My Long Lost Mate

"Luke!!" Violet snatched the book away from me, her eyes wide and her cheeks red. "W-why are you reading this?" 

The dėsɨrė to tease her arose as soon as I noticed what she was reading, but it only grew stronger after seeing her so flustered. It was always so amusing to watch her with flushed cheeks.

I slumped to one side, my elbow resting on the sofa and my head propped against my fist. I stared at her without saying any words, but it appeared that my gaze had made her cheeks flush even more—or perhaps it was the smirk on my lips.

"Y-you shouldn't look into someone else's belongings." She grew restless, her eyes darting everywhere to avoid my eyes. She then pulled the blanket away from her and tried to stand, but I quickly took hold of her hand. She let out a little yelp as I pulled her back to her seat. 

"I'm the one who should be asking. Why are you reading a book like this?" I asked, and her eyes slowly went back to me. When she realized I was still staring at her, she hastily flicked her eyes away. So adorable. 

She slumped to the sofa, pulling the blanket over her face and only leaving her eyes to be seen. "I-I wanted to know what lovers would normally do when they're together." 

Lovers.

"Why? So you can try it with me?" 

"N-no... I-I don't mean it like that," she stuttered, now pulling the blanket over her head. She said so, but I knew that she meant the opposite. She was just too shy to tell the truth. "I-I just wanted to know how to return your affections." 

Did she take this book because of the title? I knew from the start that there must be a certain connection between me and the title. Perhaps the title should be Loving the Handsome Lord and not Loving the Crazy Lord. 

I placed my palm on my ċhėst, attempting to calm my racing heart. Her adorableness made me feel like I was being attacked. If we were in a war and she was my adversary, her cuteness would be more than enough to make me lose the war. It would be the hardest war to win. 

"So? Did you learn something from the book?" 

"No," she shook her head, taking out the book from inside the blanket. "All they did was kiss, and... I already knew that." Even with her hiding her face, I could see that her cheeks were still flushed, and now the blush had spread wider to her ears. 

"Perhaps you haven't delved far enough into the story." I pulled the blanket from her face, then gently pushed her body so that she laid on her back. She shrieked. "I'm sure there is a lot more that you can do after the kiss." 

"W-w-what are you doing?" I could hear her heart thumping loudly, so loud that it nearly drowned out all the other sounds. I rested my hand beside her head and then used my other hand to raise her chin—just like what Ansel did to Melissa in the book. 

"What do you say? Do you want me to tell you?" I ċȧrėssed her lips with the back of my thumb, and she quickly hid her lips inside her mouth. I laughed internally. I had too much fun teasing her. 

She averted her gaze and shook her head slowly, her body sinking deeper into the sofa behind her as if attempting to conceal herself. A hiccup soon followed. Perhaps I shouldn't tease her too much if I didn't want her to end up with a heart condition. 

"Another day?" I asked, and she nodded. I laughed and lightly tapped her on the nose before finally moving away from her. Her relief was palpable in the way her heartbeat began to slow and how she exhaled her breath. 

Even though I was merely teasing her, my heart began to race—either from excitement or from the hope that she would accept my offer. Of course, I didn't let it show. 

Violet remained in her position for a few moments, with her hand on her ċhėst, before abruptly rising to her feet. She then dragged her blanket with her as she moved to her bed, trying to put some distance between us. 

She tried to talk but closed her mouth again, perhaps feeling shy after what had happened. She fiddled with her fingers, not daring to look straight at me when she finally asked, "W-why are you here?"

"I'm here to fetch you," I said, crossing both my legs and arms. She gingerly looked over at me, the confusion on her face clear enough that she didn't need to use any words to ask any questions. "We should go to Maggie's house and ask for more explanations about your situation. As of now, Maggie is our best choice."

I could see how the realization hit her when she heard me, as if she'd briefly forgotten about her being a witch after what had just happened. She took a few moments to think but eventually nodded her head. Although the idea of her being a witch did not sit well with her, she knew that she needed to know the truth. 

Maggie might have had a different way to prove that she was a witch other than touching the blue flower.

"But what about your work? Don't you still have a lot of things to do?" 

"Don't worry, Andrew and Jack will take care of it while I'm away," I said nonchalantly as I waved my hand to dismiss her question. "Go get your coat, and we'll be on our way."

She listened to my words and walked to her closet, taking out her coat and wrapping it over her body. As Maggie's house was located deep in the forest, we would be walking for some time, and I wanted her to dress as warm as possible—given the fact that the weather could grow colder as the evening progressed. 

Not satisfied with her only wearing her coat, I walked over to her, taking a scarf and a pair of gloves out of her closet. I tried to wrap the scarf over her shoulders, but she quickly backed away from me when I tried to help her to do so. 

"I'm only helping you with your scarf, okay? I'm not going to do anything—" not yet, at least. She narrowed her eyes at me, but I only laughed it off, finally wrapping the scarf over her shoulders. "Wear your gloves too, or would you rather have me holding both of your hands the whole—" she wore the gloves as fast as she could, then hurriedly walked away from me.

What a shy little rabbit. 

As much as I enjoyed seeing her with flushed cheeks, it would be difficult for me to take things further if she continued to push me away anytime I tried to do something. I wasn't trying to rush things, but I did want her to become accustomed to my touch—if possible, I wanted her to crave for it as much as I crave for hers. 

Well, compared to before, we've indeed come a long way. Just like today, she didn't push me away when I tried to kiss her back in my office. I would have gotten my second kiss today if only that stupid beta had knocked on the door.

Maybe I should flirt with her more frequently to help her get used to it faster. After all, it hasn't been long since she first started to respond to my advances. Perhaps, one day, she will be the one to make the first move. Until then, I should be more patient and wait for the day with great expectations. 

I quickly caught up with Violet, snatching her hand and locking our fingers together. She flinched at the touch and tried to release my hand, but I didn't let her and only grinned. 

"Aren't you the one who wanted to know how to return my affections?" I inquired, clasping our hands once more. "Well, first and foremost, you must accept my advances and not push me away."

"I-I know, but," she looked down at her feet, hiding her face behind her scarf. She stole a glance at me, blushing, and said, "Right now, it feels like my heart would burst if I got any closer to you. I-I think it would be best for you to stop getting so close to me for a while. I need time to calm my heart." 

Hearing it, I held back a smile, trying hard to hold on to my stance. I just told myself that I should flirt with her more often, but if she responds with such an adorable expression every time, I'm afraid I might really lose it one day. I didn't know I had a soft spot for adorable things—no, I mean, I should've known that I had a soft spot for her. At this rate, she'll continue to have her way and push me away every time. I should snap out of it. 

Ah, she's really driving me crazy.