@fragmenthearted | Continue from here
It was completely mind-boggling to Ardyn how he could have gotten so drawn into her when he had intended to do the opposite - neither, when he had invited her to visit, had he intended to take her away from the rest of her group… but on the spur of the moment, before she’d made a move towards the door, his loneliness had spoken up.
He would likely have done it anyway, but he was still rather pleased at the way she asked him for her phone, which he passed over to her with a smile - one that was widened by the feeling of her touch on his face.
“Do whatever you need to - though do be careful, darling.”
While he waited for her, he wrapped his arms around Aurora’s waist and continued to quietly snuggle against her. He was simply glad that he wouldn’t be sleeping alone …. Even with all of his hobbies all about, the rooms still seemed… so very, very empty when he was by himself.
The young woman's sweet smile widened slightly. Her fingertips continued to caress his lips for a brief moment before poking his nose with her index finger, chuckling slightly. Then she got her phone back, which Ardyn kindly handed to her, whispering a little "thank you" when he gave it to her. Aurora huddled in his arms as she unlocked the screen so she could send a message to her brother. She did not try to hide to write it, letting her lover read over her shoulder if he wanted to.
Don't wait for me tonight. I have something important and personal to deal with. Alone. I can't explain it to you. I'll get back to you tomorrow. Rory.
"A lie is sometimes better than the truth..." she whispered to herself with a sigh. It was a sentence that his father had told her the day before the peace treaty was signed. And although she hated lying, she now understood its full meaning.
The princess reread the message, her hand pausing in her gesture to press the send button as if she had taken a slight hesitation. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, but even if one part of her told her she was probably making a mistake, the other part really wanted to believe that she had made the right choice. After a few seconds, she finally sent the message. She deactivated all notifications, putting her phone on silent, then placed it on the coffee table next to the sofa, the screen deliberately hidden.
"I will be harassed by questions, but I don't care about it. But for now... We are together, just you and me, until at least tomorrow," Aurora whispered, her smile still on her face. She returned to a much more comfortable position, letting her fingers run and brush Ardyn's neck again, drawing slight arabesques on his skin. "Do you have any ideas to fill our evening? Or do we stay here in each other's arms, just enjoying the moment?"
