The dress slipped on even more easily than I had expected it to. It was somewhat tight, and I realized now that an extra small might have been a little ambitious. I felt the need to undo my scruffy ponytail, so I let my hair flow down my shoulders and back before I combed through it with my fingers in an attempt to neaten it slightly. "Is it okay?" Nicholas's voice rang out loud and clear through the changing rooms, and I gasped and whipped around as if he might actually be in the small room with me. Once I realized that he wasn't there, I managed to collect myself and reply through the sheer velvet curtain separating us. "Yeah. But it is kinda small, though." "Oh. And that is the only one they have. Is it uncomfortable?" I paused for a second, twirling from side to side slightly to judge the answer to his question. The tightness of the dress caused it to cling to my curves more, but the elegant bodice cinched my waist perfectly, making it look slimmer and much more flattering.
Once the car had started moving, Nicholas finally turned and looked at me. He lifted his hand to rake through his hair, and I flinched without meaning to because of the unexpected action. His face darkened suddenly, then he said, "I am not upset with you, Lia.” My entire body relaxed as I heard that. "Okay, good," I said with a gulp. He didn't say anything else for the whole drive, and this gave me extreme anxiety because I could practically see the raging thoughts whirring away in his head. We pulled up at 'Copine' which was a very huge, royal looking building, with at least twelve cars lined up beside it. It actually had two stone turrets on either side of it, making it look like some sort of a modern day fairytale castle. I realized that Nicholas had already left the car, and once again, I was left alone in the car with Harry. I panicked because I didn't want to give him the chance to say a single word, then I stepped out of the car so quickly that Nicholas didn't even get the
"Will you stay with me tonight, Ophelia?" he asked the question so quietly that I barely caught his words. “Why do you even bother asking?" I asked dryly as I took a large bite of my delicious cheeseburger. "Is that a no?" he asked, feigning innocence as I glowered at him. God, he can be so annoying, I thought with a hidden smile on my face. He is also adorable too.He held his hands up in mock defense, and I was pleased to know that he was just as susceptible to my death glare as everyone else I had met. We were enveloped in silence as we both started eating, and I was thankful for it because it gave me some time to think about what to expect at this event tonight. I made a mental note not to leave Nicholas's side at all because I knew that if I did, I would immediately have a nervous breakdown. I watched, impressed as Nicholas devoured his meal in mere minutes, while I found myself struggling to finish half of my burger. However, that didn't stop me from stealing fries from Nich
The dress was waiting for us when we arrived. It was laid artfully across the bed beside my overnight bag and the things Nicholas left at my house. Also, it was neatly wrapped in a type of packaging that screamed quality and stamped with a Vera Wang logo. As carefully as I could, I made a move to unzip it. Nicholas was currently showering and getting dressed in the bathroom so he was behind a closed door, and thankfully he wouldn't have to see me in the dress until we were about to leave. I assumed he would take a while dressing up if his outfit was anywhere near as extravagant as mine, so I took my time wandering around his room in just my bra and jeans, applying my makeup and curling my hair as slowly as I pleased. I reminded myself to text Rianne a huge thank you for packing just what I needed for tonight: my makeup bag, a curling iron, a pair of pajamas and even a cute outfit for tomorrow. I smiled as I ran my mascara wand over my lashes, finally feeling the excitement trigger
The interior of the building we walked into was beyond stunning. It was classy and elegant, yet it still looked clearly expensive beyond belief. The decor was made up of mostly black and white, with only a few exceptions such as the vibrant red stage in the very front of the main hall and a few extravagant tables lining the area that also held the same vibrant red color. It was one of these tables that Nicholas and I were led to by the man who met us at the front door and 'checked if we were on the list' and that was when I realized that this event was strictly by invitation. Nicholas's grip on my hand tightened suddenly and I glanced up, searching for the reason behind this which I found almost instantly. A group of six men and two women who were sitting at a table greeted us, and all of them were dressed amazingly. When Nicholas released my hand, I made a move to sit down but before I could, all eight occupants of the table got to their feet, and each of them took their time to s
The man turned around, his eyes widening at the sound of his name, and then his mouth fell open when he realized who said it. Both of our faces showed nothing but pure shock as I scrambled to my feet and raced up to him. “Oh my God, what are the chances?” I said with an astounded giggle as we shared a brief hug. “Ophelia! Oh my God, how have you been?” he asked.“I have been good, really good. What about you?” I replied.“Great! Why are you here?” he asked.“I could ask you the same thing," I returned but I answered him anyway. “I am here with Nicholas …um... Mr. Kendrick. Wait, no, Nicholas,” I corrected myself as my cheeks flushed. “Oh, you still work for him?” he asked “Um, no. Not exactly.” Diego blinked rapidly for a few seconds until I supposed he had caught on. “Oh...” he said, trailing off.I domidn’t meet his eyes as I hurriedly changed the subject because I hoped to remove the focus from me and my relationship for a few seconds. “So why are you here?” I asked.“My ne
