Mike's Point Of View...
After a leisurely walk back to the hotel, I climbed each staircase up to our room and slid the key through the lock turning it a few times before I was granted access.
"Evelyn I'm back!" I informed with a smile plastered across my face as I peered across the room in search for my bride to be.
No reply.
"Evelyn?" I called out raising my voice slightly as my smile faultered and manipulated itself into a confused look.
"I'm here, Mike." She identified herself and spoke in a tear-glazed voice as she emerged from the side of the bed.
"What happened to you?" I requested.
"I thought you were never coming home, you said you would only be a few hours and its nearly midnight. You've been gone over twelve hours." She sobbed wearily as I embraced her tightly, letting her sweet tears flood my jacket.
"Well I'm here now, come on love its bed time." I spoke reassuringly and patted her on the back.
Instantly, Evelyn obeyed my orders and removed the duvet from the bed partially aiming to air it out for when we slept, then she simply slipped out of her day's clothing and pulled the soft, cashmere nightgown over her head before crawling on to the feathery mattress and curling up like a bear ready for hibernation.
♡
Evelyn's Point Of View...
From outside in the darkened hallway I could hear some shuffling around by the door, my instincts kicked in as my mind suggested I should hide from whatever was coming in and shield myself from whoever my predator could be.
Its only Mike. My heart contradicted with the mindset I was already in.
This caused me to relax slightly as my heartbeat reduced to its resting state, my brain still shooting thoughts in various directions.
"Evelyn, I'm back!" Mike's cheery voice echoed throughout the sparsely furnished hotel room. The sound of his voice calming my mind in almost an instant, sending me drifting to a world of thought. I had honestly thought he had done one of those runners that the fiancé often does to his partner after feeling that the magic has disappeared; these thoughts often cross my mind leaving my eyes glassy with the tears that fail to fall.
"Evelyn?" Mike repeated, raising his voice slightly; instantly snapping me out of the daze I was in.
"I'm here Mike." I simply replied in almost a whisper, trying to blink away the tears brewing in my tear ducts.
♡
"You know, I have a surprise for you..." Mike trailed off casually which he knows I hate, it's so difficult to get answers from men these days I rarely bother anymore.
"Well, what it is?" I almost demanded. If he knew I was not in the mood for fun and games, maybe he would be open with me. Tactics at their best.
"You know the drill, wait until tomorrow." He responded with a sassy wink, leaving lightning bolts of anger to attack my body from the inside.
Without even bothering to respond was more like dropping my sword in the middle of a battle field, waiting to be mauled by other soldiers; you just could not win with Mike, it was quite frankly impossible.
I simply got up from the fresh, cloud-like carpet and strolled over to the ensuite bathroom in order to get ready for bed. Throwing my mousy brown hair up in to a pretty much effortless pony tail was the most I could manage, I was so out of energy lately; it felt like I was having a vacuum inserted into my weak, brittle brain and all of the thoughts, power and vitality sucked from within me and whisked away to somewhere I would never be able to retrieve the loss of power from.
"I'm going to bed Mike!" I shouted wearily, before turning the bedroom light off and hopping into bed.
"Hey, turn the light back on!" He whined like a spoilt two year old.
"I told you; I'm going to bed." I countered, trying hopelessly to sound as firm as I could.
♡
The Next Day...
Rolling over after letting out an exhausted groan, I squinted at the crystal clear window that was placed centrally on the left hand wall of the hotel room. As my glance seemed to pan across the room, letting me take in my surroundings once again; this time through natural light, furthermore, I could now see every in more signifcant detail.
Continuing my visual pan, my eyes focused on a sleeping Mike who seemed to be cuddling a sock. Strange. I cannot speak though, I have slept with my teddy bear since I was born - he used to be thirty centimetres tall and now he stands at a mere ten cetinmetres in height; he was definitely - and still is - well loved. After I had had a brief replay of yesterday to myself I remembered that Mike had mentioned some kind of surprise for me, since I still had no idea what it was I decided to simply prepare myself for it by getting dressed into something fairly versatile and reasonably semi-formal.
When I had finished hesitating for a couple of minutes I scrambled out of bed and traipsed into the ensuite bathroom to freshen up and attempt to make an effort for Mike; I certainly did not want to let the only person in my life that I trusted down and to disappoint him within the early hours of the morning; my surprise had not even been unveiled as of yet. My first instinct appeared to be a full shower which consisted of shampooing, a conditioning hair mask, exfoliating my body, shaving and then a full body lather and wash. It seemed to take about fifteen minutes - give or take a few - until I wash ready to wash the thick, creamy consistency out of my hair before my hair became greasy; which would have definitely defeated the object of a full hair cleanse.
