A TASTE OF CANDY POISON

CHAP 34🌸

It's been a long time my lovely readers, here's a new chapter. Will definitely publish the next chapter probably later or tomorrow.

SEB'S POV;

I woke up to the cold biting at my skin, the kind that makes you want to stay buried under the blankets forever. The room was dim, only a sliver of light sneaking in through the curtains. Black and grey everywhere, walls, furniture, even the air felt heavy with it. Expensive things lined the shelves, nothing out of place. I didn’t need to ask. This was Arkie’s room.

The fabric on me felt wrong. I glanced down. Grey pajamas. Not mine. Someone must’ve changed me.

And obviously, that would be Arkie.

I pushed myself up, slow and stiff, my body aching like it had been carrying something heavy all night. My eyes found the full-sized mirror in the corner. I looked… different. My hair was a mess, my eyes dull, my face pale. I barely recognized myself.

“You’re awake,” a voice said from the side.

I didn’t flinch, though it startled me inside. Arkie. He stood at the door, half in the shadows. I turned my eyes to him for just a moment before looking back at the mirror.

“Where’s my phone?” My voice came out rough.

“In the drawer beside the bed,” he answered.

I didn’t move. Just sighed.

He walked toward me, his footsteps soft but certain. Stopping beside me, he stared down. Through the mirror, I took him in—simple shirt with some design that somehow suited him, black sweatpants, hands in his pockets like he always did when he had something to say.

“You should come down and eat with me,” he said.

“I’m not in the mood,” I muttered.

He stayed there for a moment, and I could feel his gaze pressing on me. Then he turned and left, the door clicking shut behind him. A moment later, I heard the lock turn.

My shoulders slumped. The weight of everything pressed down harder than my own body aches.

I let out another sigh, my breath trembling. “I can’t keep doing this…”

A tear slipped down my cheek before I even realized it. I didn’t wipe it away. The cold air made it sting, but I stayed there, staring at my own reflection, wondering how I was supposed to keep moving forward when I didn’t even know what step to take next.

Fuck life.

A few minutes passed, and now I was sitting at the long dining table. The plate in front of me looked perfect, steaming food arranged neatly like it came straight out of some fancy restaurant. But I just stared at it. My fork rested untouched on the side.

Across from me, Arkie was already eating, the quiet sound of cutlery against porcelain filling the silence. I could feel his eyes on me every now and then, sharp and heavy, like he was waiting for me to do something.

“Don’t you like it?” he finally asked.

I shook my head quickly. “No… it’s not that. I just—” I hesitated, staring down at my plate. “I just thought of something, that’s all.”

Arkie raised his brows, setting down his fork and knife with a sharp clink. The sound made me flinch slightly, my shoulders tensing before I forced them to relax. My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard, trying not to let him notice.

Before he could push further, I grabbed my fork and started eating, forcing myself to chew like nothing was wrong. “It’s good,” I said too quickly. “Really good, actually. You always have… good taste in food.”