Chapter 136 - (Hundred) Thirty Five:

In her office, Navaya read in silence. Reading, a habit she adopted through the years, was a means of escapism. Her love for books— fiction to be precise— romance to be even more precise— sometimes was the only thing that kept her sane. Navaya didn't even know what to make out of her life anymore. She had dated only two men and both those men managed to turn into assholes. So hence her new decision. She had officially, after much deliberation, given up on men. Fictional men and reading about romances she would never experience were her life now.

To commemorate this momentous decision she had depicted for herself, she chose to read a book from the genre she frequents but never thought she would ever pick up because of all the different opinions circulating about that same book series which actually made her a little hesitant in the first place.

The book series: a court of Thorns and Roses.

A court of Thorns and hoes was what she liked to call it after getting the gist of what the book was about and still she loved it. The series was the best thing that had ever happened to her. The characters, unlike most books she had read that were insufferable, this one was different. Better. The book was written in the first person but somehow she could stand the characters. 

The main character of this book had the same characteristics as other YA fantasy main characters. She was stupid, impulsive, stubborn, thinks she is some badass but at the same time can't decide who she loves.

And the sex scenes. God, the sex scenes. Ridiculous but vivid, explicit, description of every single action. Every single thrust and in the end, it wasn't about the plot, it wasn't her love for the characters that kept her reading. No, it was excessively detailed sex scenes that truly gripped Navaya, made her realize that she indeed had a kinky side and at the same time, got her to embrace that side of her. It only solidifies why she adored this book. Navaya only wished that one day the author of that series would quit her sleazy attempt to write an epic fantasy and stick to what she was good at; writing smut. To embrace the kink.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with being kinky and writing eroticas. 

A knock on her door snapped her concentration in half. It was simply baffling how fervid Navaya's focus was, how immersed she was while reading fairy porn. Before she could even permit the person to come in, her office door shut open, revealing a genial-looking Becca. 

Just like Navaya, Becca didn't need permission before entering this office. She only knocks to be courteous. 

Navaya smiled as Becca neared, setting the book down on the desk in front of her.

" I knew I would find your face in a book when you don't pass by my office." Becca laughed and Navaya's smile widened to a grin, pearly whites gleaming. Even she couldn't deny the fact that she was a sucker for good fiction.

" Well, you look happy today. Happier than I've seen you all month." She watched Becca sashay closer to the desk, picked up the book she was reading, and her brows furrowed in confusion when she saw the cover as if she was expecting to see something else. Something much kinkier.

If only Becca knew that what she was checking wasn't on the cover but the pages, that the book in question was indeed sent from smut heaven.

Becca held up the book, glossing over the name.

" A Court of Wings and Ruins." Becca readout. It was the third book of the series.

" Hoes." Navaya coughed out, snickering when Becca shot her a glance.

Becca looked at the book in her hand then at the untrustworthy smile on Navaya's face and let out a sigh, her smile still intact.

" I know I'm probably going to regret asking but what's the book about?" Becca drooped off her handbag and took a seat facing Navaya to initiate their little morning ritual. Their gist session. It was like their sacred time to chat with one another before the stress of a day's work hurled them into different corners. It was the time they both used to speak to each other about all the things, whether stupid or reasonable, that their minds had managed to forge. This little routine of theirs had existed even before Atlas, and hopefully, will keep existing after.

Navaya's eyes twinkled with impish as she grinned. " It's about fairies."

Taken aback, Becca's brow flung up. " Fairies? Like Tinkerbell?" 

The cover definitely doesn't look like a children's book.

Navaya snickered again, unable to impede it. Oh Becca, sweet sweet Becca. How innocent you are.

" No, these fairies are a little different. They are basically humans with wings, magic, and big dicks." Navaya said, surprisingly with a straight face.

After everything Navaya had heard about the book series, that was honestly the only way she could describe it and somehow along the lines, she was accurate.

" That's one heck of a summary." Becca laughed before setting the book back on the table.

" Perhaps you should read this with me." The mischief in Navaya's gaze doubled, instantly raising crimson flags in Becca's mind.

" You want me to read about male Tinkerbells swinging their monstrous wands about?" 

" Hey, why are you making it sound like the worst thing? It's probably better than all the mindfucks you read." Navaya retorted, still smiling.

" They are psychological thrillers, not mindfucks." Becca asserted. Both women were avid consumers of fiction but read different genres. While Becca tends to be intrigued by thrillers and crime books, mindfucks as her friend loves to call them, Navaya on the other hand, raves on about romances, gushing about how hot the love interests are described. Though they have different tastes in books, they never ridicule each other because of that difference. Even if they do, it's most likely a joke and they will take it as it is. A joke.

