The morning sun precises through the curtains filling the room soothing light. A soft breeze swept the curtains, the soft sound of birds can be heard.
I got out of the bed and slowly stretched out myself. The morning is peaceful and calm, it's a perfect day. I slide the curtains letting the sun rays warm up the room.
Liam might have woken up by now, I should also get ready. I quickly freshen up and change into my casual clothes.
As I was about to walk out of the bathroom, my eyes fell on an object kept at the dressing table. Taking a step closer I spotted a red rose on the dresser. I smile at his gesture, I pick up the rose and sniff it's fragrance. There's a small note which is kept below the rose
'follow the roses'
My curiosity sparked at the words, I took the rose in my hand and opened the door to walk outside, there's another rose which was attached to the door. I collect it and walk further, the third rose was kept on the floor with another note
'Good morning freckles'
I smile and keep the note inside the pocket of my jeans, holding the roses as I walk towards the staircase. With every step I took ,the number of roses increased. By the time I reached down my hands were filled with roses, it looked like a bouquet. Counting them I realized that there are 21 roses
For my 21st birthday
The sight in front of me was breathtaking, few gifts wrapped up in silver paper, arranged on the table, surrounded by pink Roses. My heart beats fast as I walk closer to them, they have small bows on top of each gift.
They are so pretty!
The anticipation grows in me, I wanna unwrap them. I feel like I have gone back to my childhood when I used to wait for christmas morning and open all the presents
"Happy Birthday, freckles" Liam says, hugging me from behind , pressing a kiss on my head "hungry?"
Actually, I am not hungry at all. We had our dinner last midnight yesterday, and also the cakes and brownies so I still feel full "I wanted to open the gifts first," I say, making him turn around, "as you wish" he gestures me towards the gifts
I pick up one of the boxes and slowly start to remove the wrapping paper, making sure not to treat it. My excitement grows as I open the box and it reveals the heels I broke a while ago. The brand new pair shines in front of my eyes, they are really my favorite. "Wow- you really brought them? Thanks, I was really upset after breaking them" I smile, touching the heels . Ah they feel so good and new
My heaven
I take another box and unwrap it quickly, when I open the box and take a peek, my heart skips a beat. I quickly closed the box again not believing what I just saw. I look at Liam who stands in front of me with a smile on his face. He has put on a shirt by now.
My mouth hangs low as I keep staring at the box, taking a deep breath I open the box again. My heart is hammering against my rib cage. I sit down on the floor with the box in my lap as I stare at the set of books
Not just any books
My favorite series books
This box contains two sets, one special edition of twisted series and one special edition of shatter me series. The beautifully designed covers are almost too elegant to touch. For others this might be simple but me?
This is everything!
I do have both series back at my home but I always wanted the special edition
I love collecting them
Liam sits beside me "so do you like them?" He asks tugging my wet hair strands behind my ear. I nod continuously still admiring it "they are amazing. I love it so much" I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly "thank you so much, this is the best birthday I could ask for"
He chuckles and wraps his arms around me as well "I am glad you liked it" he kisses the top of my head "I have one more thing" he handed me a small jewelry box.
I open it and find a blue star shaped pendant, attached with a silver chain, I take it in my hands carefully, a bit scared to damage the delicate design. As i examine it carefully I realize that it's made up of sapphire
That's expensive-
And it's carved into a star, it's definitely a custom made which costs more "It's beautiful but-"
"Oh there are no buts it's your birthday and you deserve it. Please accept it" he requests gently squeezing my hand. I know even if I try to push it back he won't budge "I hm- thanks Liam" I say, my heart swells in gratitude. He smiles taking the pendant from my hand and putting it around my neck
The day went by quickly, we ate breakfast together as we were planning on going out somewhere my parents called me and I obviously didn't tell them about me dating Liam and if they know that I am in Thailand with him will give them too much of a shock at once.
So I decided to keep my mouth shut. The call went on long, Liam just sat beside me while reading twisted love and every few pages he was giving the best reactions which were making me laugh
As I ended my call with my parents, my brother Henry called me and again I kept my mouth shut about dating. After Henry, Jasmine called up but she kept her talk small as she knew about me being in Thailand. I wasn't expecting this but to my surprise Ethan also sent a message wishing me, he also wrote that my gift will be delivered to my dorm
Among everyone in my family, if Ethan knows about me being in Thailand, he will cause the most chaos and I ain't up for it.
