Freed by Fate

5

    Poppy braced herself to enter the bar. Sneaking out of the house the second time was much easier than the first, though the guilt that plagued her soul was more unbearable. She tried to shake off that feeling, trying to focus on the present predicament she found herself in.

    While she did not own fancy dresses or expensive jewelry, she felt a bit more prepared appearance-wise tonight. She still decided to not throw on much makeup, nor did she do much with her white-blond hair. The only difference with tonight was her attire. She opted for heels instead of slip-ons and aired for a more elegant-style dress than a revealing one. She felt far more confident in a more modest outfit than if she had her body on display. 

    She slipped into the bar, feeling giddy upon entering. Evie was correct when she said it was the same day in and day out, but that did not make it any less magical for Poppy. She basked in the low lighting and she swore being inside that place made something deep within her come alive. 

    As she made her way slowly towards where she first saw Hayden sitting the previous night, she focused on keeping her breathing normal. She fought the urge to panic as she noticed him watching her every move, like a predator stalking his prey. Something about the way he was looking at her so possessively was twisting her stomach into knots and making her palms sweat. She wondered if something more had happened between them last night, but knew that was near impossible. She believed that if she woke up deflowered, she would have known, especially if he was the one to take it.

    When she got to his table, he stood up, took her hand and kissed it, before motioning for her to sit across from him. She was so taken aback by his old-fashioned gesture, she was not sure what to say. 

    He settled across from her, his eyes piercing but his face unreadable, and Poppy could not help herself from marveling at his appearance. He was exactly as she remembered, strong, chiseled jaw with perfectly shaped lips. Lips that touched her hand a moment ago, so soft and gentle. 

    He crossed his hands in front of him and studied her as well, shifting his weight so he had to lean forward towards her. "Good evening, Poppy," he breathed, and when he said her name she visibly shivered. She hated that he was making her feel so weak just by speaking, and cursed her mother for never teaching her the first thing on how to properly speak to a man.

    "Hayden," She finally answered as her heart pounded. 

    "I trust you slept well?" He asked, his one eyebrow raised in question. 

    She nodded as a waitress brought over two drinks. She watched the waitress's eyes linger a bit too long on the man in front of her, and a twinge of jealousy shot through her body. I am looking and acting like a fool, she thought to herself. 

    She took a sip of the drink in front of her, in an attempt to break the awkwardness, and realized it was a mojito. So he must have REALLY been paying attention to me, she mused. Smirking, and finding some courage within herself, she boldly asked him, "I have been wondering for quite some time now, how did I manage to make my way home last night?"

    Hayden gazed at her with that unreadable expression before replying, "I took you home last night. I refused to let you go alone, even though you insisted, and I made sure that you got inside safely, though you did also insist on using a window?" He gave her a quizzical look and a tiny smirk. 

    Poppy's eyes grew a bit wide, and though she was grateful for his chivalry, she forced herself to ask, "I don't mean to be so bold with this question but, ah, nothing... happened...like..." She took a big gulp of her drink.

    Hayden picked up on her innuendo instantly and shook his head. "No, my lady. I am a gentleman through and through. I would never harm a lady in such a disgraceful way," and with a twinkle in his eyes he added, "And trust me, if something happened, you would have known." 

    She blushed at his words, wondering just what he might be insinuating, and before she could stop herself, she murmured, almost to herself, "You'll have to show me one day." Poppy deduced it was the alcohol that made her so bold, for when she looked down in shyness, her drink was entirely empty. 

    His eyebrows shot up in surprise and a devilish grin spread across his handsome face. "As eager as I am to give you a lesson in that subject, you and I have all the time in the world to take things slow," He growled at her. He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his, gentle but firm. "Besides," He continued, his voice like dark honey to her ears, "it is much more fulfilling to go slowly." 

    Poppy had no time to react to his words, for he flagged down the waitress to get them a second round of drinks. She could still feel the touch of his hand on her face, like a phantom that had left his mark. She concluded that Hayden was himself intriguing, but in a much darker way than she imagined.

