Partners In Crime

Chapter 31

Life is rather unsolicited. 

Though it is the first and arguably most valuable gift our mothers have granted us, does one ask for life before being born? Whom is it they ask? Perhaps they bow down before God or were simply caught in the selfish desires of their parents. 

And yet, despite likely having no previous request to be brought onto this planet, the majority of humans strive to survive. As though they grow to love the unrepeatable sensation of living, regardless of where or how they spend their lifetime. Or, maybe it is the fear of death that compels them to keep living. After all, there is no veracious answer in regards to a person's fate after their passing. 

Questions similar to these have been in my best interest to answer from the moment my cognitive skills have developed, but perhaps, having no answer might just be the best outcome in order to protect my mental well-being. Society often strives to sooner discover, study, and analyze the true meaning of being human when it could all feasibly harm the one thing they're studying. I, for one, would prefer to be ignorant if it meant that I could live my life by my own means, instead of following a path the universe had paved for us. 

And maybe it is the ignorance in me talking but awareness of the fact that I am a mere human who belongs in the food chain, along with all creatures of this world - would diminish my sense of identity. 

No longer would I live for myself but for the sake of life itself. Lacking any interest in doing things, for all of that would not matter if it meant that I was going to die on a day a new human is born. The more thought I put into the nature of humanity- the further it dehumanizes me. 

"I'm beginning to understand what SoSo meant when she told me about your philosophical moments," William remarked, placing his thumb on a page he was reading before traping it with both sides of the book. 

On his thigh, I shifted my head to meet his eyes, simultaneously seeing the bright blue sky with my peripheral vision. Not a single cloud in sight, William's upper body created a large enough shade to cover my face from the overly clingy sunrays. Many missions later and once again we treated ourselves to a day of relaxation. Sooner or later the lovers' honeymoon phase may fade, but today was not the day. He invited me to a picnic date at our favorite spot; the alleyway's wonder. 

He sat on the surface of an old blanket that we found in one of our closets, assigning it a new purpose, with one leg extended and the other resting on the side, bent. Meanwhile, I laid horizontally to him, placing my head on his bent leg, ultimately using it as a pillow. With one arm supporting the weight of his body, he held a book the two of us picked out from a library in the other, reading it out loud as I closed my eyes, listening to his deep vocals. 

Unsure of the exact timing - at some point throughout the book - I opened my eyes, glancing at the running river past my feet. It is then that I began thinking such intrusive thoughts. 

"You seem rather certain that the topic of my drowsing is philosophical, why?" I asked, curious as to how he consistently managed to correctly guess every thought passing by my brain. 

Before answering, he chuckled sweetly while caressing a few strands of my hair, "You have a very distinct face that you make each time you think too deeply about something. It's adorable."

With a flushed face, I immediately turned the other way, avoiding eye contact with him at his embarrassing observation, "Still, that doesn't explain why you think it's philosophical above all else." 

"And it won't. As your sister, SoSo also picked up on some of your tics and what correlations they might have with your thoughts, while the two of you were growing up. She kindly shared those with me. I'm afraid I can't break her trust." He revealed.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll try your hardest to prevent expressing them." 

I bit my lip, feeling slightly insecure due to being oblivious to such a characteristic of mine, "... Are they ugly?" 

Once again, William laughed. However, it was not teasing laughter but an amused one, "There isn't a single face you could make that I would take as ugly." His words warmed my heart, evicting all self-degrading words flying around my noggin. He kissed both of my eyes, before kissing my nose, cheeks, and forehead, stopping at my lips. 

A bit saddened at him ceasing his affection, I eyed his lips, noticing them carve into a sadistic smile, or rather, a smirk. My eyes darted into his narrowed ones- behind them I could see his knowledge of what I was expecting. Unusually, my mind drifted in the direction of lewd imagery. As much as I attempted to avoid reflecting in that area of my brain, I couldn't help but wonder about his acts in bed, considering his subtle teasing with an innocent gesture. Furthermore, if stopping at my lips irked me, the power he would hold over me in bed was haunting, and yet, it piqued my interest. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were getting a sunburn." Interrupting my suggestive daydreaming, William said, "I'll have a fun time figuring out the topic of this pondering." 

By now fully ashamed, I covered my face before rolling away in the grass. The heat of my face was enough to dispense smoke out of my ears, luckily, that was biologically impossible otherwise it, in addition to William's entertained sniggering, would bury my ego six feet below the ground. 

"I would like to go inside now," I mumbled, my palms still covering my face without a drop of the intention of leaving it. 

----

"Welcome back, Lord and young Mistress," 

William and I were greeted by one of our servants. She grabbed my cardigan and the tote bag carrying a variety of different books, as well as, William's hat and a cane before we strolled to the commons room where we were once again greeted by Sofia.

"Look at those lovely pictures!" SoSo approached me, handing me a compact stack of professionally made, high-quality photographs of the wedding. I skimmed through all, pleased with the work done by the men we hired. 

"The wedding was a success, thanks to all of you," Sebastian added, placing his hand around her waist. 

"Personally, I believe it should be us who are to show our gratitude to the two of you," William noted after viewing the pictures beside me. 

"Now that we are happily married," SoSo faced Sebastian who gulped at her emphasis, "I think continuing to view this marriage as a bargain would be quite peculiar." 

"The only contract that came out of this marriage is a lawful one. Perhaps the person we should thank is Nina." I extended my hand in her direction, giving credit where it's due. 

"No need." She chuckled, "I'm simply cheery at the outcome of my proposition." 

"Shall we toast then?" Albert rose his glass of wine, a cigar resting in between his lips.

"It's the middle of daylight," Louis mentioned, glaring at Albert.

"Here in Britain, it is." Alber rebutted, throwing him a cheeky smile. 

A/N: Guess who turned 19... 6 days ago :) I cannot believe that I started writing this book at the age of 17, and here we are. With so many of you sticking around, I have yet to find words to describe this ecstasy. (At a loss of words 2 years ago, at a loss of words now. I guess we never grow lol). I love you all so much, thank you for being here!

- Ssassinn <3