Elioza.
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We’ve been standing for the past thirty minutes or thereabout—Adam, Dedan, and I—with the rest of the Baelaforts as our audience.
If I’m asked what show we’re performing to have gained the utmost attention of five people, I would say it’s a shitshow. And I don’t know about Adam and Dedan, but I’m pissing myself here.
The icy looks on Mr. and Mrs. Baelafort’s faces aren’t helping matters either, especially since they’re focused on me.
“Your father asked you a question, Dedan. Where have you been?” Mrs. Baelafort asks sternly.
She may have only mentioned Dedan in the question, but seeing as she glances from me to the girl, it tells me the question is actually for both of us.
“I… um…” Dedan stutters.
I stiffly turn my neck to my right side to see her gulping hard as she stares daggers at Cainan, who is rather focused on her reading.
But let’s be honest here, aside from the parents and the last twins, everyone else knows she isn’t reading s**t.
“We were invited to the art gala, Adam,” Mr. Baelafort starts after a sigh. His expression depicts nothing but rage that he seems to be suppressing—I can tell from the popping muscles in his neck, the wideness of his eyes, and the stiffness of his jaws. “We kept the invitation a secret and returned earlier than planned for the sole purpose of taking you by surprise. What we did not expect is the new kid joining in your shenanigans. Whether you influenced her or she convinced you, I do not know.”
“We’ve always been like this, Dad. This has nothing to do with Elioza—”
“Dedan, shut up!” Mrs. Baelafort cuts in, and I swallow hard at the anger in her voice. “As for you, Adam, you quit professionalism and ditched your workplace for what? s*x?”
“Mom, language, please,” Cainan grumbles, although I can tell she’s celebrating inside her.
“While Cainan was studying, you three occupied yourselves with immorality,” Mr. Baelafort mumbles… WITH HIS EYES ON ME. “Adam, you and your sister were showing signs of improvement until Elioza came. I do not want to believe a twenty-year-old girl is a bad influence on YOU, Adam.”
Dedan scoffs. “But—”
“Your mom warned me of your brazen behavior, Elioza, but we did not expect you to show your true colors so soon,” Mrs. Baelafort says, leaving me absolutely speechless.
I mean… Mom said that? What little trust she has in me. It’s no wonder she didn’t want me staying at home alone.
Now the whole situation is actually getting to me. It wasn’t until Mom was mentioned.
Why am I being painted out to be a wayward person by my own mother only because I tend to not agree with a lot of things she wants me to do?
I don’t realize I’ve been sulking until Adam takes my hand and squeezes it lightly.
I look at him and smile. He does the same too before turning to his father. “Improvement, you say? You do know Elioza doesn’t have to listen to your shit.”
“Mom, Elioza had nothing to do with what happened…” Dedan was saying, but Adam had already removed me from the scene.
We stop halfway up the stairs before he cups my face. “That was a lot of heat. Are you alright?” he asks. I nod while forcing a smile, but I’m not really okay. “Go up, freshen up, and have a good sleep. I will sort out things here.”
I don’t want him to leave me, yet I make no effort to stop him as he descends the stairs.
Instead of doing as he says, I sneak down, although I stop on the fifth-to-last step and lean on the rail.
From here, I can see and hear the Baelaforts well—Adam confronting his parents on my behalf while they remain silent like scolded kids; Cainan smirking triumphantly at Dedan when others weren’t looking; and the last twins merely sinking into their sofas as they watch the drama.
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I stayed in my room throughout the day. I couldn’t even bear to step out of it.
I was called for breakfast and lunch, but I refused to eat. Now, I’m also being called for dinner. And I still plan to ignore it.
It’s not as if I’m not hungry. I terribly am. I just can’t… I just can’t face the awkward situations again.
I prefer sinking into my bed and watching the hell out of Chinese dramas for the sake of my sanity, although I don’t know how long I can carry on starving myself.
“Elioza…” I hear Adam call, and I turn to the door to see him standing there, his hands crossed behind him.
How come I didn’t hear him open the door?
“G… good evening,” I stutter, embarrassed as I sit up.
Maybe Adam is another person I can’t face, as I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we f****d.
“What my parents said earlier has no weight, do you hear me?”
I refuse to hold my gaze on him. Instead, I look down at my fingers wriggling on my skirt as I nod.
Then, all of a sudden, air whizzes past me as the bed sinks with force, nearly bouncing me off it if Adam hadn’t grabbed my waist and pulled me in.
He jumped into the bed! He jumped into the f*****g bed! And now he’s making me lie in front of him, his face directly before mine, our bodies pressed tight to the point we start radiating heat.
I shut my eyes tight, my face flushed red. I can’t look at him. I can’t even breathe, my f*****g breath hanging in my lungs.
“Open your eyes, Elioza. What are you doing?”
I palm my face, screaming as if whispering, “Noooo… I can’t do this! I’m too shy!”
Adam chuckles, a bloody attractive chuckle. “Come on, I’m on duty to bring you out for dinner, but I’ll serve you an appetizer here first.”
I part the two fingers blocking my right eye to look at Adam through them. “What appetizer?”
“It’s behind me, but I’ll have to feed it to you.”
I didn’t see him come with anything earlier, but I also didn’t see his hands when he stood by the door, nor did I witness him jump into the bed.
Still, I find myself sitting up with the intention of peeping behind him.
However, he sticks his lips on mine, taking me unawares.
Whatever I was going to say gets lost between him slicking his hands around my waist and prying his tongue into my mouth.
I moan softly as his fingers trace the curve of my spine upward, then tangle in my hair, gripping just tight enough to induce a little pain… pleasurable pain.
I pick up his energy, sucking lightly on his lower lip before letting my tongue tangle with his.
With that, the kiss grows wetter and messier, our hot and ragged breaths mingling as heat starts forming in my belly.
His free hand roams down past my hip and slips under my shirt to caress my bare skin, which elicits a slow throb between my legs.
Arching into his touch, I run my hands over his shoulders, down his arms, then back up to cup his face, only to kiss him deeper. And I don’t know if he notices it, but I’m shifting on the bed, rocking slowly on it, needing more friction down there. I could hump anything at this point.
But then a thought crosses my mind and somehow yanks me to reality.
I instantly break away from Adam, although our noses still snuggle, our lips barely touching as I chuckle nervously. “Adam, your parents are raging out there. What the f**k are you doing?”
The man huffs a laugh, one hand in my hair and the other caressing my waist. “What I want?” he whispers, looking into my eyes. “I’m doing what I want, Elioza. My parents don’t get a say all the time—I want you to know that. I want to be with you, and that is it. The only thing that can actually hurt me is if you don’t want me.”
I smile, my next words barely audible with my croaked voice. “I do want you.”
“Then take me…” Adam teases me by giving me a wet peck. “I’m all yours.”