It was just a few hours to the new year. They had all been given breaks and told to go home, but Caelia remained because Mrs Wright wouldn't let her go, claiming that she had taken too many breaks. Caelia humbly obliged her, at least her mother was allowed to go home.
But that meant only her and Margaret remained and Margaret didn't hide her pleasure. Finally, a chance where she could boss her around without her mother coming to her defence. She was elated.
Fortunately, the Wrights were not home and now that Caelia knew what they truly were, she could finally get an explanation to their sudden and abrupt absences every now and then.
She was going around making rounds cleaning the room Margaret had told her she could go to bed after that and she had decided to clean Damon's room last, only because she wanted to look at his books again.
Now that she studied his room even more, there was something about it that looked almost unnatural. It was a room, like any other boy room, almost as if it belonged to a teenager, but given what she now knew about Damon, she realised his bedroom didn't match who he was, was it all pat of the facade or was that who he really was on the inside. And was he the real Damon? Or a fake?
Did he truly like books? or he just had a lot of years reading a lot of them? Those were questions she would never really have answers to and it slightly bothered her.
The door knob twisted and the door opened, she jumped in fear.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were going to be coming back."
She said as she started packing her cleaning supplies.
Damon raised a hand.
"It's okay."
"You didn't go home for New Years?"
He asked and she shook her head.
"No. I thought you'd be out with your family too."
Damon shook his head.
"I like my new years alone, spent in quiet contemplation."
Is it because you've celebrated one too many new years? She almost found herself asking.
"That's interesting. Why?"
She asked boldly and Damon shrugged.
"It's a new year, I don't see why I have to be out partying."
"Oh."
She was awkwardly silent for a while.
"I'll take my leave now."
She murmured.
Damon looked at her with a frown on his face.
"Are you avoiding me?"
He asked and she shook her head, almost flinching at the directness of the question.
"I'm just giving you some privacy. You said you like to spend your New years alone."
Damon shrugged.
"It's not New Years yet. And if I didn't want you here I would have told you to leave."
He walked towards his bed and sat down at the edge. He started removing his shoes.
"Now stay a while. Tell me about those books I gave you. Which one's your favourite?"
She couldn't lie, she had missed their book talks, there was no one else she could talk to about books other than him. One Afternoon she had tried talking about books to Rachel and Rachel had simply walked away and avoided her for the entire day.
"I haven't read them all, but they're pretty good."
Damon nodded.
"I see... I though you hated them so much, I thought that was why you started avoiding me."
Caelia chuckled as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
"I'm not avoiding you."
"You don't have to lie, I just want to know why."
She shrugged.
"I just thought it'd be better if we had some boundaries and not be so close."
Damon frowned as he slowly started to unbutton his shirt, as he undid the top button of his shirt, Caelia caught a glimpse of his toned chest. Each button released created a sense of anticipation for her, revealing more of his sculpted physique. She couldn't help but shamelessly gawk at him.
"Boundaries?! Did Margaret say something to you?"
Damon said, his voice making her quickly look away. Caelia shook her head.
"No.. it's not her..."
As the last button came undone, Damon removed his shirt entirely, revealing his perfectly defined abs and well-toned muscles. He let out a sigh of relief as he threw the shirt on the bed, then turned to Caelia and found her staring with her mouth open.
When Caelia saw that he caught her, she turned her back quickly.
"I'll come back later."
"Come back here Caelia."
Damon demanded. his voice firm, she had no choice but to stay.
With her cheeks blazing red, she turned away from the door, keeping her head down.
"Caelia I'm not naked, I just took my shirt off."
Damon teased as he chuckled.
She kept mute, her head still down, her fingers playing with the hem of her dress nervously.
"You can look at me, I promise I don't bite."
She looked up. Damon had a silly boyish grin on his face.
"See!!! That wasn't so bad was it?!"
"I think I should be heading back."
Damon sighed.
"Okay, if you want to leave, you can. I'd hate to hold you back, but I was actually hoping you could stay for a while, you know how much I enjoy your company."
Caelia shot up her head.
"You do?"
She asked and Damon nodded.
"I do, but I'd understand if I make you uncomfortable and you want to leave."
"You don't make me uncomfortable."
She answered a little bit faster than she had wished to, Damon's face seemed to light up with her answer.
"That's a relief. I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if you said I make you uncomfortable."
Caelia ignored all the warning signs in her head and moved closer to Damon, then she sat at the edge of the bed, putting a sizeable amount of space between her and Damon.
"What's your New year normally like?"
Caelia smiled.
"I usually just stay home with my family. Sometimes I go to a new year's party and watch the countdown, with the fireworks and all."
"That sounds fun. Did you do the whole new year resolutions too?"
He asked and she chuckled.
"Yes. I do. Every year."
"Really?! Does it actually work?!"
"If you're determined to. It'll definitely work..."
Too bad her own new year resolutions for last year had been different. There was nothing like being a maid on it and yet there she was, moping floors.
"I don't know if it works that way, but I'd be really honest I've never actually tried new year resolutions. I just make mental notes."
"Mental notes of what?"
She asked in curiosity.
Damon shrugged.
"What I want to do, what I see myself doing."
Caelia remembered something.
"Wait... are you leaving soon? I remember you saying you're only here for the holidays."
Damon sighed.
"I wish I could... but looks like I'll be staying a little longer."
"Oh... and are you happy about that?"
Damon shrugged.
"I don't know... I know I have to stay here... especially with everything going on."
"What's going on?"
She asked.
Damon glanced at her, she could tell it had to do with the ball just with the look on his face.
"Don't worry. It's just some things with the family business, I have to tie up some loose ends."
Did that? Did that include her?!
She wondered as she quickly looked away.
"And the ball? I didn't ask about it but how was it? Was it magical?"
"Oh it was. I wish you could have seen it.."
Oh but I did. Caelia thought.
I danced in your arms and you don't even remember, you called me a bride and gave me a ring.
I have the ring tucked away under my pillow.
I look at it every night.
"I met someone there."
Damon said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Really?"
She asked and he nodded.
"Yea. She was beautiful."
"Really? Tell me about her."
Caelia asked eagerly.
"She had on this red dress and it was so magnificent, everyone couldn't stop staring at her, her skin looked so pale in the dress. Her hair, her hair was black, kind of like yours."
He pointed at her hair and she touched her braid nervously, tucking it in even more.
"Her eyes were grey, they reminded me of storms, she was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
"Wow..."
Caelia murmured.
"What happened next?"
Damon shrugged.
"I can't say... but I thought we were getting along pretty well, but then she ran off into the night like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight."
Caelia almost chuckled.
"Wow... maybe she was nervous."
"I don't think her running away had anything to do with you?"
Damon turned to look at her.
"You think so?"
She nodded.
"Why do you think so?"
He persisted and she shrugged.
"Because if she's Cinderella then you're pretty much Prince Charming."
Damon smirked.
"You think I'm fit enough to be a prince?"
Caelia remembered Greta's words. And everything that had happened at the ball.
Oh he was no Prince Charming for sure, he was a devil.
An anomaly from hell and now she was to be his bride.
But she smiled and nodded.
"Yes. You're fit to be a Prince."