Ashes of Cinder

38

The next morning you woke up exhausted. Red, puffy skin encircled around your eyes and you looked terrible. After everything Veria told you, painful waves of thoughts continuously bothered you throughout the night and the tears wouldn't stop. You cried and cried and cried, but you also spent the time to think up of a plan. Unfortunately, you couldn't pity yourself for too long, because there was no time to waste. If Blaise truly was the clever man Veria said he was, you had to be careful. He may loved you, but that doesn't guarantee your safety. Enraging him could have consequences.

Gulping down the lump in your throat, you hesitantly stepped out into the hallway, this time in a fashion unlike all the other times, where you excitedly went out to greet the love of your life. Even if you knew the truth, you had to sound convincing, right? To prevent him from becoming suspicious of you or Veria, you had to put on a facade. As stated previously, you were an open book, so this was proven to be a challenge.

You mentally cursed at your shaken hands that pushed the door open. Behind it was the toy store, looking the same as ever. It was almost so normal and homely that the horror you learned last night seemed like a lucid dream. The sunrise bloomed in the horizons, casting a pink shade through the front window. The shelves were lined up of colorful stuffed animals and the magnificent structures of toys laid there on the floor to showcase.

Blaise was already here, sipping his tea as he usually did. He was also reading a newspaper, his hands clenching it to the point it wrinkled. He glanced up at the sound of your footsteps and his handsome face brightened at the sight of you. Pushing himself up from his seat, he went to you and pulled you in. You nearly flinched at his touch and blew your cover, but thankfully your self control won over. But it became too much for you when he went in for a kiss. Your head leaned away and he paused in his action to furrow his forehead, looking hurt and confused.

Shit. You needed to quickly make an excuse up. "Sorry. I haven't brushed my teeth yet," you hurriedly explained, forcing out a small chuckle. "I don't want you to suffer through my morning breath."

His hurt seeped away and relief filled his expression. Luckily, the excuse was bought. He chuckled along with you and shook his head. "My sweet [Y/N], your morning breath won't make me love you any less."

He kissed you anyway and you wished you could scream. His lips pressing against yours tightly, he hungrily took you in as if you were the last meal on earth. It was rough and it was terrifying. It felt like he was swallowing you whole, similar to the glass slippers that ate away at you. The worst thing was that you had to kiss him back. While you did so, your stomach dropped to the pits and you began to feel sick. Rosa was stuck in the afterlife and you were here, kissing her murderer. You were terrible. Actually... what if you were to be blamed for this catastrophe? If Blaise hadn't met you, she wouldn't be gone by now. Sure, Blaise had planned that you met him anyway, but it was you who decided to get involved with him. You were the sole reason for his murder.

His lips moved from your mouth and down to your jaw, peppering kisses everywhere. "M-Maybe not now," you said weakly. He stopped and scratched his head in shame. "I'm hungry... can we go eat?"

"Did I go too far? I apologize. I got carried away," he murmured, frowning in concern for you.

"No, no! It's fine," you lied, waving your hands in denial.

He planted a kiss at the top of your head and led you to the table. "Are biscuits and tea suitable for you?" he asked you, generously pulling your chair from beneath the table. You lowered yourself onto the cold, hard seat and nodded mutely. Not actually hungry, you nibbled at the piece of bread, your mind lost in thought. The man sitting in front of you also continued his breakfast, focusing his attention on the newspaper once more.