CHAPTER-35 ( Limit should be drawn so that it can be crossed )

After waiting a while….

Brandon came out of his room.

"YOU'RE STILL HERE!!"

Seeing Luna standing in front of his door, Brandon asked her confusingly.

"I was waiting for you…Bran.." Luna smirked, looking at Brandon as she walked two steps closer.

"This is not what you are supposed to do…." He patted her head softly.

Luna didn't answer. Brandon's words only flew away over her head, reflecting through her ears. She only kept staring at him like a hypnotized person as if the pearl-like sparkling water drops from his wet hair directly pouring on her soul detaching it from every corner of the universe.

"Am I that handsome for you to stare at me without even a blink !!" Brandon mocked Luna's sudden frozen posture.

Luna blankly spoke up with her unprepared voice,

"I don't know about that…. And it really doesn't matter if you're handsome or not..... Because it totally depends on my point of view how I'm capturing you through my eyes."

"Okay okay, thanks for enlightening me, my little old lady….. " Brandon created a sarcastic voice and then walked away, leaving Luna a few feets behind.

Luna hurriedly walked forward to catch up with him.

"But Bran....!!??" She wrapped her hands around Brandon's arms while walking.

"Hmm…"

"Why did you say that earlier??"

"What I said!!"

"I mean what I'm not supposed to do!!" She asked, rounding her eyes like a kid.

"Oh that…. I just wanted to say.... ….mmm….. I think we should change our attitudes towards each other." He smiled agitatedly.

Suddenly Luna's bright face strained out hearing from Brandon.

"What do you mean….?"

"Look… No matter how much we convince ourselves that nothing has changed between us. But in reality everything turned upside down. So you must behave yourself with the limit of our new relationship…. Do you understand what I'm trying to say…" Brandon carefully explained.

"No, I didn't understand…." Luna said in a hurtful tone.

"I mean….. From now on,you've to reduce your attachments and ties with me a little bit in a different way." As he talked,Brandon pointed at one of his arms which was wrapped by Luna's hand.

But she didn't leave his arms.

"Then I don't want to understand….." Luna turned away her face as a protest.

Brandon didn't say anything else neither they continued their conversation any farther.

They silently kept walking towards the garden where Miss Rossi is already presented with coffee and some light snacks on the table in a corner of the vast area.

Luna tightened her grips around Brandon's arm, thinking that she will never let go of his hand, how hard the situation turns…..

But the words from Brandon started tormenting her mind mixing with taunt. Her grips loosened slowly.

And when they entered the garden, Luna subconsciously left Brandon's arms as she couldn't tolerate the indirect unusual gaze of others.

After all they weren't alone in the garden except Miss Rossi. Some of the gardeners were tending the garden that is filled with rare flowers and expensive plants. In a few portions of the total territory, the work of constructing some new sculptures and fountains are still going on by a bunch of artisans.

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Luna swiftly ran towards the shed and sat on a chair near the snacks table. She hasn't had her lunch at noon. Even in the morning, she ate a little, out of her excitement. So she leaped on the snacks without any consideration of others.

Brandon kept watching her eating,standing there in a cheerful clear mind.

"Miss Rossi, can you bring some croissants for me, please. I don't know why I'm feeling so hungry now!!" Luna requested while taking a sip of coffee.

"Sure my lady. Anyway it's obvious for you to be hungry. At noon, I went to call you for lunch on the 1st floor. But I couldn't find you in your room." Miss Rossi suspiciously asked.

Luna's teeth stopped chewing the food. She nervously swallowed everything that was inside her mouth. She became extremely afraid of the fact that if anyone gets to know that she was inside Brandon's room all over the day.

"It's because I was on the 2nd floor then." Luna hid her uneasiness with a spreaded smile.

"But I also searched for you on the 2nd….."

"Maybe I was on the 3rd floor that time. And before you say that you've searched there too, I would like to let you know that I went to the terrace afterward. And then I went to the western building. I was just roaming around."

Luna relentlessly spoke after cutting Miss Rossi's words and didn't let her ask anything else.

"Okay… Enough of you two…" Brandon scolded in a mild level.

Miss Rossi bowed as an apology.

"I'll be right back in a moment with some more snacks." She left the next moment.

Luna again started drinking the coffee with a relaxed mind.

Brandon kept thinking something, standing on a corner near the table.

A while ago when he was taking a shower, he mysteriously discovered a little trace of antiseptic ointment on some spots of his skin. Besides all the time he was sleeping alone inside his highly secured bedroom. And he doesn't remember applying any cream or anything else on his skin. And coincidentally Luna was nowhere to be found all over the day.

"Could it be possible that you were in my room when I was asleep." Brandon mumbled in a low volume pointing at Luna through his doubtful eyes.

But Luna seemed to have failed to hear Brandon let alone guessing the suspicion in his heart.

"Bran, why are you still standing there…..? Your coffee is getting cold. Come and sit here…" Luna proposed to Brandon to sit beside her in between chewing.

But Brandon ignored her . He forwarded a few steps and grasped one of Luna's hands and pulled her towards him.

She looked at him with shock..

Brandon sniffed the plan of her hand along with fingers. But he got nothing but the smells of chocolate, butter and pastries.

"What's wrong with you, Bran??" Luna asked confusingly.

"Nothing…." Brandon left her hand in a guilt that he suspected his most loyal subordinate.

But then a thought crossed through his brain and he abruptly grabbed Luna's other hand.

And when he brought it closer to his nose,he smelled the same ointment on the other hand as he expected.

"IT'S YOU…!!"