I slipped out of the shower shortly after I had just rinsed off completely and wrapped a towel around my chest to conceal my unclothed body. Much to my surpise, Mike was still fast asleep; he certainly would have been an Aurora if he was born a girl. Since I was making an effort to dress decently today after that shock back at 'home' - if you could call it that anymore - I was just too drained from every ounce of energy that remained in my body to dress presentably, I had even put up with greasy, untamed hair for a couple of weeks now which is unsual for myself.
Pulling the metallic red hair dryer out from the wicker basket on the side of the dressing table, I untangled the plug and pushed it firmly into the wall flipping the switch in the process. As the ear torturing, electrical sound buzzed throughout the room I tried to space out from the noise and enjoy the peace I had whilst I was the only one awake at this hour - I was an early riser to say the least, Mike on the other hand was one of the people who gets up at around lunch time and completely wastes his day just lazing around. Once the dryer had heated up to a sufficient temperature to get the job done, I let the warm breeze drift over my toussled, damp hair. With my hair now still a birds nest, but reasonably dry, I began to tackle the knots with my tangle teaser brush, combing through each section quite roughly and leaving my scalp with a stinging pain as I unplugged the hair dryer and recoiled the wire around its handle.
Since I was planning on the semi-formal appearance, my basic hairstyle was not going to make the cut for today, therefore I chose to lock in some loose curls and spritz my hair with the tough, cement like spray to keep the ringlets in place.
♡
After another half an hour of continuously making myself look as presentable as it gets on a 'semi formal scale' I strolled over to the full length mirror in front of me and scrutinized myself. I had pieced together a fitted, black vest top with spaghetti straps that I neatly tucked into the more classic skirt I was wearing; as for my bottom half, I had selected a peachy-nude above the knee skirt with a midnight black, lace overlay. I also accessorised with a chunky silver necklace and for shoes I wore some nude heels.
As I glanced over each piece of clothing, my thoughts drifted back to not so long ago when I was awaiting another surprise; however, that surprise seemed to be more of a blessing in disguise - if you could even call it a blessing.
Flashback to when Evelyn was still with Jack..
"I have a surprise for you tomorrow, Ev." Jack whispered seductively into my ear whilst caressing my inner thigh.
"And what could that be?" I pondered aloud.
"Good things come to those who wait." He advised, avoiding my question. Typical Jack.
I played along with this whole surprise, by showcasing a signature girly pout and blinking repeatedly in a flirty manner. My fresh green eyes piercing like daggers through his icy blue ones.
"Maybe you should go to sleep love and then you will see first thing tomorrow, I promise." He reasoned with me in a calming tone.
"Alright, fine." I responded, feeling slightly irritated that he was not going to tell me until the morning. I also felt defeated due to the fact that I would never manage to get it out of him; I was definitely not wearing the pants in this relationship.
"Good girl." He whispered, tucking me into bed and turning off the lights.
"Wait," I interrupted him whilst he was reaching for the light switch. "Are you not coming to bed as well?" I asked in a slightly more interrogating tone, eyeing him up in the process.
"No more questions Evelyn." He spoke bluntly. With that, I was enveloped into the darkness of the night with no choice but to go to sleep.
For the last few years in our relationship Jack had become slightly more distant. He never answered my questions anymore and would often give me the cold shoulder. Other times he was the definition of sweet. He would buy me flowers, chocolates and just spend the evening with me relaxing. But it was not just the way he was distancing himself from me that was worrying me, it was the fact that he was become more stern and sometimes even abusive toward me. I never knew how to act around him without the fear of severe punishment; he seemed to be more of a father to me than a boyfriend, but I never let my curiosity get the better of me. It was his business, not mine.
♡
The Next Morning (Flashback still continuing)...
At the crack of dawn the sun glistened through the clear glass windows, its rays highlighting streaks of the hard wooden floor. My eyes squinted at the harsh light before adjusting a few moments later.
Scanning the room, I took note of the usual features that were enclosed between the four, magnolia coloured walls.
Although, something did not look the same and I could not lay a finger on it until I looked toward my left and saw I was by myself in the bed Jack and I had been sharing for a matter of years now, his side of the bed side table appeared empty and all his personal items that were once before strewn across the bedroom carpet were nowhere in sight. Maybe he had finally come to the decision of pulling some weight and tidied up; not leaving me to do all thework like he usually would.
