|•| IRIS CORTEZ |•|"Good evening, Ma'am. Welcome to the Golden Bistro. I am Jordan. What would you like to have?" the hot blonde at the other end of the counter flashed me a smile that unfurled a grin on my lips.The clashes of desire and interest that flamed up his blue eyes made my lips twitch in a smirk and I leaned over the counter, dropping my phone to give him my full attention. I could have sworn I saw his face flush red. I didn't miss how his eyes had solely been on me the minute I walked into this restaurant. I'd have probably been irritated on a regular day but not only was he nice, he was good looking."Hello, Jordan." My voice was laced with a seductive hint that seemed to edge him on in his attempt to flirt with me. His eyes wouldn't stop zeroing in on my bold red lips. I could bet a dollar on it that I accurately knew what was going on in his mind when his throat worked up and down painfully.It gave me a sense of control. I loved it. I gently tapped my red manicured f
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|I knew that Sonia Gray was the devil's incarnate, and the bane of my existence. It was a fact that had been long established but what I didn't understand was why she had her eyes pinned on me intently, from across the lecture theatre, disregarding the professor who was by the projector, whose voice was beginning to reduce to a distant noise, by the way.I had seen her condescendingly stare at me so many times that I had already brought myself to get accustomed to it. But the raw hatred brimming in her eyes right now, alongside other negative and sinister emotions that dimmed those green eyes was a little strange. It was as though she harboured some personal vendetta against me for reasons known to her. The ire that flamed in those green orbs aligned with the constant twitching of her lips in a sneer that reeked of nothing short of disgust. If it were any other day, I'd have looked away already, uncomfortable to hold her gaze but I couldn't shake off the apathy I
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|The Parks in Nocturne Ville had one thing in common. The aesthetic view both in the day and night. The vast scene of greenery in front of me was nothing short of breathtaking, beaming with the golden glow of the sun that absorbed every inch of the surroundings. The waves of laughter and excited shrieks of mostly little kids and the adults around lingered in the air, bringing a smile to my face.I took a large bite of the burger in my hands, squeezing our interlocked hands."The littlest things make you happy and it's so amusing to watch." André's soft voice pierced the comfortable silence that hung between us, punctuated by the chirping of birds in the distance.I paused with a mouthful of burger, looking up to flash him a coy smile."Come here," he whispered, gently tugging me to his chest. While I stared at him bemused, he had his eyes lingering on my lips. He caught me off guard when he slowly brought the pad of his thumb to my bottom lip. It hovered, a little
|•| ANDRÉ BAUDELAIRE |•|The recession of the moon into its dark shell in the clouds, mirrored the incessant chip at my soul for the past few days. It seemed as if something inside me was getting chopped off as each day went by and I recoiled from the one girl who made me feel so alive.I shoved my left hand into my pocket, twirling my tumbler absentmindedly in my right hand while I stared into the cold, dark, lonely night as though miraculously, all my problems would fade away the same way the moon was retracting into the dark clouds. But jokes on me because the more I stared at the waning celestial body, the more I became brusquely aware of the void that was perched at the core of my soul.I chugged my whiskey down my throat all at once, allowing myself to embrace the harsh burn that lodged in my throat. It felt like a punishment for the kind of wedge I had willingly driven between us since that afternoon at the Park. I was so in control. I had control over everything and I had alre
|•| ANDRÉ BAUDELAIRE |•|As I walked into the house, wiping off the trail of blood that was smeared against my lips with a handkerchief, my steps halted when I sensed her energy in the atmosphere. It was cold but I knew she was back.Her presence had been hard to come by recently because of the way things have been tense between us. She had been going off to somewhere I didn't give a shit about. If she wanted to be a bitch, I could be an asshole too.I probably wouldn't have cared that she was back but knowing I had something to trash out with her made a muscle tick in my jaw, a frown automatically settling on my face as I tossed the handkerchief somewhere in the ornate living room.The fireplace crackled loudly, illuminating the vast space and its fiery glow that kissed every inch of the room made it easy to denote that she wasn't here. I didn't have to strain my ears to pick up on the steady thumping of her heartbeat that was coming from her room in the other wing of the dark castl
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|"Thank you," I mumbled to the waiter who had been prancing around the gallery, snatching a champagne flute from the tray. I think that's like my third glass or something but I couldn't care less because I was already high enough by being in the arms of the man I loved as he led us around Nocturne Ville's gallery.André thought it fitting that I needed to de-stress and I needed some time away from my laptop to get in touch with the outside world and tap into my inspiration. He figured that the only way we could do that was if he took me to the art show at the gallery and it was nothing short of amazing.And by figured, he had a package anonymously delivered to me, and he showed up afterwards to ask me himself. I was a little reluctant but it was safe to say that the guy was 'very convincing' with his hands and mouth.I really needed to get away from writing.The Nocturne Ville gallery took the Gothic aura that the city had always had, into play, and they went all