"..." Luna dumbfoundedly stared at him.

"You entered my room without my permission when I was asleep, didn't you?" Brandon asked narrowed his eyeballs.

"I don't know what you are talking about… I didn't go to any of your restricted areas." Luna tried to defend her while struggling to release her hand from Brandon.

But Brandon held her more aggressively.

"Then you tell me how this antiseptic cream flew on my skin? DOES IT HAVE WINGS?" Brandon asked in a cold and harsh voice.

Luna pushed Brandon aside as she freed her hand.

"No, you're misunderstanding me…You know me . I never do anything without your permission. Maybe it's Miss Rossi who applied the ointment on you. She's really caring towards you and only she has the access to your damn door. HOW COMES YOU'RE BLAMING ME !!" Luna shouted, rubbing her wrist in a pitiful expression.

"She's caring towards me!! Really!!" Brandon paused for a moment…..

He felt a little bit of goosebumps on his body but didn't let anyone notice.

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Brandon fell into a quandary. Yet he tried to interrogate Luna, overthrowing her sensitivity. 

"Then how do you explain the same smell on your hand? This is too difficult to believe to be a coincidence." Brandon lifted his one eyebrow, shifting his face closer. 

Luna's hands started trembling. She kept smashing her hands on the fabric of her short red frock as she talked.   

       "No, it's not what you're thinking. The servants restock all the general medicines of our household from the same dispensary. So I've almost the same kinds of fast-aid kits in my rooms too. Maybe that's why I've applied the same ointment on my injury in a clash with you." Luna didn't show her fear instead she tried to be confident so that her voice sounds more honest. 

"Huh…. This is the most silly explanation I've ever heard in my life….. NOW SHOW ME YOUR INJURY IF YOU'RE SAYING SO…" Brandon shouted out loud…. 

"Bran…." Luna's nose turned red because of suppressing her emotions. 

"YOU SCOLDED ME…." She started sobbing. 

Brandon soften his voice as he saw Luna has overreacted just by a little of his rudeness. 

He exhaled a lot of air into his lungs as he closed his eyes to gather patience. 

"I mean where did you get injured? Let me see…. I'm asking because I'm worried about you." He mixed extra affection with his voice.

"You're not believing me….. Alright I'll show you. " Luna turned her back towards Brandon's face .

He couldn't understand what is she doing!!

Leaving Brandon startled and making all the workers to pause their work, Luna pulled down the back zipper of her frock. 

"What the F**k" Brandon pressed his fists on Luna's back shoulder to restrict her from unzipping. 

"No… let me show you my back…. I got hurt here. That's why I've applied the ointment on my back. You've to believe me. Just let me open…." Luna fought against Brandon to open her back and show it to him. 

"No you don't have to…I DON'T WANT TO SEE." Brandon wrapped her from behind.

All the workers started pretending to work, focusing their attention on the drama they're witnessing for the first time from the upper-class people, those they've never seen do anything mannerless before. 

"Last night … Me and Arthur… you know we don't have that much of experience. We're newly wedded couple. So when we were having s*x, he bit on my back with extra strength…. Just on the left-upper side of my backbone…. Let me show you…okay." Luna told a very natural lie, murdering the last minimum shame left inside her. 

"Shut the f**k off. How can you talk so openly with me…. Have you forgotten your minimum commonsenses ? Please stop… For my sake please…" Brandon closed the zipper of her dress by his own hands without even looking. 

"But you don't believe me…. I would rather show you the biting marks..." Luna kept insisting. 

"No, I believe you. I really believe you. Don't feel hurt for my behaviour. I'll never suspect you. I'm sorry, my little kiddo. Please calm down" He apologized.

He didn't stretch the matter any further, realising the embarrassing situation that Luna has created.

"You're so bad. I won't take your apology. You have to see my back injury…. I can't stand your doubtful eyes." Luna again tried to open her zipper. 

This time Brandon pulled her within his embrace. 

"Don't you remember what I said… this is not how you suppose to behave. Restrain yourself within the limit. you have to maintain your ethiquette. I'm not someone, in front of whom you can get naked. I hope you understand…. And forgive me for my unreasonable doubts on you." Brandon didn't continue his interrogation seeing Luna's condition.

"So hugging me isn't crossing the limit…" Luna asked.

"No… it depends on our intentions. So it's of course within limits" Brandon explained.

Luna kept crying, hugging Brandon. Her tears drenched the chest of Brandon's t-shirt.

"Why you're talking so complicatedly nowadays.... You've never treated me in this way before. I won't take your sorry." Luna wiped her eyes rubbing it with Brandon's shirt as she's still holding him. 

Brandon let out a long sigh. 

"Okay…okay…. " 

Brandon kissed on the top of Luna's head to calm her down. 

"What else I have to do to reconcile with you?" He added. 

Luna promptly walked away from him as the pair of soft lips touched the surface of her scalp defeating the thick layer of hair or maybe the kiss reached up to his membrane breaking the skull. 

"KISSING IS ALSO WITHIN LIMITS?" Luna tried to stop her crying.

"You silly girl. Come back to reality. You don't have to blend your brain over these minor things."

"You~ Y…. You ~ didn't have to kiss me like that. I've already forgiven you. You shouldn't have kiss me... I'm already trying this hard to tie my mind..." Luna said in a shaking voice while her lags continuously stepped backwards. 

Brandon couldn't understand her unclear phrasing words.

"So you mean You've forgiven me…?" He smiled while sitting at the chair in front of him. 

Pulling herself together, Luna also go back to her previous seat. 

"Yes, but in one condition…."

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To Be Continued...