Chapter 037
1255 Words
“Holly, what is it?” he repeats.
“Nothing!” I say. “It’s just a silly nightmare.”
“About?”
“Why do you need to know?!” I snap at him. “Just get lost! I need to sleep.”
“Because, contrary to what you think, I care.”
I frown, and I watch his jaw clenching. Finally, he reaches for my cheeks and wipes my remaining tears. Then he leans over and kisses the corner of my eyes.
“Are you calm now?” he asks.
I nod. “It’s just about Master Orson,” I say.
“Good,” he says and brushes my hair. He tucks it in behind my ear, and I just marvel at how he could treat me as gently as this. But if he knew I was older than him, would he still treat me as if I am something fragile?
“Do you like me older or younger?” I blurt out.
He seems surprised, and I look away at the absurdity of what I asked.
He groans and lifts me. I did not complain, especially when he laid me on the bed. “I’ve always thought of you as both, so it’s hard to answer your question.”
“What do you mean?” I ask as I allow him to interlace his fingers on mine.
“You look your age, but the way you act makes me think that you are actually older than me.”
He’s right on. “You must think I’m weird,” I comment.
“I think you’re amazing.”
“Now, you’re teasing again.”
He kisses the top of my forehead and says, “Right now, I do not have the capacity to tease.”
Before I can even complain, he kisses my cheeks and then licks the corner of my mouth. I blink, and then he tilts my head and kisses me. I open my mouth to protest. However, he might have thought of it as an invitation as he parts my lips for a deeper kiss. Then his hot tongue deftly moves inside my mouth. The action surprises me that I hold on to his arm. Never had I been kissed like this before.
I stop breathing, and when I can’t anymore, I turn my face away. “Aaron…” It sounds wrong in my ears, and I know that he misunderstood it because he winds his finger on the strand of my hair and locks his lips on mine again.
His kisses are gentle at first, and then they become more passionate. His tongue moves as if he’s scouring my mouth. I feel dizzy. I feel his hand on my thighs, and then he presses his hardened body between my legs. I jump back. I push at his chest while asking myself where he learned how to kiss like that. From what I know, he didn’t have any other woman except me. He’s not the type to do that, even if we still don’t have a label.
“Stop,” I say, breathless at the onslaught of emotions that wrack my being. In this state, I won’t be able to call Anitun Tabu even if I want to.
Aaron seems to be confused as well, and then understanding passes through his features. Finally, he leaps away from me and covers me with the blanket.
“I’m sorry.” His voice is a whisper. “I should leave,” he says and then stumbles over the bottle of water on the floor. I instinctively shut my eyes when he made a huge fall. He groans but still finds the strength to leave my room while crouching as if in great pain.
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I stand in front of the study that Axel and Master Suvayan are currently occupying during their stay on Marahuyo. It’s been a few days since I celebrated Master Orson’s death anniversary. As for what happened that night, Aaron and I never talked about it. Nothing changed, though. He’s still the sweet guy I know, despite that night of blunder.
One of the male mages, with Axel and Master Suvayan, comes out of the room. He looks at me out of all the other people requesting an audience.
“Are you the one called Holly?” he asks. “What’s your last name?”
“Silva,” I answer.
The mage raises his eyebrows at me. Silva is not an ordinary Benia name, but I can take any last name I want as an orphan. But Master Orson insisted on me getting his name, so I did. The male mage might have recognized it.
“Master Suvayan is out now. But Master Axel said you can come in.”
Perfect, I think as I stand up and follow the male mage into the room. It is Axel that I need to talk to anyway, not Master Suvayan, who is one of the people backing Olivia to destroy the Quads from my previous timeline. I need to realize if I can actually find out what happened two years ago without becoming a Scepter. And the first person I can think of is Axel. I need to thicken my face and strengthen my mind if I am really going to do this without the position of Scepter.
The room is exquisite. Instead of wooden furniture, the room is full of furniture made of stone or metal—gold and silver, mostly. They organized papers and documents on different shelves, giving the room a neat appearance. There is a glistening chandelier at the centre of the ceiling and carpets at specific places in the room.
I look at Axel, who’s busy writing some documents. I approach him. He is still the same person I fell in love with as a kid. His hair, the colour of his skin, the way he carries himself, the muscles bulging from underneath his regal clothes, and the way he looks up at me with a smile.
“How have you been, Holly?” he asks.
I hear my chest thumps as he calls my name. How many years has it been? Yet, even in this suffocating scenario, I still find him attractive. Even if I plan to use his fame and power, if he allows me, I wish he finds me useful for his goals instead.
“Hi,” I say, not knowing what to say next.
He stands up, and I feel like he sucks in all the surrounding air, making it hard to breathe.
“I’m glad you’re fine.”
“Yes,” I say, breathless.
Damn, I have memorized what I am about to say to him, but now that he’s approaching, it seems like everything has been thrown out the door. I just stare at him as if mesmerized. If there is a living god on this planet, it would be him, the physical appearance, the strength. No one comes close.
“You okay?” he asks and peers at me.
“Yes!” I squeak.
Shit! Damn it all to hell! I need to calm myself down. I need to imagine that he’s just an ordinary person. I’ve saved him, yes, he—My eyes go to his lips, which are curved into a smile, the same mouth that touched mine when he attempted to save me at my previous timeline. I should have savoured it more. I should’ve—I redden.
What am I even thinking right now?!
To be continued…
- Writer
