《Selena Arabella Calos》

I have been avoiding him for days now. I don't know why he has let me, but I try not to question it. I need to stay as far from him as possible for my sanity. I have made my schedule tougher to avoid him. I get back home late at night and leave early in the morning. I absolutely hate that I am not spending time in my new home. So when I returned home today, I decided to take myself out of my monotonous routine and explore the house. This way, not only will I get to spend time at home, but I will also be able to avoid Daniel.

I feel a sense of ease as I walk through the house- as if I belong here. I do not know what it is about the house that makes me feel that way, but I love the feeling- it's refreshing. I trace the dark wooden handrail as I walk up the narrow stairs, stopping when I reach an oak door on the top. 

Should I go in? What if I am not supposed to go in there? Daniel did say I could go anywhere in the house without permission, but something about this room is making me hesitate- everyone has things they like to hide, and attics are the best place to hide those things. What if Daniel does not want me to see what is inside?

I chew on my lip, and after a few minutes of deliberation, I push open the door, revealing a room that looks like it has been untouched for years. The room is a mess with boxes littered all over it, dust coating all surfaces and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. I walk inside, feeling a sense of fascination fill me. 

As I look around the room, one particular box catches my eye- not because it seems less worn than the others but because it has my name on it... in Daniel's handwriting. I cross the room, tripping three times, before I reach the box. My heart beat rockets as I take off the lid of the box. I always thought he would have thrown away anything associated with me after what happened between us, but he did not- he kept them safe. 

The box is filled with all the belongings I left at his apartment- some jewellery, clothes, and pictures of us. I feel tears pool in my eyes as I dig through the box. I cannot believe he kept everything. He kept all our memories safe like I had. I hate him for it because all I want to do is run to him and kiss him now. 

I frown when I reach the bottom of the box. There is a picture of me on my ninth birthday with a boy standing in the background, smiling. How did Daniel get this picture? 

I wipe the dust off the picture and inspect it more closely. Why does the boy look so familiar? He looks just like- no, it can't be.

-

Flashback- Selena's Ninth Birthday

I wanted to have a party for my birthday, but Mother said that I could not because I was a disappointment, and disappointments do not have birthday parties. Instead, I got to spend my birthday at a charity event. When I arrived at the event with my father, Mother looked at me angrily, so I escaped the room before she decided to act on her anger. I ran around the house until I found the only place with open doors- the library.

The library was small, but almost all the books were collectables. I browsed through the collection until I found my favourite book- Grimms' Fairy Tales. I grabbed the book and scanned the library to find a place to sit that would hide me. Finally, I spotted a place on the floor next to the bar where no one would spot me. It was a bit dark, but I was used to reading in the dark. I settled on the uncomfortable spot, opened the book and started reading.

I do not know how long I read, but when I finally looked up, I saw someone sitting on the chair on the other side of the room staring at me. I jumped up in surprise, covering my mouth so I do not make a noise. I blinked to refocus my eyes, then looked back at the person. The boy in the chair looked a little older than me and seemed very amused at my reaction to him.

"I am so sorry," I said, politely as I had been taught, as I picked up my book from the floor. "I was too engrossed in the book to realise anyone had entered the room."

His beautiful blue eyes shone as he laughed. "It is completely alright, don't worry about it. It must have been a fascinating book if you did not see or hear me come in, though."

"I do not know about fascinating, but it is my favourite book."

"And might I ask which book it is?"

"Oh," I muttered, looking at the book awkwardly. It is not common for many children my age to have such a dark book as their favourite. "Grimms' Fairy Tales."

I looked away, expecting him to laugh at me or at least judge me somehow.

"Hm," the boy said. From my periphery, I saw the boy get up from the chair and walk towards me. "It's one of my favourites too."

I shot him a quick look to see if he was joking or making fun of me, but he looked earnest. "Why?"

"Because it shows the world's reality instead of sugarcoating everything."

