I could feel Florian's presence behind me even without looking up to the mirror, as I tried to focus on opening the dress he had brought for me. I removed the lid of the box, then slowly pulled out the most exquisite light blue material.It was a big ball gown, and I brought it to my body, my eyes falling on the material. Slowly, I looked up, and Florian was watching me, his eyes fixed on my reflection in the mirror."It's beautiful, Florian."He gave a small smile and slowly covered the distance he had initially given me so I could unbox the dress, then brought his hands slowly to my waist. His fingers ran up my spine till he got to the zipper, his other hand moving across the open part of my back to push my hair over my left shoulder.I watched him in the mirror, almost a little enchanted, my entire being lighting up with the mere awareness of his presence in this relatively small space.He slowly pulled the zipper down, and I felt the dress loosen around me, the misty air hitting
The lights, the music, the roaring applause, all of it got to my head even before I got to drink any wine. It was crazy how addicted the sort of love Florian could give had me in a matter of seconds, and the minute he had his lips against mine, parting and seeking slow, dominating entrance, in front of men and women who respected him, it.. it did something to me.It altered the chemistry of my brain and messed with my rationality. It felt like every other kiss I have had, excluding the first one between us in that closet, faded away into nothingness.I sighed as he broke the kiss, then gently touched my nose. "You still taste like exotic fruits, Roxanne."I slowly stuck my tongue to the roof of my mouth, my chest slightly heaving. "Exotic fruits?""Uh huh," he said, laughing. "Lest I forget, sweetheart..." He leaned to me, his thumb running slowly on my throat. "I prepared a violin for you."I gasped, my hands coming to my mouth. He laughed as he slowly moved away from me, letting go
I can't quite remember the rest of the night, mostly because it was more mundane compared to everything that had happened before that. I could remember doing a few toasts until I got a little tipsy. I could remember the wave of congratulations and the way Florian had taken me straight to the car while carrying me bridal style.Now here I am, sitting in the car, staring off at the stars, my chest heaving, my lips slightly parted. I felt free. Like a star in space. Ready to fall. Ready to break free. I have never felt like this all my life.The door opened, and I turned to see Florian standing by the door, the driver holding the door open for him. Someone was on the other side, talking to him about something, but his eyes were fixed on me, his hands pushed into his pockets. He looked like a dream, like the ghost of the love I never had. Like the ghost that just keeps on haunting me. The ghost that I never want to let go of.Maybe if I was completely sober, I would just sit there and w
The sound of my zipper opening up brought me back from the utter delirium my mind had wandered off to, and I swallowed, looking down as my hand was finally freed, and my dress fell down to around my waist.My eyes looked up to Florian, who was already watching me. His eyes were mostly shielded, and I swallowed as his hands ran down my chest, then stopped right above the straps of my bra."How drunk are you, Roxanne?"I shrugged. My mind was a fog, my body was on fire, and honestly, maybe I was a little more than tipsy. Maybe I was a little...He pulled me closer, his kisses slow as they spread across my neck and shoulders. My hands pushed into his hair, and I let out a gasp of respite, my frustration gloating away with the satisfaction of finally feeling him in my own fingers. "Tell me," he whispered against my skin as his kisses went lower and lower.The car suddenly stopped, and I opened my eyes, my chest heaving."M... maybe a little?"He laughed against my skin and leaned away. W
I woke up to bright rays of sunlight on my face, and my head still resting on something a little more... comfortable than my pillow.My eyes squinted a little at the light, and I slowly turned away. My eyes fell on Florian. He had his legs stretched out in front of me, his hand resting on a stack of pillows so he could hold his chin up as he slept, his other hand resting in my hair. I turned fully to him, my hands moving sloely around his waist, my lips parting as I took him in. The sun was reaching his face too, and he started to squint, his head moving a little so his hair fell in thin strands in front of his eyes.It made me smile, and I sat up, leaning to him so the light would be blocked by my body, and offered him a calm space to sleep in again. He immediately relaxed, and it felt worth it to leave my comfortable sleeping position even with the slight hangover and throbbing headache I had.I watched him for a while, my vision alternating between the Florian that I could see rig
A single tear ran down my cheeks, and his thumb ran under my eyes, wiling the tear away. I wasn't so sure why it suddenly felt like such a relief, but it did. It felt so much like a breath of fresh air."Come here," he said, his voice smooth and comforting as he pulled me into his warm, scented embrace, his fingers pushing into my hair.I closed my eyes against his familiar scent, my heart beating rapidly, my chest tight. I wrapped my hand around him, my face turning to bury in the side of his, my lips parting against his fresh, soft skin."You are still a cry baby," he whispered, and I broke into a laugh accompanied by more tears, my chest heaving."Shut up," I said, laughing.I could feel him smile against me, but for a very long time, we said nothing, just sitting there, my hands wrapped around him tight. I finally leaned away, then gave him a small smile. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."He smiled, his eyes soft and tender. "What would you like for breakfast?"I shrugged. "
