Chapter 31

Sensing her suppressed intrigue, Elliot decided to indulge her.

"Do you want to see a picture of us when we were little?" he smiled at her as he sat on the stairs by the training grounds.

"Oh god, yes!" Ana perched herself beside him and eagerly waited to see how Khai looked as a toddler.

Elliot pulled out his phone and scrolled through the photos. He opened an old picture and held the phone toward Ana so she could take a look.

Five adorable children sat on a bench too small to hold them all. Ana spotted Khai easily, his tan skin and silky black hair stood out from the rest. She smiled at his plump cheeks, his small nose and his tiny round face. A feeling of warmth and tenderness gushed inside her.

She recognized Elliot's blonde hair and Austin's curly red locks, but there were two other people in the picture that looked vaguely familiar.

"Who are these two?" She asked, pointing to the girl and a smaller baby seated next to Elliot.

"That's Maeve and my brother Edward."

"Maeve? As in Maeve that works in the clinic?" Ana could now see the resemblance clearly. The toddler's curly black hair fell on her shoulders in rich long waves. Although the long hair was beautiful, Ana thought Maeve looked cuter with her pixie hair now.

"Mhmm, she's Khai's older sister. Only by two years though." His expression turned softer. Ana noticed how Elliot fondly stared at the picture. He must be missing his little brother. She was surprised that she couldn't place Khai and Maeve as siblings. The way they conducted themselves around her so freely and the strong resemblance in their facial features made it glaringly obvious.

"Look at you all, so adorable." She laughed. "Do you mind sending this to me?"

After sharing the picture with Ana, they made their way to the dining hall where she watched Elliot grab a few slices of pizza. She looked at his food furtively, wondering why he ate so little despite training all day.

"It's my second dinner." He grinned. "We barely ate anything at lunch, so I'm extra hungry."

Her mind drifted to Khai and she wondered if he had a chance to eat. Guessing that he might be hungry, she grabbed a whole pizza and smiled nervously at Elliot. "I didn't eat lunch either." She mumbled.

Amusement flashed his face, but Elliot continued grinning as he offered to carry the pizza box for her. He then walked her back to the women's dormitories, taking languid steps so she wouldn't have to walk behind him.

"Alright! I'll see you tomorrow, little rabbit." He gave her a playful mock salute with his signature half-smile.

Ana's brows furrowed but she was smiling at him as she waved him goodbye. She was surprised at how easy it was to train with Elliot. He was kind and patient as he corrected her, but he was a tenacious instructor, never letting her morale dip even if she struggled with certain moves.

It was almost 9 PM when Elliot left. While Ana was exhausted, she was determined to stay up for Khai. After leaving him a message that she would wait for him, she went on to take a shower. She swiftly dried her hair and sprayed some rose water in it. She then put on her softest t-shirt and night pants and sat at her desk to continue reading the book on mana principles from earlier this morning.

She read for over an hour before her focus started to wane. As she flipped the pages, her mind wandered to when she confronted Sean outside the library that morning.

Her hand absently reached for Khai's anklet and she stroked it fondly. She noticed that she had been smiling to herself a lot lately. Ever since Khai entered her life, he had filled it with nothing but positivity and strength. When she recollected his lips on hers, a strange heat simmered within her and she yearned to see him. She kept glancing at the clock and pacing around her room impatiently when she heard her phone chime.

She almost stumbled over her own foot as she raced to check it, unlocking it to a message from Khai.

'Still up?'

A small excited squeal escaped Ana, before she quickly clamped her mouth shut. Hoping that no one heard her, she replied to him. 'Wide awake!'

A second after she pressed send, she heard a soft knock on her door. Knowing he couldn't have come here so quickly, she cocked her head in confusion, wondering who would come to see her so late at night.

Khai stood at her doorstep, gazing down at her with a sheepish smile. He ruffled the back of his hair in embarrassment as he confessed. "I was waiting outside, in the hallway."

Ana leaped into Khai's arms, squeezing her arms and legs around him. He nuzzled his nose on hers as he effortlessly carried her into the room. As he attempted to set her down, she clung to his neck, unwilling to separate after going so long without seeing him. With an amused laugh, Khai sat on her bed, cradling Ana in his lap.

He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the subtle scent of roses as his fingers stroked her soft arms. Exhaustion escaped him as he felt her breath on his neck.

Tightening his arms around her, he held her for a long time before letting go so he could look at her beautiful face. Hazel eyes, that reminded him of a warm autumn landscape, stared back at him as his fingers brushed her flushed cheeks.

"I missed you so much." Her words reached him like a song.

Without skipping a beat, Khai's lips pressed onto hers. His soft tongue pushed into her mouth, kissing her with untamed passion. She tasted euphoric, sending Khai's heart into a frenzy. He felt her tighten her grip on his arms as he deepened into the kiss.

Ana was panting in his firm embrace, as Khai pulled away from the electrifying kiss. Holding her by the waist with one hand, he reached for a bottle on her bedside table and offered her some water.

She gulped some down in large sips before handing the bottle to him. Khai emptied half the bottle in one go and swallowed, exhaling loudly.

Not knowing what to do, Ana moved her hands to lightly play with his t-shirt. When she felt a small pang of hunger, she suddenly remembered the pizza and snapped her head up at him.

"You must be hungry. Elliot said you were given a very small lunch, so I got us some pizza!"

She pecked his nose before wriggling out of his grip and she darted to grab the pizza box from her desk. Khai smiled endearingly as she jumped back on her bed and snuggled next to him, placing the pizza in front of them.

"Oh, it's cold." She muttered sullenly.

"That's alright, I still want it." He quickly grabbed a slice and devoured it in three large bites.

Ana gazed at him with a look of sympathy, nibbling on her slice of pizza. She was aware of the grueling day he had, yet he made the effort to meet her even waiting outside her room for her. She couldn't comprehend why he had such unwavering affections for her.

When she saw him wolf down his share, she urged him to eat more, claiming that she was full. Ana ate two slices while he finished the rest of the pizza.

Khai got up to dust the crumbs off of her bed and place the empty pizza box on her desk. He sipped on some water before offering it to her. "Where do you want to go today? Would you like to see the lake?"

Ana nervously played with the hem of her t-shirt as she took a deep breath. "What time do you have to be at training tomorrow?"

He stretched his stiff muscles as he replied to her. "We've to report to the training grounds at 4:00 AM."

"Then wouldn't it be better to catch some sleep? I don't take up a lot of space, so if this bed isn't too small for you…" her voice trailed as she cast her eyes down, unable to look at him. When she didn't hear him respond immediately, she wished her bed would open up and the ground would swallow her whole.

She saw him freeze mid-stretch, taken aback by her boldness. He slowly lowered his arms and made his way to the bed with a grin pulling at his lips. Ana smiled back at him when she saw him walk toward her. She pushed herself into a corner and fluffed his pillow while he took his socks off.

As he lay his head on the pillow, Khai shot a questioning look at the gap between them. She was kidding herself if she thought he would let a breath of air pass between them. Pulling her on top of him, he kissed her slowly, teasing her lips until she melted into his embrace. They soon drifted into a deep slumber, their bodies entwined as if they were one.