His Broken Princess

Chapter Six

The touch of his gaze was like a caress of its own. It felt like phantom fingers were trailing down my back in a soft, steady rhythm.~ A. Gupta

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Violet

One month later...

“It is time.”

I startled and looked up at the door to see him standing there. His hair were wet and looked darker from his recent shower. His eyes were glittering fiercely as if someone had already pissed him off for the rest of the day. And he stood like he would punch anyone who even slightly annoyed him.

“Come in, Cole, you don’t have to stand there.” Brenna said to him, making me pause as I sat up from where I was lying beside her.

She was ten weeks along in her pregnancy, but both Mad and Bree hadn't shared this news with the rest of the family until the past three weeks. They wanted to keep it to themselves and enjoy it in privacy. After what happened the last time, I understood it. And seeing how happy they both looked and also so sad because of what happened, I sent up a prayer for them even when I didn't believe in that myself. He never listened to me but I was hoping he'd listen for them.

“How are you doing?” Cole asked as he entered the room and made his way toward her side of the bed.

I watched as he bent down and kissed her forehead. Brows furrowed, I looked away thinking if something was wrong with the breakfast I ate in the morning as my stomach rolled suddenly.

“Mostly fine. But I think your best friend is going a little crazy.” Brenna replied on a half chuckle.

Cole’s voice was dry as he stated, “Yeah, I heard he was going to take a leave for the rest of your pregnancy.”

“Yeah. He is just worried. I had to literally shove him out of the door.” She paused and then took his hand between hers.

I blinked and blinked, my eyes focused on their connected hands. The rolling in my stomach was getting worse. And I didn't like how he was focused on her. I almost didn't hear what she was saying, but then her last words registered, “—he is so worried after the last time. I am scared for him, by this rate he would get sick. Will you please talk to him? So, maybe you guys should go out somewhere and relax. Unwind or whatever you guys do to take your mind off things.”

Cole smiled at her, his sherry eyes losing their glint as they softened and he replied, “Of course, I will talk to Dom.”

She nodded, a sad smile flitted across her lips, “With Alex and Brandon gone, Mad only has you two that I know he'd share his feelings with. He keeps quiet about his problems in front of me as he doesn't want to make me tense.”

“No problem, Bree. You just take care of you and this little one.” And then he did it again. He took her hand and kissed the back of it before he stood up and looked at me. Finally, acknowledging my presence as he asked, “Are you ready?”

I didn’t nod in answer and I didn't acknowledge him in return as I leaned forward patted Bree’s stomach and then waved my fingers at her in silent farewell before I left the room.

I heard his footsteps following me as I exited the room. I didn't wait for him as I flew down the stairs. When I reached the living room, I found Dominic lying on the sofa and watching some basketball game on the TV. I almost smiled— but it didn't come to my lips no matter how much I wanted it to) as I knew how much these men loved their basketball. Out of nowhere I wanted to cross the room and switch off the TV as I had seen Kiara do many times just to mess with him. But it made me pause because it was strange, this impulse to... get into it with Dom just for shits and giggles, and maybe I would've just done it if it was Mad instead of him as I hadn’t had much connection with him.

A mixture of woody and musky scent brought my attention to the presence beside me. I looked up to meet dark eyes glaring at me and then he looked away to where I was staring. To Dom.

“I will be waiting in the car. Feel free to join me when you’re done staring at him.” He gritted out as he stomped his way toward the front door, with my bag in his hand.

What? I didn't understand. What was his problem? Why was he always angry at me? Why was he always looking at me like I had personally offended him? Just another day in the class, not for the first, he once again yelled at a kid who had come there with his little sister. The kid had just said that he thinks if I had black hair I’d look like a snow white. The kid was cute and didn't deserve his shouting made him almost cry.

I looked back at Dom, who had now muted the TV and was staring back at me. “Hello. Trouble?”

I quickly shook my head, ignoring his quick smile as I hurried toward the door. I caught the ‘always angry at me’ man on the front steps. The car was waiting for us in the driveway, he unlocked it as I reached the passenger side door but just as I lifted my hand to open it, he did the same.

For a moment I just stared at our hands. How his hand was big on mine. His skin tanned against my pale one. And so warm. An image of Bree’s hand in Maddox’s crossed my mind, followed by the one where every time Kiara walked in the house with her hand in Dom’s. A thought, so odd in itself, crossed my mind that what would happen if I’d just turn my hand and our palms would connect.

But then the bright sun dimmed, the back of the hand I was looking at changed and—

“I am sorry.”

His deep voice and those three words brought me to the present with a thud as if someone wrenched me out of the box and dropped me in the bright sunlight. I looked up at him with wide eyes. Shocked that somewhere in my consciousness, I wanted to touch him. It wasn’t right. Was it? No. I shouldn’t.

But how was it wrong?

Everyday since last month he had been taking me to my classes. Everyday our wordless drives and silent minutes had almost made me familiar to him. I knew his scent. His scent, his presence and his gaze, everything seems to have become familiar to me. Just like the ghost of his eyes on me while I sleep. And like Mrs Carter’s occasional hug, his eyes on me makes me feel like I belonged.

I swallowed and looked up at him. His eyes weren’t dark now, instead they were shining like two golden rings were lit inside them. They looked beautiful in the sunlight. He asked, “Are you okay?”

I gave him a jerky nod and opened the car door and slid inside without a word. It felt like I was coming down with a flu.

A.Gupta