My fingers pressed down on the shirt that was now riding up against my chest, my hair falling back to the curve of my waist due to how far back my head was thrown, my lips parted in a gasp that I couldn't quite let out.Florian's fingers dug into my thigh, his tongue running up between my legs, my stomach knotting into one big ball of pleasure.I could hardly breathe, and I dared to look down, my chest heaving hard, my body shaking in his hands.His eyes met mine in one erotic gaze, and before I knew it, I was in the bath with him, a mixture of his lips and my taste filling me up as he kissed me hard. Kissed me fervently. Kissed me like he was in love with me.He let his kisses leave my lips again, to rest down on my neck, and then my shoulder, all the while his fingers slowly moving in my inner thighs.I let out a small cry when I felt his finger part my folds slowly, my breaths breaking into a million different pieces.I sat in front of the mirror, my knees slightly trembling, my li
Can Florian pull the trigger on my mother? I am not sure. Would I hate it if he did, knowing that to her, I was just the baby she Hadd in order to keep her husband, and neglected me my whole life? Honestly, I am not sure I would.My mother was always bad, the sort of neglectful that ate away at me for twenty-six years and broke my wings every single time I even dreamt of flying.But would I want to see that she was gone forever?I looked up to Florian. From his profile that I could see, his eyes were stone cold, a massive void that only filled up when he looked at me. Would he be able to pull the trigger if I asked him to? Maybe. Would I want him to? Maybe.It was interesting just how much darker and tainted my own thoughts had become ever since Florian came back to me. I am not sure how much of it is just me and how much of it was a direct reflection of Florian's own demons in my soul.I wondered about Florian's parents. I don't remember much about them. Were they just like mine? Is
FLORIAN'S P.O.V I took a deep breath and looked down at the suit I was wearing. It was the same one that dad had kept to attend my wedding in. It was Roxanne who had suggested it, and now that I am, I felt it all the way to my bones.I looked around. It was just me and the officiating priest, waiting for Roxanne.I have dreamed of this day my entire life. Watching her walk down the aisle to me. Her dress. Her smile.The door cracked open, and I straightened even more, my heart pounding hard as I watched the door. It opened wide, bathing the church in sunlight. I kept my eyes on it till I finally saw her. She was standing there, like she had materialised out of my most ambitious dreams. My heart pounded in my chest, and I found myself reciting the vows I had memorised ever since we started wedding planning. It's not like there was a lot to plan.She looked up to me, and even through the veil, I could see her smile. It reminded me of the reason I had never even looked at another wom
ROXANNE'S P.O.V I woke up with a start, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I immediately turned to the left side of the bed, already preparing my heart for the ultimate fuckery that it had all been a dream. The hugs, the kisses, the tears... that it was all nothing but me yearning.To my surprise, Florian was already awake, his body half covered by the sheets, his hand holding up his chin as he watched me, a soft tender look I his eyes.I let out a sigh of relief, my eyes slowly blinking as I savoured his presence.He gave me a smile, then reached his other hand out to me. "Did you wake up to check if I was real?" I nodded truthfully, then adjusted, so I was lying next to him, my eyes taking his. "I think I would really die if you weren't."He smiled, his hand reaching up to gently caress my face. "You are just as beautiful as you were a year ago."His voice was a small whisper, and I drew even closer."You are going to have to promise me something."He laughed, then brought my ha
I sat on the edge of the same hotel suite we had stayed in the we came here together a year ago for my birthday, my heart feeling rather heavy. I could hear the sound of the bath, and even though I had promised myself to be calm amd stay in here, it was hard to not want to barge in there just to make sure he really was back. To make sure my Florian really was alive.I took in the hotel room. It looked like he had been here for a while. Probably not the entire year, but still a bit of time. I walked to the dresser, and my heart felt even heavier. My pictures were sitting in glass frames all over, adorning the dresser.I swallowed, tears stinging the back of my eyes. There were lots of books to the side. Mostly about healing. Forgiveness. I wondered just how much he believed he needed to work on himself just so he could love me.I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, just as the sound of the shower stopped. I held my breath, then slowly turned to him, my lips parting. He was by t
The kiss was slow, and I felt all of the parts of me that had broken over the last year slowly come together again. My mind fought the possibility that this man was really Florian, but my stupid, stupid heart was already fluid for him. Like he wasn't gone for a whole year. Like he didn't disappear for a whole year.When he broke the kiss, I found myself leaning towards him, needing more, begging for more with everything in my body except my voice.His thumb ran across my face, wiping the tears away. He then leaned close, kissing those tears away, like I always imagined he would during those late nights when I lay in bed, missing him."I am sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "I am sorry I put you through that. I am sorry, Rox."I opened my eyes, my chest heaving. "You... Are you really Florian?"He nodded slowly, a single tear falling off his cheek. "I am sorry."I swallowed, reaching for his hand. Like I needed to make sure. Like I needed to know. "You... you died.