But where's Liam now?
I search around the house but he's nowhere to be found. Where did he disappear after arranging this whole thing? Not in his bedroom, not the kitchen. Maybe he is at the back?
Just to make sure, I decided to check the back of the house. And to my guess, I find Liam standing near the pool. His back facing me, he didn't acknowledge my presence yet he seems too busy admiring the trees around here.
He is standing really near to the pool
Well...
A mischievous idea pops in my head. He is the best boyfriend ever and he doesn't deserve what I am about to do but I can't help it. He wouldn't get mad, right? It's my birthday. And I will take full advantage of it
I tip toe on my feet and sneak behind him without making any noise, as I closed the distance between us, I gently pushed him and he actually lost his balance and fell into the pool. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him, surprised. He snaps his head at me and glares "seriously freckles?"
I continued to giggle "You were literally standing so close to the pool, I can't help it!" I exclaim. He continues to glare at me while I laugh "You will pay for it" he says with a smirk on his face. My laugh stops and I look at him with the same expressions, his eyes challenging me "Really? How so?" I try to provoke him
He sighs and pulls himself out of the pool, the black t-shirt he wore is not clingy on his torso, highlighting every inch of his muscles and abs. As i continue to stare I know that he spends a good amount of time in the gym
The way the water clung onto his skin emphasized every single detail of his body, water dripping down his hair to his face and neck. Even in the cool breeze, I could feel my cheeks heat up and my imagination ran wild
Oh how I wish his black t-shirt to be white instead
He runs his hand through his hair in an attempt to comb out the wet strands , my eyes still river over his physique. He takes steps towards me and I walk backwards, seeing my moments, a predatory smile forms on his face
I have never seen that expression before
"You shouldn't have done that, sweetheart" he says in a soothing tone, his words might be soft but his presence feels intimidating. Him calling me sweetheart fills my stomach with butterflies.
"I am sorry but I just wanted to try it once and you were the perfect target" I say trying to sound unaffected by him but my heart is still beating faster than it should
He causally nods "you did what you wanted, now I will do what I want" his words send a shiver through my spin "Come on, it's my birthday" I try to get away from anything he has in mind.
"And that's why I am giving you a chance" he crosses his arms on his chest and looks at me, I could feel something is about to happen. I look at him confused, trying to figure out what he means.
"I should return the favour right? Start running sweetheart" his sudden change in tone catches me off guard, he pulls his shirt over his head and throws it aside.
Holy shit-
I stare at his half-naked body, he notices it and smirks at me before slowly taking steps towards me. His words ring in my head and without thinking twice I start running. I try to keep my balance while running around the pool making sure I don't slip or fall
But due to it my speed is really slow and he is right behind me, he can catch up on me any moment. A laugh breaks out from me as I run, my breathing gets heavy due to the work up of my body but I couldn't help but enjoy it. I can see Liam smirking at me as he runs
In a few seconds I feel my legs lift off the ground and I know that I have been caught. He picks me up like I am some rag doll without any effort. I try to control my breathing and wiggle out of his grip but he holds me in a perfect grip impossible for me to run again.
He chuckles at my useless attempts, his hot breath over my ear and his wet body pressed against mine
"I caught up, sweetheart" he whispers in my ear. I feel the strength in my legs give up, just his voice makes my sense disappear "you know what happens now?" He asks. Before I could reply the cold water surrounded me.
I gasp and Liam pulls me up to the surface, his arm secured around my waist. I clench on his shoulders for support, after taking a few deep breaths my heartbeat finally stabilizes and I relax. Liam notices it and his grip losses up but I still cling onto his shoulders
Our gaze locks together and we burst out laughing
We both remain in the same position still in each other's embrace in the pool, the cool water doesn't seem to affect us much. The urge to annoy him more still hasn't died down, I slip my hand from his shoulder to his chest and trace my finger on his abs
His muscles tense up and he snuck in his breath "don't play" his tone is gentle but I know he is warning me. I pull my hand away and keep it on his shoulder again "why? What will you do?" I whisper in his ear
I feel his Adam's apple move as he gulps taking a deep breath, he looks at me in the eye, he suddenly crashes his lips on mine, making me jolt for a second.
