𝔽𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝 - 𝕀𝕣𝕠𝕟 & 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕖
"Searching out a
freckled girl
with style"
Cedric POV
My childhood was short lived.
There are few moments I still remember from my adolescent years, but I do recall the sheer giddiness. The pure, unabashed, childlike excitement of life. It's something I haven't felt in a long, long time. Excitement. For years I've forgotten the feeling. It was lost to me, and I couldn't even recollect what it was like to be excited.
I feel it now. It's all I've known since Hendrix came along. She's all I think about now. All I want. All I crave. The things I used to strive for seem unimportant compared to my tiny Luna.
The worries of pretending to be a human Professor have left me, the stresses over leaving my pack behind have completely vanished. She's all that matters.
I'm anxious to speak to her, and to even be in the same vicinity as her. I've seen her plenty of times, after all I won't allow my mate to ride her bike home at 2AM in the dark. I don't trust the human world, or the supernatural one, when it comes to her.
I'm not taking any chances.
Watching her from the sidelines for a few minutes on her way home from work isn't enough.
The countless college classes go by too slow, slower than before now that I know she's out there. Hendrix is in my Tuesday and Thursday classes, a measly two classes a week among the countless other ones I suffer through on a daily basis. The few days it took before she finally walked into my lecture room on Thursday were tough to get through, but as soon as I saw her I knew it was beyond worth it.
Every hour of torture is worth seeing her for even a second of time.
When she walks in, backpack slung over her shoulders, her dark eyes fly towards the front of the room where they settle on me. A warm blush floods her face and my breath catches in my throat at the sight of it. Everything about her is too much.
The other humans shuffle in as well, but I hardly notice them, they're like pesky gnats that won't fly away. My gaze remains fixed on the only human that matters.
Class goes by quickly now that Hendrix is here. I mindlessly go through a lecture I've taught too many times already. I try to remain focused on what I'm saying, and from the outside I probably seem focused, but I'm far from it.
I can pick her fragrance out among all the various smells, and I hold onto it through the hour and a half block. The smell of her and the occasional glance at her keep me sane.
I give out an assignment, and the young students hold back their groans of frustration. Little do they know the purpose behind it has little to do with their education. My idea has me smiling as I stare up at my mate.
And then there's that. Smiling. Another thing I haven't done in the past couple of hundred years.
The tragedy that struck my family as a child rendered me smile-less, and left me with horrendous scars that strike fear into the hearts of those around me. People see me and cringe, everyone except one little human girl.
I'm still not used to the facial muscles moving that way. After going years without using them, I'm surprised they still work. My cheeks are a bit tight and stiff even after all the smiling I've been doing. It's as if Hendrix unfroze my face and she's the only one who makes it work the way it's supposed to.
Maybe that's the reason she's not afraid of me, she's the only one who gets to see me smile. Or maybe it's the mate bond. It clearly works on her as much as it works on me, but not nearly as much.
She probably has no idea why she's so drawn to me. It's got to be confusing for a human to have a mate and not even know what a mate is in the first place. It's hard to fathom not knowing the eternal existence of soul mates, but I suppose all humans are completely oblivious to the phenomenons of the supernatural world.
Not to mention, humans aren't supposed to have mates. This whole situation is a fluke... but I can't say I'm mad about it.
When the class finishes, the students gather their things to leave and I stand by silently. I watch in restrained fury as a human boy makes his way down the aisle towards my mate with leering eyes. The blood in my veins boils watching him smile down at her, speak to her.
He asks her if he can carry her books, and I hold my breath. Thankfully, she declines. I try hard to resist smiling.
It's funny, all this time it's been impossible for me to smile, and now it's hard to stop at times like these.
The boy leaves right along with everyone else. Hendrix slowly makes her way down the stairs while I pretend to be busy at my desk with papers, except that I'm really just waiting for her to come to me.
She shyly walks towards my desk, a sweet expression on her perfect face as she gets closer and closer. She wears a light lilac colored dress that flows around her calves. Her sense of style is another thing that I've come to appreciate about her.
I can hear her heart thumping, her lungs expanding, her eyelashes fluttering. The smell of her is alluring and intense, I take a deep breath and savor it. The sensation is close to being intoxicated.
"Hey, Professor Ri... I mean... uh.. Cedric." She fumbles over her words nervously, a pretty blush tinting her cheeks.
I smile at her. Again.
"Hello, Hendrix." I say, trying to sound normal. I don't want to sound as eager as I truly am. "Who was that you were talking to?" I add in nonchalantly, gesturing with my chin to the door where the boy left only moments ago.
She fiddles with her backpack strap before opening her mouth.
"Oh, that's just Dylan. He's in my band, he's one of the guitarists. We don't know each other very well, we're more acquaintances than anything else ." Hendrix explains, and I can't help but feel a little triumphant at the way she plays it off, assuring me that he means nothing.
