Two days passed, and Odettes' fear of Caius going overboard and hurting Natnaniel or worse - killing anyone - faded away. She was grateful that he listened.
The mornings are now rainy, and she was seated on the couch close to the library window with tiny droplets of the cold breeze occasionally dropping onto her skin or pages. The sound of the rain and its freezing cold was nice.
She was reading a poem from her collection.
A sudden knock, and she saw Caius standing at the entrance. He was smiling as usual, very lightly and gently.
"You look..." Her eyes wandered off to his attire. "Were you out for some work?"
His marron shirt tucked into a cream colored pant. The mandatory coat was draped over his shoulder now that he is done with the work.
Caius widened his smile and nodded. "Are you going to stay here for some time, Odette?" He walked in and sat next to her.
She watched as he completely slid off the jacket, unbuttoned his sleeves, and took off one button from his shirt. She rolled her eyes. Now, he was occupying the couch with his legs on opposite sides as well.
"I will be doing something else in the evening, actually." She looked into the pages. Caius turned and watched her. When she felt his gaze, she replied once again. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged. "My evening is free today." He closed his eyes to doze off. "I might join you."
" You mean- can I join you?" Odette chuckled and looked at him.
He shook his head, giving her a playful smile. Eyes fixed on hers, he drew closer and teased - " I meant I will be joining you, Odette."
The rain continued as evening drew close. She cleared the table in the kitchen and placed the dry ingredients she had prepared to make the dessert, which she wanted to do as an act of thanking Caius for listening to her and being understanding.
Her mother used to make desserts during the new year and Christmas. Today, she wanted to make the coconut candy that usually came in light pink and green colours.
As she prepared the ingredients, Caius walked in. He wore a thin shirt loosely hanging from the shoulders and loose pants as well. Odette has seen Gideon wear pyjamas like that during her stay in the Constantine family.
"You know I see you and Gideon wearing these very fancy shirts and nice-looking pants even for bed."She chuckled while giving him a judgmental look. "Won't you find it uncomfortable?"
"I wear what is there in the closet." Caius walked towards her mixing desiccated coconut with condensed milk and some butter. He knows what she wears. Sometimes, the T-shirts she wore have holes. Some of her pants are ripped at the hem, but he never sees her throw them.
"What are you making?" Leaning over the counter on one hand, he asked.
"Some sweets." Her face was round...he noticed the depth of how round it was. Hair pulled up using a claw clip her eyes were fixated on the cooking.
Caius loved this change. Every night, he drowns in guilt, and keeping Nathaniel away even by force meant nothing if this was his everyday life. He gazed into her occupied face, unblinking when a strand of hair rushed down from the clip.
"Odette." He leaned forward." You're going to get hair in the dessert."
"Ah. Wait." She turned but paused.
Neither he nor she understood how close they were to each other. Caius was not expecting her to suddenly look his way, and Odette did not see it coming when he leaned over.
For a moment, he could feel how large her beautiful eyes were. How intricately they were framed by the small lashes. His heart yearned to explore and tattoe every detail of her face. Not only that, but her hands were covered in coconut powder, her shoulders which are plump and soft. Her entire body... he admired it. Needless to say about the way her heart made him feel.
Their noses brushed against each other.
Odette cleared her throat and leaned away. "Can you go get the eggs and come?" She looked away tucking the strand of hair behind her ear.
Caius, still stuck in the trance, blinked and stood up. "Mhm."
When he finally left the kitchen, she clutched her chest. Why was her heart beating so fast ? Her head exploded with how fresh his shampoo smelled and how his adams apple went up and down. His eyes demanded her to stay where she was. All she wanted to do was run out of the room.
"Let me help you." Pulling her out of her pounding thoughts, he set the box next to her and began to mix the batter.
Odette breathed in and left those thoughts behind. "The colours are not added yet. So we have to first add the eggs and then the sugar and then separate them and add the colors."
All through this, he silently nodded. Watching the master of Constantine hold a glass bowl clueless and nodding away made her giddy. She smiled and watched him cracking the eggs and mixing the batter.
"Gideon is your... brother, right ?" He looked at her, mixing the natural colours.
"Mhm."
Her eyes focused on the food. "Isn't he too young, though?"
Caius continued with the task he was assigned to. "My family.. is a bit messed up." Finally, he looked at her, and their eyes met.
"I'm sorry." Odette gave him a reassuring nod and went back to work.
The silence grew along with the pitter-patter of the rain. He could not bear it and sighed.
"My father... was never a father to me. Or Gideon." His eyes hung low. Empty.
"I never felt the love of a father or a mother cause she passed away because of him."
Hearing all these , Odette could only hum in reassurance and encourage him to feel that this is a safe place. She could see how all joy leaves him when he mentions his past.
