He lowered his head towards me, a cocky grin spreading across his lips as he raked his eyes across my body before landing them back on mine.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance before averting my eyes, ignoring the blush that threatened to run across...
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CHAPTER NINETEEN HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
TW.Mental & Physical harm [ PART II ]
ONE NIGHT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
All it takes is a second for everything you thought you knew about yourself—about life—to change.
And in this moment, standing in his arms as the world buzzed around us, the night thick and heavy with smoke, I felt myself change. With his arms tightly pulling me into his chest, fingers brushing down my back, over exposed skin and making me feel so alive, I felt it—
Change.
With my cheeks sticky with tears and feet aching, with a blank mind and numb lips, with the rotten taste of betrayal and anger staining my tongue—I felt change; and I changed with it.
4 HOURS BEFORE THE INCIDENT.
"Oh my gosh! Honey, come look!" I heard my mother squeal from her spot by the door but didn't turn to look, fingers busy with the important task of taming Soleil's curls into a slick high bun. I squinted, pulling her head back with whatever little hair I already had cradled into the palm of my hand and using the other to drag a bristle brush over her hair.
She winced, slightly arching her neck to glare at me through her lashes. I ignored the look, teeth digging into my lip as I concentrated on finding wisps of stray hair. I'd been bent over her head for the past hour and a half, hands clammy and back aching as I tried wrestling her curls into the style she'd wanted.
I had given up midway and left to find my mother to which she'd done the hard part, leaving everything else to me.
"Thanks, Mars." Soleil grinned up at me, patting my hand before moving to stand up from my vanity chair. I took a step back to grant her space, watching with a sort of transfixed awe as she brushed nonexistent dirt off the skirt of her Tiana costume, gloved hands pulling up the bodice and smoothing over any crumpled edges.
She looked beautiful. A true princess.
"All you're missing is . . . " I trailed off, eyes wandering around the room to look for the missing piece. I grinned once I caught sight of it, stepping over fallen clothes and haphazardly thrown shoes. I grabbed the tiara and turned around, "your crown."
Soleil laughed, a high pitched giggle that brought a spot of warmth to my heart. She hopped over until she stood before me and dropped into a curtsy. "If you may—"
"Oh, I will." I laughed, carefully tucking the tiara behind her ears. I smoothed my fingers over her hair before stepping back with a self-satisfied hum.