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|"Des, where the hell are you?""I will be there in a second. I promise," I said to Charlotte, who was on the other end of the phone, struggling to balance the heavy books in my hands, as well as my backpack and the phone I had pressed between my shoulder and my ears."Just get here on time. Tania is really pissed," she responded."When has she ever not been pissed? I'll see you soon. I'd have been there a while ago but I had to pick up some books for school work at the library." I told her, mouthing an apology to the person I bumped into as I raced down the stairs."Okay," she hung up.I skillfully tucked my phone in my back pocket, pulling the books to my chest.As I exited the library building, I was met with a bustling environment that crawled with students, who had just finished their classes. The heavy crowd and the distorted chattering coming from every angle made my skin crawl, heightening my need to leave this premises. I knew what crowds like this meant
|•| IRIS CORTEZ |•|Have you ever been so angry to the point where you feel every one of your insides boil over, and all you want to do is smash someone's face into the wall?Yeah, well that is how I currently feel.As I stood there earlier and watched her tell me that I was going to have to do my presentation all over again because she thought it wasn't the best I could come up with, all my brain could conjure was a thousand quickest ways I could murder her without having it traced back to me.In her words, "You are a very bright student, Iris. But you haven't been yourself lately and that's the reason I am giving you this rare second chance to prove yourself worthy to me again."Who the fuck cares about a second chance? I just wanted to be over and done with the damn thing.I didn't even know what was more infuriating. Redoing my presentation or the fact that I found it excessively hard to focus on one thing these days. Shutting a huge part of my memories out had always been so seam
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|“So, do you sleep?” I asked the grey-eyed man leaning against the kitchen cabinet. A curious smile pulled at the corner of my lips.He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “You are very curious, aren't you?”“Hey!” I chided him, laughing as I chopped the bell peppers on the tray. “You can't blame me. I have had a lot I have been wanting to ask you.” I defended myself with a Cheshire grin.It was nightfall. André and I were in the kitchen in the Castle. I was staying over at his place and he told me he wanted to cook me dinner. I didn't oppose but I strongly wanted to help out. I didn't just want to sit upstairs and leave the cooking to him alone. I'd be bored out of my mind.I knew I could have chosen to catch up on the books I wanted to read but a huge part of me wanted to spend time with him.I'd have asked him since I found out about what he was but let's just say we have been too busy catching up. André was insatiable. He want
|•| ANDRÉ BAUDELAIRE |•|The classical novel in my hands dived down on the list of things that grabbed my attention when I look up for the umpteenth time tonight.A view of sheer perfection unfolded before me.Her wavy honey blonde hair was swept up in a neat high ponytail, the strands swishing sideways as she bobbed her head occasionally, scribbling down in her hitting pad as her eyes drifted between the screen of her laptop and her note.Her full perfectly glossed lips were pulled in a light frown, her thick dark lashes fluttering now and then. Her blue eyes were overly luminous because of the blue lights oozing off the screen of the device.Her fair skin that could easily suffer a mark popped with an empyrean glow that was as bewitching as it was captivating.I couldn't get enough of her just sitting there and focusing on school work.Heck, I couldn't control the dark, possessive rage that swept through me for a moment because I wasn't the object of her attention
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|“Do you want me to pick you two up later?” the chauffeur’s eyes strayed to us through the rearview mirror and I'm forced to look up from the book in my hands. My gaze intuitively flowed towards the dark-haired girl beside me as she worked her fingers through her voluminous curls that she surprisingly let down today, a black shade perched on the bridge of her nose.“No, Idris.” She met his eyes. “Just send my car over. Des and I will head back home together. “Come on.” She said to me, leading us out of the car.The car sped out of the parking lot in no time, leaving the two of us alone. My attention was fixated on the car awkwardly, watching it disappear into the busy streets of NocturneVille. “You have barely spent five minutes with me and you have a book in your hand already.” Iris spoke up sarcastically.My head snapped towards her, my eyes widening a fraction. “What? No! That's not true.”“Isn't it?” she hit me with her best intimidating yet subtle