"That's alright, Caius. You don't have to explain yourself." She smiled, and a strange idea crossed her mind.
While he was wallowing in silence, she ran her hand through wheat flour, kept near the counter, and slowly drew close.
Caius did not want to burden her, and as he turned around to apologise, a hand landed on his cheek , dragging down, followed by a laugh and some white speckled on his shirt.
Eyes wide open, he stared as Odette laughed at his face painted in flour. It took him by surprise.
"I gotcha." Odette laughed heartily. "You are now the master of wheat flour, not an underground gang."
Her eyes squeezed into almonds when she laughed, and he had not seen her this happy. A gummy smile from his end, the young man began to walk towards her slowly.
"You think you can do that and get away?" He gave her an evil smirk. There was a cup of water nearby, and she watched him put his hands in, bringing out a handful.
"Nooo.... Caius!" She backed away playfully, smiling. "I'm not gonna make you any more desserts if you do this."
"Yes, you will..." he chuckled and darted around her as she took off running around the kitchen. His arms threw off the water, splashing right in the side of her face. She giggled and threatened more flour at him.
The huge mansion behind dimmed gates is always used to silence. During the season of storms and rain, it was only the sound of thunder that complimented the people who lived behind those walls. But it was not the same today.
In the corner of the large building , under the roof of a wooden styled kitchen, they ran around and played with flour and water like children.
A few hours later, they were done with the coconut slices. She had to bake it for fifteen minutes.
"Now we just have to wait." She patted her shirt and hair, removing excess flour particles that became paste because of the additional element of water.
She saw Caius leaning over the counter. Climbing onto it, she sat next to him.
"Just so you know, Odette," Caius looked to her side. "I don't regret telling you what I told you before... about my father."
Hearing this, she knew something in him was set free today. She could not get used to the gummy smile he had. All she could do was smile and watch how he looked like a flour pop.
"Come here, your hair has flour on it." He blinked and moved closer. "Come on," She urged and led him to stand in front of her.
He was standing in awe as she began to slowly pick at his hair. She was seated on the counter, and he was standing right in front of her with no space in between. Amidst the heavy tain, his heart began to pound.
"Can you maybe bend you knees? You're a little tall for this." Odette had no clue on how deep his gaze drowned for her. Without wasting a second, he leaned over... hands placed on both sides next to her thighs.
"How about now?" His eyes travelled back and forth from her lips to her eyes. From tracing her nose to her lips again.
"Yeah, this is better." She smiled.
"Yeah?" lost and empty minded the only focus was how close they were.
He had to stop staring into her eyes when she finished and found herself trapped in between his frame.
Her entire body froze.
Caius raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Why did you stop?"
Her lips shut, face low; Odette found it really difficult to meet his intense gaze.
"It's done now." She said, looking around. "You can go take a wash now." Briefly meeting his eyes but swiftly changing directions.
Caius tilted his head. "Look at me."
She did not listen, but he had other ways to make her look. Odette was trying her very best not to let her face burn up when his hand cupped her face and turned it towards him. Eyes wide open and in shock she breathed slowly.
A few seconds passed when it was only them and the rain. Only her eyes, watching him stare at her lips and then slowly return to lock gazes.
"My cousine..." Caius leaned a bit froward. "You said he stole your first kiss." Eyes fixated on her eyes.
Odette nodded. "What about it?"
"You have never kissed anyone?" He asked and received a slow shake of her head.
Her body warmed up, being trapped in between arms with faces inches away did not help her. She wanted this heavy pounding to stop. Her cheeks began to redden, and as if on cue, his thumb began to caress her face.
"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" She asked this time.
It gained a smile from him. Even the eyes that locked unto hers began to shine.
Caius acted like he was thinking. "I was supposed to be married once."
"What?" Odettes mouth hung open. "What happened ?"
Now, his eyes were moving. "She left me." He shrugged. It was insanely adorable when her plump lips would open in supirse.
"I'm sorry." She said.
The tension grew bigger, and there were no more words to say. They listened to the loud voices of their eyes, exploring every inch of their emotions and breathing on each other. Caius could not hold back. Once he learned of her taste, it was always drawing him close.
He pushed closer. A little more. Odette watched and leaned back. Her heart thumped out.
After some time, he looked at her again and whispered , "I can hear your heart beat."
That smile. She could not imagine. The way his eyes carried a weight of being drunk in this moment.
"Caius."
How he loved her saying his name.
"Mhm?"
"You are really close now."
"Yeah."
Odette blinked and leaned back. "I think you should let me go."
Gently, he drew one last step closer, and their noses touched. Slowly grazing the bridge of her nose, he carefully savoured every moment. This time, when she looked at his eyes, they were dead serious, and he meant every word when he said,
"I don't think I want to..."