A Thief's Kiss

21| Late

Chapter 21: Late (Aria's POV)

I let my hair down from the bun it was in, sighing in exhaustion. Tonight is the night before the wedding. We just finished dinner and I was getting ready for bed but I was extremely bummed out. Because not just my favorite ones, but all my sweatpants are still in the wash. 

I don't know what's taking so long for them to come back but they've been gone since the night after the engagement party. I made a mental note to ask for them. I stared down at the silk set I had to wear because I had nothing else to wear and my nose scrunched up. 

There's no way I can sleep in this without a boob falling out or something. It's so... I don't know how to describe it. It feels too exposing for something I'm meant to sleep in. It seems too sexy for pajamas. 

I clicked my tongue and unlocked the bathroom door, pulling it open whilst flicking the lights off. I looked down at my feet, wiggling my toes under the black socks. Mrs. Phoenix took me to the salon today where I got a pedicure and some soft highlights in my hair. She insisted it's a good look for the wedding. I shrugged at myself before heading to turn the lights off. I flicked the switch off by the door and turned around to get in bed and turn the bedside lamp off but my door opened, scaring the life out of me. 

My hand went to my chest while I swiveled around. I'm still very scared of the woman Alex mentioned. Even though she isn't real. 

"Are you ready for..." he trailed off, his eyes going up and down my body. 

"What?" I sputtered. 

"What the hell are you wearing?" He stepped inside, closing the door behind him and flicking the lights on. 

I rolled my eyes, walking to the closet and opening it. In the days that have gone by since the engagement party, I've come to enjoy his presence. He's the one person I'm familiar with. He sort of feels like... home. 

"All my sweatpants are missing, see?" I kneeled next to the bottom shelf in the closet where all my sweatpants were. "All the tops came back from the laundry, what happened to my sweats?" I whined, looking up at him. But he wasn't there. "Alexander?" I called out. I stood up and walked out, seeing him still frozen by the door. He's in his own world. I walked over to him, smacking his cheek. 

"Huh, what?" 

"What are you doing?" 

"Processing." 

"What?" 

"You in that," he cleared his throat. "What happened to your sweatpants?" 

I eyed him weirdly, taking a step back. "They've all been in the wash for ages. I have none left." 

"Uh... our um... the housemaid has been gone for a few days. Something about her kids being down with the flu. Maybe nobody brought the sweatpants back. Some of mine are missing too," he mumbled, his eyes trained on my body. 

"Stop staring!" I exclaimed. 

"I'm trying." 

"Really?" I asked sarcastically, noticing his eyes going down my legs. "Alexander!" I grabbed a pillow, throwing it at him. 

"Hey, I-" He sighed in defeat, picking up the pillow from the ground and tossing it on the bed while walking over to me. "I came here for something else." 

"Hmm, yeah. What?" I folded my arms across my chest. 

"Don't do that," he shook his head, keeping his eyes in level with mine. 

I quickly realized what he meant and let my arms drop to my sides. "You came here to ask me something." 

"Yes," he sighed. "I came to ask if you're ready for the wedding tomorrow. Do you know what you need? Is everything ready? Are you prepared?"