Midnight After Midnight - Nanowrimo 2022

Chapter 4 - A Deeper Bond

The following night, Lionel went to the same forest again, arriving five minutes before midnight this time. For those five minutes, he stared at the horizon with the utmost patience, fully believing that Adelaide would arrive at that time. And she did. 

Once more, she was smiling in that utterly enchanting way only she could, her eyes gleaming with life, the winds of cold playfully fiddling with her hair. The moment she saw him, her smile widened as she waved at him, and he didn't hesitate to return the gesture. Sitting on the grass, which was completely covered with dead leaves, they began their conversation shortly after.

"Hey, it's nice to see you again," she spoke first, her voice sounding like the chirping of a little bird. "It's a shame that our last meeting was cut off, but I suppose that there won't be any interruptions tonight. I'm glad that I've found another person whom I can talk with this easily, and from the short time I've known you, you seem quite charming to me."

"Thank you," he said meekly. "You seem like quite the charming lady as well. I feel like I could spend hours talking to you, and it would feel like mere minutes. Last night, despite how much we talked, it appears that I forgot to mention that, just like you, I love dancing, waltzes in particular. I've also been doing it with my parents for years, and I think that I'm rather good at it.

I suppose that we could waltz while talking, as I believe that the former won't distract us too much from the latter, and sitting on the grass like this, especially with all these dead leaves that have been here for a while, is a bit uncomfortable to me. So, what do you think? Shall we dance or not?"

She nodded, and gently, he placed his hands into hers, helping her stand up. After he wiped the dust from his cloak, they assumed their positions, beginning to dance without hesitation. The moonlight, which shyly shone through the heavy grey clouds, illuminated the quickly-running river across from them, as well as their faces. 

It made him look even paler if that even was possible, and her look even more alluring. Her eyes now shone like crystals, her smile was now even more angelic, her rose-red hair now stood out more, perfectly contrasted with the light of the night, and her skin now reminded him of silk, smooth, soft and tempting, pretty even when stained with blotches of blood. 

When embracing her tightly in his arms, he had to resist the urge to sink his fangs into her neck, his heart overflowing with all sorts of emotions. It was only his love for her that made him able to resist the urge, for he couldn't bear to imagine what would happen then. He would be unable to withstand her cherubic face reddening with anger, her melodious voice shouting notes of rage, her beautiful eyes releasing ugly tears, her lovely figure twisting in forced agony. No, he couldn't do anything without her approval.

"There is something I was going to ask you last night just before you left," she said, waking him from his thoughts. "Where does your family come from? I know you've got some relatives living here, but I don't understand why you would choose to stay here. This isn't exactly a place that's worth visiting."

Ready this time, he answered without hesitation. "My family comes from London. We won't be staying here for long, and are here merely because my mother's sister, who's been living here since her birth, is about to marry. My mother couldn't miss the event, and she also arrived early to help with some final preparations, including choosing what everyone will wear. They're inseparable, after all."

She smiled widely. "That's so sweet of her. There's nothing better than helping your sister out whenever you can. Concerning your family, do you know where they got their wealth from or is that a story they refuse to tell you? I mean, there's nothing shameful about it, I'm just asking."

"We've been wealthy for countless generations due to our inheritance, which was able to happen solely due to our ancestors utilising their sewing skills to create a well-known fashion line that's still going strong to this day," he answered as quickly as he could, not thinking about what he was saying.