The Luna Witch

Chapter 29

I sit in the grand library. It's something like in beauty and the beast. There's books all up the walls, there's ladders reaching up. There's porch doors that open out onto the grand garden at the back and I'm in my element. In the middle of the room is a reading area with arm chairs, sofa's and poofs. I sit on the sofa with my legs up and a blanket over my legs. I've not had the time to spend in here...until now. Maya went out with her mom, Ben is with his dad and I'm just enjoying some alone time with a classic; pride and prejudice. The lights are dimmed in the library and the free standing lamp that's beside the sofa is lit, making the pages readable.

I hear movement outside of the doors but not enough to make my head turn. I realise that I've felt more at peace in this room tonight than I have the whole time that I've been here.

"You're still in here?" Ben's voice interrupts me as I reach the bottom of my page. I peer my head over the back of the sofa. The grand doors are open and his broad figure walks through, closing them behind him.

"What time is it?" I ask, being misled by the early sunset of the winter.

Ben walks towards me with some sort of cool and calm aura. "It's 1AM"

I raise my eyebrows "Really?"

He nods with a smirk. "You've really got lost in that book, haven't you?"

I blush. "It's my favourite."

He picks my legs up, placing himself beneath them and adjusting the soft cream blanket over my legs again.

"What's your favourite part?"

I roll my eyes "Obviously the ending, I love happy endings"

"You love romance novels too?" He asks, although it's more of a guess – a correct one.

I nod, unable to stop the smile that spreads across my face.

"There's some sort of weird satisfaction I get from reading romance novels, especially when they end the way that I want them to."

His thumb is rubbing my shin over the blanket and his eyes don't leave mine "Even at the start? When Mr Darcy is a complete arse?" He says with a British accent, making me giggle.

"Mr Darcy could never be a complete arse" I respond the same way.

He cocks a brow "Come on, even I thought that guy was a complete douche at one point."

I gasp "Blasphemy"

He chuckles "I like seeing you here, like this." I tilt my head to the side, serving him a questioning look, urging him to carry on. "Relaxed, Happy"

"I'm happy when my nose isn't in a book too" I say. Is that what he thinks? That I'm not happy otherwise? Times have been tough lately and that shows with Maya and Jace, but it doesn't mean that I'm not happy.

Ben turns his body slightly, adjusting himself underneath me. "I know, I just feel like this is how I imagined walking in and seeing you, not in training, preparing for battle"

I give a huffed laugh "I don't think any of us imagined life going this way" I say "But I'm sure we'll look back and say it made us stronger"

"I love your optimism Miss Sanchet."

"I love Romance novels, of course I'm an optimist"

He chuckles in response. "Do you want to go to bed? I can-"

He cuts me off with the shake of his head "No. Carry on reading. I could do with this time alone to just-"

"Chill?" I ask, finishing his sentence.