Page 38 of Scent Of Obsession
“You’re mistaking me for one of your mythical creatures.”
“I fear monsters in the dark. But you, you fear to be under the spotlight. To be discovered for who you truly are. To be seen. Unraveled.” I was convinced he was playing a twisted game for an outcome no one had known. “No one throws exuberant parties and is not a part of it.”
I jutted my chin up and let him observe me. The way he clenched his jaw, his stare firmly set on me, betrayed that I was in the right.
“You don’t know anything about me, nor my fears,” he replied, his voice laced with bitterness.
“So what do you fear, then?”
Radcliff would have left if my fingertips hadn’t grazed his hand gripping the chair by mistake. If that innocent touch hadn’t created a thundering sensation inside my core, I’d have taken a step back. But I didn’t. It enticed him to look back to me, and me to hold my hand behind my back. Tingling dissipated from my fingers to my palm.
“Water.” He ascended into a murderous rasp. “The water of that cliff is cursed. And if you continue to ask so many questions, you will be too.”
In a flash, he left through the dim edges, leaving only the memory of his magnetic, manly scent.
Radcliff was wrong.
He was cursed.
“What are you doing?” Radcliff’s hostile stare encountered mine through his book.
Even his antipathetic tone couldn’t erase the huge beam on my face. I had no doubts I was disturbing whatever free time he had and wanted to spend it in peace. Radcliff was sitting crossed-legged on his black leather sofa, Cerba sleeping at his feet. Dressed in another of his black suits, he analyzed my outfit doubtfully.
“It’s my tulip dress,” I replied to his stare, brushing my fingers over the dress, playing with it.
He closed his book, his thumb rubbing over his lips as if he was trying to know what the heavens I meant by that. His gaze lingered on my bustier under my vest coat, then on the tutu shape of my puffy knee-length dress.
“You know, because it looks like a tulip. A reverse one if you look upside down,” I explained, bowing my head to the side to actually look at it from an upside-down angle.
Clearly, we didn’t have the same symbolism in tulips. For me, it was a joyful hint to the color of love in pink shades. For him, it was an incredulous haze of gray, even though a slight snarl drew on his lips. I couldn’t tell if he found me amusing or, on the contrary, he liked it in his own way.
He opened his book again, wearing his impassive mask like a crown once more. “And why are you wearing that dress?”
“Because we are going for a walk.”
He didn’t share my elation.
The point was, after the crisp, stormy days, the sunlight had appeared. I had decided it was the perfect time for a walk while waiting for the delivery of the oils. Plus, I couldn’t stay alone in this gloomy manor. Truth was, I wasn’t that alone. I had a friend. A flower. But I was determined to pretend that my host actually wanted me here and to force him into sharing a normal afternoon with me—even if neither of us were normal individuals.
“You can do as you please. You aren’t a prisoner, and you don’t need my approbation.” His attention focused back on his book, deliberately ignoring my enthusiasm.
“I said ‘we.’’’ I always thought that my dream was the only area for my stubbornness to act upon. Apparently, piercing Radcliff’s persona was one of them too. “I want to walk with you.” My voice quivered when I pronouncedyou.
Radcliff’s stare went back on me, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was facing a dilemma.
I was eager to add, “You know, I don’t know the area that well. I wouldn’t want to lose myself.” Which was partly true—the phone GPS was a nightmare around here.
“You can take Cerba.”
For some unknown reason, I cared. I cared that he refused me.
I jutted my chin up. “Fine.”
I left the living room, fuming. Cerba followed right after me, running wildly through the windswept manor. A burning fire was growing inside of me. Irritation skittered across my nerves. Passing through the hallway, I forced a smile at Mr. and Mrs. Walton, who were standing like statues near the stairs. Their constant silence created only bitterness. At first, I thought they were haunted ghosts. Now, I wondered if I wasn’t the problem.
I stepped away, creaking open the imposing gate before I crept through the misty forest. It was foolish of me to think I would solve my isolation through the company of nature, even if it did work before. I inhaled the magical smell of pine, golden amber, and balsam fir, carrying me into a wonderland where I was free of mind.
Sinking deeper into the woods, I found a world that has been forgotten by humankind, pure and untouched. Birdsong came in bursts like a lullaby, and Cerba chased after a few rabbits. I was lost in time. The sun had bloomed in the sky, peeking through the tree branches. Light and shadow danced across my face.
