Beauty and The Beast

~Sweetness 8~

~Chapter 8: Sweetness~

After I went fishing with Kavan yesterday, the sadness hit me hard. It was odd to be without Jem. I couldn’t pick on him; he couldn’t stop me from doing something stupid. I missed him a lot. He was my best friend. I groaned and rolled out of the gigantic bed. I got ready for the day and I was about to walk out when an urgent knocking vibrated my door.

I rushed to it with a quizzical frown. I swung the door open and I was greeted by a worried Kavan. His cat ears were perked up as if searching for a sound, his red eyes were wide and he bit his lip nervously.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him apprehensively.

“Jem is gone.” He blurted out as he fidgeted at my door. The reminder dropped my heart but I forced myself to give Kavan a sweet smile. He didn’t look convinced

“Yes, he left last night.” I told him trying to sound casual.

“Why? The rose isn’t dead.” He raised a brow, slight panic in his voice. He probably thought I was leaving soon as well. The reminder of the rose sent my brain into a deep thought process. How could it not be dead yet? It was almost two weeks.

“I felt it would be better for him to go back, since I’ve decided to stay permanently.” I told him with a half genuine, half pained smile.

He stood there frozen. His jaw dropped and an unreadable expression traced his face as he looked down at me.”Really?” He asked in shock.  

“Yep.” I nodded confidently and he came to life. His smile was the biggest I’ve ever seen and his glowing crimson eyes looked almost human as they expressed adoration, astonishment and relief. His tail danced behind him, causing me to giggle.

“Thank you! I promise you won’t regret it!”  He assured me, his eyes sparkling with joy. He was absolutely adorable. How anybody could’ve ever harmed him was beyond me.

“Good.” My lips lifted up at the corners. He fidgeted in front of me; he pursed his lips and tied his hands behind his back. I looked at him in confusion, before it dawned on me. He wanted to hug me as a thanks.

So I did just that. I reached for him and enveloped his muscular body in my arms. He stiffened in shock, before he eagerly entwined his own arms tightly around my waist. It felt so natural; I felt safe, despite the fact that he was a beast.

“Thank you.” He whispered into my ear and I shivered.

“Your welcome.” I told him as I watched the side of his face. He seemed to be struggling with something; his lips were pursed and his eyebrows furrowed. Then he seemed to make a decision and he swooped down and kissed my cheek.  I stiffened in shock, but then relaxed at the gentle gesture. After, he pulled away abruptly, looking at me with worried eyes as if I would hate him for doing that. I bit my lip, disappointed that we were separated.

To assure him that he did nothing wrong, I returned his kiss. I went up on my tip toes and stamped a kiss on his cheek. He also became rigid, before he leaned into my touch. I pulled away and saw a tender look in his eyes as he gazed at me in wonder.

My cheeks warmed at his intense stare before I detangled myself from him. I instantly felt cold and I saw him frown in displeasure.

“I’m going to eat!” I notified him and practically sprinted down stairs. My cheek was burning and tingling from where he kissed. My lips also felt hot. Oh crap, that didn’t feel like any friendly kiss.

***

Later that night, I holed myself in my room. I wanted to contact Jem, but I couldn’t. I rolled around my bed in boredom. Unfortunately, there were no TVs to help me pull my attention from the missing Jem.

As I was wallowing in my sadness, a gentle, tentative knock came to my door. I slipped out of my bed and opened the door to see Kavan again.

He had his hands stuffed I his pockets and was looking down at his feet. I frowned at his timid behavior. I moved my hand toward his face and with my finger I lifted his chin, forcing him to look me in the eyes. A guilty expression coated his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him anxiously. Did he break something in a fit of rage again?

“You miss Jem.” He whispered sadly as he dragged his foot on the red carpet. My eyes softened and a pang of guilt hit me. I was supposed to be here to make him happy, not miserable.

“I do.” I said and his face distorted to pain, “But I’m happy to be here, and I don’t regret telling him to leave. It was the right thing.” I explained to him genuinely.

His eyes brightened slightly at my words, but a tinge of sadness remained.

“It’s natural for me to miss him when he just left. Don’t worry it won’t be forever.” I caressed his cheek and he looked at me hopefully.

“Really?” He placed his large, warm hand over mine.

“Really.” I assured him and his mouth curved up. I returned his smiled eagerly; it was contagious.

“Wait here.” He ordered me as he excitedly ran down the hallway and I heard his loud footsteps as he raced down stairs. There was a loud thump that echoed, where I’m sure was caused by him just hopping off the last few steps. I laughed to myself at his childish behavior.

I went to sit on my bed as I waited, leaving the door open for when he returned. Yes, I missed Jem a crap load; but seeing Kavan so happy made everything worth it.

I heard his eager footsteps as he came into my room. I looked up to see him with a wide smile and a mug in his hand. He tentatively sat next to me and handed me the mug.

I held the warm cup in my hands and the sweet aroma hit me, causing me to grin. Hot cocoa.

“It’s to cheer you up. Ms. Potts always made it for me when I was upset.” He explained brightly. I wanted to hug him for his thoughtfulness, but the mug prevented me from doing so. Instead, I pecked him on the cheek again.

He blinked, shocked and placed his hand over the area where I kissed him. He flushed slightly and smiled nervously.

“It’s thanks.” I explained to him and he nodded, still slightly embarrassed.

“Where’s yours?” I asked, noticing that he was empty handed.

“I don’t need one. I’m happy with just you.” He replied warming my heart.

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Aw. I thought this chapter was adorable. Did you?

Sorry for the wait :(

I have not given up on this story; I’ve just had so much to do.

I will say that Wednesday I’m leaving to Central America, so I might not have internet and I won’t be able to upload until I come back on August 2nd. I’ll try my best to update if there’s internet, if not I’ll write over there and then upload as soon as I come back.

Anyhoo, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chap.

Please comment~vote~fan

~Rezebra