Chapter 34: Darling (Caden's POV)

I stood at the backdoor, watching as she closed the gate, locking it quietly behind her before walking over to me. 

"Who is there?!" We heard a guard yell. 

Her eyes widened and so did mine. I stifled a laugh while she ran over, clearly panicking. I pulled her inside and locked the door, shaking in silent laughter. 

"Oh my god, that was so scary!" she whisper-yelled. 

I turned my head the other way so I wasn't looking at her and laughed even harder. 

"Shut up!" She smacked my arm, letting out a laugh. 

"Just come with me," I chuckled, taking her hand and heading upstairs before we woke up my parents. I closed and then locked my bedroom door once we were inside. "You are so cute," I laughed, grabbing her waist and pulling her body against mine, leaning down and kissing her lips. 

She smiled against my lips, wrapping her arms around my neck and going on her toes, deepening the kiss. She doesn't normally initiate that first. She pulled back and looked at me, a lazy smile on her lips. 

"I think I have a new nickname for you now since you don't really like me calling you darling." 

"Who says I don't like it when you call me darling?" She pouted. 

"I thought you didn't. You would always tell me not to call you that and always asked why I called you darling in the first place." I let out a soft chuckle, looking at her in confusion. 

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I love when you call me darling." She ran her fingers through my hair, pushing it back. 

"And what happens if I call you my love?" I lifted a brow. 

Her smile widened. "Even better," she giggled. "But I still love darling," she whispered, her lips brushing against mine. 

"You know, you have like... ninety-five percent of me in your control," I stated. 

"Oh?" she laughed, looking slightly impressed. "What about the other five percent?" she asked, pulling my cheek down to her lips. 

"The remaining five percent is only holding back because people can't find out yet," I answered, walking forward. 

She walked backward and eventually hit my bed. She sat down and I leaned forward, my face inches away from hers. 

"And when people know, I'm all yours. Officially." 

She smiled at me as I leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Which one of us do you think will love the other person more?" she asked, falling back and then scooting up on the bed while I hovered on top of her, my knees on the bed beside her thighs. 

"Me," I answered honestly. 

"Really?" she asked. "I think it might be me," she admitted. 

"I think it should be both of us. Fifty-fifty. A relationship works when both people love each other equally. Not if one person loves the other one more." 

"Look at you, talking so wisely," she taunted. 

"Hmm," I nodded. I lifted my shirt, pulling it over my head and tossing it on the floor before lowering myself, bringing my lips to hers. My right hand fell to her thigh where her dress had ridden up quite a bit and rested on her hip now. 

"You asked me once if I matched my underwear to my socks," she laughed. "No, I match it to my clothes," she smirked, glancing at her red lace underwear.

"Really?" I asked, sounding amused. I pulled back and grabbed her hands, pulling her up into a sitting position. "And isn't that just lovely?" I kissed her again, one hand slipping to her back and pulling the zipper down. 

She shrugged the dress off until it rested at her waist and then she lay back down, all without breaking the kiss. "Caden?" she asked when I pulled back and pressed a kiss to her jaw. 

"Hmm?" 

"What's your favorite thing about me? Something you can't get past?" she asked, her nails lazily scratching my back. 

I pulled the dress down her legs and tossed it on the floor with my shirt while thinking about the answer to her question. "I can't get past," I sighed, looking at her. "The taste of your lips." 

She smiled, "Who knew you were so obsessed with candy lip balm?" 

"I don't think it's the lip balm I'm obsessed with," I chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

"What else?" she asked, clearly enjoying the compliments. 

"Your lips, your eyes, the beauty mark on your chest," I smirked. 

She chuckled in response. 

"Your pretty face." I pressed a kiss to her cheek. "The way you actually care about me." 

Her eyes softened. 

"Your back scratches," I whispered. "I love all of it." 

And I think I love her. 

"Venus?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Is it possible to fall in love within an hour?" 

She smiled. 

"Like... at the bridge, I told you I was falling in love with you. Actively. Now I think I've fallen in love with you," I admitted. 

"Caden," she spoke softly. 

"I think I love you," I nodded. 

"I think I love you too," she grinned. "And I think I have good news," she sang. I rolled us over so she was lying on top of me. 

"What?" I asked, my hands resting on her hips, my finger slipping under the waistband of her underwear. 

"My parents are leaving tomorrow to go visit my aunt in Nethilore. They won't be back until the night after that," she informed me. "So... do you want to stay the night?" 

I grinned, "Ask me that again." 

"Would you like to stay the night with me tomorrow?" 

"One more time," I teased. 

"Caden!" 

"Just once." 

"I'm inviting you to stay the night with me tomorrow. Would you like to?" 

"I would love to," I answered. 

She leaned down while smiling and pressed her lips to mine. I took the moment to unclasp her bra. "Really?" she laughed against my lips. 

"Hmm," I nodded, kissing her. 

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

"Bye," she whispered, pecking my cheek. 

I stood in front of her neighbor's house, making sure she got in safely. She looked at me one last time before opening the door and slipping inside. I turned around and started walking back home, tucking my hands into my pockets. 

"Oh my god, I love her," I mumbled to myself. I was smiling to myself like an idiot the entire way back home and continued to smile helplessly to myself even as I collapsed on my bed in the dark, ready to go to sleep. 

She left with my shirt today. I gave her one that she could wear. I don't know how she would without her parents noticing, but maybe she can wear it on days like tomorrow when they're gone. She was wearing it around my room and she looked perfect in it. Like everything, I've ever wanted. 

Before all this happened between Venus and me, I was very sure that my life was going to end up as a disaster. That I would either be kicked out of the family or I'd leave and have nothing to do with nowhere to go. And if I wasn't kicked out or if I didn't leave, then I would be miserable as a king and would be forced to marry someone I don't love someday. 

But when things started with her, when I started falling for her, it really felt like every lost hope came back to me. Like everything I lost was returned. Safe and sound. And I knew that I would do anything for her. Anything. 

I also know now that she doesn't think what her dad is asking of her is wrong, I, on the other hand, do think it's wrong. Both of our fathers are asking us to hate someone and make them miserable just because they don't like each other. That's wrong. They aren't letting us choose who we like or love and who we don't. And for the same reasons, I think it's wrong for her dad to send her off to London for being with me. And if I can't stop that from happening, if they find out and decide to send her off, then I know for a fact that I'm going with her. 

I am sure that London has many more opportunities than Cadara ever could. So maybe it wouldn't be so bad for us to leave this place. But I know how she would take it. She can't handle her father hating her. She's very close to her dad, she does everything she can to try to make him proud, even if it's just a little. She's never disobeyed him, never broken, hell, never even bent any of his rules. 

And then I came along and shattered those rules that she had been following fairly religiously. 

There was just always one thing that she didn't do even though it's what her dad asked her to. She never made me miserable. Never hurt me, humiliated me, anything like that. Never even disrespected me. And when I asked her, she said she wanted to end the hatred. And now so do I. 

But how the hell can we convince our families to do that? My grandparents are dead now, but my dad is hard enough to convince. And her grandparents are still alive. If her parents don't object, her grandparents might. 

There are so many obstacles and such little time. Such little time before the secret comes out and they find out. 

Then I'll lose her. 

I'll lose everything.

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Chapter 34

they're so in love... 

next chapter: token