Amara felt the evening breeze tangling with her hair as soon as they walked out of the building. And that’s when everything around Amara stilled.
Her heart stilled. How long had it been since she last stepped foot outside? Amara couldn’t remember. Everything became dull except the cool after-rain breeze that whisked past her hair, and she closed her eyes tilting her head at the sky.
So, this was what it felt like. The smell of peace. The touch of solace. The warmth of nature. Amara realized she missed this. Back in Kaelith’s mansion, the garden used to be her safe place, but ever since Rafael and she shifted to the city, she couldn’t tell if she missed Kaelith more or the garden with hundreds of flowers.
Flowers.
Her eyes opened and she looked at Kaelith with uncertain eyes.“The flowers…did you send them yesterday?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper, yet Kaelith felt her soft angelic voice echoing in the depths of his stone-cold heart.
He gently let go of her wrist and Amara immediately flinched at the lack of warmth.“I did…I thought you would’ve guessed.”
Amara and Kaelith stand amidst the serene beauty of the park, surrounded by blooming flowers and the soft rustling of leaves.
She averted her gaze, staring into the greenery in front muttering softly.“Why did you send me those flowers?”
He looked at her, a slight smile on his face casually shrugging his broad shoulders.“Cause you love peonies. Do you not like them?” He raised his brows and Amara licked the dryness of her lips.
Amara tried to read him, processing what he was up to, but e she couldn’t. He was guarded by the mask of facileness. She hesitantly cleared her throat, her voice soft melting with the hushing of the breeze.“I do, it’s just…why now? After a week? Why didn’t you try to stop me back then?”
Kaelith took a deep breath following her gaze. The scene replayed in his head like a reel. The moment she sat inside the car that day, Kaelith felt his world breaking apart, the moment the car vanished from his eyes, he felt the emptiness engulfing his heart. He wanted to stop her, to hold her, to make her his.
But how could he? How could he make her his when he wasn’t sure if she wanted him or not? So, he decided to wait, to see if letting her walk away would affect him.
And just like he predicted, it did, it did with the force of a thousand meteors. Each one crashed on him with more pressure than before.
Kaelith knew if he wanted to do something permanently, he had to wait. And he did. For a whole week. Plotting. Planning. Strategizing.
“To come closer to you, I had to distance myself from you.” He said convincingly. Amara felt a shiver run down her spine. There. There it was again. The possessive glint behind his harmlesswords.
To come closer to you I had to distance myself from you.
His words played like a harmonious melody. Her cheeks flushed and her stomach tightened. So, he did miss her.
Herexpressionsoftenedmomentarilybeforeshescoldedherselfforeventhinkingthatway. What was she happy about? That her brother-in-law missed her? Scandalous. Shameful.
She swallowed the lump. Kaelith felt her dilemma as he turned her towards him. His eyes peered intensely into her soft brown as he muttered.“I mean it, Amara. I mean it when I say I want to make you mine. Hate me, loathe me, curse me…but I will always be here. With you, beside you,withinyou. You cannot escape me, little one, and neither am I planning to let you go.”
She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat tight. Her eyes reflected a mixture of emotions, torn between her feelings and the uncertainty of the situation.
Kaelith placed a hand on her cheek, his touch both tender and possessive that both thrilled and surprised her.
His voice dropped an octave lower.“Don’t worry. I will give you time.”
Amara looked deep into his eyes, searching for something. Something that could…that could tell her he was lying. That he was just blabbering. But when his eyes did not falter, she realized the truth behind his words.
Amara mumbled feeling utterly vulnerable in his arms.“Why now? After all this time?”
He brushed a strand of hair from her face gently.“Sometimes, timing is a tricky thing.” The tension between them lingered, the unspoken strain growing stronger.
Amara tried to make him understand the situation from her point of view as she shook her head and pulled away from him.“But what if I push you away?”
Kaelith smirked putting his empty hands in his pocket.“Try if you must, little one, but I've never been one to back down from a challenge.”
Her eyes flickered with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.
“What if I can't...?” Her eyes moved to his.
Kaelith chuckled, leaning in. So close that she could smell cinnamon and coffee from his breath. His expensive cologne and manliness.“Then I'll be right here to catch you.”
