The room looked like something exploded inside. Well, if that bomb was filled with clothes. Everywhere I looked, an article of clothing was thrown there. It was entirely entertaining watching Eden panic about what to wear. Me, I was pleased with my black jeans and a pale green t-shirt. An outfit I was yet to put on, considering that I was still naked under the blankets.

I didn't think I'd ever get enough of Eden. There was no simpler way to describe it other than I constantly craved her. And I assumed the same applied to her because ever since she gave me her virginity, I was with her every night.

"I look so stupid in this!" Eden blurted, launching the umptieth sundress onto the bed and huffing. She had a silky robe shrouded around her as well as a towel on her head.

I folded my arms behind my head and slumped back as I watched her rummage through her clothes. "You look pretty in everything," I informed her with a smirk, but she merely tossed me a scowl over her shoulder and I chuckled. "Baby, you've been looking for an outfit for over two hours already."

Her eyes widened swiftly, and she abandoned the sweater she was handling. There was a grimace on her face as she gawked at me in dismay. "Are you saying I'm wasting your time? I never thought-"

"No," I cut her off with another chuckle as I sat up and opened my arms, gesticulating for her to walk to me. She shuffled into my arms with a pout and sat down on my blanketed lap. "This night is supposed to be fun. How are you stressing about having fun?"

I hoped she didn't notice that my cock was hardening underneath her. It never behaved around her. Whenever she entered a room, it would stand to attention. She shoved her head into my neck and murmured, "I don't know. There's been a lot on my mind lately."

A strong vanilla scent was coming from her skin after her bath, and I apprehended it had now become my favourite fragrance. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, "why don't you tell me about it?"

I already had a bit of an inkling as to what was on her mind. Eden had a habit of not informing people how she really felt in terror of feeling like a burden to everyone around her.

It was for that purpose that I requested for Kenzie to monitor her and make sure she was taking care of herself and not overworking. Also, I wanted her to be there for Eden when she had a nightmare and I wasn't around.

Kenzie mentioned Eden spent a lot of time making notes but didn't know for what. If she wasn't making notes, then she was recording voice messages or on the phone. She seemed to be working on something, but I had no idea what it was.

"It's just something to do with the festival we're going to," she shook her head. "I'm kinda nervous about it." Before I could contribute words of reassurance, she leapt to her feet and picked up an emerald green slip dress. "What do you think about this?"

I stared at the silky material of the short dress and moaned in mock anguish, causing her to frown. "I'm thinking that tonight's going to be absolute torture." Just thinking about all the other guys that'll be staring at her made my head ache.

Eden placed a finger to her chin and deliberated out loud, "good or bad torture?"

I raised a brow. "There's good torture?" She giggled at my grimace before seizing a pair of shoes and escaping into the bathroom. While she got ready, I sank back onto the bed but winced when something jabbed me in the head.

Reaching behind the pillow, I pulled out a hardcover book. I realised it was the copy of The Man In The Library that Eden bought the other day. When I flipped through the pages, I found that Eden had made notes on the side. It all brought me back to my theory that she wrote the book. I mean, she knew way too much about it and had access to information that no one else had. A page slipped out of the book and at the top in bold stood Speech.

My brows crinkled, but I refused to read further unless she gave me permission to. What my eyes caught as I put everything back underneath the pillow was the sentence, "My story began when I decided to start living again." Underneath that was a name that looked all too familiar. Ruben. Kenzie told me that name was regularly quoted whenever Eden had a nightmare and she'd call him frequently.

I frowned and glanced away in time to see Eden step out of the bathroom. She looked absolutely remarkable in her dress. Sure, it was a bit on the short side but as long as Eden was comfortable in her clothes then I didn't have a problem with it. Her hair still looked damp, but she left it to curl naturally around her face and down her back.

"What do you think?" she questioned expectantly. Looking awkward, she placed a hand on her hip and tried to pose. I had to keep my laughter inside. She was adorable.

Her daisy necklace hung in its usual spot. My eyes ran down her legs and gawked at the cute strappy sandals she had on before I hauled my gaze back to her eyes. They were more green than brown today, which went excellently with her dress. I groaned internally, querying when I'd become a fashion expert.

"It's a yes from me," I joked, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Wait, did you actually expect me to say that you don't look good?" She shrugged, endeavouring to jostle all of her clothes back into her closet. I stood up, pulling on my boxers and moving to assist her. "I told you, you look pretty in everything."

