Chapter 9C: The Party

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I don't really think before I act. I always go with my heart. And tonight's no different. I am somewhere I shouldn't be, with a man I shouldn't want. I know I shouldn't stay any longer, but I can't get myself to pull away.

I blame the glittering stars above us, watching us in the pitch-dark curtains of this blessed night. I blame the crickets' lullaby that drowns out the cheerful festive music in the Great Hall above us. I blame everything and everyone else but myself and Gaara.

I know I should know better. I should focus on the task at hand. I should leave and never turn back.

But in the depths of the gardens, in this glasshouse, I can have a moment of solace with the man I love. Even if it means, having to close a chapter of my life to give him closure, I want this fleeting moment. Just so I can allow myself to truly love him one last time before I have to pretend I don't when reality beckons from above us.

With the oil lamp in my hand, I lead Gaara further into the glasshouse. The flickering yellow flame from the wick provides a pleasant warmth and ample light that helps us traverse the stony pathway of the glasshouse.

Gaara looks around, seeming to take note of the long shelves, extending on both sides of the glasshouse. He looks to his left and notices the large rectangular clay pots filled with yellow waterlily dahlias; to his right, he observes the small pots of lavender blooms whose delicate, sweet, earthy scent overwhelms the space around us.

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