Destined Hearts Ch. 11

Praveen couldn't take what Antonio was giving him. He wasn't gonna let him blame him for something that he had no idea of.

"Oh, really..." He looked at Antonio like he had said something bad. "...don't blame me for this because I am not excited to spend time with you either. This will probably be the worst seven hours of my life being with you. As if that shoot wasn't bad enough." He sighed, shaking his head.

Then he quickly left the room, leaving Antonio there alone and staring at him. Antonio felt a slow but really sharp pain hit him right in the heart. He got hurt somehow and he couldn't deny that it was because of the words that Praveen had used.

Praveen had just told him that he regretted shooting that video with him, a moment that Antonio had appreciated. It was painful and he got angry to some extent.

With a hiss, he picked up his phone to call his boyfriend but it was unavailable. He tried again but it was still unavailable.

"Great!" He threw the phone on the bed. "As if I am not having enough problems with Bruce."

But he couldn't really do anything. He had no choice but to go and pick his grandmother in the next town by car. He groaned angrily and went to get changed for the journey.

***

Antonio slowly and carefully stepped on the breaks to reduce the speed of the car because he didn't wanna run into anything since it had really been long since he had driven along that route. In fact, he had been driven the time he had used it. Now he had to be careful. It was dangerous to speed in a road that he wasn't that familiar with.

He was dressed in a beautiful white designer's shirt that was halfway buttoned up, a dark blue designer's trouser and black shoes on feet. He had a band around his head which made him look really sexy.

He had spoken a word to Praveen since they had left the mansion because he had been too busy thinking about his boyfriend and how he was gonna feel. That and because by the time he had come back to his senses, he had found Praveen fast asleep. He had been sleeping for as long as he could remember.

Antonio had been driving for over 4 hours and he knew he still had a three hours or more due to the speed at which he was driving. He had stopped during the way to get some food and water but Praveen had still been sleeping right there next to him.

He took a glance over his shoulder and saw the boy sleeping beautifully and soundless. Antonio couldn't deny the fact that Praveen was looking really handsome in his sleep.

He was wearing a purple t-shirt that made him look really cute, a black designer's skinny jean that showed his marvelous body and yellow snickers on his feet. He had his hair tied into a ponytail and though he was putting on glasses, he still looked cute. He also had a scarf wrapped around his neck.

Antonio was so caught in his beauty that he didn't even realize he was smiling. The thing that got him out of that smile was the gorgeous groan from Praveen. He was waking up. Antonio quickly shook his head and concentrated on driving. Praveen might have been looking beautiful but Bruce was still the most beautiful to him.

Praveen yawned, stretching his arms widely. When he slowly opened his eyes, he realized that it was already dark. He quickly took a glance at his phone and realized that it was just 6:30 pm. At that time, it wasn't supposed to be that dark.

He took a glance out the window and just realized that the whole sky was filled with dark clouds. He was just hoping that they were almost near the town, otherwise it looked like it was about to rain heavily.

"Are we there yet?" Praveen asked, looking at his husband. "It has gotten dark."

"Oh..." Antonio chuckled, his mind still focused on driving. "Are we there yet? Welcome back, Prince. Is there anything that you would like your servant to give you?"

Praveen rolled his eyes. "Are you serious, Antonio? This is no time to joke around. I haven't been to this place and..."

"Then why don't you drive?" He laughed. "Perhaps I have no idea where I am going."

"Really?" He sighed. "You're impossible. I am just worried because..."

"Do you ever have happy thoughts?" Antonio asked with a stern look. "Nothing is gonna happen, okay. At least, nothing worse than being with you."

"Excuse me!" Praveen gasped, his eyes widening. "Don't blame me for your misfortunes. Both of us had found ourselves in this situation and I am not exactly happy being with you."

"That makes the two of us. Only God knows what Bruce is thinking of me right now. It was supposed to be a great night for me but because of you..."

"Yeah, right." Praveen sighed, folding his arms of his chest. "Because of me, you're stuck on the road with me. I get it. I have heard that a lot today. I wonder why I woke up."

"Makes me wonder too. I was enjoying the ride until you woke up."