I smiled at him. My smile was genuine for the first time that day. "I think I like you."

The boy grinned as he leaned against the bar. "I think I like you too."

-

Back to Present

The boy and I talked about books until my mother came in. After that... well, I do not like to think about what happened, but it made me fall in love with that boy. He was the first person to protect me from my mother. 

The boy in the picture is that boy. I never knew I had a picture with him- even if he is in the background. Why does Daniel have it unless-

My heart thunders in my chest as I consider the possibility of the boy in the picture being Daniel. Surely he would have told me if he knew. There is no reason for him not to tell me... but Daniel has never really needed an excuse to hide things from me. He has always done so without hesitation. It's like hiding things from me is his default setting.

I do not know what to do. I can ask him, but I do not know if he would tell me the truth. 

But I need to know. Even if he resists, I need to find a way to get it out of him- one way or another.  

Before I can overthink my decision and decide to back out, I push myself off the floor and skip down the stairs, running across the corridors to Daniel's room. I do not even think to knock before I throw open the door and barge into the room.

Daniel looks up from his desk and raises an eyebrow when he sees me standing in his room. "What are you doing here?" he asks, surprised.

"You told me I didn't have to ask you to come into your room," I mutter, feeling awkward and nervous.

He stares at me thoughtfully for a second, then nods and walks across the room to his closet. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," I reply, trying to calm my racing heart.

"Good."

I feel a knot form in my stomach. This is it. The moment of truth. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "I was exploring the house today and found something today," I say cautiously.

He tenses for a second, then continues looking through his closet. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, and my palms start to sweat. "A picture," I add when he does not reply, struggling to keep my voice steady.

He slides off his shirt and turns around, and I'm momentarily distracted by the sight of his bare skin, despite my racing mind. "Of what?" he prompts, and I can feel the weight of his gaze on me.

I close my eyes, willing myself to focus, then walk closer to Daniel. I hand him the picture, and he takes it from me, looking at it momentarily before glancing up at me. His expression is unreadable, and my nerves start to get the better of me. "Who is the boy in this picture?" I ask, my voice trembling slightly.

Daniel's expression immediately becomes guarded, and I can feel my heart skip a beat. "Why?" he asks, his voice defensive.

"I want to know," I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. I don't know what I'll do if he confirms it is him in the picture. But it would explain everything- the feeling I knew him when I first met him and how I fell in love with him so quickly.

"I don't have time for this," he replies, his voice brusque and curt. He rummages through his closet, hastily grabbing a shirt before walking away from me. My heart sinks at his response. I had suspected this would be his reaction, that he would shut me out and refuse to talk about it. But still, his reluctance to tell me the truth is frustrating.

As he strides towards the door, I make a desperate move to stop him. My fingers curl around his arm, and I prepare myself for the inevitable. I expect him to shake me off or threaten to punish me as he has done before- to do anything to avoid this conversation he clearly doesn't want to have.

But then, to my surprise, he stops in his tracks. I hold my breath as he turns to face me, his expression unreadable.

"Is it you?" I ask him again, my voice laced with exasperation, as I struggle to conceal my annoyance at his reluctance to answer the question.

He meets my gaze, his eyes dark and stormy. For a moment, I think he might ignore my question again or offer some cryptic response as he always does. But then, finally, he nods.

"Yes," he says simply, his voice low and raw with emotion.

Holy shit. I was right. I was right about the boy being Daniel. That explains why he had the picture... which means he knew who I was when we first met on the street. 

"You knew, didn't you?" I ask, my tone accusatory. "You knew we had met before when I bumped into you on the street that day."

Daniel doesn't answer right away. Instead, he looks at me with a cool expression, his eyes guarded. The silence stretches between us, and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. How did I not realise who he was before? How could I have missed everything? And how could that sweet boy I met have strayed so far?

Finally, he nods, his expression unreadable. "Yes," he says, his voice flat.

"How?" I demand, as my frustration turns into anger. "How did you know?"

