Chapter 38: Coffee (Alexander's POV)

"Are we really doing this?" I called out, keeping my hand on my eyes. 

"Yes! We really are playing hide and seek. Start counting!" 

Apparently, we're playing hide and seek just how we used to when we were younger. It's the next afternoon now. We haven't got anything to do. So this is what we're doing. 

"One! Two! Three! Four! Five!" I counted to twenty like this. "Ready or not, here I come!" I started walking around in the library, checking each aisle, each corner. 

The only problem is, when we play here, because there isn't anything to hide under or behind, she's allowed to move around as much as she wants. 

"I want something for winning when I find you!" I trailed my hand along the shelves, walking between them. "I want... ten kisses! Counted! Deal?!" I stood in silence, waiting for a noise. But nothing. 

Wow, she's taking this very literally. 

"That's okay! You can confirm when I find you!" I stepped into the last aisle and then heard soft footsteps. Soft but rushed. I turned back around, going into the other aisle, seeing the hem of her dress. By the time I walked over, she was gone. I clicked my tongue, turning around to head back. 

"Boo!" She jumped out at me. 

I got startled, to say the least, and my hand flew up to my chest. 

"You lost," she laughed. 

"Why did you come out? I could have found you," I huffed. 

"Well, you lost. Now you have to go again," she sang. "Count to twenty." 

"Give me twenty kisses first." 

She laughed. "If you win, I'll give you fifty," she whispered. 

"Promise?" 

"Promise," she nodded. 

I sighed, leaning against the shelf and closing my eyes. "One! Two! Three!" Once I finished, I started looking for her again. I strolled through the library and I looked everywhere for her. It was almost like she left the room. The only problem is that she's free to move around. She can go anywhere in the room and the place is giant. If I see her somewhere, she'll be gone by the time I get to her. 

I saw her dress towards the back of the library, but instead of going there, I just waited until she came forward. Hopefully, she thinks I'm coming to the back and she moves to the front. I leaned against the aisle, just waiting to hear her close by. And then I did. I pushed myself off and rounded the corner, grabbing her wrist. "Caught you." 

She laughed, "My turn?" 

"No, my turn." 

She frowned in confusion. 

"To get the fifty kisses you promised." 

"But I was only joking." 

"But you promised," I smirked. 

She whined, stepping closer. I leaned against the aisle, grabbing her waist and pulling her close. 

"Go ahead," I grinned. 

She leaned forward, pecking my cheek. 

"No, no, no," I shook my head. "Not on the cheeks." 

"On the lips?" she huffed. 

I nodded. 

"Fifty is a lot, no?" 

"We kissed more than fifty times last night, I can guarantee that." 

"Were you keeping count?" she deadpanned. 

"Somewhat." 

She rolled her eyes. 

"Come on." I tugged at her waist. 

She sighed in defeat, and tugged at my tie, pulling me forward. She pecked my lips. "One." She kissed me again, longer this time. "Two." And then again, even longer. "Three," she giggled. 

We were only at thirty when the library doors opened. I groaned, both of us stepping out and seeing Mr. Harry. "Sir, your mother has requested you two get ready." 

"For what, Mr. Harry?" Aria asked, linking her arm with mine. I watched her, smiling helplessly while she grinned at me. I chuckled, looking up at Mr. Harry. 

"The royal family of Nethilore is coming for some coffee and tea. They wish to meet your family, sir." 

"Coffee? My parents don't even like coffee," I groaned, rolling my eyes while pinching the bridge of my nose. 

"When do they get here?" she asked. 

"In an hour." 

"We'll be ready by then, thank you." 

He left after that. 

She turned to me. "Let's go, come on." She grabbed my hand. 

"But they're so... blehk!" I scrunched up my nose, shaking my head. 

"But we're not. We're the hosts, we'll be nice," she nodded. 

"I don't like being nice to people I hate." 

"You hated me once upon a time." 

"I pretended to hate you, once upon a time," I corrected. 

"Then pretend to not hate them for just a few hours. If you want the rest of those twenty kisses." 

"That is completely unfair," I huffed, letting her pull me out of the library and upstairs to our room. 

