My eyes open to the sunlight seeping in from the curtains and my body is trapped between two strong arms wrapped around my waist. I begin to stretch out my legs, a light grunt escaping my mouth as I stretch out the muscles from my fingers to my toes. I'm surprised when I feel his grasp tighten around my body, almost like he doesn't want me to go anywhere.
"Where do you think you're going?" his raspy morning voice sounds in my ear, his plump lips peppering soft kisses to my neck.
I let out a soft laugh as I allow myself to scoot closer to him, "Nowhere," I shake my head, "I just needed to stretch a bit." I turn my body to face him and I'm met with a pair of soft caramel eyes, his long eyelashes batting has he blinks the sleepiness away.
"Good," he smiles, his small dimples appearing in his cheeks, "I'm not ready for you to leave yet." His thumb traces circles into my lower back and his eyes pierce into mine. His other hand reaches up to my face and his fingers trace the outline of my lips before he leans in, his lips kissing mine.
His kiss is gentle and sweet, far from the rough and needy touches from last night. Now, his lips are gently melted to mine and I can feel him smiling throughout the kiss. He pulls away and my eyes flutter open, my heart slightly fluttering at his touch. I smile as his thumb continues to lightly trace my lips. "You're so beautiful, Opal," he whispers, and my heart sinks at the use of my name.
I'd almost forgotten where I was until now, which makes me force myself to pull a forced smile onto my lips before rolling back over, my eyes watching the birds outside as they fly freely through the trees. I wish I were a bird right now, free to fly; free to roam wherever I please.
"So, you have a birthday coming up," Vet says from behind me, his head now resting in the crook of my neck, "Anything special you want to do?"
I think for a moment before answering. The only thing that I could possibly want is to be free, but that question is useless. I know I'll never be free again; I'll always be a prisoner here. "My birthday isn't for another three weeks," I answer instead, trying to dodge the question.
"Exactly, we should start planning soon," he says, and I can practically hear the smirk on his lips, "The past three years you've been here you've only let us make you a big dinner. You're turning eighteen, Opal. Don't you want to do something special?"
I process his words and think for a moment, "I don't know. I'll think about it," I promise him.
"Opal," he sighs but is interrupted by the intercom beeping on the other side of the room. He looks at me and chuckles, "Saved by the bell." He smiles and plants a small kiss to my cheek before removing the sheets from his shirtless body.
Vet strides over to the intercom machine placed on the wall and presses down the button to speak, "Yes?"
"Good morning, Sir," I hear a soft voice come from the speaker, "Breakfast is about to be served."
"Thank you," Vet replies curtly before cutting the intercom off and walking towards the bathroom. "Time to get ready for breakfast, now," he smiles.
I nod my head and look down at my sheet covered body, eager for him to close the bathroom door so I can get dressed and get out of the suite. I end up disappointed when he peaks his head from around the door frame, that smug smile still playing on his lips, "Well, are you coming?"
I look at him with wide eyes, "Oh, um... no, that's okay. I'll ju-"
"Opal," he says sternly, cutting me off, "Come shower with me." His head gestures towards the shower, and I can't really decline now that he has spoken.
I nod my head and get out of bed, the sheet still wrapped tightly around my body.
"Do you plan on showering in that?" Vet asks, a light laugh lacing his question. I can tell that he's trying to make light of me trying to avoid being naked in front of him, but his small chuckle isn't enough to mask the slight irritation.
Nodding my head, I look down at my feet and let the sheet fall from my body. It falls down and pools at my ankles, and I shudder at the cool breeze hitting my bare skin. Slowly, I walk towards Vet and let him take my hand as he leads me into the bathroom, closing the door. He twists the shower knobs, making the water a perfect temperature before he removes his boxers, his fingers hooking around the band and slowly pulling them down his legs. I only stand with my arms crossed over my chest. This earns a smirk from Vet, but he chooses not to say anything.
He leads me into the shower, taking my hand and allowing me to step in first. The warm water hits me and I sigh as the goose bumps fade from my no longer shivering body. Vet steps in behind me and closes the shower door. I stand under the warm water and close my eyes while it wets my hair and body. I jump slightly when I feel Vet's hand land on my shoulder, causing me to turn around quickly. My eyes dart to the washrag in his hand and an uneasy feeling grows in my stomach.
"Arms up, baby," Vet says softly. I do as he says.
The washrag meets my skin and the soapy suds spread over my body as he scrubs while I watch the ink on his arms contract with his muscles. He washes my arm, chest, and then moves to my other arm while my eyes trace over the tattoos printed all over his upper half. My breath hitches in my throat when I feel the palm of his hand on my breast through the thin material of the washrag, but I relax when he just continues to wash. He moves to my stomach and backside, scrubbing gently as he moves to my legs, thighs and feet.
Once he's done, he squirts shampoo into his hand, "Turn around."
My eyes close he begins to lather the shampoo into my hair, his fingers massaging my head. Once the shampoo is rinsed he puts conditioner in my hair. My eyes are still closed in appreciation of the way his fingers explore my scalp.
Once I'm finished and clean, Vet scoots me behind him so that he can get a turn underneath the water. His hands rub over his shoulders, and I gently tap his back to get his attention.
"Do you want me to... you know?" I ask shyly. I earn a smile from him, but he shakes his head.
"That's okay, Opal."
I just nod and stand there, admiring the swirls of ink on his back as his muscles contract as his arms move to lather soap all over his body.
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Once breakfast is over, I head into my room and grab my notebook from my bedside table. I take a seat in the bay window and click my pen, opening the cover and turning the pages to find a blank one.
My mind thinks of things to write as I flick my pen back and forth between my fingers before I'm interrupted by a knock at my door. Huffing out a sigh, I place my journal beside me on the cushion and get up. My feet carry me to my bedroom door, but the door swings wide open before I even got the chance to twist the doorknob.
Running in comes Vet, his chest moving up and down as he inhales and exhales sharp breaths. His eyes are wide and wild as if he is scared.
"Vet?" I ask cautiously, confused and bewildered by his sudden burst into my room.
"It's Salvatore," he gasps, his hands resting on his knees as he catches his breath. I take that as the opportunity to run into my bathroom and pour him a glass of water. I come back into my room and hand it to him.
"Salvatore?" I ask, taking the glass back from him once he's finished, "What about Salvatore?"
Vet's normal light caramel eyes are now a dark brown. His skin has paled, his breathing is still a bit irregular, and he refuses to make straight eye contact with me.
"Vet," I say sternly, earning a glance from him, "What about Salvatore?"
My mind instantly runs back to the last time Salvatore came to visit. It ended with me being completely taken advantage of. He had taken everything from me.
Vet runs his hand over his upper arm as he gulps, looking me straight in the eyes. "He's coming to visit for the weekend," Vet says and my heart starts thumping against my chest.
"And?" I ask, my voice cracking from weakness.
"And... he wants to see you."
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hiiiii guys, so this is the first chapter of Jewels! i know that louis isn't in this chapter but I promise within the next few, you'll be introduced to his character! he will be the main male role in this book, I just need to get things started first.
i know that there are a lot of loose ends in this chapter and a lot of things may be confusing/don't make sense, but everything will be explained as more chapters come.
please vote and leave comments of what you think so far! hopefully this chapter helps a bit with your understanding of this story's plot as well.
thank you for reading!
- d