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THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT reading by candlelight that made Loki's pulse accelerate a bit quicker in his chest; he hated it.
The way the light flickered off her skin, illuminating the softness of her features while simultaneously masking her in mysterious darkness, riddled his mind with troublesome thoughts that he fought tirelessly to keep at bay, though they kept creeping in through some unseen backdoor.
Each time the candle dimmed and Serena's face delved more into shadow Loki found himself unable to look away, enraptured by the way her eyes traveled the pages swiftly before rolling with agitation as she flipped to another page held open by her thumb. He would analyze her, the way she scrunched her brows in concentration, the way she began slightly reading aloud to herself when something began to sound promising. He would watch her, that was until her eyes would slowly drift up from the words in the book and connect with his own.
"Did you find something?" she asked timidly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Blushing, Loki silently shook his head no and quickly directed his eyes back toward the book he was sifting through, redirecting his mind to search for anything that sounded remotely similar to what Serena had described to him earlier, but then he felt the urge to take another look, and the cycle repeated itself like a vicious anecdote— though this time he was determined to deny his impulses.
He kept his eyes trained on the words before him, reading the same sentence over and over until finally deciding to flip the page. He felt strange for staring. But not only that, he felt strange for even wanting to stare. The gnawing feeling to look up was repulsing, and the fact that he caved so easily was equally as revolting.
He could ask her a question?
Loki curled his lip at the thought. Why was he trying to make excuses to look at her now?
Loki's heart was now pounding in his chest, the sound of his pulse throbbing in his ears making him uncomfortable and squeamish. He was so confused by his actions, though despite his bewilderment he continued to do them. His mind felt cloudy, and suddenly the comfortable library turned into a tight closed-in space: a small table cluttered with books that sat only two.
Emerald eyes gave into temptation as Loki looked up from his book one more time, and for a split second thought their eyes connected. He was surprised to find her gaze shifted away from the book and toward the candles between them. She looked almost hypnotized, and it was strangely enchanting.
"I wonder if I could do it again," Serenawhispered just loud enough that Loki could hear, and quickly his mind fit together the pieces of her statement. A quick pulse of worry swept over him at the thought of her giving the fire another try, but he promptly ignored the instinct and instead replaced his growing frown with a cold, indifferent look that he felt suited him much better than ogling.
