𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ༊࿐ ᴀᴏɴᴜɴɢ x ᴏᴄ

31.

⋆☾⋆࿔࿐⋆𓇼⋆࿐ ࿔⋆☾⋆ Kai'wä POV ⋆☾⋆࿔࿐⋆𓇼⋆࿐ ࿔⋆☾⋆

He's watching me -  I know he is. 

I can feel the sensitive burn of his narrowed eyes but I can't look at him.

I think if I do, I'll burst into mortifying tears.

I have to tell him about Ta'ru, get it off my chest and be truthful to Aonung, but it's so hard.

I feel like if I do, all this will disappear, and once again I'll be all alone.

But it would be infinitely worse, because then I'll be empty without Aonung, wheras before I never had him at all.

"Are you to be mated with Ta'ru?"

My hear stops at his dull, emotionless question.

I sneak a glance up at him to find him already glowering gown on me, and I quickly duck my head again.

"Yes," I breathe, my voice shaky with suppressed emotion.

Aonung swallows hotly and looks away.

"When," he says tightly. "For how long."

"Today."

Silence.

He's angry with me- I know it.

"Right."

"I'm sorry," I breathe, trying not to sound as rushed and desperate as I feel.

"What for?" he says in a voice that doesn't quite manage to hide his sullenness. "You got what you wanted."

my voice catches and I accidentally look up his eyes are still blazing, and I instantly think of flickering blue flames.

"You – you..." I swallow nervously. "You think this is what I want?"

"Isn't it," he tilts his head. "isn't that what everything's been about?"

I can't answer. I thought he knew.

"What about you? I whisper, and he almost scoffs.

"What about me?" Aonung asks offhandedly. "You got what you wanted, and our plan worked."

My face is growing hotter and hotter and my heart colder and colder.

He can't mean that, right.

Embarrassingly, desperately, I'm ready to cling to everything I can.

"You didn't," I point out. "You didn't get what you want."

"I did," he exhales. "I wanted to be left alone for my mother, and she did."

No no no. This can't mean this. It can't be over just like this, but at his next words I think it actually is.

"We managed to convince people well."

"What," I breathe feeling as though I've been punched in the gut.

"You know," he says offhandedly with a careless shrug. "That we were a loving committed couple."

I breathed shakily, trying not to show my emotions. I was a fucking idiot I knew he was a non-committing Playboy skxawng, and I still fell for all of it.

It was no doubt some stupid move to make our 'relationship' more convincing.

It's even worse than it was, because pretending to be in love is much easier when you're actually falling for the stupid dick.