Page 57 of Semblance

“You wish what?”

“Never mind, it sounds childish,” Shadow said.

“I won’t laugh, I pinky swear,” I said, extending my finger out to him.

“Nowthat’schildish,” Shadow smiled.

“No it’s not. The pinky swear is the most sacred and holy of promises. One can never violate the sanctity of the pinky swear unless they wish to be cursed for the rest of eternity.”

Shadow shook his head. “You’re pretty weird sometimes.”

“And you’re not?”

Shadow shrugged his shoulders, and then hooked his pinky finger into mine. “While my father was alive, I had to work my ass off and struggle to meet his expectations. And now with him dead, I’m working hard and struggling to fulfill his legacy. However Tristan Tremaine never once tried to make the slightest effort to fulfill the expectations I had for him as a father.”

“And what was that?”

“I would have loved for him to take me to a movie—just once. Or bring me to the park for an ice cream cone. I just wanted a dad I could hang out with,” he said. “Does that sound foolish?”

I shook my head. “It sounds sad.”

“When I was a kid, I kept thinking that once I was old enough and achieved all those goals he set out for me, he’ll finally be proud of me and then we could finally sit down and watch a movie together and have an ice cream cone at the park,” he said. “But that’ll never happen. He’s dead now, murdered by some sick fuck who’s still roaming free out there. The killer stole away from me the only dream I ever had. The only thing I ever wanted.”

“Oh Shadow, I’m so sorry,” I said.

He shook his head. “I should apologize. Nobody wants to hear a grown man whine about his ghosts.”

I wanted to take him in my arms and comfort him, to hold him and give him that safe feeling that my father had given me so many times.

I summoned up the courage to make a move and provide him with a little bit of physical contact. Just as I leaned in closer, Johnny returned from his lunch break.

Damn it.

Johnny hopped onto the Vespa scooter that dragged the tut-tut and then turned to us. “Where to Mr. Shadow?” he asked.

Shadow’s eyes, full of grey sadness, glossed over Angkor Wat. Outside he had the presence and physique of a lion, the ruler of this animal kingdom he called the Midnight Society. However in reality he was a wounded animal, seeking solace and affection.

“Take us somewhere beautiful,” he finally said. “Take us somewhere where we can forget all our worries.

#

Chapter Seventeen

We visited four more temple ruins that afternoon. Though not as extravagant as Angkor Wat, each one was just as haunting and beautiful. The one that touched me profoundly was Ta Prohm, where an ancient looking tree seeped through the ruin’s walls creating a harmonious union between stone and root.

Two different elements of nature, fused into one to form one of the most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen.

I turned around and looked at Shadow, who was too busy examining the carvings on the stone walls to notice that I was staring at him.

We were two distinct entities in this vast universe ourselves—Shadow living in a world of money, power, and a haunting past which suffocates him daily. Meanwhile I was a simple girl whose life blood was filled with impossible dreams and musical sonatas. My future terrified me and my past was filled with bittersweet memories.

A week ago, the thought of being in a relationship with this provocative, but ridiculously handsome man was the last thing I wanted. Seeing the symbiotic union between the tree and the temple made me wonder if a love between Shadow and I could be just as beautiful and spellbinding?

I wanted him. God, I wanted him so badly.

I wanted these dates to be more than just a façade.

I wanted these moments we had together to mean just as much to Shadow as they did to me. I wanted him to look at me as I looked at him—as the person who captured his heart.

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