Word Count: 2009

~Sienna

My curtains billowing wildly wake me.

Blinking my eyes open, I promptly realise my window has been left open. Rain litters the floor, creating a dense puddle in the carpet. Leaping up, I slam is closed before stepping back.

I must have been so exhausted last night that I left it open.

Rubbing my hands over my face, I let out an exasperated sigh. Ever since that deceiver got me in the water, I haven't had a good nights sleep.

Memories of what it felt to have Onyx's hands on me, his mouth on mine. Knowing it wasn't him, but an ancient, cursed witch makes me nauseous.

It should have been him.

Something lying on the floor next to my vanity catches my eyes, stealing my thoughts away before they can get too rampant.

Picking it up, I frown at the handwritten scrawling's.

I know who you are. The real you, Sienna.

I know he doesn't know your secret.

Tell him, or I will.

My heart falters, the note quivering between my fingertips.

Looking around, I see nothing but my empty room, the closed door and the puddle of rain water on the carpet.

This is bad. Very bad.

I rush into the adjoining bathroom, turning the tap on. Smoothing the note flat, I hold it under the stream of water until it eventually dissolves, melting away into wet chunks that tumble down the drain.

Screwing the tap shut, I press my wet hands to my flushed skin, drawing in a shuddering breath. I know exactly what this note is elluding to...

But no one else does. Until now.

I dress quietly before padding downstairs, considering the note in the forefront of my mind.

There's only one other person who knows my secret, but I doubt he would leave a note like that. There are far better ways threaten me with my secret then leaving an ominous note.

And whoever left it clearly has access to not only the manor, but my room specifically.

I wander past the entryway to the conservatory, not entirely sure where I'm going. All I know is I need out of that room to get that note out of my head.

I spot Kayn sitting at the table at the back of the room, looking out the frosty glass window as he sips his coffee.

He looks up, smiling warm as I approach. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Join me?"

Suddenly I regret coming in here. The way he spoke to me when I was panicking about the storm hasn't settled over me well. He seemed so flippant, so dismissive when I felt like my world was melting around me.

"I should probably-"

"Please? I want to apologise about the other day." He tugs out the seat on the other side of the circle table, seeming wary.

I sigh through my nose. I should at least hear him out.

"It's fine, honestly." I sit next to him, trying not to sneeze as the scent of blooming flowers fills my nose. I convinced Lucia to fill the conservatory with exotic plants due to the warmth and sunlight this room gets.

Kayn shifts in his seat. "I just struggle with stuff like that, you know? I've never feared anything irrational, so I'll be honest, I don't really understand how anyone can."

"It's fine. Forget it."

I really don't like my phobia to be the focal point of any conversation. I hate feeling like I need to justify it to people who will never understand.

"Seriously, I hope you know I'm sorry." He reaches across the table, taking my hands into his. "I really care about you, you know?"

"I care about you too." I smile tentatively. Water under the bridge, I suppose.

He scoots his chair around until it's practically pressed against mine.

I barely have time to register what's going on before he places a hand in the back of my neck and leans into kiss me.

I startle at the sudden pressure of his lips.

He slides his tongue into my mouth and it takes everything in me not to physically blanch. This is romantic, sweet. He's apologised and I've forgiven him.

I just wish he were a slightly better kisser.

"I could kiss you forever," he murmurs against my lips before finally pulling back.

I rub my hands along my thighs, averting my gaze. "Thanks."

He's silent for a moment too long, drawing my attention again. His brows are furrowed, his eyes focusing on my chest. I feel the urge to slap him until I realise it's the absence of something he's noting.

"Where's your necklace?"

"I took it off. I don't want to risk loosing it," I respond quickly.

It's mostly true. Carrying that much money around on my person is not comfortable, nor is the curious stares I get from passers-by. That necklace is too much of a statement.

"Oh?"

"It's so expensive, you know? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I lost it." I flip my hair over my shoulder, swallowing tightly. "So I think I'll save it for special occasions."

Part of the issue is the necklace does not suit me. Not only is it not my personal taste, but something about it doesn't sit properly on my décolleté.

What does fit uncannily well is the small silver ring Onyx gifted me when we were sixteen. It's a promise ring.

Friends forever, we vowed.

Kayn smiles. "I love the way you think."

I run my thumb along the smooth surface of the ring, letting it twist around my finger. He didn't seem to love the way I think when I was panicking about the storm, but that is neither here nor there.

"Thanks."