Praveen just looked at Antonio, shaking his head. There was no way he was gonna be arguing with him the entire journey because he didn't have the strength. So he just decided to keep quiet and think happy thoughts the entire journey.

It was barely thirty seconds of quietness when lightning suddenly split the sky, making it seem like it was day light. Praveen's heart pounded harshly and in shock, he quickly moved and gripped Antonio's arm, burying his head there.

Praveen was afraid of lightning more than anything. It had always given him chills ever since he was very young and it was no exception that he was now with Antonio. He just buried his head there, breathing in Antonio's expensive, strong cologne.

Antonio on the other hand was shocked when he felt Praveen's strong grip on his arm. He quickly looked at him, seeing his head buried on his arm. He could feel his hot breath and at first, he thought he found it rather cute and amusing and he also smiled.

But suddenly, he came back to his senses and furiously released Praveen's grip from his arm. Praveen slowly raised his head only to stare into Antonio's beautiful eyes. Then he took a quick glance at the sky and felt at peace when there was no more lightning. But it really looked like it was going to rain and really heavily too.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to kill us both?" He said, rather rudely.

"I am sorry." Praveen apologized. "It's just that I am afraid of..."

"Really?" Antonio laughed at the top of his voice, hitting at the driving wheel. "Who would have known? I wish that lightning had split on your head so that you could have stopped ruining my life."

Praveen couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I wish the same too. But this one's for you."

He rolled his eyes, leaned to the window and just started looking out, hoping that the rain wasn't gonna be bad. There were already drizzles starting and Praveen was kinda scared and there was also an unfamiliar tingling sensation in his gut and he had no idea why he felt that way. He just prayed to the almighty to guide their way. After all, granny and he had prayed about this journey before they left. So what was to be worried about?

***

The wind was blowing terribly, blowing the curtains on all sides... Lightning split the sky every second and thunder was heard almost immediately... It was really dark but with the way lightning was splitting the sky every second, one would have mistaken it for day light.

There was a swooshing sound that sounded like someone was whistling at a distance. Things were falling to the floor, ornaments, and all the candles just went off.

Yet, here he was. Seated on the floor with his legs folded and his hands on each leg with his eyes completely shut. His hair together with his long beards were being blown away. He wasn't scared or anything.

He just kept on meditating, trying to listen to the almighty's call and his words. Things were scattering in the temple, but the idol of the almighty seemed to stand still, his eyes open and his hand stretched as if he was blessing his priest, giving him strength.

Then suddenly, the priest opened his eyes widely, staring at the almighty's statue.

"Who am I to disobey your words?" He said in a loud voice. "I am nothing but your servant. The boy has been your devotee and if this is what you want to happen then so be it."

He slowly stood up, got his staff and just sighed, shaking his head. He looked really worried because of the vision he had just gotten. Something was gonna happen that night and not just that night, things were gonna happen.

"How long will you continue to test him?" He sighed, hitting the staff on the floor. "I really hope you are ready, Praveen."

***

"Mother!" Emilia came rushing down the stairs, running to where granny was seated, reading a newspaper.

Emilia had a scarf wrapped around herself because it was so damn cold. She was really worried because the rain wasn't only heavy but it was windy as well. She knew very well that her son and her son in law had gone to the next town to pick up their grandmother and she was sure that they hadn't reached. She was bound to be worried.

"Emilia!" Granny put the newspaper down, removing her reading glasses. "What's wrong?"

"Mother, you know Antonio and Praveen left late this afternoon for the next town. It's raining heavily and I have been trying to reach them but their phones are off. It seems the storm has disrupted the network."

Granny looked at her daughter and smiled. "You don't have to be worried. The almighty will keep them safe. Praveen and I made some prayer this afternoon before they left. Don't get yourself worked up. They'll call when they reach there."

"But I am a mother." She complained, hitting on her head. "I am bound to be worried. My children are not here and..."

"Emilia, don't worry." She held her hand, making her sit. "I know how you feel. If it will make you feel better, why don't we make some prayers?"

"Yeah!" She nodded without wasting any time. "Please!"

Granny chuckled and the both of them left the living room to go and make some prayers.

