68 Chapter 68 FIRST DATE
68 Chapter 68 FIRST DATE
This was just…Lucian and me.
Fucking Maya.
“I think,” I said carefully, “that you should go find someone closer to your age.”
Her words, not mine.
He didn’t stare at me. Didn’t edge closer. He just sat there, eating popcorn, sipping his water, and existing like the incredibly respectful man he was.
The movie theater was mostly empty when we arrived, which was a relief. The last thing I wanted was to run into anyone I knew.
And suddenly, I didn’t feel flustered or overwhelmed.
I felt…cherished.
At first, I tried to focus on the plot. The two characters met in a rainy bookstore-cute. Then they went on a picnic and somehow ended up half-naked under a tree.
Three rows ahead of us, a couple started making out, their moans mingling with the ones coming from the speakers.
When I asked Maya what it was about, she just shrugged, smirking. I should have fucking googled it.
I laughed despite myself and started to type a reply when I heard a voice behind me.
When she pulled out a lacy wine-red slip dress I didn’t even remember owning, I’d nearly
fainted.
Lucian smiled, and my heart did a flip. “I see you, Sera,” he said, handing me the flowers. “Carnations aren’t the flashiest, mostly overlooked, but…they’re strong, quietly beautiful. Like you.”
My stomach plummeted.
She winked. “You never know what could happen, and you should always be prepared.”
68 Chapter 68 FIRST DATE
“I’ve always had a thing for older women,” he continued, undeterred. “Age is just a number, right?”
I turned, surprised to see a tall, lanky teenager-maybe seventeen-grinning at me like he’d just won the lottery.
Which somehow made everything worse.
The title of the film sounded harmless enough-Until the Last Breath.
The drive was comfortable and…fun. Lucian let me pick the music, and when I chose an old 80s rock playlist, he didn’t bat an eye-just grinned and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel like he already knew the songs.
And there goes my perfect day.
Our fingers brushed as I took the bouquet, and my voice was soft, a little shaky when I said, “Thank you, Lucian.”
Lucian, of course, sat completely composed. Like he was watching an educational documentary and not a film that should’ve come with a trigger warning titled ‘Not Safe for the Sexually Starved.’
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
I thought it was a drama. Maybe a slow-burn romance with lots of longing glances and sad piano music.
Lucian’s hand gently closed over mine, warm and grounding. I glanced sideways and found him looking at me, a soft smile playing on his lips.
“She likes compliments, just not from someone young enough to be her fucking son.” Not a night I had to endure as the figurehead wife for Kieran’s image.
He laughed like I’d just flirted back. “What, you don’t like compliments?”
The worst part was that the sex wasn’t the in-your-face kind, but the kind with long stares, heavy breathing (moaning, a shit ton of moaning), and music that swelled at the exact wrong time. The kind that reminded you what it felt like to be touched like you mattered.
68 Chapter 68 FIRST DATE
I nodded and watched him disappear into the crowd. My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I stepped aside near the wall to check it.
My eyes bulged out of their socket. “What? Maya, we’re watching a movie, not…” My face
burned.
Instead, I went with my favorite black jeans, a soft mauve blouse that hinted at femininity without being overly sultry, and white sandals. No makeup other than tinted sunscreen, a light coating of mascara, and sparkly lip gloss.
My eyes pricked with sudden tears, and I thanked the gods I didn’t use eyeliner.
I shook my head. “I’m going to feel so awkward the whole time if I wear that.”
My lips parted in a small gasp. “How did you…”
I smiled. “I like old school.”
She’d just arched a brow. “Don’t forget the dinner after. Besides, it’s not about the movie. It’s about the impression you leave with Lucian. He’s not supposed to be able to watch the movie; he’s supposed to be watching you.”
This was my first proper date with a man. Not a forced dinner or event orchestrated by pack politics.
I stared at him, mouth slightly agape.
Then he lifted our joined hands slightly and pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles. And he didn’t let go.
“Sort of,” I replied.
But Lucian didn’t look or seem as flustered as I did.
Ten minutes into the movie, I cursed myself for considering Maya’s suggestion when Lucian asked me to pick a movie.
It wasn’t even that he brought me flowers-something no one had ever done before. It was that they weren’t generic roses or some flashy, store-bought bouquet. They were pink carnations-my favorite.
Simple. Casual. Me.
<
68 Chapter 68 FIRST DATE
now-dead lover about how love wasn’t about timing but about choosing someone every day-I felt a tear slip down my cheek.
After the credits rolled and the lights came up, I stood, still a little dazed.
But what caught me off guard, as always, was the softness in his eyes when he saw me. That kind of open admiration wasn’t something I was used to.
SERAPHINA’S POV
“Um. No,” I said politely. “I’m waiting for someone.”
He chuckled. “You look too hot to be with a ‘sort of”.”
He didn’t say anything, just gave me that look again-warm and steady and so full of quiet understanding it nearly undid me.
I turned slowly to see Kieran standing just a few feet away, arms crossed, dark eyes drilling into the teenager like he was about to Shift and eat him whole.
He picked me up right on time, dressed in a dark grey button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, exposing his striking tattoo and slacks that did a poor job of hiding just how ridiculously built he was.
I tossed the Boy Scout out of my room.
And that felt monumental enough without the need for push-up bras and smoky eyeshadow.
I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You clean up well yourself.”
And then, his left hand came out from behind him, holding a bouquet of pink carnations. Lucian got the tickets while I hovered near the popcorn stand, feeling awkward and fidgety. He returned with two bottles of water and a shared bucket of popcorn.
I shifted in my seat, pressing my legs together like a chastity measure.
I was about to shut him down-gently but firmly-when a familiar voice sliced through the air, smooth and venom-laced.
That single gesture carried more emotion than anything I’d seen on screen.
68 Chapter 68 FIRST DATE
What it was…
She rolled her eyes and tossed the dress into the back of my closet, where it belonged. “Okay, do you at least have sexy lingerie?”
Lucian didn’t let go of my hand until we were out of the theater. Then he smiled and motioned toward the concession stand.
I clutched the flowers tightly as we walked to his car.
Not that I was ashamed of being out with Lucian or anything; it’s just that the people I knew all shared the remarkable ability to ruin my day with their mere presence.
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