Haunted (Alastor x OC)

Ch 52

Alastor's POV

Ever since we arrived back at the house Aria has been quiet...

Right now I'm looking at her from the bathroom as I prepare for bed...she's just sitting with her knees tucked close to her, her sweatshirt pulled up and over them creating a little cocoon of sorts.

She was chewing on one of the hoodie strings, a distant look in her eyes as if she were thinking.

She didn't even notice when I turned the light out in the bathroom, or when I stepped into the room.

So, naturally, I walked over and jumped into the bed next to her. She gasped and then fell over into me, making me laugh and wrap my arms around her.

"Don't scare me..." she whined softly and I fixed her to where she was sitting up again. Then I tilted her chin up so her eyes met mine and tilted my head.

"What's on your mind, peu d'amour? And don't say nothing, I know it's not nothing," I said and her eyes widened.

Then they fell and her cheeks flushed.

"Can we talk...?" She said quietly, meeting my eyes for barely a second.

My head blanked and then immediately went through every possible outcome of this conversation as I stared at her.

Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?

Did I kill someone earlier...? I don't think I did...

Maybe I—

"Alastor?" Her tiny voice once again grabbed my attention.

I shook my head, "yes, yes of course sweetheart, we can talk..." I said quickly. She took a deep breath.

"I want to have sex with you..." she blurted, her face turning a deeper shade of red.

I blinked, then my worry washed away and was replaced with amusement. I chuckled softly, "right now?" I asked her and her eyes widened.

"N-no! No...I...that's the thing, I want to...I want to warm up to it..." she said, and she still hasn't looked me in the eyes.

I fixed that by grabbing her by the chin gently and tilting her head up. Our eyes met and hers were big and nervous.

She bit her lip and I found myself adoring how she looks right now.

Submissive...helpless...fragile...

"Is that so, sweetheart?" I asked her sweetly and she nodded.

"I-I've been thinking about it a-and I think it would be b-better you know...? So when we d-do have sex...it won't feel l-like it means nothing..." her voice sounded small and I dropped my teasing demeanor at her words.

"Aria...honey..." I started, then sighed, "even without foreplay, sex with you would not mean nothing to me..." I said, looking into her eyes.

Her lips parted and she stared at me a moment longer, then she spoke.

"I—I just...I figured you would only want to do it with me once...just to do what you said, and...you wouldn't want to again, so I...I want it to feel special...I want to feel close to you..." she said.

A deep pain set in my chest, then. I furrowed my brows and searched her features. Does she actually think that's what my offer to her meant?

If so, then I portrayed it very poorly.

"Aria..." I said softly, "this isn't for me, darling...this is for you..." I brushed my thumb over her cheek, "but that doesn't mean I don't want to, dear...I wouldn't have offered it in the first place if I didn't want to share myself with you like that..."