Eden (Part I)

"Okay?" asked Theo, raising a brow.

"I agree with your conditions. Take me with you." she breathed and felt her hand tremors arriving back.

Eva dragged her eyes away from him and saw Gwen give her a big smile and a thumbs up. Eva let her lips curve up slightly as she looked up at him again and saw him watching her intently.

Theo studied her for a few heartbeats. And finally, he gave her a half smile. "We leave in half an hour. If you want to freshen up, go ahead."

An unusually polite reminder that she probably looked like a mess. She felt like it. But Eva said, "Where are we going?"

Theo's smile widened into a grin. "To Eden— A dreamer's haven."

—

A dreamer's haven? What does that even mean? Eva closed the room's door behind her and leaned her back against it, buried deep in her thoughts.

He looked... happy. When he had mentioned Eden, he looked excited to go there, wherever it was located. It was not a smirk but a genuine smile that she had never seen on his face.

How could she refuse to go there when he seemed so expectant to make her see what the place looked like?

With only half an hour left, Eva straightened her back and walked towards the bathroom to clean up and look... more presentable.

As she raised her face to look up in the mirror, her eyes widened and her jaw fell slack.

She looked as if she just woke up from a dream.

Her hair was ruffled up, strands of silver flying everywhere as if somebody had just raked a hand through it several times (which he did). Her lips were red, swollen from all the kissing she had just done as she touched a finger to them and felt their softness. Not only that, but her whole body was flushed and her arms were filled with goosebumps, whether from the cold or his touch, Eva didn't know.

After taking a short bath, she got her naked body out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her it which managed to cover her breasts and her thighs completely. As she stepped out of the bathroom, Eva's eyes wandered towards the closet as her brows furrowed at the thought of choosing a dress.

She sighed. She had to decide in the end so why delay the business? Gwen and Theodore must be waiting for her outside still. Eva heaved her tired bones across the room and opened the closet doors.

The wide array of dresses met her sight and her eyes widened simultaneously. This didn't look like a normal wardrobe, it seemed as if it was a Queen's closet!

Dresses of multiple colors and designs greeted her eyes, and her large doe eyes drifted across each one of them until they stopped at one and she realized she couldn't move her gaze away from it.

The dress was a long one, the whole length covered with some material that glittered like the actual stars in the sky. The neckline didn't look too low though she was sure some part of her skin would show. It didn't bother her and some hidden part of her wanted to stand in front of people with her head held high. Not with a slouching posture as if she was a submissive lamb and nothing else.

A part of her was shocked at the sudden confidence but nonetheless, Eva picked up the dress and laid it on the bed for her to change into. Loosening her towel, she stepped inside the gown and slid it up her body. The straps came to settle on her shoulders and she turned around to go to the vanity table to make her hair look tamer.

—

Theo tapped his fingers impatiently on the table and narrowed his eyes at Gwen who looked as if she was going to burst out laughing at any moment.

Gwen had chosen to wear a dark blood-red gown that reached till her feet and then trailed behind her, showcasing the shape of her hips and her waist. Her blond hair was set perfectly over her shoulders with her lips painted a bright red, making her look like a warrior Queen rather than a normal woman.

Theo's eyes continuously wandered over to the staircase trying to spot any sign of the girl he was waiting for. His whole body was thrumming with restlessness and need. The desire to touch her again and taste every inch of her body until she remembered nothing but his name on her lips.

He groaned internally and now started tapping his feet against the wooden floors making Gwen's brows rise in silent sarcasm.

"I think you should go and check-"