The Aristocrat's Daughter

c1.13: connected

I sprawled myself on the sofa in the living area in Kai’s room.

My legs dangled on one side, and my head rested on the other. My fingers fumbled with the pendant while I read a book from his library. I knew I was too comfortable for my own good, but he assured me I could lock it from the inside, and only he had a key to open from the outside.

The doorknob twisted. The hair on my body stood up, and I braced myself in case anyone other than Kai was behind that door.

“This night was stressful with all the questions I’ve been asked,” he complained once he entered the room

Kai locked the door behind him, soothing my apprehension. He dropped his blazer on the hanger and tossed his loose necktie to the floor as he walked towards me. The book I was reading fell on my chest to give him my full attention. I was in shorts and a thin crop top. I got up and helped him unbutton his dress shirt with a lip caught between my teeth.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of finding this angel in my room?” he inquired, doing the last button of his shirt.

I giggled. “You said we could spend time together,” I reminded him.

I slid the shirt off his broad shoulders, leaving him in his white singlet only. It dawned on me that I had never seen Kai’s chest fully naked before. I was starting to see a hint of a complex tattoo that began from his left shoulder.

When he noticed my eyes lingering, he turned around and completed the task alone. I felt as if I was trespassing, but it was just a tattoo. I wondered what it meant. Was it intentional that he never showed his chest, so I didn’t see that tattoo? Well, it was bound to happen.

I shuffled away from him. I stopped at his laptop, where he usually played music throughout the room. Kai was obviously into music, and he sounded stressed, so I thought I’d share my favourite calm pieces with him too.

“I want you to listen to this song I recently discovered. It’s very… peaceful,” I stated, focusing on the screen.

The song started with guitar and the sound of raindrops, which was what I liked about it the most.

‘She’ll come to me in a dream
And I don’t even know her name.’

I felt Kai’s presence behind me, alarming my being. His tall figure cast a shadow on the desk. I felt his arms encircle my figure, making the romantic song feel truer in my ears.

“It sounds soothing,” he rasped in my ear, and I knew he did it on purpose.

I turned around and hugged his neck, and my eyes caught his eyes in a heavy stare. My hands travelled to the hem of his singlet, hiking it up over his toned stomach.

I gulped, playing with a wisp of hair that escaped my braid. “What’s the drawing?” I whispered.

“Roots,” he answered with a small smile. “We always praise the flowers and forget what strengthened them in the first place. It’s also to remind me where I come from always —the ground. To stay humble.”

My words faded in my throat at the depth of the words. He was thoughtful and beautiful inside out. The singlet went off absentmindedly, and my fingers traced the continuation of the inked skin. I leant in to kiss it. Kai’s skin reacted to my touch fervently with goosebumps.