and she looked over to him, her eyes wide with bewilderment. "Hank, are you okay?"
"Don't marry him."
"What?"
His face was dangerously close to hers, his eyes seeming to stare straight into her soul. Divya felt her heart catch in her chest as she stared into those clear, honest eyes. They paralyzed her, made her unable to move. She felt the tears she had previously held back start to flow down her cheeks at an unprecedented rate. She reached up to wipe them away, but Hank's hand beat her to it. His gentle fingers brushed the tears from her cheeks and lingered there, cupping her cheeks in both hands.
What is he doing…what is he doing? Divya thought in a flustered manner as his fingers rubbed soothingly against her skin.
"You don't have to marry him," Hank repeated with all the conviction as he had before, his eyes intently studying her face. "You have free will, Divya. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"I…my parents…I have to…"
"No, you don't."
Her heart was hammering away within her chest. Hank's lips were mere centimeters from hers and she had a definite feeling that if she moved forward to capture his with her own that he would indeed kiss back with passion, rather than her failed kiss with Raj which was a complete, utter disaster.
She didn't have to be the one to initiate, however.
Hank's lips were on hers within a second after she had thought about doing the same thing to him. They were gentle, caring, but there was a fire that burned beneath the innocence of this first kiss between the doctor and his PA. Divya's eyes were wide at first, but then she relaxed, closing them and wrapping her arms around his strong neck, pressing herself against him.
Hank groaned against her mouth, relishing the feel of her body so close to his. This was unlike anything he had ever shared with Jill. This was fiery; it was passionate; it was meaningful. Not to say that he didn't care about Jill - he did; but his feelings for her, he realized, were completely and utterly different from what had been growing in his heart for Divya for the longest time.
He pressed her back into the sand and he felt her inhale sharply through her teeth, clearly not expecting his forwardness. His chest was molded against hers, and he could practically feel her heart beating against his chest. He fisted a hand in her hair and deepened the kiss. In response, Divya arched her back, pressing her breasts even harder against Hank's chest.
The fingers of his free hand roamed up and down her right arm, creating a trail of heat wherever they came into contact. He moved his hand to roam up her shirt, and she moaned when his finger traced the outline of her bra.
"Hank…" She groaned into his mouth.
"Yes?" he murmured against her full lips.
"Take me back to your place," she said, and the insinuation of her words held a desperate and vulnerable note. He wondered if she felt the same way that he did for her - the look in her eyes gave him the answer.
Yes. Yes, she did.