This was the first time she had spoken to him, relaxed and with initiation. His mind felt at ease. Everything he wanted to vomit out about last night had to stop because there was nothing more he wanted to do than listen to her.
"I should have been careful." Odette did not know why she was blurting out like this, but it was overwhelming. "I thought I could trust him, you know. I didn't know he thought of me differently."
Caius felt his heart drop. "Odette?" He stepped closer to her. "You don't seem alright. What happened?"
She looked up at him. He had eyes filled with worry. Could she find comfort from another man? Was this unwise?
Fuck it. She was tired of being used and being held captive.
"Last night I..." She looked away. "Your cousine and I were supposed to meet and I was waiting for him and he came but..."
Realisation started to hit him hard, and there were two choices. Lie or be honest. Gazing at her eyes almost tearing up, and the way she reached out for help as if he was her safety option felt so great. He was finally closer to her. But at what cost.
"Odette, I know..."
"No, you don't!" She blabbering out. "I thought he was a friend. I thought I could trust him, and I never saw him like that... I never wanted to fall for a man. I have never even been in a relationship, and it's so weird cause the way I felt was very uncomfortable..."
She was going on and on, shifting from one foot to another. This was when his arms instinctively reached and grabbed her shoulders. She was locked unto his gaze. For a moment, her words stopped flooding out and her eyes round as the moon asked for help from him.
"Come. Let's sit first." He ushered her, and they sat together. "Now tell me." He smiled gently. "What happened, Odette? Who hurt you?"
Finally. She smiled in relief. In her eyes, there was Caius, who was actually humane enough to listen to her at her puzzling moments. It was surprising, but she wanted to savor it and risk it. This burden was too heavy for her.
"Yesterday night, I was supposed to meet Nathaniel." She looked Caius in his eyes. "When we met, it was really dark, but I called out his name, and he reached out."
"Mm." She watched him nod and encourage her silently to continue.
"But when I reached out to him, he pulled me close.." She began to look around and play with her fingers quietly. "Umm... he ..."
Caius could not help but lay a hand upon her shoulder gently. "I'm listening."
"He kissed me." She whispered. "I've never seen him like that, and it was my..." Tears welled up, and she felt stupid because why is she crying in front of a man who abducted her about a man who stole her first kiss?
"It was shocking to me. " She wiped her eyes, and she explained. " I know it's probably not a big deal, but it was for me cause that was my first kiss. You know I never have been with anyone. I was not ready. I did not want to..."
At the speed of a gentle breeze, strong arms embraced her. He tucked her into his chest. Hands soothing her back.
"I'm sorry, Odette." Guilt bleeding through his lips. "I'm sorry he did that to you." He wanted her all to himself, and if this was how it was going to happen, it was how he will be.
Whether he was not nice to her before and whether this information would cause conflict, it was all too much to think at the moment for her. When the warmth of another person drew her close, her loneliness, fear, and anxiety washed over, and she cried her heart out.
She was spilling out every emotion that caused her pain ever since she came here. He felt her hands clutch onto his arms and rested his head on her shoulders.
"It's alright, Odette. I'm here." He spoke next to her ear. His whisper forced into a soft affirmation. "I know it's lonely here for you. I know you are scared. I'm sorry I was never there for you."
Hearing this, her eyes teared up more, and they remained in each others embrace for hours. His hands patting her back gently, whispering comfort and her entire body weeping into his chest buried into a novel warmth.
"Shh" his embrace holding her tight. "I'm here now, okay? I'm here."
Caius looked up at the glass chandelier hung above the couch in front of him. She was asleep, head resting upon his shoulder. The silence convicted him heavily. But this was too great of a luxury too precious to loose.
His hands were careful not to touch her as he traced her face. Eyes shut, red from crying and nose red as well. It was adorable and funny at the same time. Her breathing was slow and timely. He could spend his entire day letting her rest upon him in this way.
Finally, he slowly laid her down in bed. Sitting at her side, he watched. When she slept, she was relaxed, and no worry or panic was left in her face. It was almost as if she was resting with full trust on whoever is around her. He knelt beside the bed and ran his fingers through her hair. Smiling to himself... lost in the wonder, which was Odette.
He wanted to deepen the kiss last night.. his mind was going wild, and his hands held her too tight. He reminisced the way her lips latched to his own, nibble as the skin of mooncakes. He did not want to let her go. He wanted to leave a mark, he needed to bathe in the heat that melted his heart when he softly kissed her lips. He had not run his tongue on anything so gently. Nothing had tasted so divine.
This was the alarm ringing loudly at him that it was not only gratitude, which kept him from letting her go but something else as well.
"You don't know what you're doing to me, Odette."