Someone's Forever

14. Old Pain, New Wounds

For Praggya, on your special day...

God Bless You Dearest...

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"If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to live, and I need to live it in the best way possible. If he has to make a choice, may he make it now. Then I will either wait for him or forget him."

― Paulo Coelho, By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

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Previously in Someone's Forever

[His Pain, His Relief]

Gideon's POV

The place remained cold and lifeless with the same hollowness that was bestowed over a long period ago. But the change was her; her presence filled the hollowness of this place with her warmth and serenity.

Soon she entered a room; it was dark inside with no ventilation apart from the closed window but it was clear to me. Her breathing came uneven at the site but soon she switched on the light, her loud heart beats still clear to me.

She is afraid of dark. Royce said, her flustered image from last night reminisced back in the corner of our mind.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Valentine." Her soft voice resonated in the dull room, gesturing me to sit on a metal chair while standing on the other side.

Nodding curtly, I sat. She disappeared and came back with two glasses of water. Placing one in front of me and keeping other to herself, she sat.

Moments passed by silence ruled the atmosphere; I sat there enjoying the rhythmic beating of her heart while she sat fidgeting with her glass, her curious eyes wandering in the hall.

Sighing, she gave a brief glance to my side and begins, "I'm sorry Mr. Valentine, I didn't meant to raise my voice at you. It wasn't my intention to disrespect you." She paused, her eyes showed sincerity.

I gave her an encouraging nod to continue, "But when you said you came here to meet the caretakers, I thought you came here to scold them and without thinking twice I—I" her voice regained the confidence with density, but her eyes held softness in them.

"It was their responsibility to take care of our guest." I replied, her defending them was a complete surprise to us.

Why she is advocating them? Does she have any idea what could have happened that night, if we weren't reached there on time. The exasperation and annoyance was visible in his voice, ready to break through and put some sense in our mate.

She stayed there, still. Her eyes focused solely on my cuff links resting on the table, admiring them.

"Mr. Valentine, see I don't remember what exactly happened but it certainly wasn't their fault. They surely had tried to stop me from going.—" she halted, her eyes raised from my cuff links, like the interest she found in them dead now.

"Mr. Valentine, I know that was a very stringent law here which I broke by going out in my delinquency but—but it was my fault, I'm responsible for that and no one else. If someone deserves the consequences, it's me not them." She completes her explanation looking straight into my eyes, sincerity and nobility was clear in them with a glint of guilt.

She thinks it's her fault what happened; does she know the depth of this matter. We could have lost her.

She don't know this King, she is just Modest. Royce tried to reason her behavior.