Instead of hesistating and thinking of a worst case scenario, that would most likely frighten me to an early grave; I sat up in the bed and swivelled on to my feet, slipping on my deep purple, velvet slippers and made my way into the hallway.
"Jack?" I called out, yet there was no response whatsoever.
I decided to go and investigate the house - I suppose you could say - and hunt for any surprises my boyfriend had hinted to around the house.
A Few Hours Later...
It had become clear to me that there was no underlying surprise, nothing. I was searching with false hope, clinging on with every last strand; Jack had left me. It made me stand there and ponder thoughtfully about why this could have happened at such a time? Was I too much to handle? Was he simply fed up? Or was there somebody else and I was just being left in the shadows. All were possible components, but for now I would have to learn that life throws its hardest battles to its strongest soldiers and although I did not know it. I was one.
Icould not seem to contain my emotions any longer as the tears crept up from behind my eyelids and slid freely down my face from my now moist tear duct, as they fell they gentle tickled my supple skin leaving marks behind to remind me of these moments that will somehow live with me throughout my entire life.
End Of Flashback...
♡
Mike's Point Of View
As I wearily scanned the bedroom - since I had just woken up - my eyes landed on my gorgeous, dazzling bride-to-be. Evelyn appeared so distant just stood in front of the mirror, like she was constantly drifting in and out of a daze. Not concentrating on herself, not looking at her reflection through the pristine mirror. Evelyn seemed to look forlorn, crestfallen almost, like memories were flooding through her brain and she could not seem to cope anymore.
"Evelyn?" I questioned, trying to gently bring her out of the mystical land she seemed to have travelled to within the previous minutes, possibly hours. I don't know how long she has been awake for, I'm a deep sleeper as Evelyn seems to tell me.
"Oh, you're awake." She answered after a few minutes of hesitation. I nodded my head to confirm the statement, then grasped her soft hand leading her towards the pillow-like bed where she could sit down for a moment and explain to me what was going on; what was worrying her.
"What's wrong? You seem slightly distant today. I'll give a penny for your thoughts." I offered, trying to reassure my fiancee by caressing the back of her hand with my thumb.
"I don't feel like talking about it." Evelyn brushed it off almost instantly, plastering a relatively face smile across that vulnerable looking face. "Well, okay." I responded in a hushed tone - I couldn't argue, not because I couldn't be bothered, because Evelyn was not really the person you want to argue with - then strolled through to the en-suite to get myself ready.
♡
After I had finished off in the bathroom, I walked out cleanly-shaven with an aromatic cologne named "Dark Moon" revolving around my figure. This was my most expensive, only-to-be-worn-on-special-ocassions-cologne that Evelyn claims the scent makes her melt on the inside. It was described as a musky scent with midnight undertones for the real man. Although I do seem to doubt that tagline as some women I meet when I'm out and about seem to think I smell like a formal, more seductive women's perfume. Awkward.
Glancing in all directions of the room, I noticed Evelyn carefully packing her handbag and saw her nostrils flare up almost instantly; the fragrance must have travelled at a quicker pace than I had expected.
"Oh my gosh, that cologne..." She moaned softly under her breath. Looks like that had done the trick.
Whilst she was inhaling the indulgent scent that was misted over my body, I grabbed the hotel room key and looked in her direction once more; taking in her beauty that seemed to radiate off her like the light from the sun.
"Ready to go babe?" I asked in a slightly lower octave than I would usually.
"Mhm." Was her simple, more innocent reply.
As soon as she grabbed her bag from the bed and place it on her shoulder, I took her hand within mine and led her towards my car was currently parked out of the front of the building. Guiding her to into her seat was a fairly simple task, then I let her slide the leather seat belt over her petite waist before I entered the car myself.
♡
Author's Note:
I cannot even explain how bad I am for not updating in three months. Wow! I do not really have an excuse; oopsies. I hope this chapter can make up for the wait though, since it is longer than usual! There are still a load more chapters to go and some more events to follow so stay tuned! Anyway, I would like to thank you all for staying with this story as it continues and I do agree that I must become more consistent with my writing! A huge thank you to my best friend Danixthewanted for pushing me to update otherwise you wouldn't have received this chapter for a longer period of time! You should go and check out her stories, especially her fanfic on The Wanted "Personal Soldier". It is incredible!
Hopefully you shall be seeing an update sometime this week, but I make no promises!