Page 30 of Entangled
My first thought was that it had to be from Vanessa or even Astrid, but as I read the familiar scrawl on the card I never would have imagined it to be Kade.
I opened the box cautiously, having no idea what this man could be sending me, and plucked the handwritten letter out from on top of the tissue paper.
Princess,
I enjoyed our dinner last night and I hope we can make it more of a regular occurrence. I knowthat this isn’t much, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said last night and I’m curious to see what you can do. If you need more, don’t hesitate to let me know or just charge it to my card.
Kade
I read over his words twice, but they still made no sense. I feel like we talked about a hundred different things last night, so what exactly could he have in this box?
I eased back the tissue paper, and tears welled in my eyes at the blank canvas and the array of tubes of paint and fresh sets of brushes. I lifted it all up and there was a book full of piano music for beginners.
I felt every bit of my resolve regarding my feelings about Kade and the box I had worked so hard to keep them stuffed in and buried deep shatter.
Nobody had given me a gift this thoughtful in… I couldn’t remember when. It proved just how much Kade paid attention and how deeply he cared for me.
It scared me but at the same time I craved more of it. I wanted more of this, and more of him.
But how exactly did I broach that subject with him?
Should I even try, or would it be better to never try at all?
My mind raced as I opened up the tube of paint and tapped into my creative side for the first time in years.
But the only thing I was able to conjure up in my mind was a pair of beautifully dark and stormy eyes.
13
KADE
“Good morning,”I heard Soren say as I made my way into the library bright and early the following morning. She was seated with a cup of coffee warming her hands and a blanket wrapped around her legs.
“You sure haven’t hesitated to make yourself at home,” I say with a smirk, taking a sip of my own cup of coffee.
A glare crossed Soren’s face, but not before I saw the look of pain that flashed across it. It looked like she took my words to mean she was a burden to me.
But really, her being here didn’t bother me. When she was here, she was usually curled up on the couch with a book or two. I, on the other hand, end up grabbing a book and sitting in the chaise by the wall of windows.
We didn’t usually say anything at all, but our silence could speak volumes. So many unspoken things between us. That’s how most of our days went: sitting in utter silence and just enjoying each other’s company.
But even still, I felt like I was learning things about her and building an unspoken bond with her. I knew what books sheliked to read, her favorite snack to eat when she was reading and the way she would giggle to herself during certain points.
I craved so much more from her though. I wanted more conversations and less of the heavy silence filled with possibilities.
I know she must have questions about me. My family. My life. To confirm or deny the rumors she must have heard about us and who we were, and whether I was as deadly as she’d heard. But like I can’t ask her about her life, it’s as if she can’t bring herself to ask about mine.
She’d met my family over dinner, but looks can be deceiving. It was unwise to judge someone in our profession simply based on how they ate their food surrounded by their loved ones.
But I don’t want to talk about the darkest parts of my past. I’d rather talk about the rare gems of happiness with my family. But even those would be a short story to tell.
“I wanted to thank you, by the way,” she mumbled in a shy tone. She said it so quietly I almost didn’t hear her and she was refusing to meet my eye.
I debated on whether or not to put her out of her misery and make her tell me what she was thankful for, but I just nodded wordlessly to her and accepted her thanks.
I sat down on the couch opposite of hers and waited a moment before I spoke again.
“What are we reading today?” I ask, trying to diffuse the awkward tension that was blanketing the room.