I found myself counting down the minutes as the event finally drew to a close with yet another speech from Mr. Friar being the final farewell people needed before they began to exit the venue and speed away in their luxury cars and limousines. However, Nicholas being Nicholas, stood at the grand entrance with his hand held out, exchanging gracious handshakes with every man who would let him, and nodding and smiling politely at the various women accompanying them as they each swayed their way back to their cars. I felt obligated to stand beside him through this, and I noticed the looks he was receiving from every female who passed him by. He could tell me a million times that I was ‘special’ but he was still human and there were a lot of very short dresses. Then I began to wonder repeatedly throughout this if being so prude about sleeping with him was going to be a clever idea in the long run. Could it be possible that he is getting bored? I thought, but I dismissed the notion as qu
And then he lunged at me, pinning me to my seat. Before I knew it, he was holding both of my hands in a vice-like grip above my head, and he was holding me down using his hips. Holy shit, I thought. His other hand grabbed my head and yanked it down, bringing my face up, and then his lips were on mine. I whimpered into his mouth, giving his tongue an opening, and he took full advantage of it as he expertly claimed my mouth with his own. I have never been kissed like this before, was the first thought that came into my mind.I grinded against him, amplifying the fiery touch and sensation fueling between us as he brought his hand up to grasp my chin and hold me in place. I was helpless, my hands were pinned, my face was held, and his hips were also restraining me. Then I felt his bulging erection against my stomach so I thought, Oh my… he wants me. Nicholas Kendrick, the Greek god wants me, and I want him here and now in this car. Without warning, he reached for the hem of his shirt,
NICHOLAS Two hours later, we were sitting in my bed, swaddled under the covers with a random movie playing on the television. Our legs were tangled together with her cheek was against my chest, and there were plates of unfinished food around the dresser beside us. Usually, the mess would have been bugging me but right now, there were more important things on my mind. Currently, it was watching Ophelia’s face break into laughter every time something funny happened on the screen. Her hair was usually in the way, but when I did glance down and saw her chuckling softly, something powerful ignited inside of me. I loved seeing her smile. Infact, I needed to see her smile. It has become as essential as food and water to me and I had never been so captivated by someone before in my life. She noticed my stillness and tilted her head up to glance at me. She was silently asking me what was wrong, but I couldn't think of a single cheeky remark, not even a joke to hide my true intentions. Her
OPHELIA It took me half an hour to find him but when I did, I somewhat wished that I hadn't. He was sitting on a bench outside the hospital entrance, and I realized that he often resorted to these when he wanted no one to find him. My heart was pounding in my chest as I gazed at him from afar for a moment. I could immediately tell that there was something wrong with him. He was curled up with his head in his hands and even from across the street, I could see that he was shivering. When I got closer, I realized that it was not just from the cold because he was shaking with sobs. Infact, his body was wracked with them."Oh, Nicholas," I whispered and raced up to him as fast as I could. He tried to stand up but not before I grabbed his hand to pull him back down. The sound of his harsh breathing as he roughly wiped his tears away was the only sound on the desolate street surrounding us. “Talk to me," I pleaded. Alarmed, I tried to place a hand on his face but he shifted away. "Don't
OPHELIA I walked through the admissions foyer of the hospital and Rianne's mother was waiting for me at the entrance. After greeting her warmly, I immediately asked her if Rianne was awake yet, although deep down I knew that it was a long shot because she probably would have texted me.It still hurt to hear that nothing had changed since she left last night. I tried not to show my disappointment on my face though. "She may have come to overnight. I haven't seen her yet today because I was waiting for you." I smiled at her thoughtfulness before she continued. "So is your other half coming today?" I pursed my lips at her question and she read my expression immediately. "Don't worry about it, dear. He did seem a little uncomfortable yesterday. I am sorry if it was because of me." "No, no, it wasn't. He should be here soon. He is just at work right now." "Oh?" She looked at me inquisitively as we walked side by side through the Accident and Emergency unit."Where is he working? I am
