Luna Kiara

Opening up

Kiara

While his eyes wandered around, he licked his lips. It made me question if he was anxious to share the cause for his loneliness with me. Perhaps he had a shady past. I had no idea why somebody would want to live alone in the woods.

I took a step forward and took both of his hands in mine. The sparks flew as soon as our flesh came into contact. It was calming and powerful enough to induce trance in me. But that wasn't what I was aiming for. I wanted to be there for him.

Perhaps he had been alone for a long time and was finding it difficult to open up. I was curious as to what secrets this intriguing man was concealing.

Or perhaps he, like me, ran into the woods. Perhaps he was attempting to conceal himself from everyone.

I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the sparks.

"I… I'm not going to judge you. I understand how things may go horribly wrong. It is sometimes beyond our control."

A nervous chuckle escaped my lips. "I, too, had to flee, but now I see that I should have stayed. You can tell me," I informed him.

He took a long, breath and stared deeply into my eyes.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

In response to his question, I nodded.

"What made you escape into the woods?" I inquired.

His face became softer.

"I didn't try to escape. I had to flee since I was being forced to," in hushed tones, he said.

I frowned. "You were being forced?"

He nodded his head "Yes. I was ejected from my... uh… home. I had no choice but to leave," he murmured, his gaze fixed on his feet.

"Who was it that chased you away? And why?"

He inhaled deeply before answering my question.

"I... my stepmother... She was never fond of me. She used to call me names and attempt to make me react in unfavorable ways. I despised her. Dad, on the other hand, believed her rather than me. She ultimately tried to seduce me when I was nineteen and was successful in framing me for attempting to r**e her. Dad was so enraged that he expelled me from the house," he took a breath and hesitated. I felt awful for him since he appeared to be so shattered.

"But why did she hate you?" I inquired quietly.

He chuckled, "Because I'm dark? My biological mother was a black woman, and I inherited her skin tone. She would call me ugly and useless."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Apart from lawbreakers, the racists are the people I loathe the most.

"What the hell! That is not true. You are attractive, strong, and caring. I see male models in magazines and you remind me of them!" I told him the truth.

He gave a kind smile. "You think so?"

I responded with a nod.

"Where is your mom, now?"

A sad smile curled on his lips.

"She is gone," he mumbled.

"Oh, I am sorry," pursing my lips, I said.

"But why are you in the woods? There are a number of homeless people on the streets. Why did you decide to make a home in the woods?"

I had the impression there was more to his story. Aside from that, his strength was incredible. He just murdered a lioness with his bare hands. I was curious as to how he gained such strength.

He appeared to be hesitant once more. Perhaps I should give him some space and refrain from interrogating him too much. He also gave me a chance to get to know him before asking my name.

"It's all right. Perhaps we can discuss this later," I suggested.

He smiled gratefully and his face relaxed in relief.

Exhaling deeply, he and said, "Yes."

"Besides, I'm hungry. Let's get a have some of the food you've brought."

We returned to his small cottage. While we ate, my heart overflowed with pride every time I looked at him. He had been through a lot, but he remained the wonderful person he was. Despite his enormous strength, he never used it to harm others. Knowing a little about his past increased my admiration for him tenfold.

After comparing my life to his, I felt embarrassed of myself. He was evicted from his home after being falsely accused. But what about me? I let my rage overtake me.

I cast a sidelong glance at the blue-eyed demigod, who was savouring his meal. I can't believe he was thinking about living with me. He deserved a lot better.

I swallowed my saliva and cleared my throat.

"Oswald. Let us return to the city. You don't need to return to your parents' residence..."

"Do you think I could live with you?"

He cut me off, his eyes twinkling hopefully.

My mouth drew apart. "Uh... about that... I can help you find a place to live till you find work. Do you think that will suffice?"

I felt bad about myself. I would have loved to be with him if I didn't get arrested. Besides, this dashing hunk deserved more than me. He deserved someone pure.

He let out a sigh. "Could I at least see you? I would like to learn more about you," he stated

As I twirled one of the berries he had brought in my fingertips, I chuckled.

"Why me, Oswald? You... you are deserving of better. There would be a slew of young women willing to die for you."

Regardless of my heart's protests, I informed him.

"But," he added, "I like you."

"I like you, too..." I began to ramble. "Uh... I mean... you're a wonderful friend."

I wanted to slap myself. Friend? Seriously?

"I want to be more than buddies," he said.

There was an unsettling stillness in the room.

He glanced at me sadly. "You don't really like me, do you?"

I shook my head and put my hand on his.

"No. Yes, I do. But... it's just... I ran away, and I need to resolve a lot of things before anything more happens," I stuttered a bit.

