Chapter 32

Kent's POV

I'm telling Lilith that we have to start going home because I'm getting increasingly annoyed and also because it's getting late when we hear her name behind us. A look of hesitation crosses her face as she suddenly zooms to a person's arms calling thier name too enthusiastic for my liking.

The man who she called Finn holds her close spinning her around, spinning her by her waist.

I wait, grounded in the spot I was in looking at them as they begin to walk towards me, all smiles.

Lilith walks to me breathless, her cheeks red with happiness. It feels like a spear has been priced through my heart and the burns on my chest seems to have been opened up, a sizzling painful sensation like salt and whiskey was poured on it.

“I have to be introduce you, Kent this is Finn,My best Friend.”

Finn looked nice. He stretched out his hand to me, a smooth smile on his lips waiting for a handshake.

I didn't even notice my hands were clenched and at my side until Lilith cleared her throat alerting me.

“Kent. Lord Kent.” Putting my title would intimidate a common man. The handshake was calm and steady. I looked into his eyes searching for a weird reaction, seeing nothing I let go.

He only smiled further. His hand gripped Lilith's waist as turned towards him returning the carefree smile.

My chest tightned further.

“Lilith you haven't told me who this fine Lord is to you.” He looked at me saying the Lord like it was a bad thing.

“Kent is um…” She paused, her cheeks flaming. “Kent is also a dear friend of mine.”

“Oh?” His lips quirking.

“What are you doing here?” She asked him, looking up at him confused.

“I came to see you of course. A lot of things are happening. Your-” Lilith cut him off with a sharp jab at his side.

Interesting. There was something he knew and she didn't want me know.

“Have dinner with me now?” He asked, a cheerful and hopeful tone in his voice.

“Well I…”

I cleared my throat reminding them I was still standing there.

“We better head home Lilith.” Accentuating the word home so he would know we lived together.

His cheerful facade cracked hearing that. It gave me so much delight.

“Well then, I guess I'd see you around.” He said, the fake slippery smile plastered on his face again.

“I mean you could come forunch at the manor. We would be delighted to have you and we would catch up too.” Lilith said with a wide smile.

No. I would not be delighted having him in my home and the only space I have to be alone with Lilith.

“Decline!” I chanted in my head.

“That would be absolutely wonderful. There's a lot to tell you about.” He smiled at her.

“It's getting quite late. We better go.” I said, gently pulling Lilith to my side.

“Bye then, Finn.”

He waved her goodbye, a stupid smile still plastered to his face.

My hand is on her waist, gripping her closely.

“You're gripping me a bit too tightly.” She said, a small smile at her lips.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” I pulled away our hands touching but not close as I'd like them to be.

“So a best friend.”

“Oh yes!” She said a bit too enthusiastic.

“But yet you were washed up on an island and you claimed you didn't know anyone from here.” I said, fixing her a hard stare.

“I mean, I do have some friends from where I lived and I was basically kidnapped of my land and have little to no memory of what happened.” She said, avoiding my eyes and shrugging her shoulders.

I knew she was lying. I knew since the day we picked her from the island but yet I didn't care and I housed her, fed herself and basically gone out of my way to protect her and now there seems to be another man in the picture and I wasn't going to let that happen.

“He seemed nice.” I said the word tasting weird in my lips.

“Oh! He's the nicest. He's so sweet. He's like one of the sweetest persons I know.” She started to yap all about this man and frankly it got on my nerves so bad.

“There was something in his eyes, the way he talked to you. I think he likes you.” I said, looking at her.

She looked at me quietly for a few seconds before bursting into a fit of laughter.

“Oh my days, Kent. I had no idea you had a sense of humor. That's about the funniest thing I've heard all day.”

“But I'm not joking.” I said, looking at her with all seriousness.

“Finn is not in love with me.” She scruches up her nose like she couldn't believe I'd actually said that and couldn't fathom the idea of him being attracted to her.

“Hm. I think otherwise.”

“Whatever.”

“You don't know men. I could see it in his eyes. There was this longing when he looked at you and theis distant aggressiveness as he looked at me.”

“I think you're just thinking too much.”

“No.”

“He's like a brother to me.The last thing that would ever happen is me falling in love with him or vice versa. That's impossible!” She said, throwing a laughing fit again.

“You seemed very close to this brother of yours. He seems to want something more than your brotherhood.” I said my hands clenching.

“I mean I did call him my best friend. Of course we're close. “ She looked at me, probably wondering whether I'd knocked a screw loose or something.

“He invited you for dinner and the proximity was too friendly.” I said pointedly.

“Yes he did. He invited for dinner so that we could catch up and talk. That's what friends do and I don't know what you mean when you say too friendly.” She began to walk even faster

“You called me your friend.” She paused in her tracks turning to look at me.

“I don't know what else to call you. I can't call you my landlord since I'm not paying rent or I can't call you anything else since I'm not courting you.”

Courting her. The thought of that sent butterflies to belly. An amused smile crossed my lips.

“You're not courting me yet.” I said with a smile.

I laughed at her flabbergasted expression, walking at her side.

“What do you mean yet?”

“You invited him over for lunch.” I said ignoring her question.

“Yes I did. He's my friend. You-” She stopped looking at me with confusion all over her face.

“What?” i asked her, arching my brows.

“Don't you have friends? You don't invite them over for a cup of tea, some whiskey or I don't know lunch?”

“Yes to both questions.”

“Then what's the problem?”

“Nothing really.” I said as I continued to walk.

Lilith's POV

I'm looking at Kent with confusion swarming.

“Wait. Don't tell me you're jealous.” I said slowly, a smile spreading across my face.

He turns to me, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Maybe, maybe not.” He said turning back.

“You give the weirdest replies.” I said to him.

“I could say the same, love.” My heart beats fastly at the endearment, my lips slowly curling up to a smile.

“Don't worry about Finn. We are literally just friends. I wouldn't want to spoil that bond ever and he clearly does not have any feeling of affection for me.” I said to him settling his innermost thoughts and worries.

“Okay.” He replies quietly as walk back to the manor.

“Do you think anyone saw us?” I ask him.

“Saw us what?” He asks me confused.

“Anyone saw us walking. Taking a night stroll. I seem to hate attention but I garner a lot of it.” I ask him again.

“Oh. If course they did. Didn't you feels the stares?” He asks me.

“The stares?”

“You barely notice anything around you.” He said with a sakke of his head. “People were staring as we walked. Some were even whispering as we walked past. Don't tell me you didn't see them.”

I look at him dumbly.

“Of course you didn't.” He said with a deep laugh.

“We're going to be on the gossip column tomorrow.” I said sadly.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“I mean they're going to be saying bad things plus what happens earlier today and then the night stroll. Of course there'll be bad things.”

“People would always talk and make rumors regardless of what you say it do so just ignore it or are you embarrassed to be seen out with me?” He looks at me with questioning eyes.

“I don't know why you would think of such a thing.” I said laughing.

He smiles.” It was just a question.”

“You've been weird lately, Kent.”

“I could say same.”