In typical Daniel fashion, he doesn't answer, and I can feel my anger growing. I can't believe he never told me about us. I have talked about that moment with him before - he knew how special it was for me, so how could he not tell me who he was?

"Do you have anything else to say?" He snaps at me.

I glare at him with as much intensity as I can. He does not get to be angry in this situation; I do. I am the one who has been lied to.

Calm down, Selena. I tell myself before I lose control of my anger and escalate the situation beyond control.  So I take a deep breath and say, "You didn't answer my question."

"I'm not going to," Daniel replies, his tone final, his expression stony.

I can feel my patience wearing thin. I know I do not have much time before I inevitably snap and make things worse, so I turn around to walk away from him, to remove myself from the situation until I have calmed down. "I do not have anything to say then."

"I did not say that you could leave," he says, his voice low and commanding. "Turn around and look at me."

I stop and take a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever is to come. I turn around and face him, meeting his dark gaze. My heart races as he steps closer, and I feel his hand on my arm. Without a word, he pulls me into his embrace, lifting me off my feet and burying his face in the crook of my neck. I freeze, stunned by his sudden display of intimacy. Just a few moments ago, we were angry at each other, but now his touch is soft and gentle. 

After everything that has just happened, I do not know how to respond. My anger from earlier slowly melts away into confusion. I do not understand Daniel or his actions anymore. He switches from cold to hot so suddenly that I get whiplash. He hates me, but when he is intimate with me, like right now, it does not seem like he does. He hurts me in the worst ways possible, but he is also the one who takes care of me the most. He acts like he can't stand being near me, yet he always wants to touch me in some way when I am around him. I cannot figure out this man and what he wants anymore.

Despite my anger for him, I do not try to pull away from him. I cannot deny that his touch feels comforting in a way. Especially now that I know who he is and what he means to me- he is not only my fiancé anymore but also the first person who ever stood up for me. 

"Two months," Daniel says, nearly incoherent, as he presses kisses up my neck.

I blink in confusion, still dazed by his behaviour. "What's in two months?"

"Our wedding," he says, pulling away to look me in the eyes.

My heart races as my mouth hangs open. "We're getting married in two months?"

I feel like the ground is slipping beneath my feet as I look at him, unable to process the sudden news. He looks amused as if he knew this would surprise me.

"But we have not started any preparations," I say, my mind racing with thoughts of all the things that need to be done. "I thought I'd get at least six months to-"

"We can start preparations tomorrow," Daniel interrupts me, his voice soothing. I feel his hands behind me, unzipping my dress. "I have already talked to the wedding planner and both our families. Everything is under control."

I feel a sense of relief wash over me at his words, knowing that he is taking care of everything. But at the same time, I can't shake off the feeling that everything is moving too fast and that I'm not ready for this. 

Daniel sets me down, letting my dress fall to the ground, but at the moment, I'm more concerned about my wedding than thinking about anything else- like where this is headed.

"So I'm the last person to find out about our wedding date?" I say, my annoyance starting to show.

"Yes," he shrugs, his expression cool as he unhooks my bra. "I did not think you cared. You did not show much interest in planning our engagement party, so I assumed you would not be much interested in our wedding."

Before I can reply, he pulls me to the bed and gently pushes me down. "Was I wrong?"

My frustration builds at his assumption. "I may not be happy about who I am marrying, but this is the only wedding I will have. I want it to be perfect."

Daniel stares at me calmly, his eyes piercing into mine with an unreadable emotion. But I can sense his anger simmering underneath the surface, waiting to erupt. My heart races when he leans down, wraps his hands around my thighs and pulls me to the edge of the bed.

"You are not happy with who you're marrying? Why is that?" he asks; his voice has a dangerous edge to it, guaranteeing retribution if I say something other than what he wants me to say. 

I narrow my eyes at him, refusing to back down as he slides off my thong. "Is that really a question you want answered?"