***

Praveen was leaning towards the window, still looking outside. He was thanking his lucky stars that they rain wasn't pouring, just the drizzles that made the window wet. They had been driving for almost an hour since he had woken up and they hadn't seen a single person or house. He was just hoping they were near because he was really bored and tired. He hadn't spoken to Antonio just like they had agreed they wouldn't.

Suddenly, the car gave a sharp jerk that got Praveen out of his thoughts. He raised his head, took a glance at Antonio and prayed that nothing was wrong. He felt his heart begin to race but eventually stopped when everything seemed to be back to normal.

Then again, the car gave a few but really sharp consecutive jerks that made Praveen's heart to pound deep in his chest. He put his hands on his thighs, gripping them tightly. He was now scared. He moved his eyes to his husband and when their eyes met, he saw nothing but worry on Antonio's face.

Okay, now he was panicking. He knew that something was definitely wrong and that wasn't the place or the time for anything to go bad. He closed his eyes, started giving a prayer. But suddenly, the car gave the mother of all jerks that made Praveen grip his husband's arm.

Antonio on the other hand got really scared when Praveen gripped his arm and the jerks weren't helping anything. He knew that if he didn't do anything, they were gonna land into an accident. So he did what any normal driver in his situation would have done. He slowed the car down and got off the road, stopping the car.

Praveen slowly opened his eyes when he felt the car stopped. He let go of Antonio, looking shyly at him. He wanted to ask him what the hell was going on but he was too scared to ask. Plus, he had no idea how Antonio was gonna answer him. He didn't wanna get insulted by him.

Antonio tore his eyes from Praveen, trying to start the car but it couldn't. He tried once again but it would look as if it had started and then stop all of a sudden. He tried severally but it wouldn't start. He knew from that time that they were really in trouble.

"Is there anything wrong?" Praveen shuddered, his voice breaking.

"Err... I don't know. It just won't start." He said as he opened the door only to be welcomed by the drizzles which were getting a bit worse.

As he closed the door, Praveen opened his own side of the door and got out. Antonio switched on his phone torch light and started inspecting the car, hoping that it wasn't worse. But everything seemed to be fine with the tires. He then popped the trunk open to go and check what was wrong. He was suspecting the battery but as soon as he tried to check it, his phone went off.

"What?" He tried to switch it on but it wouldn't. "Great!"

He shifted to Praveen. "Hey, can I use your phone torch light."

Praveen nodded and slipped his phone from his pocket but to his surprise, it was off. He couldn't switch it back on.

"Great!" He groaned, looking at his husband. "It's off."

"Shit!" Antonio swore, hitting his head. "How are we supposed to know what the problem is? It's so damn dark."

He went back to the car to check if there was a torch light or something he could use to see what the problem was. But unfortunately for him, there was nothing there. He came back to Praveen but before he could tell him the bad news, lighting split in the sky making everywhere bright for a second followed by terrible thunder that made even Antonio scared.

Praveen had his ears covered and his eyes closed shut. He was breathing like he was being chased by a predator, his heart racing miles. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he almost jumped.

He quickly opened his eyes and found Antonio looking at him, squeezing his shoulder. "Don't be scared. It's just lightning and I am here."

Praveen nodded. He felt a bit confident at Antonio's words and decided to trust.

All of a sudden, there was a strong wind that blew there and almost immediately, really heavy rain started pouring. Shit! Now Praveen knew that things had gotten worse.

"Shit! The rain has started pouring and we need some shelter." Antonio had to shout just so that Praveen could hear him. "We need to keep warm."

"Yeah," Praveen said just as thunder roared really loudly, followed by lightning. He was scared and really wet in a matter of seconds. "I see a house just over there." He pointed, making Antonio turn.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" He shouted at the top of his voice. "Maybe there's someone there that can help us. We can't stay in the car because of the storm."

"I think you're right. Let me lock the car."

Antonio locked the car quickly and both of them rushed quickly to the little house. Reaching there, they knocked and knocked but there was no answer. Antonio tried to push the door and it opened on its own. They looked at each other before they rushed inside, closing the wooden door.

