Crossing Paths

Gardenia

I wake up being crushed by a boulder... oh wait that's Lucian.

I groan in pain as this ton lays on top of me, sleeping peacefully.

"Lucian," I whisper. I'm literally being devoured by the mattress.

Lucian grunts and moves, putting more weight on me. I tap his shoulder and he makes an annoyed sound.

I tap his shoulder again with more pressure.

"Huh?" Lucian groan.

"You're killing me," I struggle out from his weight on my entire body.

He opens his eyes, oh god his eyes. He looks down at me, underneath him.

He smirks, "Good morning, Tate."

I push at his shoulders, "I can barely breath."

Lucian rolls off me and sits up with his back against the head board.

I pull down the black t-shirt that hand risen, nearly flashing him.

I lean head in his direction and look up at him, "You're a boulder."

He smirks again, "I rarely wake up with a girl next to me in bed."

"Under you, not next, you were clearly on top of me," I roll my eyes correcting him.

"Uhuh..." he holds his hand over his mouth trying to stop from laughing.

"What's so funny?" I question him. He shakes his head and looks out the window on the nearby wall.

"Are you hungry, Tatum?" Lucian asks.

I look down at my stomach and just as I shake my head no, my stomach growls.

"Alright then, I'll get someone to make you some breakfast," he says. I nod and look into his emerald eyes, I swear they are putting me into a trance.

Lucian turns over and takes his phone off from the charger. After he dials a few digits I hear the phone ring. It takes no less than 2 rings for the other end to answer.

"I need breakfast ready in 20 minutes," he orders to the person on the other line.

"Yes," he turns towards me, "How do you like your tea?"

I smile up at him, "Black with 2 sugars."

He nods at me, "Did you get that?" he asks the person on the other line and then hangs up.

Lucian sets his phone back down on the table next to him and when he turns back my eyes look down to his chest. His chest is covered with tattoos and his abs have random tattoos scattered around. I want to reach over and trace over each one.

I look up to see Lucian looking at me, obviously seeing me staring at his chest, "Like what you see, Tatum?"

"Can I ask you something?" I question Lucian.

"Only if you dont ask to ask a question," he nods.

"What was your first tattoo?" I scoot up next to him and mimic how he's sitting against the headboard.

He points down to his wrist, my eyes look down at the flower, that is very well detailed. Underneath the flower is a date, I wonder what that date is special for.

"It's a gardenia, we have them all over the mansion in vases and paintings, my mothers loves them," he says saying vases like vahhzes.

I look up at Lucian with my jaw dropped.

"What?" he asks confused.

"My middle name is Gardenia!" I exclaim. "My brothers say my mother used to call me her Gardenia.

Lucians lips roll into his mouth and he takes a second and then says, "Tatum Gardenia Kingston."

Gosh my name rolling off his tongue.

I pull the top of the t-shirt down to expose my collarbone. I point at the small tattoo of a gardenia on the right side of my collarbone, "It's the only tattoo I have."

He looks at the tattoo with amusment. He slowly brings a finger and traces over the lines of the small flower. My body tingles all over when he finished tracing it for the second time. Lucian move his hand away and looks back up at me.

"Now I get to ask you something," he says.

"Ok, then," I bite the inside of my cheek.

"Will you come with me to a ball?" Lucian asks with no emotion.

My eyes widen, "a ball?!"

"Yeah? I have to bring a plus one according to my father," he rolls his eyes.

"I don't have a dress, and when is this ball?" I ask him, while my thoughts are all over the place.

"I can have someone bring you a dress by tomorrow, and the ball is tomorrow evening," he says while running his hand through his brunette hair.

"Ok," I say.

"Ok?" he asks confused.

"Mhm, I'll go."

"There's going to bed a ton of dangerous men there, but they know not to mess with anything of mine," he says firmly.

"Anything of yours? Yeah no," I throw my legs to the side of the bed.

My back facing him, I can hear a light chuckle. I turn around and glare at him, "What?"

His laughter grows, "You're gonna be my plus one, not my hand in marriage."

My cheeks grow pink and I turn my head around. I tuck a piece of my brunette hair behind my ear and stand up, pulling the shirt down to cover my panties.

"Do you think breakfast is ready?" I ask Lucian, my back towards him.

I feel a hand on my lower back, "Let's go find out."

I feel goosebumps cover my body. How did I not hear him get up, let alone come right behind me.