Turn of Events

Cayden wanted to go to the movies on their first official date, but Darcy wouldn't agree to go together to a public place; she was worried something might happen in the crowd. 

Accepting his defeat, Cayden suggested that they could watch the movie at his house. 

And Darcy was pleasantly surprised when she reached his house at the agreed time. 

Cayden had decorated the whole place; the coffee table in front of the sofa was gone, replaced by a cozy mat and blanket with lots of small squishy pillows scattered everywhere. 

There was a tiny table with snacks just enough to last a whole night, and the whole lounge was glittering with fairy lights. 

"What is all this?" Darcy asked, looking amused. This, again, was a first for her. Cayden kept giving her those new, out-of-her-world experiences, and she seemed to like every single one of them, more than she could ever have assumed that such simple things could bring so much joy to her. 

"Since it's our first date, I wanted to make it a little special," Cayden giggled excitedly as he entered the lounge behind Darcy. 

"But it's still not complete," said Cayden, and Darcy looked at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering what more could be needed. 

He rushed to the switchboard and turned off the main lights, making the fairy lights the only source of illumination in the lounge. It looked as if colorful countless stars were floating in the dark night sky. 

Darcy couldn't help but feel mesmerized; nothing she'd ever seen before had been as beautiful, except for Cayden, of course, she thought. 

"Now everything's perfect," said Cayden, walking to Darcy's side with a giddy smile, his bright teeth still visible in the darkness as he held her hand. 

For a fleeting moment, Darcy noticed their intertwined hands, and reality flashed through her mind once again. 

After her mother, Cayden was the first person to hold her hand. She, who had always extended her hand either to help or to break others, was now being approached with such gentleness and love. 

Darcy's heart felt warm, almost melting. 

"Let's sit down," Cayden said excitedly as they walked towards the seating arrangements he had prepared with great care, their hands still intertwined. 

Lost in her thoughts, Darcy's gaze still lingered on their joined hands. She recalled Cayden's words about feeling a sense of family because she protected him from the extorting thugs. 

In Cayden's hand, Darcy felt that warmth too, and perhaps the vision of spending the rest of their lives together was slowly seeping into her subconscious. 

"What would you like to watch?" Cayden asked, and Darcy finally snapped out of her reverie, shrugging her shoulders. 

"You can pick; I don't know much about this stuff," Darcy said, and Cayden pouted, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV screen, adding another source of light to the aesthetic ambiance. 

He wanted to watch something that Darcy would enjoy, but now he was worried that his taste might be very different from hers. 

Darcy could totally read his face as she chuckled, and hearing that voice, the life on Cayden's face came back. He absolutely loved her laughing voice, especially when she was genuinely chuckling like that. 

Cayden put on a classic romantic movie. Although he thought Darcy might prefer the thriller or mystery genre more, he wanted to expose her to more romance so they could have more fun dates like that one. 

Now tucked inside the blanket, they were cozy, with Cayden's head on Darcy's shoulder while she sat upright, using the sofa as a backrest in a comfortable position. 

Cayden could see Darcy's face through his peripheral vision and noticed how her eyes were fixed, as if devoid of emotion. He wondered if she didn't like the movie. 

But in truth, Darcy was simply trying to predict what would happen next, completely engrossed in the movie. 

Her eyes suddenly widened when the lead characters, out of nowhere, started to eat each other's faces, while walking into the bedroom, knocking everything here and there. 

She found it weird and thought things like those were too cliché, in her opinion; there was nothing natural about it. But she agreed, it made the scene look more intense. 

Cayden removed his head from her shoulder, and Darcy simultaneously turned her head to look at him, already feeling the emptiness from the lack of contact. 

But not only Cayden's, this time Darcy's breath hitched too, since Cayden was still not sitting straight and was leaning towards her, supporting his body with his arms. 

Their faces were barely a few inches apart, and Darcy did not know what that feeling in her stomach was. Maybe it was the silly movie and the silly, unrealistic kiss that was making her react in such a way. 

Meanwhile, Cayden was just stunned; he could not move an inch, lost in her beauty and that intimidating aura he totally loved. His perception of Darcy was so majestic that he could not help being pulled towards her. 

Darcy had been trying to keep the physical aspect of this relationship to a minimum, as she had no plan to use Cayden like a toy. He was way too precious to her to be wronged like that. 

But if situations like those kept arising, she did not think she could hold herself any longer. 

In the dimly lit fairy lights, Cayden was looking so ethereal, so beautiful, Darcy felt like she had been blessed by the heavens as the angel was in front of her. 

'Maybe, a little kiss wouldn't hurt anyone,' Darcy thought to herself as she leaned in towards his lips, about to close her eyes and savor the feeling. But before she could do so, Cayden retreated, closing his eyes shut, and bringing Darcy to an immediate halt. 

She instantly sat straight, looking at Cayden with a stern but apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you would be opposed to this," Darcy sounded truly sorry, and Cayden panicked, sitting straight too, holding her hands in his. 

"No, please don't misunderstand. It's just-- It's just my first kiss," Cayden admitted, his cheeks blushing bright red in the dim lights, and Darcy blinked in pure stupefaction. 

"First kiss?" she asked with a straight face, and Cayden bit his lips in embarrassment while he nodded his head. 

Darcy hurriedly retreated her hands back from his grip at the sudden revelation. 

Cayden looked at his hands, now empty, and then at hers; they were fidgeting, and he worriedly looked at her. What was going on in her head? 

"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Darcy asked, not the one to beat around the bush as she had always been. 

Cayden nodded without hesitation, feeling no need for it as he hadn't done anything wrong. 

But Darcy appeared to think otherwise. 

"I—" she nervously chuckled, and Cayden noticed the unease in the air. It wasn't the genuine, beautiful laugh he was accustomed to from Darcy. "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit baffled by this situation," she awkwardly admitted. 

"Is it bad that I've never been in a relationship?" Cayden asked, his tone hesitant, not wanting to come across as prudish. He simply hadn't found love yet. 

"NO!" Darcy immediately interjected, her voice firm, her eyes locking onto Cayden's. He breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that at least she didn't see him as flawed for never being in a relationship. 

Unknown to Cayden, though he didn't appear flawed in her eyes at all, his situation caused her distress indeed. 

Darcy hastily stood up from the warm, cozy mat, leaving the snug blanket behind as she rushed to the door. 

Cayden didn't hesitate for a moment, following her closely, his face etched with worry, his heart aching at how the perfect night he had envisioned was ruining before his eyes. 

"Darcy, please talk to me. Why are you acting like this?" he asked, his voice almost breaking as tears welled up in his eyes, causing Darcy immense pain. She hated being the cause of Cayden's distress, seeing his eyes shimmering with tears. 

"I'm sorry, Cayden. I just need some time to sort out the mess I've made," Darcy said, her own emotions tangled in confusion. 

Before Cayden could reach out to her, before he could plead for her to stay, Darcy had already opened the door. 

But what awaited them outside was someone neither of them had expected. 

Standing there was Kobe Raven, Darcy's father, the very source of her misery. 

Darcy's expression shifted between confusion and rage, her features sharp with emotion. Kobe, on the other hand, exuded nothing but contempt from his piercing green eyes. 

Caught off guard by Darcy's sudden change in demeanor and the unexpected presence of this unfamiliar figure at his doorsteps, Cayden's head spun with confusion.