So there isn't anything between them after all. I'm relieved, I wouldn't want to scare any boyfriends away from what's mine. Not that it would be hard to do.
"So, a paper on our favorite historical book that has impacted literature today?" She asks about the assignment dubiously, a lilt of teasing to her darling southern voice. Damn, she's adorable.
"Yes. Think you can handle it?" I ask her, leaning back in my swiveling desk chair to study her with my arms folded over my chest. She cocks her head to the side with a sly grin.
"You know, I really haven't read much in my time. Especially not any classics or old timey stuff. Books really aren't my thing....." Hendrix explains, trailing off at the end, and I can already see where this is going. I adore her mind, because this is exactly what I was hoping would happen.
It was my plan all along. Little does she know she's fallen right into my trap.
"Well, I do have some free time in the afternoons if you would like some help." I reply, and when her eyes light up like the stars I know she's just as excited as I am about this.
"That would be great actually." Hendrix agrees a little too eagerly, but I can't look away from her freckle splattered nose to answer her. Our back and forth ends for awhile, fizzling out into an awkward silence. I don't mind the quiet because she's still standing there in front of me.
It's hard to fathom the fact that she's been in my life less than a week and already I can't picture my life without her in it. The simple task of breathing is harder when she's not around.
When Hendrix is in the same room as me, everything seems right with the world for once in my life.
"What time would be good for you?" I ask her. She doesn't reply, she's too busy staring at me, and the more she does the more this desk between us seems to be too much space. With her brown eyes on me, I wonder if I'm as attractive to her as she is to me.
I know I'm not exactly the most handsome guy with the mess on the left side of my face and the eerie, red tint of my eyes, but I hope she finds me at least decent looking. It's the first time I've really thought or cared about my appearance.
My words still haven't registered, so I clear my throat to get her attention, and I try not to sound amused, because I am way too amused for my own good. Goddess, I've missed being amused.
Hendrix snaps out of it, like a bucket of cold water has been poured over her pretty head.
"Huh?" She stammers, clearly embarrassed. I chuckle, actually chuckle. That's new too.
"Time?" My mate raises her eyebrows in confusion at my one worded question. "What time? Tutoring? The paper?" I clarify, her face dawns in understanding and her face flushes.... that's the third time today and I can't get enough of it.
"Oh, uh. Anytime before I start work would be good. I um, I start at 4:30 so we'll need to do it some time before then so I can have time to ride my bike there and uhm..."
"Does 3:00 work?" I interrupt her rambling, as cute as it is to watch her struggle to find words, I hate to watch the horror in her gaze as she rants.
My human nods her head profusely rather than answering with the syllables that have been failing her. I could watch her all day. I want to memorize every tiny thing about her. Every tick, every sound, every single minor detail that makes up Hendrix.
I have a feeling that that might take a while, but I'll wait as long as it takes.
"I'm sorry I'm so... uhm... flustered." She pushes a stray curl out of her face in frustration. "I'm not usually like this, I assure you."
Her insistent tone is nearly my undoing. Who knew such a helpless creature could hold so much authority. She was born to be a Luna after all, and the Queen over all shifter kind, but she's mortal. Who would've guessed? Not me, and that's obvious enough.
Not that she'll be mortal much longer, as soon as my mark is placed on her neck she'll live as long as I do, and I'm counting on it.
It's just a matter of time, and she'll be all mine. Permanently.
And she has absolutely no clue.
"Well, uhm. I'll see you later then I guess." She says in an unsure voice, edging away from where she stands, slowly backing up towards the door. I can tell Hendrix doesn't want to leave, doesn't feel right about it. She wants to stay, I know this because I feel much the same.
"I should uh, get home. My friends get worried easily, and I don't want to uhm, scare them." She mumbles, and I nod silently.
I want to open my mouth and say something, anything at all, but I don't trust myself. If I let myself talk I'll probably end up trying to convince her to stay, and that's not a good idea.
Discipline has been my anchor for years. I've had lots of practice, but meeting my human has sent it all down the drain. Somehow I need to get back under control. This is something I can not afford to mess up.
My relationship with Hendrix needs to be treated like glass, with care and caution.
When she smiles at me and exits the classroom, my heart sinks and I sigh as I try to assure myself that slow and steady wins the race. This is a slow process.
After all, you can't rush perfection.
✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰ ★ ✰
If you're reading this, you're a beautiful person:)
Hello again! Hope you loved this chapter as much as I do. I just adore writing this! I'm so excited for everything I have planned for Hendrix and Cedric. Just you wait!
Suggestions, thoughts, and predictions are always appreciated 👌🏼
Again, another update will be up within the next week sometime. Likely Sunday or Monday!
Have an awesome week everyone! I love every single one of y'all ❤️❤️❤️