CHAPTER 19

It looked like we were in a completely different space altogether. Was this his bachelor pad? Is this the place he used to live in? He said he didn't know much about the castle because he wasn't allowed so hypothetically, this must be the place, he spent all his childhood and his growing years. The lounge space was decorated exquisitely in a combination of white and gold. He walked us to the other end which had a circular staircase leading directly towards the first floor. 

Wow, I could only say that.

If he did what he did to the place, he's got strong aesthetics. I barely got any time to look further as he moved us to the end of the corridor and pushed the double door open and slid inside. It surely looked like a master bedroom. A master bed was placed in the middle of the room by the window draped by silk black and gold marbled sheets paired with a perfect duvet. He walked us right to it as he placed me carefully onto the edge of the bed and disappeared in what appeared to be the bathroom.

The room was an actual reflection of who he was, it reflected his personality. Everything was in its place. It was sharp and neat. There was nothing that was out of order. On the right side, was a big wall that had a lot of books. Did he like to read like me? Books were my only friends, so it was fair that they had caught my eye first. The wall was huge and was divided into mini sections. Beside the mini library, were two doors, one leading to the bathroom where Aehannik went and the other most probably leading to a terrace or a walk in. 

There were two mini cupboards sitting on the far left corner of the room sitting side by side. Beside the cupboards, was a door like the double door standing in the middle, representing yet another entrance. How many door were in there? There was a glass wall that separated the main space from it so probably a study for himself. Why are guys obsessed with their study room anyways??

My uncle was also-

I sighed, Why was I even feeling bad about it? I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. They never liked me anyways. I didn't even know if they were alive to be honest. The place was a mess and I had no way to find out. 

El was once again giving me the silent treatment and right now I did welcome the quiet. Only, I was paranoid if this represented the quiet before the storm. If that was going to be the case, I needed to be ready. 

"ahm--" Aehannik cleared his throat to get my attention. I looked at him wondering when did he get back..

" When you were lost in your thoughts?" huh, He can read minds now... I sighed again

" you've done that alot tonight" He spoke again as he took a seat beside me near the bed. Out of reflex, I moved backward, hurting my right arm again in the process.

"Easy..." He gripped my arm and pulled me closer to him. He opened the box, the med kit that he placed beside himself and took out the contents to treat my wounds. He started off by taking a clean wipe. I hissed when the wet cloth greeted my bruised forehead. He held my face, oh so delicately, as he wiped away my dried tears and glided the piece over my eyes gently. He was making me nervous. His touch was making my heart race again. 

" I-I can do it myself" I mumbled, trying to take the cloth from his hand. He just gave me his signature nonsense look and continued with his task. Moving to my lips, he ran his thumb over them and I hissed from the pain. When did that happen? I was bruised all over and I hadn't even realized that.

" Why are you helping me?" I asked as he maintained his eye contact, gently patching my forehead.

" We're in the same boat, aren't we?" He said, focusing on my lips to apply some ointment. His closeness was intoxicating, his breath warm against my skin. Once satisfied with his work, he moved to my arm, then kneeled in front of me to tend to my ankle. 

"Do you remem-" He cut me off before I could finish.

" We can talk about all this and that when you're well rested. You're going to need all of your strength for tomorrow."

He was being extremely thoughtful, even though I didn't wanted to admit it. He made a sling for my arm to provide support, iced my arm and ankle to reduce all of that swelling. I tried to speak again but he silenced me by placing his finger on my lips. 

" Don't test me, Faerelore" He spoke as he stared at my lips longer than a second before clearing his throat while standing up. He brought out an extra pair of clothing from the door beside the bathroom. It was indeed the closet. 

" Change, I'll fix you something to eat" He said as he moved towards the door.

"I'm not hungry" My reply only met silence as he was out the door in an instant. Giving up on that thought for now, I decided to do what he said. It was indeed a hassle, I had taken it off, my shirt but wearing his shirt left me breathless. Not because I was fantasizing about him or anything but because of the number of attempts, I had made to wear that damn piece of clothing. My arm was no help either.

I decided to give it one more try as I passed my head through the hole and moved my left arm around only to get stuck again. My face was covered with the fabric and I couldn't even see anything. I only had my brassiere on as I struggled to get this thing in place.

The door slipped open and I halted my movement. Was he here? Dang!!! I could just die of embarrassment right now. Why did he have to come at this specific movement. I heard his footsteps as they came closer to where I was sitting on the bed. He moved the shirt from my face as he looked into my eye amused from this entire situation. I bit my lip nervously and his eyes diverted. His eyes, they were the most beautiful eyes that I had ever seen.

-- Distraction--

"You really can't do anything without getting into trouble hm?" He teased, his voice still hard even though he was making a joke. He diverted his focus on helping me get into that frustrating piece of clothing. I just shrugged my shoulders, too embarrassed to say anything at this point. 

He moved the tray towards me, which had a glass of juice and some sliced fruits stacked neatly. I took the glass and drank greedily. I hadn't realized at this point but I was extremely thirsty. I finished it in a few gulps.

He was looking at me intently, carefully, reading my every move. I took a slice of the peach and so did he, eating in silence. I wasn't really sure why he was being so nice to me. Why did he say we were in the same situation. Did he remember everything? Why did he pretend? Is he on my side? or is this all in my head? He looked relaxed sitting like this almost like the person than I knew. What was that that I saw in his eyes, when he came to get the book that night as if he was not himself, he was working under influence. His voice brought me back-

" Good night!" He spoke as he stood up and walked towards the door.

" Aehannik" I called out his name not sure if that was the right thing to do. He turned around abruptly as his eyes zeroing in on me. I had already moved myself up on his sheets, taking support from the headrest.

" Thankyou!" I spoke softly, knowing well that if he hadn't saved me tonight, I wasn't even sure, if I'd be alive. I really meant it, despite our differences. He took a deep breath, nodded his head and walked out of the room in a heartbeat.

I didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow. I had no idea what my fate had decided for me. I just knew that I couldn't back down at this point. I had this will to fight for myself and my parents who did everything they could to save me. I had to prove that I was their daughter. Even though, the journals weren't with me but their teachings were engraved in my heart. I had learned so much from them. They have made me who I am, I willingly will move forward. With the new found determination. I felt myself sliding into this inviting bed as the exhaustion from today's events catched up to me and within moments, I felt myself drifting off, the events of the day fading into the background.