The Witch's Toy ✔

14: an unexpected visit

Thank you to those who've stayed with me this far in The Witch's Toy! ❣️ There's still a lot left in this story to come ~. I hope I'll be able to finish well. (Somehow this part was just so difficult to write.)  ╮(╯▽╰)╭

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I woke first, groggy and still exhausted. My eyes barely stayed open as I adjusted to the light that had filtered into my bedroom through the blinds. For a moment, I actually considered skipping an entire day of school for the first time in my life, but I pushed the thought away. I still had my life ahead of me — university was just three-fourths of a year away and I couldn't risk anything.

Sometime during the night, Raphael had detached himself from me and shifted away, his back now facing me. Slipping out of the covers, I stood, balancing myself on the mattress. I carefully stepped over Raphael's sleeping form, then lowered myself down into a sitting position on the bed before sliding off.

Relieved that I didn't wake him, I padded to my closet, pulling out a clean set of my uniform. Without thinking twice, I started to change, lifting the hem of my pajama top over my head before throwing it down. After sticking my arms through my uniform's shirt, I buttoned it up.

Arms circled around my waist, pulling me back against something warm. My eyes widened in surprise as I tensed up.

"Yu Rui..." The voice was heavy with sleep. "Stay with me today."

After a few more moments in my confused state of shock, I relaxed, slowly realizing who this was. I tilted my head back, eyes connecting with the crimson ones that shone above me. They were bright, but the rest of his complexion was still paler than usual. The dark crescents were still stamped under his eyes, bruising to a light purple and blue. He obviously hadn't gotten better yet — even after lying next to me for those few hours. Sighing, I pulled his arms away from me and turned to face him. "I can't. I have to go to school, remember?"

"I don't want you to go."

"Well, you don't get to choose, Raphael."

The pleading look in his eyes didn't change, but I saw the corner of his mouth quirk up. "Darling, I think I deserve something for speaking up before you decided to take everything else off."

It took me a second to comprehend what he was saying, but the moment I did, my face started to heat up. "I thought you were sleeping!"

"I was, but the moment you left the bed was like a forceful tug from my heart, darling." He tapped his chest, tilting his head to one side. "You should know that we're connected by that gold talisman."

My fingers came up to my pendant, encasing it in my first. I narrowed my eyes. "And you chose not to say anything until now?"

He leaned down a little, face coming closer to mine. I saw his lips curl even more as the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. "Darling, I'm not exactly a saint now, am I?

If he was trying to make me even more flustered, it wasn't working. Instead, I grabbed his hand and dragged him back to my bed before letting it go. I pointed at the mattress, tightening my jaw in mild irritation. "If you don't go back to bed, I'll decide I have after school activities until ten in the evening. Then, you'll have to wait longer for me to come back home."