Page 51 of The Pakhan's Forced Bride
In the distance, I see Ardalion walking towards me, and my heart flips excitedly. I stand up and brush my hands over my pretty summer dress, smoothing the knee-length skirt and straightening the thin straps over my shoulders. Why am I so nervous? I’m just being silly.
It’s Ardalion. I see him every day.
But it’s nice to be doing something for him for a change, instead of the other way around.
“This looks incredible, little bunny,” he grins as he gets closer. His entire face is lit up, his eyes shining. “You did all of this for me?”
“I did.” I stand on my tiptoes and give him a quick kiss, then step back and gesture for him to find a comfortable spot on the blanket.
“Flowers.” He smiles, leaning down to smell them. “They’re gorgeous. A nice touch.”
My heart swells with warmth. It’s nice to have someone notice the details of your effort.
“What’s that for?” he asks, pointing at a little pile of tiny pebbles next to the blanket.
“Defense.” I nod seriously.
“Against what?” he asks, confused.
In perfect timing, a seagull lands near the edge of our picnic area, and I toss a pebble at him. I miss horribly, but he squawks, annoyed, and flaps away.
Ardalion cracks up laughing. He ends up lying on his back on the blanket, clutching his stomach because he’s laughing so hard.
And that’s how our picnic starts.
And all through the day, the laughter doesn’t stop.
The food is perfect, the conversation is lovely, the sun is warm, and the fresh salty air is crisp and wonderful.
Ardalion leans over with the bottle of champagne. “Can I top you up?” he asks.
“Yes, please,” I say, holding my glass towards him. My eyes drift to the horizon, and I stare out across the ocean. The last time I went on a picnic was with Benedikt and Ulyana. We laughed a lot then, too. I’ve been missing them so much lately. It’s been ages since I saw or spoke to either of them.
“Hey, are you lost in thought over there?” his voice pulls me back into the present moment.
“Mm? Oh, yes, sorry, just thinking about things,” I answer, smiling with a touch of sadness traced into my expression.
“What’s wrong? What were you thinking about?” Ardalion asks.
“I picnicked like this with my brother and his wife. We did a lot of stuff together. I’m not used to going this long without talking to either of them. I just really miss them both. It’s strange not to know what they’re up to or how they’re doing,” I say wistfully, sighing as I sip my champagne.
“And your mom? Did she also join you guys?”
“Mmph,” I huff. “My mother wouldn’t dare be caught sitting on the grass like this. She might get a little dirt on her precious slacks or something.” I giggle. “No, Mom didn’t like stuff like this. She only goes out if it involves fancy restaurants or overpriced art galleries. She’s more of a…"
“Snob?” he laughs.
“I don’t think I’m allowed to say that about my mom.” I laugh too. But the laughter trails off. “She and I are so different. It wasn’t easy growing up with her because she wanted a daughter who was perfectly in her image. And I’m the furthest from that that I could possibly be, yet I still have to learn to play the role to avoid the inevitable drama that would follow if I didn’t. I had to be the perfect daughter, prim and proper and obedient.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “It’s only since I came to Los Angeles that I truly realized how much she suffocated me. I’ve been walking on eggshells my whole life.” I shrug, trying to make light of how heavy the conversation suddenly became.
Ardalion’s dark eyes are piercing into me when I glance at him. I laugh nervously. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get so intense,” I say apologetically.
He reaches over the touches my leg, his fingers sending a hum of electricity through my body. “I want you to share these things, little bunny. I’m happy you felt you could talk to me about it.”
His phone rings, bringing an abrupt end to the moment. He picks it up from the blanket and sees Nestor’s name flashing over the screen. Answering, he pushes it against his ear.
“Hello? Is it a real emergency or another bull shit call like we got the other night?” he huffs.
