Gosh! I had never thought of him that way. In my dreams, he had always been his young self. But to imagine what he looked like as a man, all grown up with a deep masculine voice… Just the thought sent shivers down my spine.
Was this the kind of man I would fall for? Those heterochromia eyes, blue and green, staring fixatedly at the person he loved, and those lips… Heat raced up on my face.
Gosh! I was being ridiculous. I was already twenty-one years old, a fully grown adult. I shouldn't be fantasizing about a man in broad daylight.
And why was I feeling embarrassed? Girls my age had already experienced love, sex, and everything in between. Just because I hadn't experienced all those things yet, it didn't mean I had to act cheesy. I turned to a more serious matter.
"I'll be home late today. Would you mind doing the cooking tonight?"
"No worries. I'll pick up groceries on the way home," Jenny said.
My sister was always so considerate. She was such a kind person. I hoped one day she would receive all the happiness in the world, happiness that I'd robbed from her.
I opened the trinket box housing my small collection of jewelry and took one out in particular. The twin dragon necklace.
This necklace was the cause of all my destruction. I shouldn't have taken it. It was never mine to begin with. I hoped there would come a day when I would be brave enough to return this back to its owner, and that everything would resolve in peace.
But I was still a coward. I was afraid of the consequences. For now, I'd just live in this little bubble I created, enjoying this tranquil life with Jenny and Papa while it lasted. And if that time did come, then I'd cross that bridge when I got there.
Jenny's soft voice lured me back to the present and I refocused my attention. "Mel. I asked if you want anything special for dinner tonight."
"…umm…no…anything is fine," I said, trying to collect myself.
Jenny didn't seem to notice the fluster in my voice. She kept on talking, and I was only too happy to listen. Hearing her voice soothed me. Hearing her speak meant she was alive and well, and not lying in a coffin somewhere.
"Oh, talking about something special, Crispin is taking me to this new café that just opened up. If they have financier cake there, I'll buy you one. I thought it'd go well with your rose tea."
"That would be nice. I'll like that very much."
"Oh, and I'll buy three croissants, too," she rambled on. "One for you and one for me and one for… Oh crap!" She lowered her voice, almost to a complete whisper now, and said, "Sorry, Mel, got to go. Professor Barker is here. Hope he doesn't bark at us like a dog. Crickets, I'm sleepy. I hate eight o'clock start."
"Be good in class, Jen. No slacking around," I teased her.
She retorted right back, "You know I'm always good in class. Oh, I don't want to argue with you now. Wait till I get home tonight. We'll argue over financier cake and croissants."
"That's a deal." I laughed and ended the call.
And that was when I noticed two missed calls and a voice message on my notification panel, lodged at three a.m. from two days ago. I slipped the necklace into my dress pocket and checked the caller ID. They were all from Gian, my friend from the university.
Uneasiness swept through me. Something wasn't right. Why would Gian call me at that hour? I was about to listen to his voice message when I heard a loud crash coming from downstairs. Assuming it was Papa who had tripped over something nasty, I raced to help him.
Except it wasn't what I had expected. Papa was scruffed at the collar by three strangers in our house.
"Pa!" I shouted, running to save him, not caring about my own safety. I shoved the man aside, but he was immobile, like a pillar erected on the spot.
He turned to me and hissed in my face. "Get out of the way, girl. You have nothing to do with this!" With one hand, he shoved me aside and I crashed to the floor.
I was scared, but adrenaline took over and I somehow managed to pull myself back up, grabbing Jenny's thick textbook I saw on the couch, and started hitting them. I caught Papa's hand and hauled him to stand behind me. I was his shield. If anyone wanted to hurt him, they had to go through me first.
"I don't know who you people are"—I threatened them with the thick textbook in my hand—"but you better get out of my house, or I'll call the police." When they just stood there staring at me like I had gone batshit crazy, I shouted, "Get out! Now! Or I'll—"
"Are you Amelia Stone?" a man asked, his deep baritone sending a thrilling sensation up my spine. I turned to the owner of that voice just as he emerged from a dark spot in the corner of the room. My eyes grew wider as he took another step forward, his face fully illuminated in the light.
Blond hair, streaked to an almost gold color, gelled back to reveal his prominent forehead, a tall, lean body that exuded power and strength, this man was every woman's dream man come to life. But these weren't the reasons why my heart was racing so fast, why I was transfixed on the spot.
It was because this man had the same face as the boy in my dream.