It had now been an unspoken ritual for Elmara and Alex to meet up at the rooftop of the Rose D'or every evening, and Alex had planned something special for tonight.

"I have a surprise for you." He blurted out.

"Oh really, what is it?" She asked, widening her eyes.

"Do you trust me?" He asked stretching his hand out to her, helping her out of her seat.

"That's what a murderer would say right before he finishes off his next victim"

Alex chuckled, pulling Elmara up and leading her towards the elevator.
  They got down and Alex led her towards a sleek black Aston Martin.
   Elmara knew that Alex had money. It wasn't just anyone that could frequent the Rose D'or everyday, but this was insane.

"Where are we going?" Elmara asked once Alex had started driving. She had began to question why she was sitting in a stranger's car, allowing herself to be driven to an unknown destination.

"You'll see." Alex said, smirking.

"Y'know, that isn't very comforting to hear." Elmara said, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Now that I think about it, it is kinda creepy." Alex responded with his low chuckle.

That seemed to appease Elmara and she eased her tensed nerves.

Before she knew it, the car had stopped at the city's biggest park.

"Now I'm really worried that you're trying to kill me." Elmara chuckled nervously.
"But I promise I won't make it easy. I throw a mean punch."

That only seemed to make Alex laugh.
"Come moya zvezda." He said pulling Elmara towards himself.
  "The stars are out tonight."
With that he led them up a tree-filled hill towards what seemed like a picnic.

Elmara gushed at the scene. The trees seemed to open up, letting the stars shine brightly down on the picnic area. Elmara noticed the huge vase of Hyacinths. She remembered briefly telling him they were her favorite flowers. She couldn't believe that he had remembered something so trivial.

"All this for me?" Elmara turned to face Alex with shock written all over her face.

"I remember you telling me how much you wanted to go stargazing." Alex said, taking Elmara's coat off.
  He had started to feel the blush creep up his neck.

"Won't you sit?" He asked, hiding his face while pouring a bottle of Rose into the wine flutes.

Elmara took a seat, still marveled at everything around her.
  "The stars are shining so brightly tonight." She gasped in awe.

"Not nearly as bright as you are." Alex commented, tucking a braid behind her ear.

Elmara could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. No one had ever made her feel so beautiful before.

"All this for someone who's name you don't even know." Elmara mumbled, trying to hide her awkwardness.

"How does not knowing your name remove from the fact that you're nothing less of goddess?" Alex asked teasingly, holding Elmara in his arms.

All of a sudden Elmara's phone rang and she froze at the name the black screen showed her.

Papa.

Alex had noticed how she had tensed in his arms and raised an eyebrow at it.
"Are you okay?"
"Who's calling that's gotten you all tensed?"

"My father." Elmara said in a short whisper causing Alex to frown.

"You know you don't have to pick it up if you don't want to. No one, not even your own father should make you feel uncomfortable." Alex told her.

"It isn't that easy."

"Sure it is. See." Alex said, taking Elmara's phone from her and putting it on silent.

"Hey! Give me my phone ba–" But Elmara couldn't finish her statement because in the process of trying to get her phone back from Alex, she fell on him.

"Youuuu! I hope you're happy now!" Elmara said laughing. A pure, bubble filled laughter that made Alex smile.
  He hadn't heard laughter that beautiful in 14 years.

It wasn't until the pair were done laughing that they realized the compromising situation they were in. Elmara's eyes suddenly widened at their proximity.
"I'm so sorry. I should have been mindful." Elmara apologized, trying to get up, but it seemed Alex wasn't having any of it.

He pulled Elmara back on top of him, and placed that stubborn braid of hers behind her ear once more.

The way Alex gazed into Elmara's eyes made her feel like they were the stars themselves. She had never felt someone else's desire for her so strongly before.

"Moya zvezda, The sun could only wish to shine as brightly as your eyes do." Alex said in a deep whisper.

Elmara's breathing slowed. She had never been in this kind of situation before, and her mind raced with thoughts she didn't know how to deal with.

"Do you want me?" Alex asked, with a tone filled with all sorts of emotions Elmara couldn't decipher.

So Elmara did what she always did when she didn't know what to do.

She deflected.

"W-would you look at the time. I've got to go feed Hyacinth." Elmara said, quickly standing up and picking up her things.

Elmara's demeanor made Alex chuckle. He couldn't help but think about how adorable she looked all flustered.

"You've got to feed your flowers?" Alex asked, still very much amused.

" No, no. My kitten... Or at least my foster kitten. I haven't really gotten round to finding her owner." Elmara replied.

"Well if no one has come looking for her yet, she's most probably a stray."

Elmara was glad at that piece of information. She had gotten rather attached to the little troublemaker.

"Come, I'll drive you home. Alex said, offering her a hand.

"I have to get my car."

"I'll be sure to have it parked at the front of your house by tomorrow morning."

Elmara sighed, seeming to agree to the arrangement.

"But who's going to clear all this up?" She asked, turning her head towards the picnic.

"Don't worry yourself over such trivial things moya zvezda." Alex said kissing the top of Elmara's head

And with that they drove off.

When they got to Elmara's house, loud cries could be heard from inside and Elmara hated herself for staying away frim Hyacinth for so long.

"C'mere Hyacinth. I'm sorry love, you must be starving." She said, cradling the kitten.

She turned back and realised that Alex was still here, chuckling at the scene before him.

"Oh, i'm sorry, can I offer you something?" Elmara asked, her innocent eyes wide.

"No, I better be on my way."

"Alright then. I guess I'll see you." Elmara said, almost shyly.

"You will."

∘˚˳°∘˚˳°

Alex tossed his coat on the grey couch in the modern space that was his apartment.

What was wrong with him? Why was he behaving this way?
  He knew he shouldn't drag Elmara into his fucked up life, but he couldn't help it. It was just so easy to love her.

He smiled remembering the way her eyes lit up when they got to the picnic spot. There was so much he wanted to do for her, but he knew he could only dream.

Alex walked into his bathroom, at war with his conscience. It had been so long since he felt its presence that he had forgotten he possessed one in the first place.
  "That's one of the reasons I love being with her. " He thought. With her he didn't need to be the Alex Drozdov everyone was afraid of. With her he could simply exist.
He smiled, using his hand to brush back the long silky hair that was drenched with hot shower water.
"God, she's got me fucked." He sighed, his stoic expression slipping into a smile.

  He knew he was already whipped.

𝐀𝐍

Tbh, i'd also be whipped if I were Alex.

𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞. | 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. | 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞. |