A Graceful Deception (Bellamy Blake)

ONE

​"I've missed you too, Grace," he said honestly. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit you for the past few days. Shumway was very strict and I can't afford him to be suspicious. Some other guards have been asking me about you."

​Grace moved to sit beside him on her bed. "What did they say?"

​"Well, they know of our relationship of course, because of my visits," he sighed. "Don't worry though. They mainly just teased me. Said it was forbidden romance and all. They can't do shit, so you are safe. And that's what is important."

​"I'm grateful," she put her hand on his cheek, "but they are right. This is forbidden. Only a few months left before they thought I'm turning eighteen. After that I am no more."

​He shook his head repeatedly. He refused to believe that, even though he knew he couldn't use the same trick forever. His friends already made so many comments about his girlfriend. They saw her when it was their turn to give her food or escort her to the bathroom, and every single one of them had a hard time believing she was a mere teenager. She had the look of a goddess and it tended to make people talk.

​"I'll figure something out," he said firmly. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

​Grace stared at his serious and determined face. She nodded, and then she kissed him.

Adrian Matthews was a very respected guardsman in the Ark. It was really impressive because he got that reputation at such a young age, twenty five years old to be exact. He was good looking with brown, short hair, and warm hazelnut eyes. Most importantly, he was smart and true to his words.

​That was why she believed him. She had to. It had been haunting her mind that her time was close, she was almost eighteen in the eyes of the council. They could float her soon.

​She added a little bit more passion to the soft kiss she shared with Adrian. She hastily removed his guard jacket and placed her hands under his shirt, feeling his muscles and the warmth of his skin.
​She could feel Adrian's smile on her lips. He didn't waste anymore time to strip off her clothes. When he moved his lips to her jaw, down to her neck, and then her ear, he whispered between kisses, "They also said I'm a lucky bastard. They are not wrong."

​Grace's voice sounded like a melody of an angel. "I'm the lucky one."

***

It was two weeks later when she finally met Adrian again. She grew reckless with each passing day. She felt like she could count on her current boyfriend, but she was bitter because right now she was practically hopeless without his help. She didn't like it. She needed a backup plan, and quickly.

​It didn't help that Adrian always visited her at least once a week or more for the last two years. She couldn't help but think that something was wrong. Maybe that guy finally found a dead end, and nothing was protecting her from being floated anymore.

​"Hell no," she hissed frustatedly, pacing in her small room and trying to think of something clever, another cheating technique she could use.

​Deep inside, she knew she wasn't that smart. She was actually nothing without her looks. But she was too proud for her own good and she didn't want to admit that.

​She jumped when the door suddenly opened. She looked over her shoulder and found a couple of guards walking inside her room. They were familiar. They had been here before to bring her food or other essentials.

​"Please," she pleaded with her big, green eyes. "I need to see Adrian."

​After a week of no visit, she had been asking every other guard about him. She was tempted to flirt or even seduce them instead but it seemed like they respected her boyfriend so much that they put their distance, despite of their wandering eyes and obvious interest. The farthest she got from them were crude comments.