I have asked the question several times. How would it feel for time to stop? How would it feel if... for a second, for a minute, time stops, and we breathe?I just realized that I was wrong about being able to breathe. Time froze in place for me, and so did everything as I know it. My tears, my trembling fingers, my beating heart, my breath.My fingers dangled off the door knob, and I just stood there, unable to think. Unable to do a thing. I swallowed hard, then blinked, a long tear running down from my left eye. Is it that I had been bestowed a minute from the heavens? To hear that voice before I go back to the emptiness that I am still learning to embrace?I bit down on my lips. That voice, that name... it belonged to a part of my heart that will probably forever carry pain. Probably forever, carry regret.I closed my eyes and took a step forward. My imaginations now have voices. Very beautiful voices, but I knew I wad going insane.I turned the door knob just as a small snicker
EXACTLY 364 DAYS LATER"You became an international violin sensation in such a short time. Of course, we know you have been playing ever since you were a child, but how are you coping with being a celebrity and also the CEO of a multitrillion dollar company like the Hunt group?"I nodded slowly to the last question of the interviewer. My eyes focused on her. The question reeled in my mind, and I blinked fast and hard in order to make sure the tears wouldn't come falling. I played around with the ring on my finger, then broke into a small laugh. "Trust," I said finally. "There is someone who trusts me, and even though I have let them down once, I am determined to never do it again."She smiled. "There has been gossip around the...""You said that was your last question."She smiled a little shyly. "How about one more?"I bit down on my lips. I knew what she was going to ask. Everyone knew Florian had died a year ago. Everyone knew I was here because he handed everything to me. And the
My eyes opened to the dim lights of a painfully familiar hotel room. My lips parted as a silent tear ran down the edge of my left cheek. I sat up slowly, my legs drawn to me. The room felt so ghostly. So empty. Like it had been stripped of everything that ever made it come alive. Like it had been stripped of what it used to be.I looked around. On the dresser was Florian's phone, a bouquet of flowers, a wrapped item, and his gun. I swallowed hard, my heart breaking all over again.Seeing the gun reminded me of just how real this was. That my Florian was truly dead, and I was the reason for it. That my Florian would never come back, and it's all because of me.I stumbled out of bed and walked towards the dresser, my eyes falling on my reflection. I looked like a ghost of myself. Nothing like the woman who had been so properly loved just hours ago.My knees felt weak, and I grabbed the edge of the dresser to keep stable, my heart pounding in my chest.I reached for the flowers first,
My world crashed and burned right in front of my very eyes. I leaned to Florian, my mind knowing exactly what had happened. He was gone. The bullet of my betrayal still embedded in his chest, the tears that I put in his eyes forever there.But my heart... my heart refused to believe me. We shared a kiss in bed just hours ago. He lay hid head on my lap and laughed like the entire world was beautiful. He told me that he loved me. That he always wanted to lay on my lap.I doubt this was how he wanted it to be. I doubt he wanted to be on my lap, dead. I doubt he wanted to see me cry."Florian?"There was no answer. The night was quiet, like even the world knew I had lost my heart. Not just a piece. Now, just a part of me. Roxanne, as I knew her, was dead with Florian. "We were going for dinner, remember?""Miss?" One of the doctors said, and I looked up, shaking my head. "Shhh, Florian hates noise. He also hates my tears, so why is he letting me cry?"I looked down at him. He looked
I gasped, my breaths stopping in my throat, my eyes flying open. Florian was still standing in front of me, his hand wrapped around the gun, his eyes wide. I almost didn't want to look down. Hell, I hated that it felt almost compulsive for me to look down.My chest heaved, and I felt my heart strings pull farther than I ever expected. I could feel the sticky wetness on my face. I could feel it on my hands, but hell, I hoped something had spat on me, and it wasn't what I was thinking.I slowly looked down, and I gave a small yelp, my eyes immediately filling with tears. I shot Florian. I really did shoot him.I slowly looked back up, and he was still watching me, his eyes darting across both of mine."Florian," I managed to say, taking a step even further. As if that was all he needed, his hands let go of the gun, and he fell to the floor at my feet."Florian!" I screamed, my hands immediately letting go of the gun too.I went on my knees, my hands cupping his face, the blood stains