     "So Poppy, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do in your free time?" He pried.

    Her voice meekly answered him, a bit of embarrassment fluttering into her cheeks, "I live on the farm, as you know from last night, but I help my Mother out with the duties and chores around it. Currently I am helping her with preparation for the harvest coming up, but in our spare time we like to tend our gardens and greenhouse."

    Hayden looked at her, completely interested in every word she said, and replied, "I have lots of land that needs to be cared for, if you would be ever so kind to help me?" 

    She took a large slurp of the drink in front of her, her nerves jumping at his invitation to visit his home. Wondering how this would fare with her mother's rules, she nodded her head yes in acceptance. Right now is not the time to be worrying about Mother, she concluded, Not when this god-like creature is asking for MY help. 

    She finished her drink as they made small-talk with each other. She learned that he was more of a night owl than a morning glory, and he enjoyed the simple things in life, like puzzles and reading. Hayden seemed to be wickedly smart and witty, something that Poppy found to be irresistible. Even with his intimidating appearance, there was something about him that was so charming, and she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. 

    After two hours passed, Hayden proceeded to stand and held his hand out for Poppy to hold. He raised his eyebrows at her and questioned, "Shall we?"

    She gingerly took his hand, shivering as their flesh touched, palm to palm. His bright blue eyes were unreadable as he stared at her, as if looking to say something. But the moment passed as he held his tongue and instead said, "I want to show you my gardens. They are best viewed in the moonlight."

    Poppy followed Hayden out of the bar as if in a trance. She knew this was utterly insane, and that hell would freeze over if her Mother knew she was leaving a bar with a man she just met the night prior. But Poppy felt as if she could trust him, and she could not deny the fact that he seemed to have been entirely interested in their conversation. She could not seem to fathom why, for while she was exceptionally beautiful in a natural way, she knew Hayden could have any woman he wanted. After all, he was a tempting bad boy, and she was entirely innocent in these games.

    The cold air hit her bare shoulders as they exited the bar, and the moon hung high in the sky, casting light onto the couple. He turned to face her. Hayden was absolutely breathtaking in the light; his pale skin shone and his bright blue eyes seemed to glow hauntingly. The breeze made his black shirt cling to his torso, outlining his muscular body, and Poppy's breathing hitched as she fought to focus, trying to not think about what his physique under the clothes looked like. He smiled at her in the light, teeth flashing as if he knew what she was envisioning, and she tried to not melt from embarrassment.

    "There is something so freeing about the nighttime, don't you think?" His voice was barely a whisper as he took her deeper into town. 

    Poppy nodded eagerly, feeling his words resonate within her deeper than he probably intended them to. "I feel like a different person at night," She told him.

    He acknowledged her confession with a slight tilt of his head, and they fell into a comfortable silence, letting the occasional breeze rush them along to their destination. When Hayden turned a corner to the next path, he murmured, "It's not far now." Poppy realized that she was shivering, and she was not sure if it was from nerves or the cold air hitting her body.

    With a pang of wonderment, she realized that she walked this path before. As they passed house upon house, this sight was a familiar one. He lives in one of the big houses?, She marveled, wondering which one they would stop at. But he took her past the white marble exteriors, and she realized with slight dread that he must live in the one at the end of the street on the hilltop. She grew embarrassed as she remembered a figure watching her ogle the structure, and hoped that it was not Hayden. 

    They stopped at the end of the road, and Hayden punched in a code to unlock the magnificent wrought-iron gates that guarded his property from the outside. They slowly swung upon with a creak, and Poppy noted that there were two little gargoyle statues atop each side of the gate door. The detail in the stone statues gave them a life-like appearance; their faces scrunched up in a grotesque expression. She tried not to think about them as she passed by, but swore that their beady little stone eyes followed her every move. 

    The couple made their descent up the small dirt pathway towards the front porch of the massive dark structure before them. Poppy's legs felt heavy with anticipation as Hayden's gothic mansion loomed over her head. She was struck with wonder as she tilted her head up to take in the entirety of it before her. 