It takes me a moment to reciprocate, but his kiss grows more passionate and aggressive, exploring every inch of my mouth with his tongue he is nowhere to stop. his hand holds my neck, keeping me in place. He really loves holding my neck for some reason
My hands play with his hair as we get lost into this make out session.
My eyes widened as I felt him slip his other hand under my shirt, my whole body started burning up. His hand grips my waist gently and he rubs his thumb in a circular motion on my stomach
"I don't wanna do something uncomfortable" he mutters before removing his hand but still holding me close, he rests his forehead on mine.
"Oh I am sorry, I came at the wrong time" a voice snaps me out of my dreamland. The voice belongs to a middle aged woman, she stands near the door with an awkward smile.
My eyes meet Liam again and he smirks raising his eyebrow at me. That's when I realised our position, I look back at the woman who turned back and just left
"Who is she?" I question him panicking. Who could randomly enter the house like that? And she saw us like this! Oh God
So embarrassing
"Relax, she is Mrs. Anong the owner of guest house. I ordered for a thai meal for breakfast, she came to give that" he replies with a calm tone. "But she saw us and this is so embarrassing!" I shut my eyes and hide my face in my hand due to the situation
He chuckles and removes my hands from my face making me look at him again"this is what happens when you play" he pecks my lips and get out of the pool walking inside
Did he really?
Oh god the audacity!
I rush inside following him, he slips on another t-shirt, he turns towards me and puts a towel over my shoulder and starts rubbing my head with another towel to dry them. I cross my arms and stand there with an annoyed expression.
"What? Is my Freckles angry? " He asks, with a teasing smile, enjoying my annoyance. I cross my arms and huff
He is so light about this!
Liam grabs a towel and wraps it around my shoulders "Take a shower and change your clothes quickly. Don't catch a cold" he says in the same gentle tone as before, there's no teasing now.
His gestures make my anger vanish
The way he switches from a flirt to a gentleman and then to a flirt again gives my head a whole spin of life. Without saying anything I give him a simple nod and walk back upstairs.
I took a quick shower, detangling my hair took a while but in the end I had them back to normal. As it's my birthday I should dress up well. I picked out a black satin long skirt and a white tank top and put on a black cardigan over it . I tie my hair in a high ponytail.
I walk downstairs to find Liam who has also changed his clothes, he turns scanning my outfit and nods with an impressed expression "wanna grab ice cream?"
The day went by quickly, I thought we could explore Chiang Mai but Stella's family called up taking all the time. Obviously i couldn't interrupt so i spent my time reading one of her books, I couldn't complete it but I did find many interesting things in it
From the last night's dinner to the morning's suprise, she liked all of them. Her smile never dropped. So, I successed in making this trip memorable, for me too. Because after her stunt of pushing me into the pool totally caught me off guard but atleast she enjoyed it
The sun has alredy set, Stella and I are walking back to the guest house after grabbing out ice creams. This area doesn't have many restaurants or shops but to our luck we found an ice cream truck. Stella choosed butterscotch ice cream and I went with chocolate. Simple and light
There are many trees around this area making it fresh and cool. We both are walking side by side while eating our ice cream cones before they start melting up
"You know, I was surprised to see that you don't have any tattoos" she comments making me stop for a second but I continue to walk matching her steps "I am not a fan of tattoos, why? Do you want me to have them?" I ask
In university that thought did come across my mind but that time i didn't have a specific thing to tattoo about. Even if we are gonna ink our body permanently, it should have a meaningful reason.
I glance at Stella, she is busy in eating her ice cream enjoying every taste. The star pendant hanging around her neck, it suits her and the colour of the stone compliments her eyes
Maybe I have a meaningful reason now
"No, I thought mostly bikers have tattoos right?" She says looking at me, I nod "many does and many don't and I ain't a professional. It's just my hobby. I can get a tattoo if you want"
She looks at me shocked, her eyes blinking trying to process what I said. Cute
"What? No- it's fine. Tattoos are overrated plus it's your body. Hence, your choice she speaks hurriedly maybe my response had shaken her. "It is but my heart is yours, right?" I say in a low tone trying to tease her. She stops her steps and turns towards me, her eyes squints, she does that everytime I say something flirtious
"Tell me, you are really a pro flirt. I bet you are a dirty talker too right? But you just hide it,playing innocent!"
