Chapter 171 Chapter 171
He sighed and took her hand to move it away from the bandage. His blue eyes bore into hers. “Don’t touch the bandage, okay?”
“Is there a really gross wound underneath?”
“No, it’s not that,” he grumbled. “Just trust me on this.”
His secrecy didn’t sit right with her. It made her suspicious. Was he trying to hide something from her that she had previously forgotten about? What in the world could be underneath that bandage if it wasn’t an injury? Maybe she had gotten an ugly tattoo or something. But he certainly wouldn’t make such a fuss over a tattoo. There was something more to it… and maybe, she would uncover it sooner or later, but for now, she wanted to rest.
“You are stubborn,” she muttered under her breath, but she did as he said and walked into her bedroom.
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She didn’t know how long she had been asleep when she heard the door to her room click open. The sound roused her from her light sleep, but she didn’t open her eyes and stayed curled up on the bed. Footsteps neared her bed, and the mattress moved when he sat on its edge. She wondered why he was here and asked herself whether she should say something. In the end, she simply waited for what he would do.
Minutes went by without any of them moving. He lingered at her side, presumably watching her in the dim light falling in through the door. She heard the rustling of fabric and felt his hand caressing her cheek. It brushed over her hair in such a familiar way that it had her think that he must have done this many times before. And what puzzled her was that she wasn’t put off by the gesture. In fact, she enjoyed it and craved more of it.
A murmur reached her ears. At first, she didn’t understand the mumbled words, but then he leaned in and whispered, “Get better soon. I’m waiting for you.” The softness of his lips grazed her cheek as he planted a sweet kiss on it. Her breath hitched.
Without warning, her mind was pierced by a memory. It flashed before her eyes, blinding and vivid and so, so beautiful.
“I want to kiss you,” he uttered, leaning his forehead against hers. The last rays of the sun vanished, and they were surrounded by darkness, but not for long. Glowing orbs of light came into existence, hovering close to them. They illuminated his face, allowing her to see the silver chain stretching over his slender nose and his plush lips that were very tempting to her.
She smiled and leaned towards him to capture them with her own, feeling his soft skin, relishing the gentle touch. Their kiss was slow and innocent. He tasted sweet after having had one or two cocktails, but the familiar hint of cinnamon was still there, just a bit fainter than normal. She was very close to him, his upper body touching hers as he caressed her back, causing her to shudder at the sensation. Sighing contentedly, she buried her hands in his silky white hair, tugging playfully on one of his braids.
The memory was followed by a sharp pain in her skull. She opened her eyes and gasped, making Maxwell flinch back.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked urgently, hovering over her with overwhelming worry shining in his gaze.
She couldn’t find words, staring at him with wide eyes. Her cheeks heated up as she recalled the amazing kiss they had shared in her memory, and how elated it made her feel. Just who was he? Why were they so close? Was he her boyfriend? That would explain why he lived with her. A lot of things would make sense if that were the case.
“You kissed me,” she finally stuttered, blushing more when she became aware of how stupid she sounded.
He looked at her weirdly, muttering, “Does it bother you?”
She sat up, leaning her back against the headboard of the bed. Mulling over his question for a moment, she concluded that it hadn’t bothered her at all. If anything, she wanted to relive the moment she had seen in her memories, and a chaste kiss on her cheek wasn’t enough to quell the longing she felt.
“No,” she replied. “I saw a memory just now. Maxwell, who are you to me? Are you my boyfriend?”
His eyes grew wide, hopeful. “Yes, I have been for a while,” he explained quickly. “What did you remember?” He leaned towards her, propping himself up on the bed and getting quite close to her. His distant behavior from earlier was history.
“I’m not sure what I saw,” she said. “We were at a beach, the sun was setting, and… and you kissed me.”
He smirked, looking rather proud of himself. “Of course you would remember that first.”
“Maxwell,” she whispered hopefully when an idea manifested in her mind. It was he who had triggered the memory, so perhaps he would be able to do it again? It was worth a try.
“Kiss me again,” she demanded.
“Huh?” He gaped at her, wondering if he had heard her correctly. “Really? You’re usually not this straightforward,” he chuckled, amusement coating his voice. “But I’m not complaining.”
Valerie blushed and bit her lip, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Why did she have to blurt that out? She literally knew nothing about him other than the fact that they had kissed at some point in time. That wasn’t a whole lot.
But Maxwell wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass. He leaned in to kiss her, connecting their lips while he held her gaze. Immediately, she felt a powerful emotion grow in her chest. Warmth pooled in her stomach. She didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, pulling him in and wrapping her arms around his back. He propped himself up with his hands left and right of her on the headboard.
Valerie waited for another memory, hoped to see a snippet of her life, but nothing happened. Despite this, she wasn’t deterred, too focused on the kiss to think about anything else. The fast beats of her heart were proof that he meant something to hear—they had kissed like this many times before.