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C H A P T E R T W E N T Y – S E V E N 
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»At every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss.«
– Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes

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I jolted awake, shooting up as I balanced myself on the car door and seat. The sudden noise of my elbow coming in contact with the door made the man sitting in the driver's seat turn around, startled at my sudden movement.

"Bad dream?" My eyes met his, confused, and still in a light haze.

"Lucas?" I blinked confused "What are y–?" Looking around, I realized that the car apparently had come to a halt, parking in front of the headquarter. But when did we arrive? And what time was it?

"Boss left for the meeting and ordered me to watch you."

Bringing my hand up to my pounding head, I nodded leaning back against the door with my eyes closed. He watched me nervously and wary, not sure why I suddenly shot awake. "Are you okay?"

I hummed in response, opening my eyes again to glance at him. I noticed how nicely he was clothed – business attire with a white shirt and a black tie. He looked fresh and smelled good; he had this fresh laundry smell on him instead of his usual cologne.

It was nighttime already. The sky was a cloudy midnight blue. Starless. Van Gogh's starry night was certainly not inspired by such a sight. The night expressed coldness and distance – no paintings were born out of that.

"Why're you here?" I wanted to know until I remembered that he had given me the reason – on Taeyong's orders he played my babysitter. Lucas apparently noticed that I wasn't quite awake yet.

"I just told you," he chuckled, clearly amused by my questioning look. "Now come on, let's go inside, sleeping beauty." Said. Done. He opened the car door before he finished his sentence. And before I knew it, the passenger door had already been opened and I was internally happy that I hadn't leaned against the door. Because otherwise, I was probably lying on the pebbly ground now. Although, nothing much would have changed – I was already feeling dirty and sweaty and I was sure that I had someone else's blood sticking to me. A little bit of street dust wouldn't change much.

"What are you doing?" I asked, now more confused, as Lucas started to put his arm around me.

"Last thing I know is you have no shoes on. So..." He looked at me as if it was self-explanatory what he was going to do. I looked down at my feet. Oh yes, I had taken off my high heels so I could run better.

"I can walk," I said and wanted to get up, but he gently pushed me back onto the seat.

"Nope, you can't." So he grabbed me under my knees and lifted me bridal style.

"Lucas!" I protested, but for fear of falling down, I threw my hands around his neck at the same time.

"Would you prefer if I threw you over my shoulder?"

"No, I would've preferred you to just let – you know what, I don't even care anymore." I gave up, I was too exhausted to argue with him. In the end, my energy was wasted for nothing.

I let him carry me into the building, past the guards (that should be the reinforcement that Taeyong had ordered), and straight into his, uh, my(?) room.

"Welcome, my dear. Lucasa es tu casa," he said, letting me down and leaning casually against the door frame.

"Don't you mean mi casa es tu casa?" I entered the room, grabbed the water bottle that was on the table, and made my way to my suitcase to find clean clothes. A hot shower was definitely what I needed right now.

"I have my own standard." He turned to me with a raised eyebrow as he took off his jacket and tossed it on the bed. Wow, Mr. Casanova had smooth moves.

What the hell, Carmen?

I opened the water bottle and took a sip. "But... that doesn't even make any sense. What do you mean your house? Is this a running gag between you and Mark or something?" I looked at him and put on a confused look.

Lucas winked at me and loosened his tie. "I'd rather call it a secret sin, but running gag will do, I guess." Great. He loved to provoke me and unfortunately, I kept getting involved. He then dropped onto the armchair next to him and loosened the buttons on his shirt.

Why is he undressing?

I didn't want to think about it and just decided to take a shower. By the time I would be back he'd be gone. I grabbed my fresh undergarment and clothes and went straight into the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, I was sickened by the way I looked. The tiredness was written on my face; my complexion pale, the bags under my eyes very noticeable with a slight redness to my cheeks. I didn't look very healthy. But worse was the splattered dried blood across my face and neck. I knew it wasn't my own blood; it was my attacker's who was shot down by Taeyong. I shuddered at the thought and began to strip down. In hopes of washing away all the dirt, blood, and bad thoughts.

I stepped into the shower, my injured toes flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. My mind was in shreds; I wouldn't get the pictures out of my mind. I turned the dial, old and metallic, releasing thousands of steaming hot drops, darkening my hair, and trickling down my back. My eyes fell closed over and over, each time showing me the run from the bullets like photographs.

No matter what, today, Taeyong saved my life and I should've thanked him. Instead, I made him angry, provoked him, and blamed him for everything. I had my reasons, yes, I did. But he still was the reason I was alive.

First day you see him again, and he saves your life... twice.

I shut my eyes and hoped to silence the voices in my head. Not only was my inner voice against me, but other thoughts leaked through. The photos my father apparently had ordered to take of me, had triggered something in me I had kept locked for a long time.

"If you tell them anything about it, you will destroy their lives."