His jaw clenches as his eyes turn dark with anger. He presses his thumb against my clit, and I resist the urge to moan. I cannot give in to this man so quickly. I need to stand my ground- no matter how hard that is going to be. When he sees my resistance, he narrows his eyes, slides a hand around my neck and pulls my head closer to his. "Who would you be happy marrying then?"

"Anyone other than you," I spit out, unable to hold back my frustration any longer. His unmoving thumb on my clit is making me even more frustrated. It is taking all that is in me not to try and move against him to get some kind of stimulation.

His gaze turns from dark to lethal, but he finally gives me stimulation by brushing his thumb over my clit. I bite my lip to prevent any sounds from escaping me.

"Do you think anyone else could get you off as quickly as I can?" He asks me, and to prove his point, he slips a finger inside me. At that moment I lose all my self-control, and the resulting moan that comes out is almost embarrassing.

Way to prove his point, Lena.

Once I get used to his thrusting, I take a deep breath and say, "Marriage isn't just about sex, Daniel."

It may have been well established that I have no sense of self-preservation, but this just proves that I have a very strong sense of self-destruction. If I did not, I would never have said so much to aggravate Daniel- especially not when he is in control of the situation. 

"Tell me, sweetheart," Daniel says, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "What is marriage about? What kind of husband would make you happy?"

"I-" He slides another finger inside me before I can continue. "Oh, my God." My hands find their way into his hair as he continues fingering me.

Daniel squeezes my throat, making me close my eyes. "Answer the fucking question, Selena."

I can't think clearly anymore, and I'm assuming that was his motive. I don't want him to get away with manipulating me, so I force myself to clear my thoughts and think about an answer that he will hate- which, as expected, is so much harder with his fingers inside me.

"Sweet, kind, supportive, affectionate, modest, faithful. Someone who loves me and does not argue with me over everything," I reply, trying to appear nonchalant.

His anger melts away into reproach. "Now the truth."

"That was the true- oh, God," I moan as his fingers curl inside me.

"The truth, Selena or else what I did to you the other day will feel like a reward," he interrupts, his words making my heart skip a beat in both fear and excitement. 

I take a deep breath, trying to collect my thoughts. "Someone who isn't too sweet but cares for me. Someone who loves me but argues with me occasionally, or else ill get bored. Someone who knows how to get my heart racing. Someone who protects me no matter what," I say, hoping my answer satisfies him.

A deep sound of approval comes from his throat. "Do you want someone who submits to you or dominates you?"

"Someone who dominates me," I gasp, and he finally gives me the release I've been craving. In a messed up way, I love it when we do this- when he uses orgasm denial as a way to get me to be honest with him. I hate it, too, because he has way too much control over me when he does it.

He puts his hand on the bed, on either side of my head and leans above me, stroking my hair as I come down from my high. "I may not be everything you want in a husband, I may not love you or be sweet to you, but I will burn the world to keep you safe."

"Why?" I ask him, hoping for once he would give me the truth.

"Because you are mine- you always have been," he whispers against my ear.

For the first time in years, I feel a strong surge of affection for him- not the sexual kind but the emotional one. And it scares me. He cannot know that I feel anything for him, and if he even glances in my direction, he will. So to distract him, I kiss his neck the same way he kissed mine to distract me. He fists my hair and pulls them back, but I gather the strength to resist him and continue placing kisses on his neck, going lower with each kiss. 

"What are you doing?" Daniel asks me, his voice low and rough.

"I want to try something," I say coyly, tracing his belt with my finger. I look at him for approval, but he just continues to stare at me through hooded eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never done anything I'm not sure about."

He nods, then gets off me and sits by the edge of the bed. I slide down from the bed and kneel between his legs. "I don't know how, uh, I mean-"

"I'll guide you, Bellissima."

Like the clumsy person I am, I struggle with his belt buckle. He suddenly places his hand over mine, and I look up at him, expecting him to be angry, but he looks perfectly calm- and kind of worried.