A loud huff left her when the clothes tumbled from the shelf and onto her head. "As my boyfriend, you're obligated to say that, Christian."

Before she could bend to pick up the fallen pile, I tenderly took her arm and pushed her against the closet. She blinked up at me in bewilderment. "As a decent man, I'm obligated to remind you that you look beautiful no matter what you wear." A grin found its way onto her mouth and I leaned down to kiss it. Her lips tasted of strawberries and I pulled back, not recalling that she wore any lip-gloss. "You taste like-"

"Strawberries," Eden cut me off with a smile and shifted out of my hold, going back to pick up her clothes. "I'm wearing invisible scented lipstick," she emphasised her words by pointing at her naturally pink lips.

"Invisible-" I sighed. "I have no words for the makeup industry anymore. Next, they'll be selling fresh faces."

Eden snorted. "Technically, they do." My head snapped to her in astonishment and she giggled at what must've been a very humorous expression. "Well, if you think about it-"

"I don't want to think about it."

She hopped onto my back to speak into my ears, and I chuckled at her strategy. "They sell, lashes, lipstick, foundation, concealer and many other things that basically give you a new face. There's nothing wrong with it, of course. If I was more talented with make-up, you'd see me wearing more of it."

I helped her down and began dressing as she picked up the last of the clothes. "I've never seen you wearing make-up, but I think you look cute without make-up, anyway."

Eden stepped over to the mirror to fix her hair after the pile had fallen on it. "Any woman looks good, both with or without make-up. I hate when men make stupid comments about how women shouldn't wear so much makeup. Empty canvases are cheap, right? But they sell for so much more when they're painted on. Women wearing makeup are basically Mona Lisas."

"Preach, sister!" Charlie screamed as she wandered into the room. I rolled my eyes at how she was already acting intoxicated before we even got to the club. She flung an arm around Eden's shoulders before declaring, "I should hire you to give my captain speeches. I suck with words."

I watched Eden become uncomfortable before she rejoined, "I'll stick with one speech at a time." Charlie must not have heard her, but I definitely did. The two left the room, leaving me to lock up. The entire ride to the club, I couldn't stop thinking of that fucking speech.

~

The music reverberated through the walls and the ground. Lights were flickering, nearly blinding me. I could barely hear my own thoughts over the music. Something about it made me feel untroubled. There was no way that I could stress myself out if I couldn't hear myself.

It made me understand why people preferred to party when they felt depressed. Part of me wanted to stand up and scream along to the music, but I knew that wasn't me. Liam sat next to me on the long sofa. I watched him take a swig of his water and I chuckled, causing him to scowl at me.

"Enjoying your water?" I challenged him, but he merely shook his head, pointing to his ears. Of course, he couldn't hear me. When he indicated for me to repeat myself, I snorted and looked away, concentrating on the oscillating bodies on the dancefloor. We'd been here for three hours already. I was astounded when I checked the time because it felt like only a few minutes had passed since we arrived.

A head of untamed blonde hair caught my attention, and I watched my sister leap onto the counter. She always was a turbulent drunk, I'd been telling her that for years. But Liam never seemed to have a problem with it because he'd just smile whilst his girlfriend babbled drunkenly.

"Why be moody when you can shake your booty?!" Charlie roared, raising her beer bottle in a toast. The rest of the partygoers applauded in response, whereas I rolled my eyes, trying to sit more snugly. It was always the same phrase with her and frankly, I never understood it.

Under normal conditions, I'd have been in bed, but Charlie forced me to tag along. She'd noticed that Eden was feeling down after the whole Ashley situation and planned to have a girls' night out. However, Liam and I were compelled to come along too for safekeeping. I disliked that they needed protection in the first place, that they felt unsafe as women.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Liam patted my arm. I raised a brow, and he aimed behind me. Turning around, I saw my girlfriend dancing on a countertop. Her long hair swayed as she moved to the music. She looked so carefree that I didn't have it in me to wreck her fun. Instead, I chuckled under my breath and watched her perform.

Eden appeared to have a very low alcohol tolerance because she'd had two cups but was already drunk out of her mind. It was clear by the way she effortlessly danced with the surrounding people, giggling with them. It was a delightful sight to see her not stressing herself out.

