Cade gulped, blinking rapidly as Seh began to close in. He could hear her thumping heart come so close to him; he wanted this so much, and at some point, he tried to stop her. If he was being honest, he was curious about what it would feel and taste like to kiss her again. She finally pressed her lips on his with her eyes closed, as if she were embarrassed by the situation.
She removed her lips from his and threw her head back to see his face. “You do not like it?” she said in a question as she shook her head vigorously. “I will not do it again,” she added with a hiccup.
He did not know if this was the time for him to tell her that he wanted this more than anything. She was drunk and could easily dismiss it as a mistake the following morning. They could claim that none of them meant to do any of this, and he did not want to deceive himself anymore.
“Ophelia, you do not want to do anything you would regret,” he said slowly, his tone a little lower than it would be.
“Why do you keep saying I would regret this?” she asked in a hiccup.
“Because you are drunk.”
“Are you saying that I am not making the right decisions because I am drunk?” she asked, throwing her head back and closing her eyes tightly.
“I am just saying that it is easier to make more mistakes while drunk.”
“Do you know? Your true emotions come out when you are drunk?” she asked and he shook his head slowly.
“I did not know.”
“Well, now you do,” she said, like she was schooling him on some important truths that he needed to know.
“But still, most people regret the decisions they make while drunk,” he said, and she sighed angrily. It was like going round and round with him, as though there was no way out. “And I am trying my best to honour your wishes; this is what you want.”
“You know what?” She breathed deeply and dropped her head so she could look at him properly, even though she could not see him as clearly as she should. She was going to make do with what she had.
“What?” he asked, still holding on to her.
“You can let me go now,” she said, struggling out of his grip. He let her go but still put his hands some meters close to her in case she stumbled. “You are making me seem like a weakling with everything that you are doing,” she added, and he was in shock.
A weakling? He had never thought that way of her, and he did not think that he would be able to ever do that; she was strong-willed, and nobody could mess with her the way they wished. “What are you saying?” he asked as if she were saying riddled things.
“Yes,” she added, nodding. She looked like she had a lot bubbling in her chest that she had to say, but she just shook her head and turned her face away from him. “I have a long day tomorrow; can you leave so I can sleep?” Her voice was suddenly clear, and it was as if she had just sobbed up out of nowhere.
“Are you sober?” he asked.
“I want to get ready for bed,” she said, standing up and staggering a bit. He knew that she was still drunk. He sat watching her take gentle steps away from the bed to her closet. “I am going to undress; do you want to stay and watch?” she called, and he stood up abruptly.
“I will leave now, but I have dropped a hangover cure for you on the table, so take it before you go to sleep; it should help you feel better,” he added before walking to the door.
“Take the drink with you,” she said back to him.
“You need it,” he said, and he was out the door before she could say anything. She walked to the bedside table where the drink was and looked down at it.
“I do not need any stupid hangover cure,” she murmured, taking up the bottle and opening it up. She downed the contents as quickly as she could. “How can he be so good in so many things but still be so foolish about a lot of other things?” she said as she set down the empty bottle.
She changed into something more comfortable and slipped into bed. She felt herself drifting into sleep as she tried to keep her mind on Cade for as long as she could. The last thing she could recall was her thinking of him. By the time she stretched in bed and looked at her clock, she knew that even though her head was pounding so badly, she would be late for work if she did not stand up now.
She dressed in one of the clothes that Cade had gotten for her and the bags he had picked for a pair. She did a slight nude kind of make-up on her face to hide her puffy face from all the drinking she had done yesterday. She was going to work and not a party; she knew her father would criticize her if she looked too flashy to work. She took double takes in the mirror of her appearance and hoped that she looked good in the clothes. She had picked pastel pink trousers and a nude shirt to pair. She took a final look and walked down to meet breakfast on the table.
“Breakfast?” she asked, looking down at it. She wondered who made it; she was disappointed when the chef walked out to greet her and ask her if she would be having breakfast.
She agreed to it because having a lot to drink the night before was not a good way to start the morning. She was now running on an empty stomach and needed to stuff up to be able to withstand the day. She was still eating when Cade walked down the stairs in a suit. She had seen him in suits countless times, but this was the first time she had seen him early in the morning. She felt like she was seeing a god; she blinked and tried to take her gaze from him, but she was sure that she was failing so woefully.
“Good morning”