"What's wrong, Selena?"

I chew at my lips, debating on whether to answer or not. "What if you don't like it?"

"There is nothing you could do to make me not like this," he says, using his finger to pull down on my lip until I stop biting at it. "If you want to stop at any point, I need you to tell me."

"Okay," I mutter, trying to unbuckle his belt again. I am finally successful after another attempt. Oh, thank heavens. My mouth falls open as I undo his pants and pull down his briefs. I knew he was big. I could feel it every time he pressed himself against me. I could see it whenever he had an erection. But hell, I could not have imagined this. It is so long and thick that it scares me. How in the world am I supposed to get this thing in my mouth? How the hell is this thing supposed to fit inside me?

Never the one to give up on things without even trying, I wrap my hand around his hard dick, slowly stroking it as I look up at him through my lashes, trying to determine if he likes it.

"Fuck, Selena," he groans, looking at me. "You'll be the death of me."

"I don't-" He grabs my hair and guides my mouth towards his dick before I finish. He doesn't enter my mouth, leaving the decision of what to do up to me. I lick the tip experimentally, and he lets out a satisfied sound. His reaction gives me newfound confidence, so I lick him again from the base to the tip, and a quiet groan escapes him.

"Suck, Selena," he demands. "I don't have patience for your teasing right now."

I narrow my eyes at his bossy tone, trying to ignore how much it turned me on. He looks into my eyes, challenging me to disobey him. As much as a part of me wants to, I don't disobey him. Because a bigger part of me loves it when he bosses me around. God, I have serious issues.

I slide him into my mouth, sucking his dick like a lollypop, taking in more each time.

"Fuck, Bellissima. You are doing so good," he says, grabbing my hair again and guiding my head, controlling the rhythm- going deeper and faster each time. Even though I am kneeling before him, I don't think I have ever felt this powerful around this man. I know he can take this power away from me in the blink of an eye if he wants to, but for some reason, he isn't.

My eyes water every time he reaches my throat, but I remain still because of my overwhelming need to please him however he wants. At this moment, I treasure every sound from his mouth, each groan and order sounding like music to my ears. A part of me despises him for depriving me of the right to pleasure him for so long. This high feels like the same one I feel when he's pleasuring me.

"I'm going to come," he says, and I look up at him. "Where, Selena?" He asks me.

I stop sucking on him long enough to say: "Wherever you want."

"Fuck," he groans hoarsely as he finishes in my mouth. I swallow all that I can and look up at him. "Jesus Christ," he breathes, running his thumb across my bottom lip.

He pulls up his briefs; and bends down to lift me onto his leg. He mutters something under his breath, and perhaps for the first time, I do not ask him to repeat himself.

"Are you okay?" He asks me, his voice strained and breathless.

"Yes," I reply, then look at him and bite my lip. "Did you like it?"

He chuckles, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "What do you think, Bellissima?"

"I need you to say it."

"I more than liked it... so much so that I am considering moving up our wedding to tomorrow." My eyes widen, and he looks at me with an amused expression. "I am not going to do it, Bellissima. If there is anything that I can promise you, it is that I will give you everything you need- including your dream wedding."

-
A/N

Barely got this chapter written between everything that was going on. I didn't reread it so I am sorry if there are a lot of mistakes.

I don't think I will update before next weekend. I am too exhausted- mentally, physically and emotionally.

I just ended my relationship of nine years (started dating my ex when we were twelve) and even though it was a mutual decision, it is taking a toll on my mental health. We've broken up a ton of times before but this time it's final and losing the only support system in my life is kind of hard. But it's fine, I'll get over it.

I also have like 20 deadlines in the next two weeks and I cannot focus on anything else, so I will not really be writing.

I am really sorry you have to wait so long for new chapters:(

I promise as soon as I am done with my deadlines, I will starting updating more (hopefully 2-3 times a week if I can).

Goodbye until next weekend x