Liam stood up abruptly and shouted over the music, "Blondie's taking off her clothes and that's my cue to take her home!" I shifted to see my sister without her sweater and I burst out laughing. The same thing happened whenever Charlie got drunk and poor Liam had to deal with it. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you!" He yelled again with a smirk before going to fetch his girlfriend.

Frowning, I stood to my feet and went looking for Eden. When I found her, I understood what Liam meant. She'd climbed off from the counter and was now on the dancefloor. There was a guy dancing with her and he was way too close for comfort. Eden was wasted but was still attempting to dance her way out of the guy's grip. I intervened and yanked her into my chest.

"Christian!" she hollered loudly, pressing a sloppy kiss to my cheek. "How absolutely corking to see you!"

I laughed at her happiness before dipping down to speak into her ear. "We're going home because Charlie can't keep her clothes on." Eden recoiled and started laughing because my voice must've tickled her ears. A grin rose on my face and I escorted her through the crowd.

Once we got outside, I detected Liam next to his motorbike. He was strapping a helmet to Charlie's head, who kept calling him a lollipop. I watched in amusement as he settled Charlie on the bike before climbing on. He then used a rope, encircled it around Charlie and then fastened it around himself to keep her from letting go during the ride. He tipped his head at me before speeding off.

"Charlie's so funny," Eden giggled, clinging onto my arm. I looked down at her, seeing her wild hair and flushed cheeks. Her eyes were also comically wide, as if she was encountering the world in a whole new light.

"C'mon," I directed her towards my car. Before she got in, she suddenly screamed. "What?" I inquired, watching as she began crying. I immediately took her into my arms. "Eden, what's wrong?"

She mourned. "My daisy necklace is gone! It's gone!" Her body trembled in fright. "We have to find it!"

Glancing down, the daisy pendant wasn't hanging around her neck, but I could still see the chain by her throat. Twirling her around, I found the daisy hanging by her shoulder blades. The necklace must've spun around whilst she was dancing. I pushed it back into place. "See. It's back now."

Her entire mood changed and her body slackened as she sank back against the car. I shook my head and opened the door to look for the bottle of water that I left there. Eden needed to hydrate. "Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if I lost this. Ruben got it for me."

I halted halfway into the car to reach for the water. "Ruben?" I sought. She was speechless for a second and I swiped the bottle.

Eden caught the bottle when I handed it to her, and she took a sip. Her eyes were still glazed, a sign that she was still very much intoxicated. "Yeah," she ultimately said with a giggle, apprehending that she never acknowledged my question. "His favourite flowers were daisies, so he gave me this necklace."

Closing the door, I went to stand next to her, doubtful of what to say next. Part of me felt like I was taking advantage of her inebriated state because these were things she'd never say out loud. "And you never take it off?"

She shook her head rapidly before pressing a hand to her stomach. "Why would I take it off? Don't be silly. Ruben made me promise that I'd never take it off, and I promised because I love him very much."

My blood ran cold, and I stared at the content smile on her face. "You love him?" There was an unexplained pain developing in my chest and suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Well," she began drunkenly, taking another sip of water. "If someone loves you, then you obviously have to love them back. And Ruben always told me how much he loved me. I like to think of this necklace as a symbol of our friendship and love."

Bile snaked its way up my throat, but I stifled it. Eden surely couldn't be in another relationship whilst she was with me, right? Swallowing down my nerves, I urged, "are you with Ruben?"

Eden choked before twisting to face me. "I'm dating you, aren't I?" she queried, wholly bewildered, which confused me even further. "How can I be with Ruben if I'm dating you? Are you silly?" This conversation was making zero sense. She seemed genuinely disturbed by my suggestion, so it calmed my nerves imperceptibly.

"But you-"

"Ruben and his family moved away," Eden cut me off with a sad smile. "We lost touch. I call him every day but he never responds." The phonecalls Kenzie mentioned suddenly made sense. Eden let out a sniffle and her lips quivered. "Why doesn't he want me in his life anymore?" She cried drunkenly.

I coiled an arm around her. "He's stupid for not wanting you in his life." She nestled into my hold as I ushered her into the car. I still didn't understand who Ruben exactly was. But with the way Eden spoke of him - I couldn't help but feel bothered.

If Ruben were to walk back into her life, would she leave me for him? The thought hurt and I didn't want that to happen, not when I'd become so attached to her. Because I sure as fuck wouldn't allow another man to take my girl from me.