Chapter 19. Feeding his eyes

MELODY'S Point of View

I stilled for a bit. Sage sounded pretty unnerving but there was this vibe she gave off, very subtle yet tender-hearted.

But Sage was right about one thing, with the way things were going, it was obvious that he could get hurt because of me and that was the last thing I wanted.

"I didn't say that to frighten you, I want us to be very good friends in the future, I just wanted to let you know that even though we may get really close, there's a line you shouldn't cross, if you do, there's no going back..."

She paused for a while.

"I haven't seen him smile this much when he's talking about someone, especially when you went home for the holidays, he could go on and on about you to us, he made Soteria so jealous..."

Her giggle after that statement put me more at ease, her cheerful demeanor was eventually resurfacing, it reduced the tension in the atmosphere.

"I don't know what's stopping you from being more open with him, maybe you're afraid of getting hurt or some other reason but please give him a chance, you may not believe when I say this but he's more afraid of you falling out of love with him than the possibility of you hurting him."

I couldn't argue with her there, I'd already done that a few times. He just looked passed it and wanted me to be freer around him.

"I'm also afraid of that too, I wouldn't have gotten into this relationship if I knew that I was afraid of getting hurt, Seth means a lot to me, so I'm gonna try to make this work for the both of us."

Sage's elusive smile appeared, it seemed as if she was saying thank you with her eyes.

The door opened and the guard held out his arm to me to help me up the stairs.

***

This banquet hall was nothing short of luxurious. Everyone seemed to be some sort of celebrity, monarch or aristocrat. I saw a few people helping themselves out to the cocktails, mini cupcakes and an all-you-can-eat caviar buffet.

I reached for a glass of frozen strawberry daiquiri mix. Sipping from it, I hovered over the cupcakes. One looked very colorful, I wanted to try it.

"No, you won't like that one, here. Try out this instead."

The air in my lungs thinned as I discerned the possessor of that repulsive voice.

Luke.

"What's wrong with mine?"

"It's got pecans in it, you don't like those."

I looked away and picked a plain one instead.

"Thanks for letting me know."

I went around him in Skipper's direction. He didn't cling on to my arm this time. Well, it was an event filled with public figures and he was a prince, so I wasn't surprised.

Luke looked quite good-looking in his suit. It made me wonder what Seth was gonna wear. I know he'll look amazing in anything but the curiosity was killing me, like where the hell was he?

I dropped my empty dessert plate on a tray a waiter was carrying.

"Did you miss me?"

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, as his breath puffed around my ears.

"Of course I did."

Seth's suit fit him flawlessly. With his hair pulled back, it dazzled with wonder over his genial smile. He had a fairly vivacious personality but I wondered if his look was inspired by something close to 'a devil-may-care' perspective.

"You look like a total hottie."

He would have replied if he wasn't checking me out like a piece of meat. Er...his fangs were coming out? He was getting aroused again. I think I was turning beat red.

I didn't want to look too coquettish just slinky enough to feed his eyes.

"You look so tempting right now."

***

Halfway through the event, Seth left to talk to some of Oceana's aristocrats. Building social relations was one of the most paramount themes of banquets they held internationally.

"Melody, dear."

I wasn't even surprised that the Queen had approached me when I was alone. I still pondered on some things Sage had said to me earlier, he's more afraid of me falling out of love with him. Where are those thoughts even coming from?

"Your Majesty."

"It's okay, you don't need to bow. How's the party going? Seth, has quite a few things to do tonight, I hope you're not getting too lonely?"

I felt like she was unto me. I hope I didn't cross a line like I almost did with Sage.

"Don't worry, you haven't crossed any lines with me. Seth has told you about his darkness, you're the first non-family member he's trusted to that extent. It's what he's most afraid of, it has taken some of the lives of the people he grew up with, so we had to distance him from the outside world just until he was strong enough to control it."

I couldn't shake off the feeling that she was seeing my thoughts. I tried to imagine a younger version of Seth shoring up his heart from yet another loss. Compassion welled up, building on the confusing mix of emotions that he already stirred within me.

"I know that you're after him with good intentions but if you wanna open up your heart again you have to stop making yourself believe that you've been healed from your previous relationships, it's okay to be hurt and try to shut everyone out as a sort of self-defense but it's different when you refuse to believe that you're still not completely healed from them. Burying problems just hides them from the surface, it doesn't mean they're not there anymore."

The Queen's beam, sent a cold finger down the length of my spine, shrinking away, I trembled with wide eyes.

"Y-you can..."

My voice escaped and she took a step closer to me.

"Yes, I can see everything. Your thoughts, your intentions, your memories... everything."

I winced, a trail of goosebumps forming on my exposed back.

"I still can't believe what you said to him yesterday, there was so much he wanted to say to you, he was really affected by your silence, but even though he was despondent he still didn't want you to leave him. I have to admit, I didn't expect he was even thinking that far already into your relationship this early, but either way, it just proves how serious he actually is about you."

What I couldn't understand was why the Queen was saying this in quite a cheerful tone.

"I'm a radiant person. I won't frown just because I'm talking about something pressing. You aren't leaving even though you know his darkness could act up at any minute, that's more than enough for him. It's the reason he treasures you so much, it has done much harm than good in his life, he just wants someone who will stay by his side regardless of whether he may be a ticking time bomb or not."

Really? That's it? He doesn't want anything else?

I quickly said something, I didn't want her to reply to my thoughts again. I fumbled with my manicured nails.

"I still hurt him a lot, even if he's decided to forget about it, I still remember his expression yesterday. You probably already know this but...I never considered leaving him just because I was scared of his darkness. Thank you for accepting me even though you know about my past, I'll cherish his feelings more from now on."

She actually leaned in and hugged me.

"And you look alluring in that dress."

She flashed me one of those saucy winks she throws at Seth from time to time before trudging in her husband's direction.

***

PROSE MODE.

Melody phone's started ringing when it was time to hit the dancefloor. It was Barbara calling.

"Excuse me babe, I've gotta take this."

He nodded, and she headed outside.

"Hey, Mel nice to hear from you."

"It's so nice to hear from you too, Barb. How have you been?"

"I've been good. Sorry, I couldn't call earlier, the kids and I were in Chrysalis on vacation."

"How's Carson doing?"

Melody had missed the toddler that called her 'pretty princess' anytime he saw her.

"He's been asking about you, I'm sure he misses you a lot."

She flashed her most winning smile.

"I miss you guys so much."

"We miss you too, so how about you, how are the holidays going?"

"Nothing much, I'm just spending the holiday with my boyfriend and his parents."

Melody heard Barb gasp on the other end.

"Did you just say, parents? You shouldn't be calling him bf anymore."

"Then what should I call him?"

"Fiance of course. You're not getting any younger."

They both convulsed in laughter. Barb and her bad jokes were never old.

"I'm at a party right now, so I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Okay, later."

Melody grinned from ear to ear as she pressed the hang-up button. She spun around to head back in but collided with solid flesh. Luke had been waiting for over a while now, he'd been waiting for her to take notice of him.