The memory. I punched the wall in anger, causing the shampoo bottles to fall down. I hated it so much. So, so much. If there was a way to turn off all of my thoughts I would do so. I shook my head violently. I pound it down again and again, but my thoughts would not dislodge themselves. They would drive me insane and turn me into a monster. But yet I had kept them deep inside, close to my heart. I wanted to get rid of those terrible thoughts but I also wanted to keep them tucked deep within me.

"You will destroy their lives, Carmen."

I hated to have this person's voice in my head. This memory... this was how it all had begun to fall apart.

~∙~∙~

Freshly showered, dressed in comfortable clothing, and with damp hair, I left the bathroom and entered the room when I noticed someone next to the window. He stood in front of it with his arms crossed over his chest and looked absentmindedly outside. It was Lucas; he was still in my – his – room. Why didn't he leave already?

I looked at his side profile. His sun-kissed skin. Striking facial features. Full lips. Lustrous hair. Honest eyes. He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. I guess he must've gotten used to that, the sudden pause in a person's natural expression when they looked his way followed by overcompensating with a nonchalant gaze and a weak smile.

I felt caught as Lucas looked in my direction, he grinned and I snapped my head away, knowing that if I continued to stare I would get lost in his mysterious eyes. I could feel his gaze still on me, I silently inhaled and exhaled, hoping that his thoughts about me were good.

"Did it hurt?" So typical. It was such a Lucas move to come up with that super cheesy pick-up line. Given all the opportunity that came his way, he was sure not a one-woman-man. I was certain he prized lipstick and high-heels above genuineness and thoughtful conversation.

I rolled my eyes, "Let me guess, when I fell from Heaven."

"No."

"What?"

He grinned. "Did it hurt when you fell for me."

I made an annoyed face. It was clear that he had noticed my staring and wouldn't let me forget it for a long time. And apparently he was particularly talkative today. With a satisfied smile on his face, he glanced outside again.

Wait a moment. Since when had there been a window? And why hadn't I noticed that before? My eyes fell on the antique oil painting that stood on the floor all of a sudden. I could swear it was hanging on the wall before. Wait.. was it used to camouflage the window? Why would anyone do that?

Lucas, noticing my look at the oil painting, turned his upper body slightly towards me. "Cantami, o diva, del Pelide Achille l'ira funesta."

"What?" I asked perplexed. He now turned completely to me and left the window behind him.

"Since when do you speak Italian?" I questioned.

He looked surprised by my reaction. "Oh you can say whatever you want about my Spanish skills, but don't you dare to question my Italian. It's the language of love after all."

"French is the language of love," I corrected him matter-of-factly.

"That's what France wants the whole world to believe."

"Whatever you say," I sighed. I didn't feel like arguing with him. "So tell me, what's the meaning of the sentence you said before, Mr. Italiano?"

"Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans."

"What?"

"Homer? The Iliad? The Odyssey? Goodness, Carmen, what do you think the painting is about? Don't you go to uni?" He acted as if not knowing what he was talking about was the worst sin ever.

"Um, I don't study Greek Mythology though," I informed him, raising my eyebrow.

This time it was him who sighed. Shaking his head disappointingly, he went to the bed and sat on it. "Come here, sleeping beauty," he patted the square in front of him, "it's time for a few bedtime stories from ancient time."

~∙~∙~

"How do you know so much?" I wanted to know enthusiastically after the third story he told me. He noticed this and put on a complacent grin.

"I've got that Adonis look, so of course, I need to be informed about my man and his fam." Adonis. The Greek God. The symbol of beauty. The perfect man, with a flawless physique, the heart of gold, and mind of steel, who makes hearts patter and gives girls butterflies in their stomachs with his presence. Yes, I did know him. And yes again... Lucas had that Adonis look.

As soon as I knew it, I came closer to his face. He had managed to distract me from the confusion in me. For a short time, I had only listened to his deep voice and the mystical adventures in Ancient Greece. And if he could do that by only talking, I was sure his lips could do other things to silence the voices in my head. At least for tonight. Tomorrow, I was sure my mind would be clearer.

I looked at his lips as if honey was dripping from them. I came a little closer, and when he noticed, he stopped talking and just looked at me looking at him. His lips were the promise of the sweetness to come. I could sense their warmth. We were so close, if I pouted now, our lips would be sealed with a kiss.

But then something happened that had never happened to me before. Lucas pulled his face back. The distance between our faces was still little so that the tip of our noses touched. He looked hesitant and struggling with himself.

"Um," slightly embarrassed by the rejection, I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and avoided his eyes. His hands on his lap suddenly looked so interesting.

"No," he sighed, putting a hand on my cheek, making me look at him again. "The problem is," he said, gently brushing my bottom lip with his thumb. A melancholic undertone was hidden in his voice. "If I kissed you, I don't think I'd be able to stop." 

I swallowed and moved back to bring more distance between us. The warmth of his hand left my face. What was I thinking anyway? My mind got out of hand.