|•| ANDRÉ BAUDELAIRE |•| I didn't think the Castle was going to be empty when I returned. As much as Ophelia liked to step out for fresh air, she hated being in town. It was contrasting because even when she knew she wasn't particularly a fan of being outdoors, she'd still step out to feel connected to the world around her. She claimed that being outdoors was always too hostile for her—for her magic. But it didn't mean that if push came to shove, she wouldn't outrightly discard that and do whatever she needed to do. Just like she had been poking her nose in what wasn't her business recently. A necessary evil, she claimed. She wasn't in the garden and certainly wasn't in the woods either. So, there was only one place she could be. A place she hadn't been in about three decades now. The church. The populace that attended the NocturneVille Church had drastically reduced over the years. Most especially since people began turning up
|•| ANDRÉ BAUDELAIRE |•| I didn't think the Castle was going to be empty when I returned. As much as Ophelia liked to step out for fresh air, she hated being in town. It was contrasting because even when she knew she wasn't particularly a fan of being outdoors, she'd still step out to feel connected to the world around her. She claimed that being outdoors was always too hostile for her—for her magic. But it didn't mean that if push came to shove, she wouldn't outrightly discard that and do whatever she needed to do. Just like she had been poking her nose in what wasn't her business recently. A necessary evil, she claimed. She wasn't in the garden and certainly wasn't in the woods either. So, there was only one place she could be. A place she hadn't been in about three decades now. The church. The populace that attended the NocturneVille Church had drastically reduced over the years. Most especially since people began turning up dead recently. So much for having faith,
|•| DÉSIRÉE DOYLE |•|I stirred awake, catching a whiff of his aftershave lingering on the sheets that were carelessly wrapped around me.I pushed my hair off my face tiredly, my eyes drifting through the room, catching my panties lying carelessly away from the bed—a blush crept up my neck to my face—before it occurred to me that he wasn't in the room with me.Unlike the first time I woke up in bed with him to find him missing, I wasn't freaking out and going out of my mind. Instead, it gave me time to come to terms with the fact that we spent the entire night exploring our bodies. But somehow, I feared that it might not have been enough because I lacked experience in bed and I might not have been able to satisfy him last night.My chest twisted, and embarrassment washed over me. I didn't know why my insecurities decided to weaponize themselves against me, conjuring an image of a dark-haired bitch pleasing André in ways I never would. A frown mounted on my face, and I shook my head to
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|The moment those words left my lips, I knew I had just allowed everything else to go up in flames. I knew I was venturing towards an edge that'd change everything, but a huge part of me didn't care.Andre's eyes thickened with want, his breath shallow and heavy. I could see the restraint swimming in his eyes, even though his hunger for me was slowly overshadowing.“You have to understand that there's no coming back from this. Do you really want to risk everything and completely blur the lines between what we have?” he whispered.“I don't care. I am not going to stay in a world where you do not exist.” The weight of my words released a sharp breath from him, his eyes conveying his surprise.“You'll be the death of me.” His knuckles glided over the skin of my face in a dainty caress and my skin erupted in flames.I inched forward desperately, brushing his lips against my tentatively. With the way he crashed his lips against mine, stealing my breath from my lungs, I
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|I drowned out the eerie silence trailing behind me from outside when I stepped into my apartment. I switched on the lights, tossing my bag somewhere in the disorganised space. My muscles and limbs ached from standing all day and I could barely feel my legs. The only thing I wanted to do was to get in bed and sleep the whole day.I shimmied out of my jeans, kicked off my sneakers, and sauntered into the kitchen to fetch myself a glass of water.I didn't miss how weird the atmosphere seemed when I came back to the living room. It flat-out felt like I was being watched, goosebumps creeping onto my skin. The coldness from the inside radiated outwards and I felt myself shiver from the effect. Even if I wanted to dismiss everything. I couldn't dismiss the sheer curtains that were blowing fiercely. I mentally cursed myself for forgetting to lock the windows.I suppressed a shiver, garnering the courage to advance forward. I hastily dropped my glass of water on the centr
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|I hummed in satisfaction, wiggling my newly painted nails under the lights hanging over the Queen-sized bed of Iris’ room. I had doubts about trying red colour on my fingers but I didn't think it'd turn out so well. I giggled, picking up my book and throwing the covers over my head to continue reading.The door to the bathroom was abrasively flung open, causing me to push the covers off my body at once. With furrowed brows, my gaze flitted to the taller girl marching into her closet like a giant alien. A worried sigh escaped me, my eyes fixed intently on the entrance leading to the closet as I patiently waited for her to step out.Iris’ mood swings can be linked to two things. Her hormones and the possibility of someone getting on her nerves. It was either the first one or the second one. It could be both at times too and it always made her a ticking time bomb threatening to go off. However, call it a gut feeling or whatever, but I strongly believed that it wasn'