Moonflower

Chapter 4: New Feelings

Important notice:

This chapter includes sexually explicit wording. Please be mindful when reading.

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"If I was your husband, I would make sure you were safe and knew how much you were loved and wanted," he reached out for my hands and gently took them. "You would mean everything to me, and I would devote the rest of my life to you."

I sucked in a shallow breath that I was holding for the past 30 seconds and swallowed the lump in my throat. I had been getting a lot of those ever since I first saw him. There was something different about this man, and yet, I couldn't quite figure out the reason why I was so drawn to him. Maybe it was the fact that he was around my age, 25 years old. Or maybe it was the fact that he was such a good sweet talker that I couldn't tell if he was trying to manipulate me or genuinely cared. Maybe he reminded me of the man I would wish for every single night since I was 13. Whatever reason it was, I felt this strange sensation in my stomach begin to flutter around causing slight nausea. I found myself hoping that he would turn out to be a good man. I WANTED him to be a good man. I gently squeezed his hands and averted my gaze downward to the ground.

"Why do you hide from me?" he asked.

He tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear and moved his fingers to my cheek. My skin burned at the feeling of his hands. I quickly pulled back, not wanting him to see the effect he had on my body. He withdrew his hands from my face, dropping his hands into his lap and leaning away from me apologizing.

"I don't mean to frighten you, my Queen."

I shook my head and gently sighed.

"You did not frighten me, or make me uncomfortable. I am fine," I lied to him straight through my teeth. I looked into his eyes and was met with an unreadable expression. He must know that I am lying. I wonder how bad of a liar I really was.

"I hope that you choose me to be your husband," he kissed each of my fingers, sending a shiver down my spine. I didn't want him to let go of my hands, and I certainly didn't want his lips to leave my skin.

I looked deep into his eyes and decided to make a decision.

"I hope you don't mind what I'm about to do..."

Hours earlier

"Oh come ON Mani, it seriously can't be THAT bad."

I heard the eye roll dripping from her lips as her words entered my ears. I know that I would commonly be over dramatic about many, many things, I wasn't being dramatic about this. This was a crisis.

"Camila...I can't get my dress up past my upper thighs. I can feel the blood circulation being cut off," I told her.

I shifted uncomfortably as I glanced over to the mirror beside my bed. I felt ashamed at how much weight I had gained in the span of 12 hours. My stomach rolls were more prominent, and my thighs had ballooned up to twice their original size. I felt incredibly sluggish and wanted to do absolutely nothing today besides laying in bed.

"You do understand that it's completely normal to gain weight while you're menstruating. It happens to me as well, as it does to countless other women. I'm sure you have other dresses in there that will fit," her voice came out much softer than before. I could tell that she was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't working all too well. Today was one of the worst possible days for me to get my period. I was supposed to have lunch with a whole bunch of powerful men and listen to them tell me how fuckable I was. I had to somehow look my very very best if I even had a chance at getting a husband so I could finally become Queen to my Kingdom. I will forever curse my parents for writing our laws the way that they did. I shouldn't have to wait until I am married to be Queen and help protect my citizens. I let go of my dress and looked down at it. I angrily grabbed it and split it open. There was no need for me to have a dress that wouldn't fit me. I picked it up and threw it into a dark corner of my room, hoping Camila wouldn't see it whenever she came into my room next.