He goes silent for a moment, leaning back as he takes a sip from his tea. I look toward the exit, wondering if I can leave yet, or if there is more he wants to talk to me about.

His heads turns in my direction again as he looks toward me again. "Look, I know we haven't known each other for very long, but there is something I want to ask you."

My eyes widen. "No...I can't marry you."

"Marry? No, I was going to ask if you want to move back home with me when all this is over?"

"How is that any better?" It comes off meaner than I desired, but I'm a little shocked that he is asking me this right now. I've only known him for weeks, not years.

His brows furrow together. "What do you mean?"

"Living with you is a massive step. I mean, we aren't even in a relationship," I remind him, inching back in my step.

Moving away from a life that I love here isn't an easy decision. I like Kayn a lot, and I could see myself being in a relationship with him for some time, but I'm not sure if pursuing this so soon will favour me.

"I'm sure we'll get there." He rubs a hand through his hair. "And you don't have to live with me. You can get your own place nearby, and I can help you with you with your botany."

I let out a breath. That seems like less of an aggressive step, but it's still something to think about.

"I don't know."

"You should take a leap of faith one time. There's nothing for you here." He tilts his head to the side. "Come with me, and you can combine your drawing with your botany, and have an excellent guy around to keep you company."

I look down at his hands. He's right. At some point I have to take a risk, and his proposal isn't repulsive. In fact, he described a job I've considered for years and yet never committed to.

It felt easier, for so many reasons, to stay as Lucia's assistant.

"It does sound nice," I admit.

"Onyx is going to marry soon, and he's going to move on. You need to as well," he adds.

I sigh through my nose. Oh yes, I've thought in grave detail, much to my chagrin.

"You're probably right." I shift uncomfortably in my seat, trying to settle on a decision, although it's evading me. "A fresh start would be good for me."

"Onyx won't kill me, will he?"

I frown. "Why would he?"

"For taking his mistress away from him." His smile is a little goofy, like he's winning at some unspoken game. Onyx isn't competing for my hand, and if he was, I don't know that Kayn could win that one.

"The title isn't permenant. It only exists as long as I want to stay here."

His smile dims. "I don't mean dissolving the title..."

"Onyx wants what's best for me," I say tentatively, worried that any word could give him the wrong idea about our relationship. "And just because I move away doesn't mean him and I won't be friends."

I imagine we will write all the time, and we'll visit each other. There's nothing in this world that could keep us a part for long.

Unless he falls in love with a woman who wants nothing to do with me.

"As long as he doesn't tear my throat out from jealousy." Kayn laughs, but he sounds nervous.

"He has no reason to be jealous. It's not like he wants to be in a relationship with me."

Even if he did harbour romantic feelings to me, which I know he doesn't, he wouldn't be able to act on them.

I could never be his wife.

"It doesn't matter." Kayn slides his chair closer. "I'm excited for this. Now all I have to do is wait for your friend to decide my sister is insufferable."

"Why do you hate her so much?" I ask.

"I don't. I just don't think she's a very good person," he responds before taking a sip of his tea, like he has to physically stop himself from saying more.

If only I knew what it felt like to have a sibling. Maybe then I could decide if this is a normal reaction for him to be having.

"She's just in a shitty situation. Imagine if you had to be married to someone to appease your parents and not yourself," I say.

He runs a hand down his face like he's shaking some sense into himself. "You're right, that would suck. My parents are dicks."

I hope they like me. It's a terrifying thought to think about getting into a serious relationship with someone who has poisonous parents.

"If this goes well, I'll have to meet them one day."

He smirks. "You poor thing."

"Can't be worse than my dad," I say without thinking.

I immediately regret it. I almost never speak about him, especially within these walls. When I speak about him I think about him, and he's cursed my thoughts for so much of my life now I want to move on.

But I'm scared he never will...

"Who is your dad?" Kayn asks. "Do you know him?"

"Some nobody that treated my mother like shit," I say quickly. "He's why we ended up here, and why my mother died."

The latter part isn't actually confirmed, but I have my suspicions.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kayn shifts uncomfortably, that information obviously very heavy and hard for him to sit with.

My past isn't exactly palatable.

"It's fine. I haven't seen him since, and I never will again," I assure him, smiling tightly.

"As long as you're okay," he soothes, although there's uncertainty swirling in his gaze.

I nod. There's a chance my past will catch up to me one day.

And if it does, I'm done for.

🤎••🤎

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~Midika 💜🐼