Octavius

xxii

FINLEY

        The low, hushed sound of gravelly male voices woke me up, and I slowly began to open my eyes with a soft sigh; the sight of my small, cozy room filled my eyes and memories of last night rushed into my head and consumed my mind. A single thought overwhelmed my senses. Octavius.

        Instinctively, my fingers searched the bed as an attempt to find him, my sleepy gaze flickering over my room, bouncing from the deep purple color of my walls to the two furry monkeys sitting on the side of my bed with a imprinted goofy smile.

        Mr. and Mrs. Snuggles.

        I nearly jumped as the sound of the door creaking alerted me to the possibility of an intruder yet when I turned my head, I had realized it had only been Octavius. He didn't leave me. He stayed.

        Yay.

I gazed at him, the sultry, sweet smell of his natural cologne lingered in the air and I couldn't help but inhale his deep scent as it coaxed my nostrils.

He had just showered given by the sight of his midnight dark curls— even curlier than usual— cascading down his back and it sat perfectly upon his shoulders, complimenting the intricate calligraphy elegantly illustrated upon his sun-kissed skin.

       He wasn't wearing the same clothes from last night but had completely changed into a dark t-shirt that gripped his body tightly to reveal the roped muscles of his bulging shoulders and chest as he threaded a hand through his hair.

The dark jeans fitted around him, low on his lean hips and muscular, thick thighs, outlining his lean torso and narrow hips printed with bulging veins that traveled all the way to his muscular pair of hands. A dangling golden chain fell from his T-shirt as he leaned over to gather his computer where it sat on the chair.

        "H-hi Daddy.. umm.. good morning," I whispered softly as I played with the skin of my thumb in anticipation of his words. Was he still angry with me? Or maybe he finally changed his mind and decided that he didn't want to be with me anymore... or maybe he wanted another person... a woman like Charley.

        Stop being so negative, Finnie.

        "Mhm," He hummed with a gentler tone than usual, his firm gaze fixated on the content of the laptop, and completely disregarded my presence. "Your parents have left, and so have your brothers. They didn't see me so no worrying," Octavius told me, his slender fingers absently tracing his bottom lip as he was deep in thought about something.

        Regardless I nodded in response to his words. I didn't understand how Octavius would have managed to dodge the presence of my overprotective brothers especially since Bellamy often entered my room at 7:30 sharp, but I didn't need to know, all I wanted was for Octavius to stop being angry angry at me.

        It sucks.

        I quickly jumped into the shower, spending an extra amount of time than I would usually do. Even through the strong barricades of the dripping sound of the shower, I could still decipher traces of conversation in the other room, a conversation Octavius was having with... Cosimo?