"So is life," she smirked. 

I rolled my eyes and opened the walk-in closet. We both walked in, she went to her side and I went to mine, both of us grabbing fresh clothes. I turned around just as she did, both of us going to leave the closet. I stared at her. She stared back. 

"Just ten more." 

"No," she laughed, shaking her head. 

"Just ten, come on. Please," I begged, putting my arms around her waist, my clothes over my arm. 

"No," she repeated. 

"Five more?" 

"Two more." 

"Five!" I said through gritted teeth. 

"Not ten?" she smirked. 

"Ten, ten, ten," I chanted. She laughed, looking up at me. "Ten," I nodded. 

She grabbed my tie and pulled me down. "One," she chuckled. "Two." She started walking out of the closet and I kept walking, not breaking the kiss. "Three." She stepped out of the closet but I stayed inside, both of us kissing in the doorway. "Four." One more. "Five." Then she gave my chest a shove and backed away. "Now change. The remaining fifteen later." She rushed into the bathroom after that, leaving me frustrated and disappointed, but giddy and happy too. 

I'm falling for her so fast. 

My ex-girlfriend always used to tell me that my problem was that I fell too hard, too fast and I loved too hard, too fast. I know that about myself. Aria knows that about me too. But she doesn't seem to think of it as a bad thing like my ex used to. I always thought she said it was a bad thing because she didn't love me back. Maybe that's the truth she never told me and only ever lied about. And I think that for a reason. Because when she lied at the end, the words "I don't love him" came out of her mouth too easily for it to be just a lie. It was the truth. She never loved me. 

"Alex." I snapped out of my daze, looking up and seeing Aria in her dress. "Hooks, please?" she grinned. 

I chuckled, beckoning her over. She turned around, pulling her hair to one side. I closed all the hooks and tied the ribbon at her waist as well. I put my arms around her, resting my chin on her shoulder. "How about those five kisses now?" 

She laughed, spinning around to face me. "Change first. I'll tie my hair until then," she nodded. 

I went into the bathroom and changed while she brushed her hair and threw it into a half up half down. Which looks beautiful on her. Always. "Tie my tie for me?" I asked, holding it out for her to grab. 

"Why do you always wear a tie?" she mumbled. "You look better without it. Anyhow, here, give it to me." 

I snatched it back. "You don't like my ties?" 

"I don't like ties in general. They just seem like an inconvenience to me," she shrugged. 

"Then what shall I do?" 

"Here, see." She unbuttoned the first two buttons and then unbuttoned my sleeves, rolling them up. "Just stay like that." 

I glanced at the mirror and then looked at her, raising my brows. 

"Yeah, no. Your mother will kill me. Forget about it," she laughed, putting all the buttons back and then taking the tie from me. 

"She's your mom too now," I said, looking down at her. 

She smiled, glancing up at me. "I lost my parents ten years ago, Alex. Your parents are still your parents." 

"No," I shook my head. "My parents are your parents too. They consider you their daughter, not just their daughter-in-law. Don't you feel the same?" 

She finished up my tie and then straightened it, lifting her eyes to meet mine. "I do," she nodded. "And I'm very grateful to your parents. More grateful than I've ever been to anyone else. But they'll never really be my parents, no matter how much I want them to be." 

"Why do you think like that, Aria? Your real parents did nothing but birth you, practically. Take my parents as yours. If not for your own, then for their sake and mine?" 

She put her arms around my torso with a sigh, looking up at me. "Okay," she nodded. 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah," she nodded again. "For your sake and theirs. And for my own." 

I lifted my hand, holding one side of her face, my thumb stroking her cheek. "You won't really kill me someday, will you? With that dagger?" I asked. 

"No," she laughed, shaking her head. "I could never kill you. I'd be too in love by then." 

I leaned down and kissed her. Again.

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Chapter 38

OMG OMG OMG

I HAVE SUCH A GOOD IDEA FOR MY NEXT BOOK YA'LL

IT'LL BE

STEAMYYYYY

anyway, we're still here tho, dw

we have a long way to go still lmao

next chapter: regrets