He scrutinised my features.

"What made you flee?"

I stifled an uneasy laugh. As soon as he learned what I had done, he would despise me.

I shook my shoulders, "I guess because I'm a coward."

His brow furrowed.

"Can you tell me why you're saying that?"

What would he think of me if he found out I had gone into hiding? I felt embarrassed by what I had done. I felt ashamed by my inability to manage my rage. But there was nothing that could be done about the past.

Maybe if he found out the truth, he would stop pursuing me. I surveyed his features and swallowed the spit that had gathered in my mouth.

"I... I killed two people," I said quietly. He was paying close attention to what I was saying.

While I relived those horrible experiences, I pulled in a nervous breath.

"I killed both my husband and best friend. They were being unfaithful to me. I caught them red-handed. To tell you the truth, they weren't simply cheating. They were associates of an underworld Don we were attempting to apprehend. When I overheard their conversation, I realised they were using me as a pawn. Hearing all of it enraged me. Since I work in the police department, they had easy access to several things. I was angry that I was used and betrayed and couldn't stop myself from shooting them to death." I hid my face behind my hands, embarrassed.

"I ran because I was frightened of being caught. But now I see that I should just be honest and own up to my mistake. Maybe I'll receive a sentence or two. I shouldn't have run in either case."

I peeked at him through my fingers. I needed to see his change in expression. He most probably would hate me. My heart dropped as Oswald stared blankly at me. I knew he would be surprised when he found out the dreadful truth. I wanted him to meet another person. Someone who would be deserving of his goodwill. I won't be there anyway after I'm locked away.

His blank stare, regardless, was uncomfortable to me. I suppose I didn't want him to despise me. Maybe I was growing attached to him... a little...

"Wow, that was a badass move!"

I was taken aback by his exclamation.

"Whaa…what?" I wasn't expecting him to react the way he did.

As he nodded his head, his eyes twinkled.

"Yeah. I would have done the same thing if I had been in your shoes. They are crooks," he stated

I stared at him for a long time, surprised. A quick chuckle escaped my lips

He saw me as a badass! My lips fanned out, but I swiftly drew them back together. In any case, what I did was not exactly correct. That was not the proper way to deal with lawbreakers. They should be sentenced according to the law.

"But why are you attempting to return now? If you were to flee from them, what are you planning to do now?" he inquired.

"I want to do the right thing. I shouldn't have killed them in the first place. I understand they are criminals, but it is not the way things should have gone. I should have called the cops on them in the first place," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

His gleaming blue gaze pierced me.

"So you want to go back and do what?"

I shook my shoulders and said, "Confess. I'm pretty sure they would arrest me," I laughed anxiously. "Which is why I'm unable to be with you...uh... I mean..."

My eyes grew wide. That was a slip of my tongue.

He drew closer to me and cupped my face in his hands. I couldn't say anything. Our gazes locked, and I felt drawn towards him. We continued to observe each other's features for a little while breathing the same air. Without a doubt, I was being pulled into a reverie. It was as though he were casting a spell on me.

"Would you like to live me?"

I was startled by his deep whisper.

Do I? I took a big gulp of air.

My mind drifted to my ex husband whose assurances were hollow. Oswald, on the other hand, was nothing like him. He was pure and innocent. He was falsely charged and expelled. Despite everything, he understood how to be considerate.

I remembered all the men who had taken advantage of me in the woods. Oswald had no idea what I had been through. He wasn't like those goons, though. I knew from our brief talk that he despised wrongdoers just as much as I did. I suddenly realised that Danny and I never really connected like this. The year I had spent with him was nothing compared to the brief moment I was with Oswald.

Was it possible that we were destined to be together?

"Kia, don't you like me? You have no idea how badly I want to be with you," he lowered his tone by a few octaves.

My hair on the back of my head began to stand up. The palpitations of my heart were irregular.

What the hell was this person doing to me? This is the first time I ever felt like this. I did not feel like this even with Danny, who I was foolishly in love with at the time.

I licked my lips with my tongue.

"I... I..."

I sighed deeply and closed my eyes, refusing to give in to my desires. It wasn't the best decision.

"Oswald… I think I have to leave," I muttered and pulled away from him. But he grabbed my wrist just as I was about to walk away.

"Why? Am I not good enough?"

With a shake of my head, "No, I told you. They will almost certainly imprison me. What would you do in that situation, huh? Oswald, you deserve better."

"But, mate, you're exactly what I'm looking for."

My brows drew closer together. Mate. Again.

"Can you tell me why you keep calling me mate?" I inquired.

"Because you're my mate!"

He walked out of the cottage and dashed away, leaving me confused.