    As Hayden swung open the heavy front door and motioned for her to step inside, Poppy's breath stuck in her throat. There was something so intimate about taking the first few strides into his house, and she got the sense that not many people got to see the inside of his living quarters. 

    His front entranceway was magnificent, with dark wood flooring and deep gray walls. The dark interior was accented with beautiful golden filigree, which looked to be etched into the walls. A massive chandelier hung high above their heads, with beaded crystals glistening off of it, illuminated by its own light. Directly in front of her stood a winding grand staircase, which led upstairs to the rooms above. Two black marble pillars flanked the sides of the staircase, acting as the bones of the house and holding everything up above. 

    Hayden shut the door behind them, and the bang echoed around the spacious room. She felt his warm presence behind her, and he let her take in his surroundings for a moment.

    When she finally felt as if she could breathe again, she turned to him. Peering up at his face, she met his inquisitive eyes, and said, "Your space...it is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is unlike anything I could have ever dreamed about. It is magnificent, and glamorous, and just so...intriguing."

    He offered her a small smile and winked, reaching for her hand, "Wait until you see the garden."

    He led them down a dark hallway to the left, past elegant rooms that Poppy could have spent hours gawking at, and led them towards a solid black door with one ornate window in the center. He turned to face her and asked, "Are you ready?" She could only nod, completely amazed at the interior of the house thus far. He pushed on the door and led them outside into his backyard. 

    She stood, starstruck, as her eyes took in the magnificent sight before her. Little fireflies seemed to dance among rows of flowers. It was as if he had every flower known to man in his backyard. The full moon cast a soft blue glow on every part of the earth it touched, making the garden look as if it was shining. Poppy kicked off her heels and felt the soft ground beneath her toes, before beginning her descent among the beauty of earth. Sunflowers, lilies, poppies, daisies, all in a natural bouquet, sprouted from the soil. She walked through them, underneath arches of elaborate wood carved into the shape of vines. She was in a pure wonderland.

    Poppy stopped at a row of grapevines, which sprouted bushels of the purple fruit, ripened to perfection. She inspected it, wondering how sweet it would taste on her tongue. Hayden's arm brushed up against her body as he grabbed a handful of the fruit, and he murmured softly to her, "Allow me."

    She turned her body towards his, inches apart from each other. His eyes twinkled in the moonlight as he stared at her and gently put one of the ripe fruits between her open lips. She never broke eye contact with him, letting him see her revel in the taste of the sweet natural fruit on her tongue. He placed another one between her teeth again, and this time she closed her eyes, attempting to savor the juices for as long as possible. When she opened her eyes and met his again, there seemed to be a hunger burning through him. The way he was looking at her seemed dangerous and tempting, and he looked like sin. 

    Hayden lightly touched one of her curls and she held her breath when his fingers accidentally made contact with her exposed bicep. He leaned in closer now, bending his body down towards hers. "May I?" He gently whispered, staring down at her slightly parted mouth. She nodded and he slowly cut the space between their mouths. 

    Poppy had never kissed a man before, and was shocked at how natural it felt to her. His smell of pine engulfed her senses and his lips tasted like sweet honey. They were soft and warm against her own, gentle yet firm. It felt as if time stopped; all of her senses screamed for him and she felt alive. 

    But as soon as it began, it ended. Hayden pulled back, leaving her yearning for more. His bright eyes were dark and shadowed, and he gruffly told her, "Come on, let's get you home," before turning around and walking away. Poppy worried that she did something wrong, feeling her lips still tingling from his kiss. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, and she felt a sharp stab of longing for him. His reaction seemed opposite of mine, she thought to herself, disappointment spreading throughout her body, I guess I am not as intriguing to him as he originally thought.

    Teeth clenched, she begrudgingly followed him through the tangles of flowers blowing in the breeze. What looked magical to her before now felt hauntingly sad. She felt as though the flowers were mocking her foolishness, and she wanted to scream in frustration. Blinking back tears of loneliness and embarrassment, they began the way they came; through the house and the gates, back on the road towards her cage.