COLD AND BLANK

COLD AND BLANK
Blank breaks away from the kiss too soon, leaving me flushed and wanting more.

My eyes remain closed as I swim in a sea of amazement. And the moment I feel Blank’s face move more than an inch from mine, I quickly pull the duvet over my head again.

“You were so bold when you kissed me before, my lady. Why are you so shy now?” he whispers, and I find my fingers are fidgeting.

I shouldn’t let him see how weak I am. I shouldn’t let him see how much I want him.

“We’re having a ball later today. You’re the Belle of the ball, so we’ll both go shopping soon,” Blank says all at once before adding, “meet me downstairs.”

The moment I feel him turn his back to leave, I pull the duvet down and watch him. Except, aunt Mellow interrupts my view, as she uses the open door before Blank even reached it.

The two nod at each other before Aunt Mellow sets a tray of food on the bed.

“Your mom said you haven’t had breakfast,” she says.

Although my eyes are open, I look past her instead of meeting gazes with her. Her eyes are just too strong and dominant for me to withstand them.

As I said nothing, she turns around to leave. But I jump out of my lying position to grab her wrist.

“Aunt Mellow,” I call as she halts.

Her skin feels cold and soft, as if the pain of her past are still running cold through her veins. But Dad says she’s over that. And I believe she is.

She turns to look at me. This time, I meet her gaze, stunned for a moment at the look of her eyes.

Aunt Mellow’s orbs are the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen. You would think they’re black from afar. But when you come close, or when they’re graced with light, you realize they actually have a hint of dark purple. But I hear she prefers to say they’re violet.

“Dad always tells me you’re the strongest woman he has ever known. And I can see that,” I whisper. “There were times when I felt like I was so unlucky for having not met you even though I would have just called dad and he would make it happen. The problem had to do with me. I felt too inferior to stand by you. I felt like it would dim your aura if you were to come close to a shadow like me. Because of that, I did all I could not to meet you even when dad proposed the idea. Now that I have. I realize that all the good feelings I’ve had about you are true. And I’ve been wanting to say this; that you are my role model.”

Aunt Mellow’s eyes fill up with tears. For some reasons, that causes my own eyes to well-up as well.

She twists her hand to shrug my grip off her wrist, but also takes my hand immediately, coming closer to me while squeezing the hand softly.

“You’re a good girl, Nectar,” she says as her other hand reaches to caress my cheek. “Keep it up. Even the sky won’t be your limit when you surpass it.”

I nod as a tear slide down my eye. Then, as she smiles, I do so as well. She lets go of my hand, and I watch her leave the room, a surge of relief coursing through my body.

>>>>>>>>

Blank unwraps my dress and lays it on the bed as I pack my hair up while sitting at the vanity.

Through the vanity mirror, I watch him move. He seems to admire the dress for some reason. And I think I see why he does.

Before I picked it out, I specifically chose the color red. I had always worn gray or black. Today, I decided I needed some color in my outfit since my life is no longer colorless and shady.

I think I made the right call.

“Do you think it would fit me?” I ask him even though I had already worn it and shown him at the dress store.

I think I meant to ask if it will fit me overall in the occasion. Being seen with the dress at the dress mall isn’t the same as being seen with it at the ball.

“The light of your aura will shine brighter than the ball, my lady, don’t you worry,” Blank mumbles while strolling to my side, and I smile.

I begin my make up, but I’m rather distracted by the man squinting his eyes as he leans down to my sitting level, looking closely into the mirror.

“Are your eyes blue or gray?” he asks before putting his index under my chin and turning my face to look at him.

Knowing what he means, I still feign ignorance. “Why do you ask?”

“At the event, I noticed they were blue. But at my house they turned gray. Even now.”

I can’t help but chuckle. The same question he just asked has been posed at me by several people.

According to my parents, they tried to decipher what eye color I had for a long time but gave up, concluding that it changed according to lighting.

I agree with them. Many a times, I tested it to see if what they said was true. Turned out it was.

“I’ll leave it to you to figure it out,” I tell him while still chuckling.

I was always told I would have had soft feminine features if my eyes weren’t distracting. Those who saw the gray said it made me look cold. Those who saw the blue said it sharpened my looks. Others said my whole facials lacked an expression.

I probably took that from dad, even though I often chided him for having a blank face. And even as I have on a mild make-up, it still doesn’t erase the bland look of my face.

I love it, though. It’s enough to start making a strong impression.