I felt his hand on top of my hand now.

"Carmen?" I blinked and looked at him. Concern was reflected in his eyes. Without realizing I must've looked aimlessly out into the room for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, Lucas. I-I didn't..." I felt a lump in my throat. I wanted to explain to him why I was so confused and that everything that happened today was too much to process. I wanted him to know that my thoughts were a hurricane and that I had acted before thinking it through. On the other hand, if kissing Lucas meant that I could forget the whirlwind that was raging inside my head, even for a few minutes, then maybe this idea wasn't as bad as one would think. Right?

"Hey, don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me anything. I'm sorry for pushing you with all of these stories after that crap of a day. It's a bad habit of mine. I'm just a pushy kind of person." He said sheepishly, running a hand through his black hair.

"You don't say?" I responded teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. He flashed me a crooked smile.

"You don't have to tell me anything, but if you need a pair of listening ears, I'm all yours." He pressed his lower lip against his top lip and nodded as if he wanted to underline his words.

"Thank you." I gave him a subtle but genuine smile. 

"Sure," he shrugged with his shoulders. I lifted my eyebrows skeptically as he was giving me a sly smirk. "I mean, what are rivals with crazy sexual tension for?"

"Are you always this audacious?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Only on Fridays... And when gorgeous women are around," He replied, sounding as confident as always.

"Just because you think I'm gorgeous, it doesn't –"

"Actually... It's Friday." He cut me off, playfully challenging me.

...

His cocky, yet clever, reply made me smile as I rolled my eyes. He got me; not going to lie.

He puffed out air through his nose in amusement to my reaction. I was speechless.

"Aw, come on, don't be upset." He laughed, putting his hands at the corners of my mouth, forcing me to smile. I brushed him off and had to laugh for real this time. Who would have thought that the Lucas could make me laugh? Something so rare for me.

After a while without both of us talking, I asked, "Does it ever haunt you? Your past?"

"Every day." He said, looking at the tie in his hands. He looked serious for the first time. "I guess people with our profession must've had a pretty messed up life, right?" He chuckled, looking at me again. I nodded.

My emotional compass was definitely out of order. I didn't even know how to be friendly towards someone anymore. How could I ever teach kids, sit at a reception, or care for someone's pets when I couldn't even be friendly without having to play a character?

"I think you did a great job today." I looked up at him. "I mean the meeting with Nakamoto. If everything else fails, you have a promising career as an actress!" He teased.

"He is easy to talk to. It makes everything easier." I said, shrugging my shoulders.  Lucas looked down into his hands and huffed. He was playing with the tie in his hands again.

Maybe my plan wasn't as bad as it sounded the first time. Lucas was easy to talk to as well. He had smart counters, knew how to challenge me, and actually was able to make me laugh. Maybe kissing him wouldn't be that bad. Maybe kissing him would distract me enough to forget everything else. Yeah, maybe.

The majority of the time he was annoying as fuck and a pain in the ass, but maybe that was his façade? Not even one hour ago he was the worst candidate to spend time with, and now, I was thinking about kissing him just to flee from my past and distract myself from my unpleasant thoughts. I knew I needed that physical contact to release the tension within me.

With a sudden change of mood, I got up from the bed. "It's hot in here, isn't it?" I said enthusiastically and made my way to the window. He should think that I was planning on opening the window to let in some cool air. Jokes on him though. I wasn't going to open any window anytime soon.

"Hm, maybe. Are you –" He stooped mid-sentence as he saw me taking off my grey sweater, wearing a white, kinda see-through top with spaghetti straps under it. Lucas cleared his throat, suddenly not seeming as confident.

I slowly slipped the thin top over my head as well, revealing my lavender-colored balconette bra, as I looked over my shoulder seductively.

"Holy –" Lucas's voice was hoarse and obviously struggling. I smiled as I bit my lip teasingly.

I was going to deliver the final blow, so I let the left strap slide down my shoulder. I wanted to do the same with the right strap, when he suddenly grabbed my arm and turned me around and yanked me to him in a fast movement, so my chest met his and my eyes lay on his alluring lips again. I wanted to kiss them so damn much. I hesitantly looked up at him. The swirls of emotion I saw there made me gasp. Lust and desire. However, before I could ponder about it further, he cupped my face with both his hands and covered my mouth with his in a hungry kiss. As our lips crushed together, I felt like I was walking on air. It was magic, the way his lips connected with mine. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than I could have imagined and I opened my mouth with a low moan.

He kissed me, oh, lingering, heavenly bliss. Soft and slow. He tasted like sunlit skies in May, an angel's kiss in spring, and the first sip from Chardonnay.

Oh, Cami.

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A/N

As I mentioned in my profile, I was anxious about posting this chapter in particular, because I took a risk regarding the plot and character development. Hopefully it will make sense in the next chapter.

Chapter 28 will be posted sooner than you'd expect.

- Lyra xx