OPHELIA I woke up with a start, struggling to catch my breath as the vivid pictures from my nightmare slowly faded from my mind. I couldn't help my frustration when I realized that this was the second one I had had in the past few days. I really thought I was over them. When I glanced to my left, I could see that there was already light outside the wall-sized window. Where did Nicholas go? My eyelids were heavy so I clearly hadn't slept long enough to catch up on sleep entirely, but it was disappointing nonetheless to know that he must still be working. I got to my feet, deciding to go and get some water since my throat was abnormally dry. I walked into the kitchen, surprised to see a new bag sitting on the floor next to my own. I recognized it as Nicholas's suitcase, and I automatically assumed that someone must have found it in our villa in The Bahamas and delivered it here. Maybe Shane arrived in Washington and brought this bag with him? Both bags were unmoved from in front of
OPHELIA "Nick. Hey, where are you going? Nicholas!" I caught up to him and eventually, he accepted that he couldn't ignore me any longer and hesitantly turned around. "Why are you leaving?" I asked him."We can come back when she is conscious," he replied ."I don't understand. We waited for hours to see them and now you want to leave?" He looked at me and I realized that he was breathing harder than usual. His eyes were wide and his face was abnormally pale. "Can we just… go? Please?" His voice was trembling and suddenly, I blanched, realizing that this may be much more than I thought it was. "Ohh, okay. But please just tell me what is going on." I hurriedly signed us out at the front desk and scuttled after him. The front doors slid open as we left the hospital, and I was thankful that the sun had risen in the time we had been inside. The cold was still biting, but it was not as harsh as it had been earlier. "It was difficult for me to watch them together," he finally said
OPHELIA The clock continued to tick mockingly on the wall opposite us, marking time passing painfully slowly. It was only the end of November, but it was already viciously cold in the waiting room as if it was already full-blown winter. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt as if I was freezing to death, even as I was with Nicholas's jacket on and his arms were wrapped around me. Minutes became an hour, and an hour becames hours. I had lost track of how long we had been sitting in the waiting room by the time a doctor appeared, asking if we were here to see Rianne Thomas and Dave Hank. Rianne's mother and I jumped out of our seats, both with expectant expressions on our faces. Nicholas stayed back as the doctor introduced himself, and I thought he was probably wondering if he would even be allowed to see them because he wasn't direct family of Rianne's, or even that close to her. In fact the last time I checked, they hated each other's guts. "Hi, I am Doctor Nathaniel.” T
OPHELIAIt must have gotten considerably colder in Washington while we were away, because the few cars parked by the hospital had a layer of thick white snow on their roofs, and the ground was coated with icy mud. The moment Nicholas parked the car in the deserted parking lot, I was ready to unbuckle my seatbelt and bolt to Rianne's side. I already felt terrible that we weren't here sooner but hopefully, her mother would understand because we were halfway across the world when we were informed of the accident. Nicholas seemed to sense my predicament because he turned to me the second we were no longer moving. "Go," he said and I smiled gratefully as I scurried out of the car and up to the towering hospital entrance. I could see Nicholas's figure reflected in the glass of the front doors. He was looking slightly less calm and collected than usual as he walked in behind me. I, on the other hand, couldn't seem to breathe as the place we were suddenly dawned on me. The last time I wen
NICHOLAS Eventually, she detached her lips and smiled lazily at me before she opened her mouth to speak. “You don't know what I want to do to you right now," she whispered as she sat up and began to plant small kisses on my neck. I must have been too preoccupied with trying to unzip my jeans to notice the way she sucked and nibbled harshly on the skin just below my ear for a little too long. “Nice.” Her tone was proud as she kissed the tender skin one final time. Just then, I froze as what she just did suddenly dawned on me. "You did not just give me a hickey," I bit out but she just grinned widely at me so I went on, "You have got to be kidding me. I have important meetings coming up." She continued to smile, and it was beyond contagious as her hand landed on my boxers. She rubbed the material over my bulge as I nuzzled my head into the crook of her neck. "I am sure I can make it up to you," she said and that same smile was still on her face. "Oh, I am sure you can." My voice
NICHOLAS I soon grew tired of the silent driving. I really thought Ophelia would have broken and spoken to me by now, but I guess I didn't realize just how upset with me she was. Out of instinct, I reached over and brushed the hair out of her eyes, but she only stiffened at my small display of affection. My hand found hers and I pulled it to my lips so that I could kiss it tenderly with my eyes still on the road as I steered with one hand. She didn't snatch it away, which I guessed was a good sign. So I dragged my kiss down to her knuckles and wrist next, feeling the softness of her pale skin beneath my lips. She still didn't show any emotion, as she kept on listening to whatever song she had playing on her phone. I put her hand back in her lap in defeat, resting my arm on her thigh instead. I waited a silent minute or so before I couldn't help myself any longer. Then I began to rub the skin on her leg just below the hem of her dress. Cautiously, I made a move to slide my hand fu