This is Book 1 of the Arcelia Series.* Book 2 is in the works!
*Can be read as a stand-alone
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Malik Jackson needed help. After being exiled from the ocean, he washed up on the beach covered in injuries and missi...
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~ ~ Malik ~ ~
I spent the entire day with Xander, talking about his bipolar disorder, how it affects him, and what it means for him. I learned a lot, and it was exactly what we needed to prevent any further situations.
We didn't even touch each other the whole day, instead we waited patiently for him to switch moods again. He told me about many different changes he often went through.
Some days he had random bursts of energy that he usually channeled into his art; that's called mania. Sometimes he felt more affectionate and during those moods, he'd feel more lonely. He said he can also feel really depressed sometimes and won't even want to leave his bed. Sometimes he can be really angry, and the smallest things can set him off. Although, he tried not to be a violent person and assured me that he usually did his best to keep an even mindset instead of reacting on anger alone.
Learning all of this gave me a new respect for him. He had dealt with it his entire life, and he said that even his parents didn't help a whole lot. He didn't get properly diagnosed until he was an adult and could make his own appointments. His parents didn't believe him when he told them something was wrong, so he had to go without medication for a long time, and as a result, he could heavily mask whenever he needed to. That included our first week and a half knowing each other.
Needless to say, I felt special and grateful that he communicated this stuff to me, despite our rocky approach to the subject. It grew our trust in one another and paved the way for us to discuss important things more openly in the future.
When I woke up the following morning, Xander told me he was thankfully out of his previous mood, and proceeded to give me a breathtaking kiss on the lips.
Later on, we met up with Damien in the lounge, having just eaten lunch, and began discussing a game plan for what to do about V, as she called herself.
"Just let me go see her again, I can convince her to let me help, and then I'll report back to you."
"That's too risky, Damien! She's already proved she's been in my mansion, she could already know what we're planning."
"I can still convince her!"
"We'll come up with something else!"
"Guys!" I snapped, the annoyance finally powering over the amusement. "Listen, Xander. We should let him try-" Damien cut me off with a cry of celebration. "BUT!" I silenced him. "Only if we can't come up with something better. I don't want to be taking any risks that can be avoided."
Both men looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at me with a nod of agreement. "Good," I sighed in relief. "That's settled, so now what?"
"Hmm.." Xander thought for a moment. "I think we should find out where her base of operations is. If we can find out where she's holed up, we can either catch her, or we can watch her."
