A Love Restored

Chapter 68

Rain–slicked windows blurred the outside world as | hummed under my breath, stacking clean dishcloths into a neat pile. Just as I was about to call it a day, Felix appeared in the doorway, his dark hair a little wet.

on the stove.

“Off work?” he asked, his voice rougher than usual. He eyed the pan on

“What did you make?”

“Stir fry.” 1 answered, “Is that okay?”

He nodded. “Thanks,”

“Um, 1 also made strawberry tarts for dessert. The produce was so fresh and tasty, I couldn’t help myself,”

“I love a strawberry tart”

“I know.”

My smile widened, genuine and warm.

“How are you going home?” he asked gruffly, “Need a ride? I can get your car fixed tomorrow.”

I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks. Turns out my knight in shining armor has a knack for mechanics, so no more walking in the rain, getting hurt and cold for me.”

The playful jibe, meant to tease, seemed to catch him off guard. His eyebrows shot up, a flicker of something crossing his face, something I couldn’t quite decipher – annoyance? Jealousy? It vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual gruff demeanor.

“Who?”

“Oh, Liam!” I answered cheerfully. “It was nice of him, no?”

“You’re very close, he remarked quietly.

“Just a friend helping a friend.” I echoed Liam’s words from before.

“Lucky you, then. Some great friends you’ve got.” he spoke, leaning against the doorframe, his eyes clouded with an emotion I couldn’t read.

I couldn’t help but tease further, the warmth of Liam’s earlier help still radiating within me. “He is pretty sweet,” I admitted, a playful lilt in my voice. “Even managed to salvage that ridiculous muffler of mine that sounded like a crying cat in an alleyway.”

My words struck a nerve, I could tell. Felix’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. My smile faltered, the warmth evaporating as the air bristled with an unexpected tension, Why did Felix, suddenly, seem threatened by Liam?

Was he threatened by him?

I laughed on the inside.

“Sweet, huh?” he grumbled, his voice strained. “He’s just another… mechanic. He’s my security guard.”

The barb, though delivered clumsily, felt sharp. Did he really think so little of me, of my ability to choose my own friends, of my strength and

I smiled at him.

me clans prople aren’t vermin, Felix.”

He scowled. “Stop putting words in my mouth.”

Why didn’t he put something in my mouth for a change?

The thought made something coil in my stomach. My checks flushed.

“I want you to move in here.” He said suddenly. I was so taken aback I dropped the spatula in my hand. I cursed under my breath, and picked it up 1

began washing it, and Felix’s voice resonated behind the sound of running water,

“You can have a room here.” He continued, “I don’t want you living in that shithole.

“Shithole? That shithole is my home now. I can handle myself, Felix,” I said, my voice firm.

“It’s filthy.” His words stung. “And God knows what kind of people live in there.”

“People like me.” I mumbled.

My retort, laced with sarcasm, aimed to lighten the mood, but it seemed to miss its mark. His head snapped up, his eyes meeting mine with a fiery intensity that surprised me.

“Shut the fuck up, Flora. It’s final. Pack up your things tonight.”

“Just because you live in a mansion doesn’t mean you can look down on special.”

wn on other peopl

people. Thousands, millions of people live like me, Felix. I’m not

“This isn’t about mansions,” he spat, his voice thick with frustration. “It’s not about other people. It’s about you,” His voice fell. “And it’s about me, a little. “You deserve better than that… that place. I just…can’t imagine you living like that.”

He paused, his gaze scanning my face, searching for something I couldn’t quite name. Then, in a move that startled me entirely, he extended his hand towards me.

“There’s a spare room at the estate. There are too many spare rooms,” he said, his voice rough with what sounded like… vulnerability? He was nervous. “Move in. You’ll be safe, looked after. No more late night walks, no more… worries.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

The offer hung heavy in the air, a tangible manifestation of his concern, of a protectiveness that surprised me. Living with Felix? Under the same roof, sharing the same space, the memories, the ghosts of our past tangled like webs and webs of thread that couldn’t be untangled.

“Felix,” I started, my voice hesitant, “things are… complicated between us. Sharing a living space wouldn’t be the best idea, for either of us.”

He clenched his hand into a fist, his frustration evident. “It doesn’t matter.”

“And what about you?” I challenged, my voice gaining strength. “Is this about helping me, or about… something else?”

His eyes met mine, a storm brewing within their depths. The vulnerability of moments ago was gone, replaced by a familiar steely resolve.

“Maybe it’s a bit of both,” he admitted, his voice hoarse. “I don’t want to argue with you. Or beg you. If it was up to me, if it was like before, I’d have hauled your ass over my shoulder and put you here. But it’s your choice, now.”

This was the first conversation we had had that included us acknowledging the past so easily.

“If it was like before, you wouldn’t need to.”

The pain in his voice tugged at my heartstrings, blurring the lines between anger and a strange, unsettling tenderness.

Our shared history, our tangled mess of secrets and unspoken feelings, wouldn’t be so easily contained within the walls of a house, however spacious, How could we live together now? I’d technically be a stay at home housekeeper, then. Seeing him for these few hours a day would be hard enough.

Living in the same house. Watching women in his life come and go. Watch his life from the sidelines. I didn’t have it in me to do that.

Taking a deep breath, I met his gaze with unwavering resolve. “Felix,” I said, my voice soft but firm, “I think that we are too far gone now, for any semblance of normalcy. That is my life now. And this is yours, I need my own space, my own life. And so do you.”

His jaw tightened, but he nodded grudgingly. Itis eyes held pain and a tortured look at my words. Even I couldn’t believe what I had said. But it made sense. We were too different now. We led different lives, with no scope of being the same again. The unspoken understanding hung heavy in the air, a bittersweet acknowledgement of the boundaries we needed to maintain.

He turned to leave, his retreating figure a silhouette against the soft light of the kitchen. He took a step forward, then whipped back. “I don’t know what happened to you, Flora. You won’t tell me. And we all tried so hard to find you, for years. I just know that even with things being like this now. I don’t want to see you suffer. I don’t want to see you living in that hell hole.” He closed his eyes shut, as if in pain, turning his head up. “And you are

right. I don’t get to judge people, while I live like this. But I get to protect you. And if there is one person I want to save from that life, it’s you, flower.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat. The nickname he had whispered softly rang in my ears loudly. Over and over. Flower. His flower.

1 licked my lips. My throat suddenly felt so dry.

“I can’t.” The two words were the little I could choke out. He didn’t say anything. just turned away and left.

I grabbed my purse and ran out the door. I ran and ran till I reached my car. I sat down and sat there silently for God knows how long

I didn’t do anything. I focused on the simple act of breathing, the gentle rise and fall of my chest mirroring the rhythm of the rain. Each breath, a step towards clarity.

I closed my eyes and thought of Felix’s undisguised concern. His hands trembling as they touched me, the nervous resolve in his life. I wondered what it would be like if I accepted his offer. Would things change between us? Could we be together? Could we truly forge a new path, build a future on the shaky foundation of forgiveness and old feelings? Of secrets and memories and shadows?

It was a question I could only wonder the answers to. I could only dream of a life together.

Maybe I would come to regret this. He was offering a nicer life to me, on a platter. And I declined it. Had I made the biggest mistake ever? I guess, we were too far gone to bring back to life.