Intruder

The sound of crashing glasses, balcony's frame shaking, and the tiny bits of crystalline spread across the floor bombarded Prince and Aria on the floor. She was panicking, remembering the flower vase falling down, its stems dipped on a puddle of spewing blood out of her battered wounds.

Aria covered the earholes, blocking off the ringing sound erupting, closing her eyes as tightly as she could. She has been in this traumatic stage for weeks, and Bryce's slap can still bring the mark on her cheek even without the perpetuator's presence.

Aria hunkered down, knuckling her fists, and thumped the side of her head, eradicating the whispers all over. Bryce's words getting stuck in different resonance, pitches, and the volumes raise and lower. No one has come to her rescue, but she didn't even want to ask for help.

Because if she does, someone would put Bryce inside the jail, and how would she deal with her child in that way?

Aria sobbed, her cries filled the silence and as Prince recovered from observing the hole in the balcony glass door, he perked up, realizing her panic attacks intensively collecting all of her fears on one single pile.

Prince stepped on the shards, didn't even care if he get wounded, or even if he's bleeding. All he knew was that protecting Aria in his hands was the priority. It's at the top of the list.

He didn't even grunt as he walked on the sharp tips all the way to the side of the bed where Aria was. She's sobbing hard, shaking her head vigorously, and continuously slapped her ears, as if she's suffering from heinous whispers.

"Aria. Aria." Prince crouched down, knelt in front of her, but her expression was unfathomable. It was tears, creases, and her lips are curved down low. Her sobs gave her hiccups, and her shoulders shook terribly. Prince doesn't know how to calm her down.

It was bad for the baby for the mother to cry hard. Prince had to take up on a measure to let it dwindle. Prince knuckled his fists, stared at Aria writhing out, and clenched his jaw. He had done what is the easiest for now.

When Aria's blocking off her ears hard, he put on a calming voice, muttering repeatedly, "Calm down, Aria. Calm down, Aria, please. Calm down."

Prince grasped her wrists for the nth time, and by then, he grabbed a hold of it, squeezing it gently. He has gone worried, because Aria kept on shaking his head, and banging it by the side table. Prince didn't know what he has done, but protecting the base of her skull made it harder, too.

Aria got sensitive with his touch. Prince still pulled her closer to his chest, but Aria writhe out, bawling out the words, full of screams, and wept a lot. Aria slapped his shoulders, his neck, everything around his body, but he didn't let go.

Prince closed his eyes, knowing he's doing this because of the baby inside her womb.

He lost the sense of killing her. Prince is being anxious, and he couldn't control it anymore.

Aria's mouth finally reached the top of his shoulder, and Prince was hugging her tight. She struggled to fight back, knowing that the man in front of her wasn't Prince… Aria knew it wasn't Prince…

It wasn't Bryce, either…

She closed her eyes, letting the tears fell down. Aria stopped from pushing her away.

Prince tightened his embrace, leaning his cheek to Aria's head, and breathed heavily.

For a while, Prince thought of how he overcame another's touch. This is the longest he has been hugging a woman in his entire life. First was Aria's twin sister, but they're entirely disgusted by their existence, so it doesn't sum up the means. Today, Prince doesn't know how to stop.

When Aria's voice has gone squeaky, she silently cried. Her sobs became similar to a one-year-old kid. Aria's hands flailed down her side, and Prince held on, soothing her head.

Aria breathed close to his ear, "Let me… be in your arms for a while."

He continued to stroke her hair. He nodded. "Hm."

Prince waited for another response, and she didn't keep him waiting for too long.

"Prince, kiss me."

It was a demand, something that her feelings wanted to get replaced on. The kiss Bryce left is a trailing absence of nightmare that no one would sit at. At that moment, he froze, knowing that every single time Aria asked about a favor, Prince would gladly do it.

Maybe, it was his way to execute the plan, letting her being clueless of what he really is.

Aria raised her hand to hug his waist, sobbing, "Please, kiss me."

Prince hasn't moved for a while. He's certain every word do Aria say can be heard by Bryce. Right now, it'll leave a mark that no one intended to happen before. A brawl would come up tomorrow, and he had to get ready for it.

Prince knew this wouldn't subside at all.

If he didn't do it, the odds of staying like this until the mere end of the night were high.

Aria tightened her arms, but by then, Prince had made up what he'd do.

She loosened a bit, her tears rolled down, and when Prince got a hold of her shoulders, she followed through. Prince sighed, finally meeting her fearful eyes. All of that confusion, bewilderment, deranged feeling of being left alone in this world with a child… Prince have gotten to see a glimpse of what his mother felt like when he's still inside her womb.

It was a mother's perspective. Not a girl he plotted to kill.

Aria held onto the lower portion of his sweater, hushing, "Promise, I'll forget this night."

Prince shushed. He shook his head slowly. Aria's puffy eyes became confounded.

"You don't need to wipe the memory of the kiss, Aria. Those traumatic moments are," Prince pointed out. It made Aria choked with tears. She looked at him pithily.

Surprisingly, he didn't feel any remorse at all. It was all simply instant. Prince had to play along with Aria, being all good in front of her, but pretending those things isn't that bad. In fact, he liked to keep it as a flaw.

But as days goes by, Prince felt something new. He didn't feel annoyed at all. He didn't feel frustrated to see Aria cooking something for him. He didn't want to throw up every time he looked at her face.

Days come by, and every second changed.

Prince must have played the game well, but it's being turned to him as the intruder.

When she calmed down a bit, Prince wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Slowly as it'd get, he approach her face on a gradual pace. Prince held the side of her neck steadily, keeping it as romantic, and finally, meeting her sweet lips after a second.

Aria immediately closed her eyes, clutching on his hoodie.

Prince lead on the kiss, letting those touches sent his fingertips startled in every move.

Inside his heart, the kiss etched on that compartment no one had taken before.

Prince sat down in front of him, and their lips continued to nibble on each other.

His kiss was different. With every move, it's careful. Nothing compared to Bryce. Prince only liked to deviate from the faster pace, and be it the one who tickled their romantic bone whenever the memory perked up.

With Aria's favor, Prince knew this would be a regular.