Blessing in Disguise

Chapter 27: Together

When it was time to leave work, Nyx got a call from her brother who sounded like he was at his wits’ end. There was a lot of noise coming from his side of the call, his son crying, Lucy trying to calm him down and Nyx could even faintly hear her mother’s sobbing.

The moment she heard her mother, Nyx pretty much understood what was going on. How could she not know how Elinor’s mind worked?

“Oh my God, you finally picked it up.” Owen whispered the moment Nyx answered the call. He walked away from all the noise and Nyx heard a door closing before her brother talked again. “Did you really fight with mom?”

Nyx was in a good mood since morning, so she was quite calm when being asked such a question. “Yeah.”

“So how do I deal with her now? Because she has come to my house and won’t stop crying and complaining. Her crying made Sein cry, and Lucy can’t make either of them stop wailing. Whenever I try to reason with mom, she just becomes louder. What the fuck did you even tell her? Because she’s been talking about you cutting ties with us for an hour now.”

Nyx wasn’t sure if Elinor was being overdramatic or exaggerating things on purpose. Either way, she felt guilty for her brother’s suffering, as she explained what happened yesterday to him.

After listening to all the drama that happened in one day, Owen gave it a thought before asking “Hmm... So how are things going with James?”

This question curved up the corners of Nyx’s lips. She was sitting on her desk arranging some files she had just gone through before getting ready to leave the office, but now that Owen called, Nyx simply leaned back in her chair. Her eyes looked up at the ceiling.

“Good... very good...”

This answer didn’t satisfy Owen for it was too vague. “How good?”

Nyx didn’t answer right away. Her thoughts went back to what happened in the morning and she couldn’t help a chuckle that was heard by Owen.

Owen: =_=

Bitch, I’m here losing my shit so you can get a boyfriend. The least you could do is to fucking answer me and not giggle like a fool.

“Too good. He told me he liked me.”

So, they’re together...

“What do I do with mom then?”

Nyx stood up from her desk, holding her phone with her shoulder, and picked up her jacket and backpack. “Just call dad to come to pick her up. She’s trying to make you convince me to do what she wants. And I’m done doing that.”

Owen snorted. “Like I would do that.” He then paused for a short moment before awkwardly asking another question. “Are you happy?”

Softly smiling, Nyx hummed. “Mhmm.”

“That’s good then. Don’t worry about mom’s schemes. I will sort it out for you, okay? You just do you...”

“Thanks.” Nyx said sincerely, but before she could feel touched, Owen finished his sentence.

“...In return, babysit Sein this weekend.”

Damn it. Nyx shook her head helplessly. This opportunist. Trying to take advantage of my misery every single time.

Still, Nyx agreed to this before hanging up the phone. She missed Sein anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to babysit him for a couple of days.

With such thoughts in mind, she left the company.







Nyx got out of the elevator, keys in one hand, her helmet under her armpit, backpack over her shoulders. The free hand raised to ruffle her hair then rub her tired eyes. Walking in front of her door, she put the key in the keyhole, ready to unlock her door. Yet before she could have the chance, the door behind her opened first.

Hearing the noise, Nyx turned around and came face to face with James who was hugging Murmur in his arms. Noticing movement behind James, Nyx looked inside his apartment and saw Neil’s head peaking over James’s shoulder. The smile that curved up her lips when seeing her beloved vanished immediately when she noticed his brother.

Nyx subconsciously took a step back as she started to feel uneasy.

Why is he here?

Her hand twitched when she stopped it right as it was about to rise to her face, to touch her bruised cheek.

It was most likely because it was Neil that had driven her away years ago that whenever Nyx saw him, she felt like things would get worse. The man had changed his attitude towards her so suddenly that it scared her. She didn’t know how to act around him, even more so when the last couple of times she met Neil, the man had animosity in his eyes.

Nyx was scared that he would take James away from her again.

Not again... Not now that it is all going well...

