The days that followed continued as before. They had breakfast together and went for a walk afterwards. She spent most of the day catching up with her studying and gardening or reading during breaks. But when the darkness began to fall, she was all his.
She recalled the day when she had slipped away from his bed one morning to surprise him. She had gone into the kitchen and made him a special breakfast. With an excited smile, she had gone back to his suite with the breakfast cart.
She frowned when she didn't see him in the gym exercising as usual. When she went into the suite, she saw him. He was waiting for her. Her smile froze when she saw the thunderous look on his face.
"Where were you?" he demanded.
"Downstairs, making breakfast." She was hurt and confused by his anger.
"Don't ever," he spat out, "leave my bed without letting me know. I don't care if the whole world is burning down. I want you next to me when I wake up."
She nodded, feeling confused. Instead of feeling upset by his words, her insides melted with warmth.
The beast was in no way clingy, but he was possessive and demanding. She realized she was slowly beginning to feel that way about him too.
She began to wonder how his life had been before he had met with the fire accident. She knew he must have drawn women to him like a magnet.
Did he have a girlfriend? Did he lose someone he loved in that accident? Maybe there was a woman he had intended to marry. Her imagination began to run amok.
She couldn't bear it and had asked him about it one day.
"Were you engaged or about to get engaged to anyone in the past?"
He had watched her calmly before replying with a clear, "No."
She felt relieved. She didn't know why. Even if he did have a girlfriend or a fiancée, it was all in the past and shouldn't matter. But somehow, it did matter to her. She felt relieved that her beast's heart wasn't broken, and it was still whole even if it wasn't available.
She felt a strange bond forming towards him. She wasn't sure where it would lead and whether it would end in her heartbreak. But whatever it was, and however long it lasted, she knew she wanted good memories with her beast for her to cherish the rest of her life.