Hurts so good

You have a place in my heart,

No one else ever could have.

—F. Scott Fitzgerald

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Eva stared at his disheveled appearance, his hair which was usually parted now messed up as if he had run his hands through it multiple times. His beauty didn't diminish but was only increased with this new look that suited his dangerous personality more.

"I'm so sorry... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have shouted at you... It's all my fault... "he kept on murmuring, his head buried in her hair and Eva rubbed his back soothingly, comforting him as best as she could.

"Don't apologize. It isn't your fault. I should've let you explain before running away to the room. None of us knew that he would try to take me away." she explained and felt him tremble under her arms.

Her heart ached as she led him towards the bed and made him sit down next to her, his head still buried in the crook of her neck.

"I'm sorry." came his muffled voice and if Eva hadn't melted before, she did now. "I should be comforting you and yet-"

"In which book is it written that the man has to comfort always?" she asked with a small smile on her face, forgetting every detail of the incident that just took place a few hours ago.

Theo moved his head back to look at her. They didn't say a word and stared as if mesmerized by each other's existence.

Until Theo's eyes caught sight of the red line that had dried from her temple to her cheek. It was mostly hidden by her hair but his eyes were the sharpest amongst his Kingdom. The bastard had hit her and he clenched his fist, feeling his anger returning in full force.

She took his clenched hand in hers and smoothened the fingers, caressing it as softly as she could. "I'm fine now, you saved me. Don't get angry, please," she spoke and Theo sighed, giving up and nodding.

"Let me treat your wounds."

Eva nodded her head and tried to remove her hair away from her face so that he could get a better look. Theo stopped her from touching the cut by placing her hand on hers, noticing her heart beat faster than normal.

He knew he had the same effect on her as she did on him. A smile took place on his face as he gently tucked her hair strands behind her ear.

"Tell me if it hurts too much."

"Okay," she spoke and leaned forward, to give him better access to her temple. Theo took a wet cloth and started cleaning the area, his movements soft and tentative as if he was afraid that he would unintentionally hurt her.

While he was busy dealing with her injury, Eva took her time to cherish this moment. This was the first time that someone other than her mother was taking care of her and treating her with so much consideration. Where did people see a devil in him? True, his anger was something dangerous but other than that, he seemed trustable and caring to Eva.

"What do you want me to do to him?' he asked suddenly and Eva narrowed her eyes, confused at what he was talking about.

Seeing her bewildered state, he repeated more clearly, "That man. What do you want me to do?"

"Keep him imprisoned for the time required. If you see improvement in him after a few years, then release him and ask him to live a better life," she spoke, her answer simple as if she had thought about it for a long time.

"His punishment should be death."

"Learn to forgive."

"I don't know how to," he replied, closing the healing kit and placing it on a nearby table.

"If I broke something that is precious to you, would you punish me?" asked Eva and he didn't waste a second in answering back.

"Why would I punish you? You are preci-"

He stopped. It was clear that she was precious to him. Did he like her? Hell yes, he did! Did he want to spend the rest of his life with her? Possibly. Did he... wait what was the word again... uh, did he love her?

Theo didn't know what the hell that word meant but if it meant staying close to her all the time, then yes he did.

"You are precious to me," he spoke, completing the sentence and watching shock take over his Birdie's face.

"But why?" she asked standing up to face him. They didn't even know each other properly, how could he think she was special?

As if he had read her thoughts, Theo replied, "It's not necessary to spend months in someone's company to like them. Sometimes, all it takes is a moment. I knew right away that you were it for me, there were no reservations or second thoughts even though I tried my best to leave you back in the forest. I saw you and in an instant knew in my bones, that my soul had known yours lifetimes ago."

Eva's lips parted open, as her mind tried to process his heart-melting words. If he was a monster, then she was a fricking turtle! Do all monsters have such a good mouth?

"B-But I don't-"

"I know it will take you time. Even if it takes years, I'll wait though you should know that my patience is thin. So don't make me wait too long, okay Birdie?" he locked his eyes with hers and carefully walked closer until there was only a little space left in between them.

Bending his head, his lips lightly touched her forehead before he backed away to stare at her immobilized face. He had gotten used to that expression whenever he saw that he had shocked her. Whenever he approached or got too close, Theo could swear that he saw her smart mind working to find a reasonable explanation to his actions.

He had looked into her family's background and found that her father had died when she was just a young child. Leon had informed him that only Eva helped her mother in their shop while the eldest daughter was busy spending time with her friends and going off to parties and enjoying. Maybe this was why Birdie was so thin and weak in health conditions because she worked the hardest despite her other burdens.

Theo saw right through her when he first backed her up against a wall. She had shown fear but behind that fear, he saw that wild spirit of hers trying to break free and show him that she was not to be underestimated.

Perhaps that was what attracted him to her but nothing made sense when it came to Birdie. There were so many things he liked about her, he could probably make a whole list.

The way her doe eyes were like big brown pools when she widened them after he teased her.

How she scrunched her small nose when she was angry.

How she pouted and parted her delectable-looking pink lips which he wanted to taste so badly.

The way her body fit perfectly in between his arms as if fate had designed them to be together.

Fates...

Shit, he forgot that he had to meet with them today.

Fuck.