James on the other hand, smiled at Nyx, resembling a little puppy who was excited to see their owner coming back. He had been waiting for her with his eyes on the clock pretty much the whole day. “You’re back?”

His cheerful voice brought Nyx’s attention back to him.

Still feeling uneasy and anxious, Nyx forced a somewhat crooked smile on her face. “Yeah... Did your fever go up?”

Smiling, James shook his head. He looked so happy with his twinkling eyes and big bright smile... Such a radiant face, gradually relaxed Nyx. Judging by his attitude alone, it didn’t look like anything was wrong.

But then... why is Neil here?

Noticing Nyx’s wary gaze, James looked behind him at his brother as if only now realizing that he was there.

Neil had his head bowed, not daring to face Nyx. He had come over shortly after James called him, but what he didn’t expect was for James to answer the door with a white cat in his arms. At first, he was nervous and scared, but the sight of the cat stunned him senseless. He even forgot to feel the anxiety.

The cat was white like snow with fluffy soft fur, snuggling against James’s neck like a spoiled child.

I don’t remember James having a cat.

Neil was sure that James would have mentioned it to him. Just like...

Right then Neil recalled the little kitten James had rescued and given to Nyx years ago. His heart sunk and he looked down at the cat that was sleeping in his arms. Isn’t it the same cat as back then? But if the cat is here, then Nyx...

Neil paled at the sight of a mere sleeping cat, thinking that James and Nyx were already living together. The reality, however, was different, but Neil didn’t know whether it was better or not. Either way, he was screwed.

From the moment he walked inside the apartment, the calm-looking James suddenly became like a storm that hit him out of nowhere.

No.

Not physically.

Neil wished James had just hit him and consider matters settled. But he didn’t.

James showed to his brother all the anger, disappointment and the bitter feeling of betrayal that he felt these last days. Every word of James was like a punch to the face, and by the time he was finished talking to Neil, the latter was “beaten” to a pulp. Even Pam hadn’t scolded him so much in his entire life.

What hurt more, though, was the fact that Neil did all of this, thinking he was protecting his little brother, but in the end, he only hurt him more.

Now facing Nyx, Neil didn’t have the face to look her in the eyes. He only wished to *puff* out of existence.

“He wants to apologize to you.” James told Nyx with a big proud grin on his face, clearly waiting for Nyx to praise him.

Nyx glanced at James for a brief second, before looking back at Neil again. She was paying more attention to his brother than him. James suddenly felt sour at heart. His head turned to the side to see his and Neil’s reflection in the mirror, comparing looks out of nowhere.

I’m taller... but Neil is more muscular... We look similar though.... Does Nyx like buff guys?

Why is she looking at him for such a long time?

Don’t look at him!

Look at me!

While James was busy being a little green jelly, Nyx and Neil were busy dealing with adult matters.

Still avoiding her gaze out of shame, Neil said: “I’m sorry I...”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Nyx suddenly interrupted him.

Knowing that Neil wasn’t trying to make things hard for her again, Nyx let out a relieved sigh. That’s all she needed to know. Nothing more. Everything else was simply insignificant in her eyes.

Neil looked up at Nyx, unable to understand what she meant by that.

“Let’s all forget what happened in the past. It’s the best for everyone.” The woman continued. “I know that all you were trying to do was to protect James.”

Seeing her so calm and corporative, Neil felt even more ashamed of himself. He didn’t have the face to say anything else, but mutter another “I’m sorry” that sounded suspiciously like a muffled cry before walking out of James’s apartment and running away.

With Neil gone, Nyx finally looked at James.

“For how long have you been holding Murmur like that?”

Now that Nyx was looking at him again, James forgot all about the aggrieve of a minute ago and proudly grinned at Nyx again. “The whole day.”

