Lydia’s P.O.V
“You look pale” Lyric said as he plopped down on the seat next to me, handing me the glass of water he had gone to fetch.
It was very late at night, close to 2 AM and the guests had mostly left for their homes except for Stephen and Ivy’s closest friends who had decided to party all night in honor of their best friends getting engaged. I’d managed to stay away from most people’s ways so I could avoid questions and I’d stuck mostly to Stephen’s friends who knew my condition. They didn’t show much curiosity except for the fact that I had a date. Lyric hadn’t moved from my side all night except maybe to get drinks for us, non-alcoholic for me, and stuff me to the brim with food. Honestly, with how much Lyric had been feeding me, I was afraid I was going to explode. Aside from that, everything had been perfect…well, if Stephen stopped glaring Lyric to death then all would be truly well in the world. He somehow still thought that Lyric had some kind of hidden agenda with me.
“Tired.” I muttered to Lyric now, not wanting to speak at all as I sat leaning my head back against the chair, eyes closed, nearly falling asleep then and there.
I was jolted out of my stupor as I felt Lyric’s hand on my thigh. I would have told him off or slapped his hand away but I really was too tired. I’d barely gotten any sleep last night because mom and Ivy had been too excited about me bringing Lyric here and then there had been discussions about the wedding preparation and then Ivy had proceeded to fill me in on everything I had missed out during the time I had been away. We’d eventually gone to sleep at five in the morning and woken up at nine because I had to go visit Roy.
“Are you alright?” he asked, sounding worried, his hands moving up and down my leg in a comforting manner.
“Fine.” I managed to get out weakly.
“No you’re not!” He snapped angrily as I opened my eyes to look at him. Lyric looked annoyed as he stood from the chair and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet reluctantly. “Come on, I’m taking you back to your room right now.”
He took my hand gently and placed his other hand on my lower back and propelled me forward. I could hardly walk, I felt so damn tired and the killer heels were the icing on the cake. I thought we could silently disappear from the party without anyone noticing but my mom stopped us right before we could make an exit. How she found the stamina to still be awake, was a miracle in itself.
“Lydia! Are you alright? You don’t look so well. Is your-”
“I’m FINE mom!” I cut her off before she could go into overprotective mode. Why does everyone keep asking me the same question over and over again? How fragile does everyone think I am? “David was just taking me to my room. I feel a bit tired, that’s all,” I told her firmly.
“Oh! Okay then, have some good night’s sleep and I’m sure you’ll be perfectly fine by tomorrow morning”, mom said kindly, nodding in understanding, but then turned to Lyric. “And can you take care of her for me, dear? I need to make sure everything is alright with the guests. I feel guilty for asking you but I really have no choice.”
“Sure ma’am. You don’t have to worry at all. I’ll take real good care of her, I promise.” Lyric said with a mischievous smile while I groaned, causing my mom to smile and walk away with a wave, probably to signal in the clean-up crew.
“Did you have to say it like that?” I asked exasperated as we walked inside the house. “Now even she’s going to believe we have something going on. And what’s with you being all chivalrous all of a sudden?”
“Hey! I can be chivalrous when I want to.” He complained and suddenly he hoisted me up into his arms with his hands under my legs. “See. Just like how I know how much you would hate climbing up these stairs right now,” he said holding me tighter to his body and climbing up the stairs with me in his arms.
I don’t remember much of what happened afterwards, I was too sleepy to care anyways. So I just placed my head on his strong, broad shoulders, basking in the warmth of his body and the masculine scent of his cologne, and fell asleep almost immediately.
Lyric’s P.O.V:
“Lydia! Come on! You need to change before you go to bed.” I tried to wake her up but she just groaned in protest and went right back to sleep, so I did the only thing I could. “Get up now or I’ll change you myself!”
“Okay, okay!” she wined as she sat up in her bed and began stripping right in front of me until she was down to her underwear and a pathetic excuse for a slip.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded. Fuck! The woman was definitely trying to kill me! Wasn’t it enough that I already had blue balls because of her!
“It’s not like you haven’t seen a naked girl before, right? And I’m not naked…it’s like wearing a bikini…” she trailed off, falling back on her pillows and falling asleep almost instantly.
“Right…” I trailed off as I took off my coat and tie. Why did this damn girl have to always test my patience?
It’s true that I have seen a lot of naked women before in my life, but this was different. This wasn’t just any woman, this was Lydia…the girl I was falling for, and falling fast. Looking at her made my breath catch in my throat. To me, she was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen and I felt stupid for not noticing that before.
Her black hair was soft and glossy and the way it spilled over the pillow made it look like a halo around her head. She had the perfect figure, curves in just the right places, though I have to admit that she was a bit skinny. But she hardly ate, so it was quite natural for her to be like this, she really needs to eat more and I made a mental note to get more food into her whenever I could.
I hadn’t even realized that I was sitting on the bed next to her all this time, admiring her beauty until my fingers brushed hers. I looked at her peaceful face and steady rise and fall of her chest and felt myself smile. I trailed two fingers down her bare arm, relishing in its softness.
Experimentally, I touched my fingers to her cheek, afraid to wake her up, but she hardly even moved. She was out cold and I felt like a bastard for sitting here and touching her without her permission. But I wasn’t being inappropriate, I reminded myself. I just wanted to stay close to her, just for a few more seconds. So I pulled the covers over her up to her neck and sat back down next to her. Damn, I was whipped! If Derek saw me like this, he’d probably throw a fit over it.
“You have no idea what I’d give to see you smile,” I told her as I traced a finger down her cheek, the small mark all but invisible under a thin coat of makeup. “I had no idea something so precious could exist until I met you. You’re stuck with me, kitty cat, no matter how much you try to deny it. I’m not letting you off so easily.”
Lydia sighed in her sleep and snaked her arms around my waist, drawing closer to the warmth of my body. I froze in place so as not to wake her and break the contact. Call me a bastard but there was no way I was moving away from her after this. Not tonight, not ever. I slid my arms around her as I laid my head on the pillow beside her, watching her sleep.
I don’t know how long I slept next to her, just holding her close to my chest, but I must have been tired as well because I fell asleep in her embrace without even noticing it. And that was how I woke up, several hours later, still wrapped up in the arms of the woman I adored.