Love Bites [on hold]

☆|eighteen

A sense of absence fell over Natalie and she found her upper body swinging backwards, dropping to the floor with a thud. She groaned and reached out to rub the back of her head.

"What the hell?" A familiar voice cried and she looked up from her sleeping position on the floor to meet Charles's eyes, whose face was inverted.

She heaved a sigh. "Hi!"

"Have you been sitting down there the whole time?" He asked. His eyes had widened a fraction and his face had patterns from the pillowcase imprinted onto his skin.

"Might as well have fallen asleep right here, in the literal sense."

"Get up, you idiot!" He ordered, yet it did not sound like an order at all. If anything, his voice was strained. He stretched out a hand for her to grab as she stood back up, but she refused to take it.

She wasn't handicapped. His help wasn't that much needed. She didn't want him to think that she needed him all the time.

She dusted off her clothes and ran a hand through her hair, going all the way back to the remnants of the messy bun she had tied more than two days ago.

"Why were you sitting by the door of my room all night?" He asked. She didn't realise how close they were until she was actually able to count the flickers of gold in his eyes. She could also smell him. He smelt of fresh mornings and spicy leaves.

She shook the thought to the back of her mind and focused on their conversation. "Because you left me," She replied simply.

She had intended for it to show how she was upset he had left her alone last night, but the way his face went a shade or two lighter and he diverted his gaze at her words, he must have taken it to a whole new level.

"Come in," He offered and stepped aside to let her in. She held her breath and stepped into his bedroom for the first time in all her life.

Back when she was still a teenager and used to think so much of Charles, she had thought about his bedroom more than just a couple of times. She never actually had a vivid image of it in her mind, but what she saw next thing was something she had not expected.

The first thing she noticed was that the room overlooked another balcony, which had its curtains all pushed to the far sides, revealing an unclear visionary of the town. It was only then did she realise it was still dark outside.

Plaid blue wallpaper covered all the walls. A classic double bed lay in the middle, with a bedside table on each side. One of the stand lamps was lit, casting a warm orange hue over the room. A dresser stood across from it, below a rectangular framed mirror. Some scattered paper and headsets lay atop the dresser, next to another mysterious, but really pretty potted plant. A tiny rug covered a portion of the hardwood floor. A small coffee table was at the back corner, again covered in stacks of books and paper in a neat pile. It looked warm and cosy, so unlike Charles.

She turned to meet his gaze, only to realise he had been watching her the whole time. It didn't stop her from asking what she had been meaning to ask. "Jenna organised it, didn't she?"

He nodded silently and she bit on her lower lip. He loved Jenna, and she broke them apart. How could she manage to stand still in a place of her creation? The essence of her touch was clear as crystal on every single item. The room screamed for her to notice the terrible mistake she had done.

She should have never agreed to marry Charles Fields. No matter how much she had loved her parents, she might have in fact loved him a tad bit more, and now she had ruined the life of the one who meant so much to her.

"Let me fix that for you," He said all so suddenly and she jumped in her place. She hadn't expected him to want to talk to her after that, but the fact that he did, didn't make her feel any better. His voice was distant, and it would have been a thousand times better if he had just shut her out or avoided her.