Forbidden Desires I & II

Chapter 7: Elena

"Coming” Elena said as she walked to the front door. She had dismissed the workers early after the whole chore was done. She let them leave early so she could have some time alone.

She opened the door and stopped short.

Cayden stood on the steps. His face was bruised, one cheek swollen, a cut near his eyebrow, and his lower lip split. But his back was straight, and his eyes, though tired, were clear and steady.

“Cayden? Are you alright?” she asked, brows drawing together as she quickly stepped forward.

He didn’t lean on her. He simply nodded once and stepped inside when she moved aside.

Elena closed the door and guided him to the living room sofa. She gets him a glass of water and hands it to him. He took it quietly, “Thank you,” his voice low and controlled.

“I’m sorry for showing up like this,” he apologizing softly, looking at the glass rather than her. “I came to see Nikolai.”

Elena sat across from him, studying his face. Something was clearly wrong, but he wasn’t falling apart. He was just holding himself together.

“Do you mind telling me what happened to you?” she asked, worriedly.

Cayden was silent for a few seconds. Then he lifted his gaze to hers. “I’d rather not.” he said with a soft forced smile curled on his lips.

“Alright,” Elena said softly. She didn’t push further. “It’s alright”

He looked around the large, empty living room before speaking again. “Is she home?”

“I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning,” Elena replied. “She left early and hasn’t returned.”

Cayden’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. He set the glass down carefully.

Elena watched him. She had liked Cayden from the first day Nikolai introduced him. He was different from the usual young men who circled her world. To her, he's respectful, grounded, and quietly intelligent. There had

always been something about him that drew her attention longer than it should have. Something she had never allowed herself to examine too closely.

“You’re hurt,” she said. “At least let me clean those cuts.”

He hesitated, but Elena was persistent so, he gave in and then gave a small nod. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

“No, it's not,” She assured, and left.

Elena returned with the first-aid kit and sat beside him on the sofa. The shift in distance was small, but the air changed. She dipped a cotton pad in antiseptic and carefully cleaned the cut near his eyebrow.

Cayden didn’t flinch. He simply watched her face while she worked.

“You have steady hands,” he murmured.

Elena’s eyes flicked up to his. “I’ve had practice.”

Their faces were closer than necessary. She could smell the faint scent of his cologne mixed with the metallic hint of blood. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

“You shouldn’t be dealing with this alone,” she said quietly, moving to the split on his lip. Her thumb brushed the edge of the bruise as she worked. The touch lingered a second longer than it needed to.

Cayden’s voice was low. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Elena set the cotton down but didn’t move away immediately. “Still… you can stay here for a while. Rest. The house is empty today.”

He studied her. There was no pity in her eyes, but only calm concern.

“Why are you so kind to me?” he suddenly asked, his voice almost cracking

Elena held his gaze. “Because you deserve kindness, and I’ve always thought you were different from the rest.”

The words hung between them. Cayden’s eyes darkened slightly, not with weakness, but with awareness.

He had noticed the way she looked at him before briefly, carefully, as if she never meant to be caught.

Today, she wasn’t looking away.

“Elena,” he said, using her name for the first time without the formal title. The way it left his mouth felt dangerous. It made her shook, surprised at what he had called her.

She inhaled slowly before responding. “Yes?”

“If I stay- I don’t want to cause problems for you.” he said as he tried standing up.

“You won’t,” she answered, immediately without thinking. She had always liked him, and this would be the first time they would be alone with no one around.

Something she had secretly prayed for. A sinful desire, she's craving for.

The tension between them was no longer just concern. He leaned back slightly against the sofa, eyes still on hers. Cayden closed his eyes for a moment, the first real sign of exhaustion he had allowed himself to show.

Elena remained seated beside him, closer than she needed to be. She told herself she was only making sure he was alright. She promised herself not to falter but her body betrayed her.

When his hand rested on the sofa between them, only inches from hers, she didn’t move away. She felt heat surging through her — getting wet with those little moves.

Elena’s eyes drifted to his hand. His knuckles were scraped. Without thinking, she reached out and lightly touched the raw skin with her fingertips. Cayden’s eyes opened at the contact. He didn’t pull away.

“You should put ice on this,” she said quietly.

“Later.” His voice was low, rough from exhaustion and whatever he was holding back.

Elena’s fingers lingered a second longer before she withdrew them. She could still feel the warmth of his skin against hers. She stood up, needing a bit of distance before the air between them grew more.

“I’ll get you something stronger than water,” she said. “And ice.”

She walked into the kitchen, her pulse unsteady. The house felt different with him in it. She filled a glass cup with water, then wrapped a few ice cubes in a clean cloth.

When she returned, Cayden was sitting up straighter, watching her.

She handed him the ice pack. Their fingers brushed again. This time neither of them pretended it was accidental.

“Thank you, Elena.”

The way he said her name got her more wet, and didn't realise when she imagined his mouth eating her up as she would moan his name.

“I appreciate,” He added and she nodded, forcing a smile on her face as she tried to hide how she was terribly wet for her daughter's boyfriend.

“You don’t have to keep thanking me,” she managed to say, which made a soft smile escape Cayden’s lips

Elena looked at him for a long moment. The bruises on his face didn’t hide the quiet strength in his expression, there was anger, and hurt, but also something steady. Something that made it hard to look away.

Cayden’s eyes dropped briefly to her lips, then returned to her eyes. The tension in the air continued to thicken until it felt almost physical.

“God, I never bargained for this,” She said to herself as she stood up. She feared she would cross the line. “You should rest. The guest room is upstairs, second door on the left. There’s a private bathroom attached.”

Cayden rose as well. They were closer than before. Neither stepped back.

“Elena.” he called staring straight into her eyes

“Yes?” she answer her hands tracing circles around her laps

He looked at her for a long second, as if deciding something then, he simply said, “thank you for your kind gesture, I'll rest a little before leaving.”

“Rest well,” Elena said giving him a soft smile

He walked toward the stairs. Elena watched him go, her hands slightly unsteady at her sides. When she heard the guest room door close, she finally released the breath she didn't realise she had been holding.

She raised her fingers to her lips without thinkinglowered them again.

Christ, what just happened. Am I craving for my daughter's boyfriend?