I Chuckle at her words, I never played innocent. I always say what comes to my mind but I do try not to make it sound bad or make her uncomfortable with my any actions. But if she wants me to talk dirty that can be done too
I think for a minute before replying to her confidently "I don't play innocent but if I start talking dirty then you will question your sanity"
Her cheeks turns red hearing me, that natural blush highlights her freckles even more. I am glad she ain't covering them today too. "Shut up and no need to flirt or anything " she mutters and start walking away, I follow her but she walks faster than before trying to run.
Making sure that I don't lose her sight between the crowd, she keeps walking while eating her ice cream as I follow her, mine was finished long ago. She is too much into the flavour that she doesn't seem to properly notice her steps and a random man dumps into her shoulder making her stumble, I quickly step forward and hold her.
Before I could realise that man has already disappeared in crowd. Not important
I look at Stella who's looking at the ground, her ice cream has fallen from her hand due to the dump "It's okay, we can grab another one" I assure her squeezing her shoulder gently but she doesn't respond.
I could feel her breathing heavily and looking down, I lift her face while holding her chin. Stella looks at me with a troubled expressions "what happened?-" my words get stuck in my throat, when my eyes fall on her bleeding forearm
How did that happen?
I grab her hand to check it, my heart racing fast with fear and shock. There's a cut on her forearm which is causing the bleeding, I quickly remove my handkerchief from my pocket and wrap it above the wound preventing the blood from flowing "how did it happen?" I ask with a shaky voice
"I don't know" she whispers, still looking at her arm. "We are going to the hospital"
â
We both sit on the couch watching a movie together, I took Stella to the nearby clinic as the hospital was too far, the service was good and the doctor patched up her wound. He said it was caused by a sharp object like knife. Apparently the are we were in, was filled with pickpockets who use small knifes to cut through people's bags and maybe trying to steal he scratched Stella's arm
But I doubt this was an accident, it seem too obvious for some reason and the uneasiness feeling in my heart hasn't died down. Stella didn't even have a bag that time, the wound wasn't deep
The sight of her bleeding made my heart drop, her tearful eyes was enough for my heart to clench
Stella's head rests over my shoulder as she has fallen asleep, she looked really tensed up at the clinic but she didn't panic and tired her best not to show any discomfort but I know she was in pain. Her left hand which is wrapped in a bandage rests on her lap.
Her breathing is stable and calm. She looks peaceful while sleeping. I should take her to bed, we are leaving tomorrow. Our flight is in afternoon so she needs proper rest before that. We might have not explored much but atleast we got a chance. But this incident has drowned both of us
I get up and slowly pick her up in my arms, taking extra precaution not to hurt her arm. I carry her upstairs to her bedroom and lay her down, pulling the sheets over her figure.
"Good night, freckles" I kiss her forehead and move away to let her rest. She suddenly moves and grabs my hand, her grip is not strong as she is still half asleep. Her eyes half open looking at me. I sit on the edge of the bed while her hand still holds mine
"Liam, why do call me freckles?" She speaks in a hoarse and lazy tone
"Because I want you to know that the features which you feel insecure about is also the reason why I am mesmerized by you Stella.
I love that sun kissed face of yours
The tiny beautiful paintings on your cheeks and nose, it isn't something that covers your beauty. It's something that is gifted to you by nature and I love every bit of it" I reply
I know about her insecurities and I want her to feel confident and comfortable with them. No matter how the world sees her, for me she is the most beautiful creation that I am blessed with.
Having freckles isn't a bad thing, sometimes you just need a good mindset to accept yourself. She smiles and drifts off to sleep. I get up from there and exit her room, slowly closing the door behind.
I cannot leave the incident as something random, this is troubling me and I gotta do something about it to make sure of her safety and there's only one person who can help me
I remove my phone and dial his number, after a few rings he answers the call "Speak" he says in a dry tone. "I think someone is trying to harm Stella" I inform
"Oh it's starting? I will look into it. We will talk when you come back" Jeff replies and hangs up the call
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Author's Note
I don't understand why everyone thought there might be spice, let me tell you, they have been dating for 2 weeks it's so soon for anything plus remember this is still a slow burn
Because of a few readers asking, after writing the chapter I included the pool scene even though I didn't want it. I am not happy with it honestly-
Don't ask for any spicy scenes , its a closed door romance ðð» (no smut)
I will post according to a schedule so no voting target, I will inform about it soon
Follow me on Instagram - 'authorvenus' for updates
-stay hydrated and have a nice day ð