" Oh please, you read about a psychopath that kills women for their essence and gave it five stars. "

Becca rolled her eyes. " It's called perfume and it was a best seller with one of the most unique protagonists I have ever seen." 

" He was a killer."

" No, he was special." 

Usually, it was Navaya who always rendered Becca speechless but today was different. Today, a rare phenomenon occurred. Navaya was lost for words.

She batted her long lashes before pursing her lips. " Fairy porn is still better." 

To Navaya, fairy smut was indisputably better and that was as true as the gospel. Who cares about mind and soul gripping stories about gore when there are literally books out there about hot beasts with monster dicks.

" Really now?" Becca laughed. " In what era?" 

" It's in a medieval setting and I know how much you love medieval settings in fiction." 

True, Becca does get fascinated by anything parallel to antediluvian. In other words, anything resembling game of thrones.

God, she loved that series.

Becca stroked her chin with her thumb. " It does sound a little promising."

" It is but just a quick disclaimer. Because you don't read YA fantasy, book one and book two might come off a little dreary and bland for your taste so just skip to book three and I will fill you in about what you missed." Navaya said and Becca shrugged.

" That's not how to read a series but okay." 

" Wonderful, so here goes. There is a female protagonist who is—"

" Bratty, stubborn, stupid. A little bitch." Becca cut Navaya off, completing the sentence with a smile.

" Yes, but hush, let me finish. She committed the crime of murder and was taken to a magical realm by a high lord to live out her days, away from the two bitches she called older sisters. In that realm, she finds out there is a curse that causes fairy magic to dwindle slowly and in order to break the curse, the protagonist must fall in love with the high lord that brought her to the realm in the first place." 

Becca listened silently, skepticism stitched into her face. " Are you sure you didn't just narrate the beauty and the beast story?" 

" It is the beauty and the beast story. It's actually a retelling, only that the woman who placed the curse in this book is actually a nasty bitch. Well, you know the drill from here. The heroine slays the villain and that's how book two starts. Book two is honestly the worst book of the whole series because I find it unnecessarily problematic. It makes zero sense, plus it makes reading book one seem like a waste of time because the author apparently thought it would be a wonderful idea to just go ahead and swap the love interests. She took the high lord that she shipped with the protagonist, villainized him till there was nothing left then replaced him with a mini antagonist from book one, probably because he had the juicier dick. " 

" Really? Then why did you read it and?" 

Navaya flashed her teeth in a grin. " The ridiculous sex scenes." 

Dear God. It took Becca everything in her not to drop to the floor laughing.

" So you weren't interested in the plot?"

The naughtiness of Navaya's grin intensified, accentuating the already obvious answer to Becca's question.

" Plot? What fucking plot?" Navaya picked up the book and began flipping through pages. " Show me the plot because I have read the entire book and still can't identify the plot in the entire thing."

" Amazing," Becca said, sarcasm lacing her tone. Sarcasm that Navaya completely ignored. But either way, Navaya kept talking and Becca kept listening, amusement tinged on her face. 

Navaya couldn't even begin to stress how thankful she was to have a friend like Becca, a friend that tolerated and listened to all her weird rants just like Johnny used to. 

Johnny. Despite everything, he still somehow succeeds in weaving his way into her mind, invading her thoughts, and still, her brain allows it. Her heart welcomes the intrusion, it always did.

Navaya's smile faltered slightly. " You know what? Sometimes, I wish I was the main character of this book, to marry into money and big dick just like she did. Maybe then, certain people would stop calling the greatest decision I made in my life, a stupid mistake." 

To Navaya, books were her way of escaping from her problems, reading books gave her momentary relief and closure, cloaking her from the heartaches threatening to rip her in two. Hence, her love for books. But just like everything else that existed, that closure and relief don't last forever. Once she is done with a book, right after she reads the last sentence of the last page, she would instantly have all forms of solace she got while reading, stripped off her, supplanted by the hurt because deep down, she knew it never left.

Becca's smile receded as well and she quickly took hold of Navaya's hands, holding it in hers.

" Is it about your parents again?" Becca asked, peering into beautiful brown orbs and Navaya nodded.

" It has been years but still they haunt me with the fact that I threw my life away."

Becca shook her head. " You didn't throw your life away, Atlas and its success proves it even more." 

Parents impose life-changing decisions on their children with the alibi of choosing the best for them. Unfortunately, all the ways they chose to approach the issue did nothing but inflict hurt on the same children they deemed to be helping. Though Becca had never been a victim of this, she still watched it happen to Johnny, twice. He fought the best he could, he rebelled but in the end, he was powerless. 

Navaya was truly brave for doing what she did. Leaving was one of the hardest things. Sometimes, on the bad days, she wonders if it was all worth it in the first place, and on the other days, she just can't help being proud of herself for taking that bold step.. For leaving.