Seraphina
The feeling of the sun against my face helped boost my mood, especially after my heated altercation with my uncle this morning.
There was a thin line between protecting me from harm and purposefully making sure that I had no social life, and lately, it started to feel more like the latter.
My uncle was the one who raised me, but what people didn't know was that he equally loved to treat me like one of his prisoners.
I couldn't complain—I was a sad child who had the luxury of being born into royalty.
Kael had picked me up, and we were on our way to Bridget's house.
Bridget was one of my few friends and one of the reasons boredom and loneliness hadn't taken a much deeper hold on my mental health.
Today I was going to be sleeping over. It was a new development, and it took several exchanges of words with my uncle before he agreed. For fuck's sake, I was no longer a baby.
I was filled with so much happiness when he grumbly agreed to my request. This was how it was going to be henceforth—I would keep this up for as long as I could.
I looked toward Kael's position, and he didn't seem very ecstatic this morning.
"Everything okay?" I asked, genuinely meaning it.
He turned those beautiful eyes of his on me and kept his gaze fixed for what I could have sworn was at least two minutes.
A weird look appeared on his face and disappeared so fast I wondered if it had been there to begin with. His lips twitched in a wry way before he spoke.
"I'm okay, Princess. There's no need to stare at me like I'm the one being protected and you're the bodyguard."
I had always known Kael to be a man of few words, and I loved that about him sometimes, but right now, I genuinely wanted to grab him and ask where he had gotten such annoying behavior from.
"I just wanted to know if you were okay. You've been quiet since this morning." I tried to turn my gaze to the passing sights of the city traffic, but something had changed in the atmosphere.
No, something had changed between me and Kael. He seemed more domineering and tense. The air that usually sparked with uncomfortable chemistry wasn't as intense as it used to be.
This time, it felt like something else; and if there was a word to describe it, it would be hot.
Kael moved in his seat, causing my eyes to take in the view of his legs as he sat directly opposite me.
His manspreading looked innocent, but with the twisted way my mind worked, I couldn't help but imagine what he would look like underneath all that layer of seriousness. You mean clothes. Yeah, whatever.
"If you want to say something, just do so. I'm not stopping you." His eyes met mine again, and I couldn't help it when the words slipped from my lips.
"What do you think I want to say?" I asked, heat filling my cheeks.
Kael didn't say anything, but his gaze didn't leave mine either.
"With the way your eyes have been dancing around my body, there's a very high chance that your mouth has something to confess."
He was playing it safe—I could tell—but I wanted to push through the barriers of our relationship.
I hated the way he spoke to me as if I were a child. Liar, you wish he saw you as a woman. I mean, it wasn't a bad thought… sorta.
Kael's gaze still held mine, and I was fighting the butterflies in my tummy. If I so much as moved, I was certain one of them would escape from my mouth.
"Your… outfit is nice. That was all I was staring at," I said, trying to feign professionalism.
A smirk appeared on his lips and he looked even more handsome. Somewhere in my darkest thoughts, I wouldn't have minded paying him to smile more often.
"Is that the only thing you were looking at, Princess?"
I turned my face to take in the beauty of the city trying to distract myself from the question he just asked.
The air was different during winter, and with the preparations for Christmas, everywhere looked like we had burst into a fairytale land.
I loved Christmas. Despite the woes of my life and the many things I had gone through, I really did.
There was something different in the air every time Christmas was coming, and I knew I wasn't the only one who felt that way.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kael's voice broke through the spell of Christmas anticipation.
"Yes, yes it is. I just love this time of the year; everyone trying to get it right more than they did in the previous Christmas season, the carols, the refreshing feeling of Santa Claus dropping down your chimney…"
"You believe in Santa Claus?" Kael asked me with a mocking expression.
"Of course I do. Who doesn't believe in Santa? He's literally one of the favorite people to look forward to during Christmas," I said, trying to hide the slight hint of annoyance in my voice.
I was convinced that anyone who didn't believe in Santa Claus should be locked up and have the key thrown into the ocean.
"Santa Claus isn't real. You ought to know that by now."
"Says who?" I muttered in defense.
"Says every grown-up ever? I do not mean to be disrespectful, Princess, but everything that relates to Santa Claus is strictly to be enjoyed by kids. And merely looking at you"—his eyes took in my face, slowly trailing down my neck and finally resting on my bosom—"there's absolutely nothing that shows you're not an adult, Seraphina."
I wanted to protest, but I had to hold myself back. This was one of the few times Kael was being conversational, and as much as I wanted to make my point known, I didn't want him to stop talking.
"Everyone loves Santa, Kael,you're just being a hater."
Before he could respond, his phone rang, and the mood immediately turned sour.