They were drenched wet, really cold and shivering too. The rain had made them wet all over and it was a cold night.

"Hello!" Antonio called in his deep manly voice. "Anyone here?"

But when there was light from lightning, they saw that there was no one there. The placed seemed to be abandoned because there were piles of grass everywhere and some wood. It was just a single room and maybe someone had abandoned that place.

"I don't think there's anyone." Antonio said softly, rubbing his arms. "And it's really cold. We need to find some light otherwise, we won't see anything."

But before he had even thought of that, Praveen was already moving his hands on the shelf, trying to find something that would help them. His hands caught something, matches and he felt really happy. He lit one match stick and got even happier when he saw an oil lamp just nearby. He lit it up, making most of the place brighter.

Antonio was impressed by Praveen that he couldn't help but smile.

"Oh my God!" Praveen gasped, putting the lamp down and rushing to his husband. He took his hand, staring at it with worry on his face. "You're bleeding Antonio. How did you get hurt?"

"What?" Antonio had no idea he had gotten hurt. He quickly looked at his hand and saw blood there followed by a shot of pain. He had a cut on his left hand and it was blood. "I had no idea. It must have been from when I was opening the door."

"I need to bandage it with something." But what.

Praveen looked around but there was nothing that he could use. So he did what he thought was right. He ripped his scarf, got a piece and carefully tied on Antonio's wound, preventing him from bleeding more.

As he did, Antonio kept on staring at him with a smile on his face. The way Praveen cared for him at times, no one had ever done that except for his mother and his granny. He was extremely happy. Maybe Praveen wasn't that bad after all.

"That should stop the bleeding." Praveen said, smiling happily. "Does it hurt that bad?"

Antonio couldn't utter a word. He just shook his head, his eyes still glued on the boy. "No! It doesn't hurt that bad now that you've taken care of it."

Praveen smiled shyly and sighed. "That lamp won't see us through the night. We need to make a fire."

Praveen started gathering some sticks and small wood that he found there. The entire place was made of wood and half of the room had iron sheets while half had grass. He knew that the smoke was gonna be able to escape and they were gonna be just fine.

While he did that, Antonio sat down on a pile of grass and just watched as Praveen put the grass and would together, making a small fire. He was really impressed and couldn't help but admire the boy. He seemed determined with what he was doing and just like he had said, the lamp went off.

When Praveen made the fire, he went to where Antonio was seated.

"You need to get warm. It's raining heavily and you might catch a cold."

Antonio gave a half smile and moved towards the fire, starting to feel the warmth. But he knew that he was gonna continue feeling cold unless he took off his clothes. But then again, he didn't know if he wanted to get undressed in front of Praveen. But what was the big deal again.

He started with his shoes and socks. He took them off, putting them aside. His feet felt a bit numb. Then he took off slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his hairy muscular, sexy chest. He carefully placed the shirt on the grass for it to dry and then unbuckled his belt, taking off his trouser too. He carefully placed it on the grass for it to dry too.

Now he was only in his black boxer brief, standing close to the fire with his hands stretched forward, rubbing them together to keep warm. His brief was also wet but there was no way he was gonna take it off and remain naked in front of Praveen. He wouldn't do it on his... Holy shit!

Antonio froze when he raised his head to look around and found a scene that captured his mind and his very soul. It was Praveen and God, Antonio's heart began racing almost instantly. His eyes widened as a warm sensation ran down his body, making him groan.

Praveen was standing just a distance away from him with his hair forward, rubbing on it with his torn scarf, trying to dry it. But he was not putting on his skinny jean. He was only wearing his t-shirt which didn't cover much.

Antonio couldn't help but watch. Praveen's legs were hairless, really gorgeous and he was putting on a gray brief that made him look really sexy, especially with his feminine shape and gorgeous, smooth skin that made him look like an angel.

Antonio tried to look away... he really did but the next second, he was staring again. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The way Praveen had bent his head on one side, rubbing the scarf in his long wet hair that made him look like he was a model trying to seduce a client. He flipped his hair and Antonio lost his cool. He tried to close his eyes and opened them again but Praveen was still moving in slow motion.