“And you think that’s something to be proud of?” Nyx frowned. Even though Murmur was just a cat, it was a grown up one and not a kitten that weighted nothing. “ Haven’t your arms gone numb?” She shook her head and took Murmur from his arms. The cat protested at first, not satisfied with all that time it spent with James and still wanted more, but seeing that Nyx wouldn’t let it be, Murmur had no choice but to be obedient and let go of James.

Getting scolded out of nowhere, James felt wronged. “She didn’t want me to put her down.” He pouted.

Of course, she didn’t.

I wouldn’t want that too if I was her.

With the cat in her arms, Nyx turned the key and unlocked the door of her apartment. She pushed the door open and let Murmur in before pulling the door close again. Her eyes turned to James, who didn’t even have the time to frown when thinking that Nyx would go inside.

“You called Neil, didn’t you?”

James nodded. His dark eyes focused on Nyx, not wanting to look away even for a second. Such an intense gaze warmed Nyx’s heart, slowly heating it up more and more until her whole chest felt like it was on fire. Under his watchful eyes, Nyx walked to him, the distance between them shortening.

Every step seemed to sync with his heartbeat. James suddenly got nervous... excited...

“Thank you...” Nyx stopped barely a step away from him. Her amber eyes, glinting like precious gold carefully watched James’s face, as if she was studying him, as if she was trying to embed the sight of him into her eyes, looking at his eyes, his brows, his nose, his lips... Everything was so perfect in her eyes, because it was him. As long as it was him, she wouldn’t want to change a single thing.

A smile spread on Nyx’s face that had been serious from the moment she saw Neil, inducing a blush on James’s face. Nyx looked at him being nervous and not knowing where to look. Looked at him as his eyes fell on her mouth every so often...

Her eyes fell on his reddish pink lips as well...

She had long forgotten how it felt to kiss those lips, but this only made her greedier.

Nyx threw her arms around James’s neck and took that last one step, walking herself in his arms. The man was taller and she had to tiptoe to snuggle against his neck. James froze in his tracks, not daring to move a muscle. Nyx patiently guided his arms so they were hugging her waist as she softly chuckled. Her soft lips touched the smooth exposed skin of his neck and her warm breath tickled him.

I love you so much.

Even though such sweet and gentle thoughts crossed her head, something else was said out loud.

“I can feel your heartbeat.” Nyx whispered in James’s ear, sending a shiver down the man’s spine who gulped once. The arms around her waist subconsciously tightened. “Can you feel mine?”

The bodies in the tight embrace were pressed against each other, two hearts being brought together. James could feel the soft but fast “thump thump thump” of Nyx’s heart against his chest which only encouraged his own to go berserk as if injected by adrenaline. To answer Nyx’s question, he weakly nodded.

“That’s good then.” Nyx smiled and pushed James away.

She turned around, this time really intending to go inside her apartment, but before she could take the next step away from James, her hand was seized by the big warm palm of the man. Confused, Nyx looked at him.

The sudden urge to stop her from leaving gave James courage to grab her hand, but the moment he was being looked at, that courage vanished and transformed into nervousness.

“Can...” James stuttered. “Can we be together?” Feeling like he hadn’t made himself clear enough, he added. “Like a couple. I want to be with you. Can I?”

The sudden question stunned Nyx. A flush crept up her face in a speed visible to the naked eye and she had to turn her head away to hide her blush from James’s eyes. The hand holding hers felt scalding hot against her skin.

Why are you like this?

Why are you so good?

Why are you so adorable?

How can you make me love you more and more every single day?

With her head turned the other way, Nyx nodded. “Mhmm. We can.”

We finally can.

A.N.: I think the next chapter will be the epilogue. I will most likely write one or two extras to wrap it all up and finally get this done. (oT-T)尸

So tired _(:з)∠)_

EXTRA:

James: She didn’t want me to put her down
Nyx: Then if I ask you to hold me, you won't put me down either?
James: ....
James: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)
Nyx: ....
Nyx: Is that a yes?
James:  *nods* (/ω＼)